The Gmat Exam Format

GMAT Wings – Committed to Excellence An Initiative by GMAT Winners The GMAT Exam Overview / Tips / Pointers We know that you all have ideas about the GMAT examination format. Some of you might have already taken the GMAT but for convenience of all, lets review the format of the examination. We will also look into the myths and facts of the examination. Section AWA Break Quantitative Break Verbal

Aspects Covered 2 Essays Problems/ Data Sufficiency Critical Reasoning Sentence Correction Reading Comprehension

Questions/Time 2 Essays – 30 Minutes each 10 Minutes 37 Questions – 75Minutes 10 Minutes

The GMAT examination is scheduled for about four hours and has 3 sections in all. The examination starts with an Essay section in which you are required to type (no more writing in the Computer Adaptive Format!). One essay is called ‘Analysis of an Issue’ and the other one is called ‘Analysis of an Argument’ In ‘Analysis of an Issue, the proctor (the computer on which you take the examination) will throw up an issue. You have 30 minutes to type your views on this issue. There are neither right nor wrong answers to this section. You have to effectively put forth your views. Largely, you will fall into 3 categories •

You agree with the author on the issue. Brilliant – now you need to articulate your thoughts on why you agree. Beware – you don’t get browny points for agreeing with the author. You are scored on how well you have put forth your views and how well have you substantiated your stance on the subject.

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You do not agree with the author on the issue. Fantastic – you are not expected to agree with the author anyways. Beware – if you think your being exceptional by disagreeing, you are absolutely wrong. Remember, there are hundreds and thousands of people taking the GMAT. Most of them have strong personalities and you are just one of the many who disagrees with the author! Myth: My score will be undermined if I disagree with the author Fact: Whether you agree or disagree with the author is immaterial. You are measured on how well you have put forth your views. In the end, it’s a test of how your thought processes work and most important, how well you present your point of view

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You partially agree with the author but have some other points of view as well. Majority of the test takers find them in this category. Since the author’s point is limited to a very short paragraph, there is no elaborate justification given by the author. You as a test taker of course will probably agree to an extent and would like to put forth your views. Just go ahead and do it. This is precisely what the test compilers want from you. Myth: If I put forth a mixed opinion, I will be looked upon as a confused person and my score will be negatively affected. Fact: As mentioned earlier, what stance you take on the issue is immaterial. Why mixed you could probably be neutral where in you neither agree nor disagree with the author. That is not what your examiner or the e-rater (will be covered a little later) is interested in. We cannot help repeat the importance of articulating your stance. The examiners are looking how clearly you think and how well you present your ideas. A mixed or neutral opinion is not a sign of unclear mind. It still signals your clarity provided you substantiate your views with examples and or experiences. In the ‘Analysis of an Argument’, you have less elbow space. The author will have made a conclusion and put in the premise/s as to why s/he thinks the conclusion is valid. You have to carefully scan this and describe how well reasoned the argument is. As in the case of Analysis of An Issue, the text provided on screen will be limited. The test takers just want to give you a pointer and take it further from there. As in the case of Analysis of an Issue, you may agree, disagree or have mixed opinions about the author’s conclusion. In case you agree with the author’s conclusion, you still can’t run away from the essay. You need to bring forward other aspects that will help strengthen the conclusion. In case you disagree, you again need to point out aspects that you think have been overlooked which justifies your disagreement. You need to combine 2 skills in this section. One is the Critical Reasoning Skills that you will have cultivated for the Verbal Section. The other is your power expression with words. Myth: I need to have an extraordinary vocabulary for GMAT essay writing Fact: While command over language is a mandatory requirement, you are not measured on how elaborate your vocabulary is. As long as your words express your ideas clearly and effectively, simple words are just fine. (In the Indian context, your English vocabulary upto HSC (if you have studied in an English medium school) or that you have cultivated until graduation (if you studied in a vernacular medium school))

