Hi, If you did well on the GMAT, I want to hear from you.  Below are a few common questions that people studying for the GMAT want to know about. Please take a minute to respond in the comments section.

Thanks!

What was the best advice that you received in studying for the GMAT?

Which guidebook did you think was the best?

What was your studying strategy? How many weeks/months/hours per day did you put in?

How many times did you take the GMAT?

On the first test (or practice, if you only took one), did you do better on verbal or math? How did this result impact your focus for studying for the next one? Which did you better on during the final test?

If you are a foreigner / non-native English speaker, the GMAT Verbal sections must be extremely an daunting challenge. I can only imagine taking it in one of my second languages–it would be ugly to say the least.  However, I believe my strategies for mastering the GMAT Verbal are just as valid, if not more so, for non-native speakers. 

1) Start reading more now.   The main thing I would change for foreigners is that you should probably start your intensive reading program earlier. Aim to read an English language book every two weeks, or every month at the very at least. 

2) Study formal logic , statistics, analytical reasoning and whatever other area you may be lacking.  (the stats book, How to Lie with Statistics is not just for the math section, these tricks will be used and abused on the GMAT verbal section too).

3) Study hard with the Manhattan GMAT guides along with the Official Guide for GMAT Review.

Business Week’s MBA Blogs section has a good overview of the GMAT Math section.

Information Compiled by Manhattan GMAT Prep, Inc.

Source:  MBADiversity.com

The GMAT is the Graduate Management Admission Test, a standardized test used by business schools as a measure of an applicant’s academic ability. Schools require applicants to take the GMAT and submit their scores in order to be considered for admission to M.B.A. and other business-oriented degree programs. The GMA T is a computerized test; administered six days a week, 52 weeks a year (except holidays), it can be taken virtually anytime. However, it can only be taken once per month and 5 times per year. The cost to take the exam is $225.

The Computerized GMAT CAT

The GMAT is offered ONLY on computer, which means that you do not use a pencil and paper to answer test questions. Instead, you will sit in front of a computer screen at an official testing center and take the GMAT in its CAT (Computer Adaptive Test) form. The basic features of the CAT format are as follows:

Ø You will see only one question on the screen at a time. Therefore, you may not skip around in a section and answer questions in the order that you please. Once you answer a question, you are not allowed to return to it, but you must answer one question in order to move to the next.

Ø The test is designed to adapt to your personal ability by giving you questions that reflect how well you have answered previous questions. Test questions are not pre-set in advance. Instead, as you take the test, new questions are generated for you based on how well you are doing. The test begins with a question of average difficulty. If you answer it correctly, you will receive a slightly harder second question. If you do not, you will receive a slightly easier second question. Your third question, in turn, will be based on your response to the second question and its difficulty level. In this way, the computer zeros in on your ability level and assigns you a corresponding score.

Ø Due to the GMAT’s computer adaptive format, scores are not determined solely by the number of correct answers. Correct responses to difficult questions are worth more than correct responses to easy questions. Therefore, in order to score well you must be able to answer the more difficult questions correctly.

Ø No matter your ability level, the CAT presents you with a fair mix of questions for the content areas within a given section. For example, in the math section, all test-takers receive roughly the same mix of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry questions.

Ø Prior to the exam, there will be a computer tutorial designed to help you become familiar with computerized testing. You will be allowed as much time as you need to review the computerized format and practice entering in answers.

GMAT Format

Ø Section 1: You will be asked to compose two 30-minute essays. The first essay will ask you to analyze a given argument. The second essay will ask you to analyze a given issue. This section is called the Analytical Writing Assessment (the AWA).

Ø Section 2: You will be given 75 minutes to answer 37 multiple-choice quantitative questions. These questions come in two forms: (a) Problem Solving questions which ask you to solve a variety of arithmetic, algebraic, and geometric math problems and (b) Data Sufficiency questions which ask you to decide whether or not you are given sufficient information to solve a given math problem.

