You
Can Easily Increase Your GMAT CAT Score by 50 to
100
Points
Despite the official statements
from the test-makers at ETS (Educational Testing
Service), you can improve
your GMAT score dramatically by simply spending some
time becoming "streetwise" about the GMAT
CAT. Quite simply, this is the lowest-hanging fruit
of your preparation and should not be ignored under
any circumstances.
Keep in mind that the GMAT is a game and just like
chess, baseball, tennis, or any other sport, those
who know how the game is played have a huge advantage
over others who are ignorant of the game's idiosyncratic
rules.
As a test taker, you should know:
- The computer-adaptive structure of the GMAT
- The types of exam questions asked and their common
fallacies
- How to manage your time wisely
The computer-adaptive
structure of the GMAT
The computer-adaptive test (CAT) version of the GMAT
is designed to get a more accurate assessment of your
skills while asking you fewer questions than its paper-based
predecessor. Here is how the test now works. The first
question you will see in a given section will be of
average difficulty. If you get the answer right, your
next question will be slightly more difficult. Conversely,
if you get the question wrong, your next question will
be slightly more easy. This also means that the software
will ask you different types of questions in a rather
unpredictable order as determined by its algorithm.
You can not skip a question or go back to an earlier
question. Unlike the paper version, once you click
the answer confirm box, your answer can not be changed.
The types of exam
questions asked and their common fallacies
Examples and explanations of these can be found in
the individual component sections of the GMAT in this
website. We strongly encourage our clients to spend
time learning these before brushing up on their verbal
and math skills.
How to manage
your time wisely Practice
The main way to master your GMAT time management skills
is through practice and the practice theme is one you
will repeatedly see throughout this website. We believe
it is very hard to overstate its importance. Therefore
you are strongly encouraged to take at least a few
mock GMAT exams in the computer-adaptive format and
try to simulate the actual testing environment. (Refrain
from taking food breaks, engaging in telephone conversations,
etc. half way through a section.)
Spend adequate time on the first 5 questions
If you recall, we discussed how the GMAT CAT's algorithm
affects the difficulty of questions you are asked based
on your previous answers. The more difficult questions
are weighted more heavily than the easier questions.
After you have answered the first 5 questions, the
testing software will give you questions to fine tune
your score within a rather narrowly predetermined range.
Thus, your answers to the first 5 questions will make
a HUGE difference in your final section score.
For this reason it is imperative that you answer these
pivotal questions with extra care. Always double check
your answers to these questions and verify that the
incorrect choices are indeed incorrect. If you are
unsure of one of these first questions, at the very
least, take a very good educated guess using process
of elimination.
Don't waste time
This probably sounds self explanatory but we mention
it because we've had clients tell us how they revisited
the help screen or requested extra scrap paper after
they began their test. These activities, if undertaken
once the section has begun, will take time away from
working on the questions.
Read the Questions
Carefully
As silly as this may seem, the undisciplined test
taker will feel the stress of the clock during the
timed sections and will try to cut corners to save
time however and whenever possible. As a result, questions
are often misinterpreted. We will guarantee that you
will encounter questions when you sit for the GMAT
with incorrect choices that were deliberately designed
to exploit a misinterpretation of what the question
is really asking.
Avoid Random Guessing
You must select an answer before the GMAT CAT will
allow you to move on to the next question. Even if
you don't know the answer, you will still want to take
an educated conjecture to avoid random guessing even
if you are running out of time on that particular section.
Usually you will be able to identify at least one choice
that is clearly wrong. Eliminating even one incorrect
choice will improve your odds.
Eliminate the
Deliberately Deceptive Wrong Choices
With practice, you should begin to learn how to recognize
the GMAT's deliberately deceptive wrong choices. There
are a few common patterns here that will begin to become
apparent as you proceed through your preparation.
The first is commonly found in the Problem
Solving section and involves an erroneous answer
based on following a common computational error.
You can avoid these deceptive choices by using scrap
paper, checking your answers and using estimation
to at least judge the general size of the correct
choice.
Practice, Practice,
Practice
As we stated at the top of this page, there are tips
and techniques to taking this test that will raise
your overall score significantly. As a result, this
is a test that you can prepare for despite what its
test-makers state. We strongly encourage you to practice
using the actual questions from previous exams as we
have detected a material difference between the quality
of the test questions prepared by ETS and those written
by the GMAT prep companies. We also strongly encourage
you to practice taking the exam in its computer-adaptive
format.
Finally, while we believe every test taker will benefit
by reviewing each GMAT exam section, we encourage you
to spend the most time studying and practicing questions
in your weakest subject area. This will provide you
with the most efficient use of your test-prep time.
Don't Wait Too
Long to Take the GMAT
Should you need to retake the exam, you will want
to have time to register for the test again and have
the new score submitted to the school in time. Waiting
a long time into the admissions season to take the
exam is also bound to cause undue stress in most test
takers. With some proper planning and insight, you
can eliminate most of these negative energies and become
much more focused on maximizing your GMAT score.
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