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GMAT Wings – Committed to Excellence An Initiative by GMAT Winners Myth: I need to pour in as many words as I can to impress the essay examiners. Fact: You are measured on the quality and not quantity of words you use. There are no specified lower or upper limits for the essays, we recommend 3 to 5 short paragraphs and each essay about 400 to 600 words. The essay prompts do not display statistics like word count, sentences etc. All you will see is a blue screen with the ‘Issue’ or ‘Argument’ on the top, a countdown timer on the top-right and a free text control. You do not have any option to change the font attributes, formatting etc. Just a cursor that will move like a notepad cursor; we almost forgot to mention that the cutcopy-paste tools will be available for your convenience. The test taker has 30 minutes each to complete each essay with an automatic break of one minute between the two essays. Each essay will be scored by an e-rater and a human person as well. Scores range between a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 6. The score moves up or down in steps of 0.5 points. In case the difference between the e-rater and the human examiner is 0.5 or 1 point, the scores will be averaged to the nearest half point. In case the difference exceeds 1 point, then another person examines the essay and rationalizes the score to the nearest half point. Myth: An e-rater cannot rate an essay which is so subjective and submitted by a human Fact: Well nobody outside the GMAC has the inside scoop on how the erater dynamics work. However, the success ratio of the e-rater has been known to be very high. We must also laud the efforts of the GMAC to ensure that the human aspect is not lost in the entire episode. Your essay is also scored by a human examiner. They may be from various backgrounds and credentials but we again trust GMAC’s capabilities to ensure that the scores are as fair and standardized as they can be. The essay scores are not a part of the unofficial score report you will get after you take the test. They will be sent to you along with the official score report. Tips to Writing Winning Essays on the GMAT We have observed that many GMAT aspirants go to the extremes when it comes to the practicing the essays. There are people who spend days and hours practicing essays losing sight of the fact that there are two other giants, Quantitative and Verbal waiting to devour you. There are other people who tend to neglect this section during preparations because they think they are champs of the English language and can sail through this

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GMAT Wings – Committed to Excellence An Initiative by GMAT Winners section. Unfortunately, both these extremes undermine chances of a higher score. Let us see what the probable outcome of a self-assumed champ will be. The person assumes that s/he is extremely good with English language, argues well and hence will sail through this section. 30 minutes seem too much to write an essay of 400 odd words. On the G-Day, the candidate realizes that the timer timed out while the person was typing something critical. (Well technology can sometimes go against you. The computer simply takes your test to the next part based on its timer) Often this happens because the person does not spend time planning the essay. The ideas seem to be flowing freely in the mind and the person just goes on typing as per convenience. Suddenly, when the section does not go the way, anticipated, the candidate is unnerved. Stress creeps in, the mind starts worrying about how this section will be scored and within minutes, the quantitative section starts. The stress carried forward impacts the performance there and the downward spiral begins. For aspirants who work so hard on essays, we commend their efforts but believe that a reasonable preparation is good enough. You need to preserve a lot of your time, stamina for the Verbal and Quantitative sections. You certainly need some practice to get yourself to do well in the essays. We suggest that you initially practice the essays in MS Word or similar word processor. Adhere to the time limits of 30 minutes per essay. Check the statistics of your essay by checking the document properties. As mentioned earlier, a good essay will have 3 to 5 paragraphs, 300 to 600 words. Its important for you to revolve around these parameters as most of the B-school application essays also have upper limits around this range for the essays. In terms of timing, you should allocate about 5 minutes for making a passage map in your rough sheet. The passage map should outline the points you are going to elaborate on the actual essay. The next 20 minutes, you should immerse yourself into the actual essay. The last 5 minutes should be reserved to proof-read the essay, check for spelling and grammatical errors etc. Your comfort level with the essays will soar as your practice sessions progress. After the 2 essays, you have an optional break of 10 minutes. By all means take it. It will relieve your eyes and give you a chance to stretch your arms and legs. Drink some water, refresh yourself in the washroom if you want and grab some cookies or chocolates to make you feel good and energized. The whole idea of the exam format is not only to test you on verbal and quantitative parameters but also on stress and personal management.