Ø Section 3: You will be given 75 minutes to answer 41 multiple-choice verbal questions. These questions come in three forms: (a) Sentence Correction questions which ask you to choose the most grammatically accurate way of expressing a given sentence, (b) Critical Reasoning questions which ask you to assess the logic of short arguments, and (c) Reading Comprehension questions which ask you to read short passages (up to 350 words each) and answer content, inference, and application questions based on the information presented.

The timed-portion of the GMAT lasts 3.5 hours. You are allowed a 5-minute break between each section. Note: the GMAT does not include any questions that test your business knowledge. It is designed solely to measure your writing, quantitative, and verbal ability.
GMAT Scoring

Ø After taking the GMAT, you will receive both quantitative (Section 2) and verbal (Section 3) subscores. Each subscore ranges from 0 to 60. These subscores are then combined into an overall score, which ranges from 200 to 800—this is what is typically considered your “GMAT score.” You will also receive a separate score, ranging from 0 to 6, on the AWA essay portion of the exam (Section 1). Your scores are accompanied by a percentile ranking that tells you how you did in relation to everyone else who took the test. If you score in the 85th percentile, this means that 85 percent of all GMAT test-takers scored at or below your level.

Ø The median overall GMAT score is approximately 520. However, to be considered for top business schools, you will generally need a score of at least 600. In fact, according to the 2004 U.S. News business school rankings, 10 of the 15 business schools report that their average GMAT scores are in the 700+ range.

Ø Scores are reported to you immediately. After completing the GMAT, you are given the option of either viewing or canceling your scores. If you think that you did not do very well, you may cancel your scores (without seeing them!) and they will not be reported to any business schools, although the business schools will be notified of the cancellation on future score reports. Keep in mind, however, that once you cancel your scores, you will not be able to view them. Also, you will not be refunded your test registration fee. Your AWA essay-writing score is determined separately (graded by ETS writing professionals and a software program called Robo-reader) and mailed to you approximately two weeks after the test. The test fee covers reporting of these scores to five schools, and additional score reports can be purchased for $28.

Your GMAT Next Steps

Ø Don’t delay the GMAT until you are ready to submit b-school applications. Plan. Prepare. Practice. The average GMAT study time is 2-4 months!

Ø Learn more about the exam and about ways to prepare at www.manhattangmat.com.

Ø Sign up for the official test by calling 1-800-GMAT-NOW, or by going to the official GMAT website at www.mba.com. You can also download for free a software package called PowerPrep, which contains many practice problem sets, an overview, and two full-length simulated exams.

by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions
Source: MBADiversity.com

The countdown has begun. Your date with the GMAT is looming on the horizon. Now, the butterflies have started fluttering in your stomach. Your thinking is getting a little cloudy. You’re becoming riddled with self-doubt …am I ready? …am I sure that I’m ready? …what did I forget?

Don’t panic. By following these simple tips you can alleviate the natural anxiety and stress that goes along with taking an exam as important as the GMAT. Take control during the days leading up to the test, manage your anxiety, and lay the groundwork for a successful test taking experience.
The Week Before Test Day
In the week or so leading up to Test Day, you should do the following:
• Visit the testing center if you can. Sometimes seeing the actual room where your test will be administered and taking notice of little things – such as the kind of desk you’ll be working on, whether the room is likely to be hot or cold, etcetera – may help to calm your nerves. And if you’ve never been to the test center, visiting beforehand is a good way to ensure that you don’t get lost on Test Day. Remember, you must be on time – the computers at the test centers are booked all day long.
• Practice working on test material, preferably a full-length test, at the same time of day that your test is scheduled for, as if it were the real Test Day.
• Time yourself accurately, with the same device and in the same manner in which you plan to keep track of time on Test Day. (The computer has a clock on the screen that you’ll see during the test, but it’s good to track your own time as well.)
• Evaluate thoroughly where you stand. Use the time remaining before the test to shore up your weak points. But make sure not to neglect your strong areas; after all, this is where you’ll rack up most of your points.
The Day Before the Test
Try to avoid doing intensive studying the day before the test. There’s little you can do to help yourself at this late date, and you may just wind up exhausting yourself and burning out Review a few key concepts, get together everything you’ll need for Test Day and then take the night off entirely. Go to see a movie, rent a video, or watch some TV. Try not to think too much about the test.

