From zero to hero: Your essential guide to GMAT preparation

Are you planning to apply to business school in the near future? Currently, many business schools are waiving the GMAT and GRE requirements as part of its flexible admission requirements for their MBA programmes due to disruptions brought upon by COVID-19. But your GMAT preparation shouldn’t take a backseat.

Many business schools around the world accept the GMAT exam; to improve your chances of securing a spot at a good business school, it doesn’t hurt to begin your preparations now as the GMAT exemption is only being temporarily waived.

So, how do you begin your GMAT preparation? Here’s a rough guide:

Understand what the test entails

The GMAT tests your analytical, quantitative, verbal and reading skills, and requires months of heavy preparation if you’re striving for a high score to gain admission into the best MBA programmes.

The GMAT test structure has four main divisions: Analytical Writing, Integrated Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative reasoning. 

Know what to strive for

Consider looking up the average GMAT scores of business schools that you’re targeting. This will give you an idea of what score to strive for. 

See where you stand

Manhattan Prep content and curriculum lead Stacey Koprince – who has been teaching the GMAT, GRE and LSAT for over 15 years – advises students to proceed with some light study to familiarise themselves with the different types of questions on the exam before taking a practice test.

This will help students identify their starting point and gauge how much work they need to put in to achieve a score that would help them enrol in their preferred business school.

Choose how to study 

How you learn best affects your GMAT preparation. Decide if you should enrol in a class, hire a private tutor or self-study.

Test prep centres have instructors to guide you and help you through difficult concepts, while there are plenty of test prep books and online resources that you can use to self-study.

Create a schedule and commit to it 

Once you’ve identified where you stand and decided on a method of learning, be sure to create a schedule and decide how long you need to prepare for the GMAT. Use materials that will teach you how to get better and another that will allow you to practice these new skills that you’re learning.

At the end of the day, with some preparation and commitment, your GMAT preparation doesn’t have to be a bumpy ride with some careful planning.