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Important Notes about the Examination Centre The examination will be held at a Pearson Vue Testing center. When you book your appointment for the GMAT on www.mba.com, please ensure that the name and address details match exactly as given in your passport. On the G-Day, the test administrator has the authority to disallow you from taking the exam in case of discrepancies. (You don’t get any refund if you are turned away). Fortunately, you have the liberty to change your profile on www.mba.com even after you have registered for the GMAT. We recommend that you cross-check the details of your passport and ensure that the same is reflected on your profile. Carry a print-out of your appointment confirmation to the test centre. It is a good idea to go and see your examination center in advance so that you do not lose time on G-Day finding your way to the center. Again, exam sessions and schedules vary from center to center. In some cases, all the computer stations are reserved for the GMAT and about 10 to 12 candidates will start their exams almost simultaneously. However, that does not imply that each one is getting the same question, essay topics. The GMAC has a very large pool of questions of varying difficulties and the chances are very high that not a single question overlaps with the others when you are taking your test. Other centers can have the GMAT candidates on some computers and other exams on other computers. You should not bother about all of these. All that you are concerned about is your GMAT session. Just focus on that. There some protocols you need to follow in the test center. On arrival, you will be asked to switch off your mobile phones, pagers and any other electronic devices you are carrying. You maybe accustomed to checking the time on your wrist-watch but you have to take it off prior to entering the testing room. The administrator will brief you through the rules and allot each candidate a locker. All your personal belongings including chains, bangles, amulets, watches, study materials etc are to be deposited in the locker. You are not allowed to carry any eatables, beverages into the testing room. You can access your foodstuff during the breaks but don’t you dare even touching the books or other personal belongings. The test administrator has all the authority to turn you out of the center. Remember that all activities at the test center and testing room are recorded (both audio & video). Your briefing session at the test center will start about 30 minutes prior to your exam. You need to present the administrator with your GMAT appointment letter and passport. The administrator will verify the same and proceed with administrative requirements. The administrator will click your photo, ask you to sign on a digital pad and record your index finger and palm records. Palm records have just been introduced in India and other testing centers are expected to follow suit soon. After sorting out these practicalities, you will be

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GMAT Wings – Committed to Excellence An Initiative by GMAT Winners allotted your locker. The administrator will remind you to ensure that you have relieved yourself of all belongings prior to entering the testing room. The exam assistant will verify your palm impression and on authentication escort you to your testing terminal. Prior to the exam, s/he will give you the rough notepad (About A4 size with a graphical layout) and 2 markers. All your rough work has to be done in those sheets. In case you run out of sheets or the markers give-up, don’t worry. These sheets are laminated and the markers are similar to the ones you used in college to make OHP slides (Or recently tag the music you burnt illegally on a blank CD!)You just need to raise your hand and the exam assistant will rush to your aid immediately. At times you may feel that the test centre staff members are being too sticky and not so friendly. We must learn to appreciate the fact that they are working as per guidelines given out to them. It is not just the test takers who are being monitored through the cameras but test administrators as well. Within the framework given to them, they are actually extremely helpful. Many people advise taking the afternoon or the evening session for the exam so that you don’t lose out on sleep. A counter to that is that one might feel drowsy in the afternoon after lunch. Well it all depends on your personal convenience and your test center. Hence it is important to know your commuting time to the test center. You also need to factor in other contingencies and choose your time accordingly. As a part of the GMAT examination fee, you are allowed to select upto 5 programs to which your official score will be sent directly. For additional schools, you have to pay USD 28 per program to which you want to send your scores. In case you have taken the GMAT multiple times, your latest score will be shown on the first page of the Official Score report and the subsequent scores will be displayed below. Most schools prefer to have scores no older than 5 years at the time of admission. In case of multiple scores, your highest score will be considered. Please note that the higher score implies your overall higher score and not sectional higher score. Hypothetical Example:

Attempt1: Quantitative Scaled Score 38 (78 Percentile) Verbal Scaled Score 34 (79 Percentile) Overall Score 620 AWA: 5 on 6 Attempt2 Quantitative Scaled Score 42 (84 Percentile) Verbal Scaled Score 32 (75 Percentile) Overall Score 640 AWA 4.5 on 6