The Day of the Test
Here are some last-minute reminders to help guide your work on Test Day:
• Read each question stem carefully, and reread it before making your final selection.
• Don’t get bogged down in the middle of any section. You may find questions that appear later to be more to your liking. So don’t freak. Eliminate answer choices, guess and move on.
• Start strong. The first few questions are important, so spend as much time as necessary on the early ones.
• Don’t bother to figure out which questions are unscored. It can’t help you, and you might very well be wrong. Instead, just determine to do your best on every question.
• Confidence is key. Accentuate the positives, and don’t dwell on the negatives! Your attitude and outlook are crucial to your performance on test day.
• During the exam, try not to think about how you’re scoring. It’s like a baseball player who’s thinking about the crowd’s cheers and the sportswriters and his contract as he steps up to the plate: There’s not surer way to strike out. Instead, focus on the question-by-question task of picking an answer choice. The correct answer is there: You don’t have to come up with it; it’s sitting right there in front of you! Concentrate on each question, each passage, each problem and you’ll be much more likely to hit a home run.

After all the hard work you’ve done preparing for and taking the GMAT, you want to make sure you take time to celebrate afterwards. Plan to get together with friends the evening after the test. Relax, have fun, let loose. After all, you have lots to celebrate: You prepared for the test ahead of time. You did your best. You’re going to get a good score.

Bloghorn8 received the Top GMAT Preparation blog award by ClearAdmit.com.

Here are a couple of great posts related to the GMAT:

http://bloghorn8.blogspot.com/2005/05/i-discoveredpart-i-of-iii.html

http://bloghorn8.blogspot.com/2004/10/gmat-scrap-book.html

Alator has the following to say about the GMAT.  Visit the original post for a complete list of advice on getting into a top buisness school.

GMAT: Try and get it out of the way as soon as possible. I had given GMAT more than an year in advance (when I first applied last year). I gave a sample test first to familiarize myself with the structure of the test. I determined what were the areas which I needed to improve and what were the areas which I really did not need to put in much work. In my case for example, I knew I needed to put in more effort in sentence correction while but not the quantitative section. I used The Official Guide for GMAT Review to practice. I tried to do as many problems from the sections where I needed to improve. Finally I gave another full length test to see where I stood. I am really good at standardized tests and did not need to put in more than a month to prepare. You need to assess yourself how much time you will need to prepare for the test.

Naveen,  an ‘06 MBA grad from the UCLA Anderson School of Business has a great post about the GMAT experience.  She scored a 760, studying with the Princeton Review guide.

Here are her top tips for conquering the GMAT:

1. Relax. Prepare yourself before the exam and take it easy the day before. If you keep pushing yourself to study up to the last minute, you’re going to go into it a nervous wreck.

2. Practice the format under real conditions. Run through two timed practice tests and don’t skip the essays! I know they’re stupid, but you have to do them first when you do the real thing. Get used to it.

3. Don’t sweat the score on the practice tests. Maybe I got lucky on a guess or two… but I got 50-90 points higher on the real thing.

4. Having a high GMAT is a good thing. Having a high GMAT and a high GPA is better. I’m one of the lucky goof-offs who had to use his optional essays to explain so-so grades (2.8 in Com Sci) in college.

Advice on conquering the GMAT from “electrizze,” another Columbia MBA ‘08.

“AxeChick” as she is known online, has posted a series of interesting posts about the GMAT.