Preparation Tips, Free Study Material for GMAT

The best GMAT preparation would consist of a well-thought-out plan that is followed through completely. A good GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test) Score not only makes you eligible to apply to the best business schools, but also proves your suitability for a management program since a good GMAT Score would be a reflection of your “managerial skills.”

Read on to get some useful GMAT preparation tips, free GMAT practice tests and GMAT preparation material .

How to prepare for GMAT?

1. Choose which MBA/ management programs you want to apply to, determine their application deadlines and register for GMAT accordingly.
2. Understand the exam pattern/ format of the GMAT thoroughly. Go through GMAT sample questions to get more clarity. This will help you decide what exactly to study.
3. Without any preparation, attempt a full sample GMAT test. Your score will help you identify your weak areas and establish to what extent you need to polish your verbal, quantitative, writing and reasoning skills.
4. Get your hands on as many free GMAT practice material as possible. The internet is your best friend here – search, and you shall find! If you’re a registered user of mba.com, you can download the free GMATPrep® Software at http://www.mba.com/us/store/download-free-gmatprep-software.aspx. This GMATPrep® Software will give you access to 90 free GMAT practice questions with answers and explanations as well. Out of these, there will be 30 questions from the Quantitative section, 45 questions for Verbal and 15 Integrated Reasoning questions. You will also get 2 full-length practice GMAT tests with detailed results at the end.
5. The keyword for effective GMAT preparation is “practice.” A GMAC research has revealed that the top-scores in the GMAT have actually spent more hours studying. In addition to the free GMATPrep® Software, you can also buy more GMAT  mock tests and books when you’re looking for the best GMAT preparation material.
   
6. Spend enough time practicing writing essays for the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA.) You’re given 30 minutes for this section. Learn to spend it wisely – utilize the first 5 minutes to thinking out a good outline for your essay and then use the next 25 minutes to write down your essay in a clear and concise manner. Click to download a list of AWA essay topics from previous years’ GMAT question papers.
7. Don’t stress out too much thinking about the half hour long IR section – ensure that you understand the four types of Integrated Reasoning questions that are tested in the GMAT and practice ample number of questions of each type. You can also practice 48 never-seen-before IR questions set by the GMAT makers themselves by buying the new Official GMAT® Integrated Reasoning Prep Tool.
8. Tackle the Quantitative section by getting all your mathematics basics studied till class 10 right (GMAT quantitative syllabus.) Once you identify all the maths topics important for the GMAT test, pick out every topic one by one and practice 50 questions from each area. Keep solving questions until your accuracy rate is satisfactory.
9. Since speed is crucial to this test, it is imperative for non-native English speakers (like we Indians) to focus on improving our reading speed as well as comprehension abilities. The only way to do this is to keep reading as much quality English material as possible. Even if you’re well-versed with all the grammar rules, it is important to see good English “in action.”
10. Joining a good GMAT coaching (GMAT Prep course) is an option you should go for if you need an external source of discipline and routine. The Princeton Review, Jamboree, IMS, Career Launcher are a few good names in the GMAT coaching industry.

GMAT Preparation Books