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GMAT Wings – Committed to Excellence An Initiative by GMAT Winners Highest score does not mean you can take best of both. Since Attempt2 has a higher overall score, all your scores in Attempt2 will be considered. Major Showstoppers for GMAT Candidates Many candidates tend to lose their concentration and balance very easily during the exam. The moment they see a question that they are not so comfortable with, their mind starts wandering as to what impact it will have on their score. Some start bothering about the possible impact on their B-School application, their financial aid and so on. Well these are all very valid points to consider. You are free to think about all this later. On the G-Day, during the test, simply focus on the question on your screen. After all, you can’t move ahead without answering the question on the screen. You are better off putting all your efforts on the question at hand. If you can get it straight, hats off. If you need to guess, take an educated guess rather than randomly guessing an option. Refrain from thinking about it after you move ahead to the next question. You know you guessed the previous one. So give more attention to the next one. Once moved to the next question, there is no way you can return to the previous question. Another tendency is to rush through the Verbal section after the grind of essays and Quantitative. Avoid this at all costs. This tendency primarily stems from stress and anxiety. The mental situation is similar to that of a batsman in the slog overs of an ODI match. He is tired of running between the wickets and tries to hoist every ball outside the fence. However, this is GMAT not cricket! The slogging concept does not work here. Each question plays a role in your score. You need practice to work through the sessions and endure the 4 hours of the GMAT. Ask all GMAT winners about the biggest challenge of the exam. You will repeatedly get one answer – endurance. Million Dollar Dilemna After grilling yourself through 3 sections, the computer throws up a funny option which has left many thinking of what to do. The question reads “Do you wish to report or cancel your scores?” The test actually is fairly standardized and is a reliable indicator of your preparation. However, there could be circumstances when you know you have the ability but somehow your intuition tells you that you probably have not given it a good shot. You can choose to cancel the scores. If you select this option, the system has a record that you cancelled the scores and no reports will be sent to the schools you chose in the beginning of the test. However, if you take the test subsequently, your Official Score Report will show the number of times you appeared for the GMAT and that you cancelled the score on one or more of the attempts (as applicable) Remember that your exam fee is non-refundable under all these circumstances Basic Questions Asked and Answers What are experimental questions?

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GMAT Wings – Committed to Excellence An Initiative by GMAT Winners The Quantitative and Verbal sections have 11 questions each that are experimental in nature. All that this means is that these questions are not used to calculate your score. However, please note that there is no way to identify which question is experimental. So you have to treat each question as if it were scored. Is it possible to skip questions on the GMAT? No you cannot move on to the next question unless you have answered the question on screen. Remember that this is a Computer Adaptive Test. Since there are multiple test takers and all test takers get a mixture of questions, the test always starts with a question of moderate difficulty. As the word suggests, the test adapts itself depending on your performance. If you get the question right, the computer will hurl a question of slightly higher difficulty. Otherwise, it will give you something simpler to the previous question. I realized I made a mistake in the previous question. Can I change my option? Well you need to think twice before you hit the confirm button. Even after you have selected your option and decide to move to the next question, the system gives you one last chance to confirm your answer. Until you click the ‘Confirm’/’Yes’ button, the system does not record your answer choice. If you are fully convinced of your answer choice, there is no reason to have second thoughts. If you have guessed an option, maybe you need to check once before moving on. You must bear in mind that the time pressure is very high. There is no point in spending a very long time on a question especially when you are confused. The penalty for not completing a question is much more severe than for not getting an answer right. Unfortunately, nobody outside the GMAC has a clearcut clue on how the algorithm works. We just know that a question left unanswered has a severe impact on the scaled score and thus the overall score. I have booked my GMAT appointment. However I am not confident of making the cut and would like to postpone/cancel my appointment. What impact does it have on my profile? Well you are free to do that and we can assure you that there is no impact in your profile. However, there is a significant impact on your wallet. To reschedule an appointment, you need to pay an additional fee of USD 50 (provided you are doing so at least 7 working days in advance of your appointment. If you cross this cut-off, you will have to pay the full fees for the new appointment. The fees paid for the previously scheduled appointment will not be refunded) As far as possible, avoid canceling the GMAT appointment. We do understand that there can be personal circumstances that may make you feel that there is no point in taking the test. We normally recommend that you review your position and opt for a rescheduled appointment. It is less expensive and your scores are valid for 5 years. If you do decide to cancel the appointment, you are entitled to a refund of USD 80. (Conditions same as those applicable to Rescheduling of appointment)

