Crack the GMAT

So you are ready? Ready to go ahead with GMAT. Great.

Well the very first thing you should do, after having gone through the official web site of GMAC, is to buy the official guides for preparing for the GMAT. Believe me they are the best. Though people say that they are relatively easier than some other guides like Kaplan, Princeton etc., still they are the closest to the official format and the pattern of the questions, which you will actually find in the test. There are 3 volumes of official guides available: one which covers whole of the GMAT, second which covers only the verbal part and third which deals with the analytical section.

Go through one of the practice tests given in the beginning of the main Official guide- the first volume. It will help you know the severity of the questions asked in GMAT and the types of questions that you can expect. However, some bouncers are always there. When you sit for the real exam, you will face some totally new questions.

Now wait. After having done the practice test, close the official guide. Pick any other guide, like Kaplan, Princeton- any, which ever is easily available. Now go through whole of that guide first. After that come back to the official guides. Complete the main guide first. Again, take a break. By now you must have mastered the various types of questions that you can expect in GMAT.

Along with all these guides I recommend to join any one of good websites for preparing for GMAT. Here you can discuss your problems, doubts etc. with others and also you will come to know of the latest happenings in the MBA world. Search Google for such preparatory websites.

So you are done with one of the private GMAT guides as well as the official GMAT guide. This should not have taken more than 2 months considering you are working and are devoting 2-3 hours daily and few extra hours on the weekends. Considering your GMAT test date is nearby, start with the two supplement volumes of the Official GMAT Guide. Complete these and mind you- don’t read any other guide near to your GMAT. I have seen people burning mid night oil near to the test date and completing as many guides as possible. This is calling for the disaster. When you are approaching the test date, just concentrate on the official guides; because official guides are the one which are very near to the actual GMAT and that’s why I say- they are the best bets. Other guides, in their tendency to put difficult questions, just drift away from the pattern of questions that actually form the GMAT.

One more thing- that I have missed earlier. You need not prepare much for the essays- 2 small ones which constitute the first part of the GMAT. Just read some of the topics of the official guides on the last day. That’s enough; but do increase your reading. Try reading some national and international business papers. Read news articles as well as editorials. They will help you grasp the verbal part of the GMAT.

Rest luck should be on your side and you will be able to surpass that magical figure of 700, like yours truly did in September 2006 with the score of 740.