New Delhi 18,Ramnath House Yusuf Sarai Community Centre Above Hyundai Show room New Delhi, Delhi 110016 Ph: +91 11 41841472 Mumbai Building no.9,1st Floor Solitaire Corporate Park,167 Andheri J B Nagar Link Rd,Chakala, Andheri (East) Mumbai, Maharashtra 400093 Ph: +91 22 40056787
You have been preparing for GMAT so hard it begins to resemble Germane Methods for Accentuated Torture! With so much of prep behind you, what you are now telling yourself is “Sh*t! I know I am going to freak out when I sit in front of the Test Screen and screw up my chances of getting even a 600”. If you are already feeling like this or think that there is a statistically significant probability that you will in the near future, read on. (Else, go back, hit the prep books till you begin to freak, then come back to this blog and you will notice the relevance).
The Day Before
You are now as prepared as you are ever going to be. Don’t try to cram that extra bit of wisdom on the day before. Also, doing the last mock test on the day before is not a bright idea. Take the last mock (preferably the official GMAT Prep test) a couple of days before. Based on the results, work out some more exercises in the area where you have lower scores. This should give you the confidence that you know your strengths and weaknesses and have worked specifically on the latter for a couple of days before the real test. Ensure that you get a good 8 to 9 hours of sleep on the day before the GMAT. Also ensure that you know where exactly your test centre is and how to get there. Spending some time to get to know this will be worth your while on the test day.
On the Day of your GMAT
You are well rested, armed with all the required papers and documents (place them is you bag the night before) and know exactly where the test centre is. You simply can’t be doing better than this. The rest of the day depends on when your test is scheduled.
Test Scheduled for Morning
You need to be up at least three to four hours before your scheduled time. You need to plan to reach the centre at least 30 to 45 minutes before the test. It is always better to reach the venue earlier and use the time to take in the surroundings and get acclimatized than to be rushing there in the last minute, not quite sure if you are going to make it. That would be a bad start.
If you are a late riser, then either schedule a test for the afternoon, or start getting up early as per the plan for the test day at least a week before the actual day. This will help your brain wake up along with your body on that most important day. Now, spend about an hour running through your cheat sheets and a few easy and medium level problems. This is just warm up exercises for your brain. Just as you would not warm up for a marathon by running a marathon, don’t try to overdo your warming up by trying to crack all the complex questions you can find. Understand that this is just to get your brain jump started.
Allow me to let you in on a little secret – GMAT is as much about your mental and physical endurance as it is about preparation and intelligence. The four odd hours are going to sap your energy. So, for the morning test taker, it is important that she has sufficient carbohydrates in her. Choose your favourite carbs breakfast, but don’t be gluttonous. But at any cost do not miss your breakfast.
Test Scheduled for Afternoon
All the spiel about getting to the centre on time and doing warm up exercises holds good to you too. However, there is a slight change in the diet recommended. Have a hearty breakfast… because you are going to have a very light lunch. The last thing we want is you falling asleep in front of the test screen. Here again, a light lunch with your favourite carbs would be a good idea.
At the Test Centre
Did you always wonder why there are those two breaks? ‘Let me just get on with it and finish off the whole thing in one go!’ That would be a bad idea. Those two breaks are useful to refill on your energy and to give your body and mind a few minutes to relax before getting back to the pressure of tackling one question a minute or so. Ensure that you carry bananas, dark chocolate and some fruit juice or water (buy and keep in your bag the night before). Banana and dark chocolate help replenish chemicals that get depleted during periods of mental activity (like taking the GMAT!). I would recommend that you avoid any caffeinated energy drinks. Trust me, the chocolates and banana will do the trick. Also use the break to stretch and walk around within the locker area. This will relax your body. Use the break to the last minute to relax your mind and body and you will do much better in your next section.
Now, all there is left for me to do is wish you the very best. Enjoy your test day!
Apphelp GMAT coaching is the top GMAT classroom coaching institute in Delhi. Located in the easily accessible area of North Campus of Delhi University ( well connected by Metro), Apphelp GMAT coaching institute was started by alumni from top B schools who have cracked the GMAT and knows what it takes to get a great score.
The teaching methodology in unique and highly innovative with the use of best in class practices. Here are the reasons why Apphelp GMAT coaching is the best for MBA aspirants
Faculty is top B schools alumni who have cracked the GMAT
Best study material and innovative teaching method
Best library – Collection of books by Kaplan, Manhattan, Official Guide and other GMAT prep material
Small batch size of 3-4 students per batch to give you individual attention.
Free Admission counseling and B school shortlisting service at the end of GMAT coaching.
Apphelp GMAT coaching is unboubtedly the best GMAT classes in Delhi. Register for a free demo class today. Visit : www.gmatcoaching.com
Fact: GMAT is a test of basic quantitative and verbal abilities and your analytical writing skills. The problem solving or reading comprehension questions don’t require you to possess knowledge about any particular business or domain.