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How many times should I take the GMAT? As mentioned earlier, if you have prepared well with winning strategies and you have been committed to excellence, your first attempt should be a reliable indicator of your skills. However, there are circumstances when a candidate’s first score does not match the expectation levels or preparation levels. If you are very sure that you can do much better in a subsequent attempt, by all means take the GMAT again. However, you should also bear in mind a historical trend of candidates who have taken the exam again. Most people who take the examination for the second time manage to improve their scores by 50 points. This is not because they have prepared better. It is just that they are much better prepared to cope with the test. If your subsequent attempt raises your score by just 40 to 50 points, you cannot impress the admissions committee in the top league B-schools at least. Remember that your exam fee is non-refundable. Another attempt implies another USD 250 for taking the exam. Time and again, we come across people who feel that the fact that they took the examination more than once will go against them. This is not true. If you truly believe in your abilities and prepare well, you can certainly achieve your potential score. If you manage to score more than 100 points in your overall score in a subsequent attempt, many B-schools look at this as your commitment to excellence. Probably the only sticky part will be during your admissions interview if short-listed; some person on the admissions interview panel is definitely going to ask for an explanation for attempting the GMAT more than once. You have to find your own answer to this question. All that we can say is that if you have raised your significantly, you have the required ammunition. Never try to bluff your way out of this. Simply accept the fact that you could not achieve the desired score on the first attempt. However, you were confident of doing better and the results speak for themselves. Please note that you cannot take the GMAT more than once in a calendar month. You cannot take the exam more than 5 times in a calendar year. Well it is an expensive affair and we strongly believe that you should get a fairly reliable measure of your score by the second attempt. Only take the third shot if you are confident that even the second attempt could not bring out the best in you. If you take it more than 3 times, it will surely go against you. Remember that the GMAT score is only one part of the application. Never discount your work experience, community services and other aspects of the application essays. Just to give you a snapshot of the latest percentile rankings as per GMAC’s official score tables. •

The Mean (Overall Score) has been 535.2 (44 Percentile)

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Overall Score of 650 has been at 80 Percentile

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Overall score of 700+ has been at 90 Percentile

B-schools like to have diversity in their class profiles. A high GMAT score does not guarantee a berth in the elite class. Similarly a lower GMAT score does not force somebody to disqualify you straightaway. Picture this – assume that you are the admissions officer. You have to choose between 2 profiles for the last one seat that you have Profile1: XYZ, Age 26, 3 Years of Experience IT Programming. Currently working as team leader in a reputed IT firm, GMAT 670 AWA 4.5 on 6 Profile2: PQR, Age 30, 7 Years of Experience in Business Development and Marketing. Currently working as the Regional Sales Manager in a reputed FMCG firm, GMAT 640, AWA 5.5 on 6 All other factors equal, most probably PQR will end up with the berth although PQR’s GMAT score is a bit lower than XYZ’s. Well such decisions may seem to be a bit subjective but we also have to realize that the admissions committee is extremely busy short-listing candidates and finalizing offers. They also have to account for the fact that candidates applying to their school also apply to other schools. There are many instances when a B-school makes its offer but a candidate that s/he has a better offer from another school and politely turns down the offer made by another school. Hence B-schools also maintain a database of waitlisted candidates. On a concluding note, we wish you all the best in your path to success. We strongly believe that your commitment to excellence will help you soar high. May the divine light see you through. Best Regards GMAT Wings Team

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