GMAT Singapore: GMAT Preparation Tips
Getting ready for your GMAT exams? In this article, GMAT Singapore specialist ICON+ outlines some useful tips for your GMAT preparation...
According to experts, students should begin to study for the GMAT exam at least three months before the testing date. Students know this tidbit as well as they know the bible. Three months is what it takes to get a good score. But life is not always so timely. GMAT students often face extenuating circumstances or have many things to juggle: finances, families, work, emotional troubles, sickness. These possibilities can shorten the amount of study time students have, leaving them pressured and anxious. In anticipation of this, we have produced below a compacted, one month GMAT study plan for such students to follow.This program is not as thorough as the three month time frame, nor does it fully replace it; instead, it takes care of all the basics if time is constrained.
Days 1 -3: Become Familiar with the GMAT Exam
Most students know little about the exam when they first take it. Before you jump into the material, make sure you understand what the exam is, how is operates, and what you can expect from it. Go to the official GMAT website and look up the following: What does the exam test for? What are the sections? How much time do you have? What is being tested? Where can you take the exam? What are the basic rules/allowances in the exam and in the exam room? During this time, also read up on the instructions or directions that accompany each section. That way, you are prepared on exam day and do not have to waste time reading them. Finally, look over all of the sections and identify your immediate strengths and weaknesses. Do the math questions look easy to you? Do the reading comprehension passages look tough? These preliminary assessments will help you make judgement calls during the study sessions, ie. you will know which sections to focus more attention on and which ones to pass through quickly.
Days 4 - 13: Purchase GMAT Materials
Once you understand the exam, you are ready to launch in it. For your course of study, first purchase 2-3 guidebooks from which to consult. The official GMAT guidebook is of course a must; Kaplan also has excellent books on each individual section. Likewise, the Manhattan Gmat Set has in the past received strong reviews.To begin with, you will want to work through the quantitative section. This portion of the exam covers mathematic concepts you will have learned in your middle school and high school years. As such, you will not have to learn any new material; rather, you will have to remember or rejoin the concepts you once knew at an earlier time. Furthermore, the math section has pretty straightforward rules: the answers as calculated are either right or wrong. (Unlike the english sections, where the answers are subjective and hence require deductive logic and more nuanced understanding.) This will make the math section more easy to run through. Perhaps the greatest challenge you will face with GMAT math is the time limit -- you only have 1.5 - 2.5 minutes per question. Hence, a great bulk of your time should be spent doing the questions within the time frame. This way you get a feel for real exam conditions.
Days 14 - 25: GMAT Verbal Test Preparation
Most of your study time will be devoted to the verbal section, which is by far the hardest. The verbal section has three main components: sentence correction, critical reasoning, and reading comprehension. You will have to understand the objectives and strategies of each component before you can tackle the questions. Consequently, you should devote 2-3 days on each of the three sections. As you do this, make note of the problems you have. Is it hard for you to concentrate on a reading passage? Is your vocabulary weak? Once you completely understand all three components (after 6-9 days), spend the next 1-2 days concentrating on your weaknesses. Go through reading passages, make vocabulary lists if you need to; revisit all the grammar rules you know and learn to detect errors inside out. In the remaining days, try complete questions from all three components within their respective time frames. Again, this will give you a feel for real exam conditions.
Days 26 - 30: Practice, Practice, Practice
In the last five days, take as many full, times practice exams as you can. (Ideally, you will take 4-5 full practice exams before you take the real test.) Revisit any problems you had during the course of your study. If you are still having difficulties with math or vocabulary, go back and review the rules and strategies. Brush up on any last minute weaknesses, and make sure you that you have good timing for each section. Finally, do not study extensively the night before the real test. Instead, review the exam briefly, skim through your notes, and then get a goodnight’s sleep. You are going to need all the energy and rest you need for the next day.
About this article:
GMAT, which stands for Graduate Management Admission Test (Wiki: GMAT), is a common pre-requisite for MBA courses in Singapore. The test is used to evaluate the verbal, mathametical and analytical writing skills of the examinee. ICON+ is one of the leading GMAT preparation schools in Singapore. and have consistently produced students that have achieved GMAT scores that are higher than the worldwide average. Read more about ICON+'s GMAT Singapore program.
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