Myth 2: GMAT tests advanced math skills.
Fact:The math skills tested on the GMAT are quite basic. The math questions appear difficult because of the way in which they are presented to test the logical and analytical abilities. The actual math is the basic math which you learned in the seventh or eighth grade.
Myth 3: All of the questions on the GMAT count equally toward your score.
Fact: The GMAT is a computer based adaptive test. GMAT always begins with a question of average difficulty. If you answer that correctly, the algorithm will throw a slightly tougher question. If you answer it wrong, it will give you an easier question. Therefore, questions at the beginning of each section are crucial as responses to these questions decide the direction in which your score will go and hence these have a greater impact on your score.
Myth 4: Every B school has a GMAT score cut off.
Fact: All B schools evaluate applications holistically. So, there is no cutoff for GMAT scores. If you scores are low then you need to compensate it with well written essays and application. There are several cases in which applicants with a higher GMAT score are not able to get an admit when applicants with low GMAT score get through just because of better profile and better presentation.
Myth 5: I can send my GMAT score to the school after the deadline if have already submitted my application.
Fact: No. This is a very common myth but it doesn’t work. B schools don’t consider applications if they don’t get the official GMAT scores by the application deadline. To be on a safe side send you scores to the B school at least 14 days in advance through mba.com
Online GMAT appointment can be taken at www.mba.com . The following video from GMATcoaching.com explains all steps in the GMAT registration process.
Here are the steps to Register for GMAT
1) Log on to MBA.com. On the home page click on “The GMAT” and then click on“Schedule a GMAT appointment“
2) on next page. click on “Schedule a GMAT appointment” . Then register yourself by providing e-mail ID, password and a few other details.
3) After this you will get a mail from mba.com stating that your profile registration is complete.
4) Now login using your E-mail I D and password
5) After logging in, you can select a test center. Say, you want to see the 5 centers closest to your home. You click on “Search” and get the closest 5 testing centers.
6) After this, you select the center and click on next.
7) On the next page, you can select day and time slot. Say, I want to take GMAT in Feb 2010, I select Feb 4 . It displays the available appointments.
You select an appointment and, click on “Select appointment“. Your GMAT appointment is scheduled. Click on “Next“
9) On review appointment details page, you choose from some options regarding receiving score and material.
10) On the next page, you confirm your contact information and fees for GMAT which is $ 250
11) On the final page, you confirm your billing address and enter the credit card details for processing the fees.
GMAT preparation is an imperative and highly significant part of the MBA application process. The day on which you write GMAT is hence becomes an important day in your calendar.
As is the case with most exams, it is very normal to have butterflies in the stomach, here are tips to reduce the anxiousness during GMAT. These tips have been compiled on basis of GMAT writing experience of more than 100 people.
The last mock GMAT should be written 2 days in advance
Plan your mock tests in a way that you write the last mock GMAT at-least 2 days before the actual GMAT. This means that you should not write a mock one day before the GMAT.
Timing of “GMAT Time slot” is important
Time slot for GMAT should be booked in line with your body cycle. If you are not an early riser, you must not schedule a morning slot for GMAT. Similarly, if you feel very sleepy after lunch, avoid a GMAT slot at that time.
Write your mock tests according to actual time slot
This is a very simple but very useful trick. Write your mock tests at the same time as actual GMAt slot. Also, write full tests rather than in bits and pieces. This is important because we typically have a habit of taking breaks.
Save time after quantitative part (IF POSSIBLE)
Many people save 5-10 minutes in the quantitative part of GMAT and hence get a good time for a break.
Take something to eat/drink
Take a few chocolates, fruits, juice packs etc along. Have them during the breaks. This will keep you energized.
On the day of GMAT
Practice a 1-2 questions of each type (Sentence correction, Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Quant) on the day of the test before you leave from home. This will help you get in flow.
Do not panic
Be confident. Read with care and be calm. Keep a tab on the timer on the screen so that you do not end up wasting much time on a single question. The questions are typically easier in the beginning, hence you would get into flow as you answer a few of them.
Follow your gut
If you find your mind confused about 2 options in a question, just follow your gut
Inform the test coordinator if needed
Last but not the least, you should inform the exam coordinator immediately if you face any issues with the system (screen, keyboard etc.), or otherwise.
Effective 17th july 2009, breaks inbetween the various sections of GMAT are shortened by 15 minutes. This 15 min cut will be at the following places:
1)Now 11 less minutes will be provided to read the instructions and fill the background information
2)Both the breaks between any two subsequent sections will be short by 2 minutes each. That makes it 4 minutes short.
In our opinion the 4 minutes taken away from the breaks are crucial as GMAT takers use this to relax, calm down, refresh, and mentally prepare themselves for the next section. This surely will not make the stressed and tensed GMAT takers any happy even though they will have to fight the battle for 15 less minutes.
GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission CouncilTM. The Graduate Management Admission CouncilTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this web site.
You select an appointment and, click on “
Blog
Twitter
You tube Channel