How to Start A New After a Disappointing GMAT Attempt
Doubting one’s capabilities or being disheartened with an unsatisfactory GMAT score on your last attempt is quite normal. In such a scenario, it is important to understand that giving up will definitely not help!
A customised study plan and practicing with reliable sources may work for many! Additionally, there are many GMAT online courses available for the aspirants who want to break through amidst the rising competition.
Obtaining a reliable score on GMAT makes a candidate eligible for enrollment in more than 2400+ management programs around the world. The only way to make it is by seeking expert guidance, proceeding stepwise, and practicing strategically to ensure continuous improvement while avoiding burnout.
7 Steps To GMAT Success
To succeed, the GMAT test preparation can be carried out effectively by moving forward with the following step-by-step approach.
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- Assess Your Starting Point with a Diagnostic Test
- Begin your GMAT test preparation online by opting for a diagnostic practice test. The first test you undertake will provide you with a baseline score depicting your strengths and weaknesses.
- Please note that the score describes a combination of performance across all three sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights.
- Additionally, the computer-adaptive format of the exam works differently for everyone, and so practicing online is the only way you will get to know more about the GMAT.
- Unlike the first-time test takers, who struggle to attempt most questions within the time constraints, take the opportunity to identify your weaknesses and how they impacted your score last time.
- Identify and Work upon Your Weak Points
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- After taking the diagnostic or any other practice test, take note of the questions you have missed! Also, review the ones you have answered correctly to gain a better understanding and reinforce your grasp of the concepts that led you to that answer.
- Next, use an Error Log to track your performance on every question you attempt. This can be recorded in an Excel sheet. For each question, jot down whether you answered it correctly or not. In case it’s correct, try to determine whether you solved or guessed it, and if wrong, whether it’s due to your carelessness or a conceptual mistake.
- Scrutinize the type of questions you are being asked, their source, the main and secondary topics covered, along with other variations that might impact your final GMAT score.
- The Error Log also assists in diagnosing your weaknesses to the core, whether they are careless errors or conceptual gaps. Understanding the reasons behind your recurrent mistakes during GMAT online preparation will help you learn and refine your strategy.
- Work on both your strengths and weaknesses. Scores obtained in online GMAT practice tests help identify the types of questions you have been consistently struggling with.
- Develop a Targeted GMAT Study Plan
- A comprehensive, strategically designed, and goal-oriented study plan will help you obtain the desired score. Gather insights from your diagnostic test and Error Log to create a study plan that helps improve your weaker sections in the GMAT while maintaining your strengths.
- To crack the GMAT, aspirants must be flexible, think logically, and effectively manage time.
- Make sure your GMAT online test preparation plan targets building a strong foundation in verbal and quantitative reasoning.
- Equally important is to allocate dedicated time for mastering data insights, and practicing on real-world data scenarios is the key to it. This section is pivotal in the GMAT Focus Edition and demands a sharp analytical mindset for interpreting complex information within the provided timeframe.
- To improve your score in Quantitative Reasoning, work on basic arithmetic, algebra, and word problems. As for Verbal, concepts like critically reading and making inferences only after analysing every bit of information you have will help.
Please note that GMAT works on a computer-adaptive algorithm, which means the question difficulty level changes based on your performance. Thus, it becomes essential to practice questions of varying difficulty before the exam.
- Learn from a Reliable Resource Pool
- Take more and more mock tests to overcome your shortcomings. Use a mix of both official and third-party materials in your GMAT online preparation.
- Official resources provided by GMAC (mba.com) provide the most accurate representation of the actual exam. Their offering includes the GMAT Official Guide (OG) along with the official practice exam.
- Aspirants can practice GMAT questions and take mock tests from reputable third-party providers like Manhattan Prep, Magoosh, Target Test Prep, Kaplan Test Prep and many more. The materials uploaded on these websites can be used for supplementary practice and gaining exposure to different question styles.
- In case you have exhausted official practice questions (as in the OG), consider reattempting or purchasing more GMAT practice questions as per the requirement.
- However, candidates need to acknowledge that the scoring algorithms of third-party tests may not perfectly replicate the official examination pattern. One user reported a significant score difference between the GMAT Club mock and the Magoosh mock and was recommended to take an official test for better understanding.
- Mastering Time Management is Important
- Time management is an indispensable skill on the GMAT. The GMAT exam paper is designed in a manner that entices you to mess up your timings, impacting the final score.
- Spending time resolving difficult questions can lead to pressure and rush near the submission time. This may also be the reason behind careless mistakes that occur when taking the exam, affecting your final GMAT score.
- Practice managing your time both globally across sections and per problem. For this, we suggest that during GMAT online test preparation, calculate the time you utilise for solving different types of questions in practice tests for effective decision-making.
- To avoid the hassle and for effective time management, work on your existing skill set. Basic concept mastery and proper knowledge of the subject will save you time when attempting the GMAT instead of heavily focusing on mock tests.
On the day of the test, avoid panicking in case you are short of time. Make educated guesses and try to answer every question to avoid penalties for leaving out the easy ones.
- Simulate Test Conditions When Practicing and Review Thoroughly
- Whenever taking a full-length GMAT practice test, try and simulate the actual test-day backdrop as closely as possible. For instance, take the test in a quiet environment without interruptions. Moreover, adhere strictly to official timings and breaks provided, and use physical scratch paper to mark your answers.
- Do not just take GMAT mock tests repeatedly without reviewing your results.
Repeated practice sessions with a prespecified goal will lead to burnout and diminishing returns.
Note:
The realism of the conditions impacts the meaningfulness of the result. Additionally, the value comes from the quality and depth of your post-test review. Thus, aspirants must gain a comprehensive understanding of mistakes made!
- Consider Seeking Expert Guidance to Excel
- If you are working on identifying your shortcomings or creating an efficient study plan, keep on reading to know more.
- In case you are experiencing exam anxiety while preparing for the GMAT, consider seeking help from a tutor or opting for a renowned online GMAT course.
- Expert guidance can help you identify subtle problems that might be holding you back and that might not be simple knowledge gaps! Hence, seeking help might get you through.
- Instructors or those who already have experience of sitting in the examination can provide you with a detailed structure to work on and also assist in creating a personalised plan before the next attempt.
Wrapping it All Up
A disappointing score is a setback but also an opportunity to restart, retime, recalibrate and refine your approach for a better outcome. More practice and focus on conceptual learning will help you achieve a good GMAT score.
Consistency and discipline, especially in maintaining an error log and regularly reviewing your performance, will assist you in transforming setbacks into stepping stones.