Wednesday 29 August 2012

Registering for the GMAT at mba.com

Firstly to download GMATPrep or to fix an appointment, you need to register yourself here

The name with which you are registering cannot be updated once you are through with the registration, so be careful with that.

Use the exact name available in proper ID acceptable by GMAC. For indians, its the passport. Click here to the list of acceptable ID Proofs.

Your names in passport and as given in the GMAT registration when put up in order should both match.

Follow this order to register yourself for GMAT

Passport:
Surname: XXX
Given Names : AAA BBB

Registration:
First Name: AAA
Middle Name: BBB
Last Name: XXX

You can either use middle name or give it as first name as well. The point is if you put up both the names in order it should be like this

Passport Name: AAA BBB XXX
Registration: AAA BBB XXX


The intention of the post is to be cautious while registering. I found the mistake two days before my first GMAT appointment and had it corrected with the help of GMAT Customer Care and luckily avoided the last minute panic. Though I was very tensed whether there would still be any problem at the test center.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Intro to GMAT

What is GMAT?

GMAT stands for Graduate Management Admission Test. It is required by almost all MBA programs. More than 1,900 MBA programs use GMAT as a part of the application process. See the full listing here

What is tested on the GMAT?

Writing ability, knowledge of Basic Math (Arithmetic, Algebra, Word Problems, Geometry) and just a bit of intermediate Math (Statistics, Probability, Combinations/Permutations), and knowledge of grammar principles, logical reasoning, reading, and analytical skills.

What does the GMAT test consist of? What is the Format of the GMAT?

GMAT consists of 4 sections and lasts 3 and a half hours (not including the optional breaks).
Part 1: AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment) Section - 30 minutes - 1 essays 30 minutes.
Part 2: IR (Integrated Reasoning) Section - 30 minutes - 12 questions
Optional 8 minute break
Part 3: Quantitative Section - 75 minutes - 37 questions
Optional 8 minute break
Part 3: Verbal Section - 75 minutes - 41 questions.

How does the GMAT Test work?
GMAT is a CAT test - a computer adaptive test. As the name says, its adapts the difficulty level of the questions with every response of yours. It starts at a medium difficulty and increases question difficulty as long as you answer the questions correctly. Once a question is missed, the difficulty decreases. This methodology allows GMAT to hone exactly on your performance. The GMAT score range is between 200 and 800. Very few people get 200 or 800, the majority, however falls between 400 and 600. The average score is about 550. GMAT Scores are valid for 5 years. To get a better understanding of how the exam is scored check here.

For more detailed information you can check it out here.