Pointers on the GMAT

If any of my friends ever take the GMAt in future, here are some things I learnt during the studying and exam process that I didn’t read in any book. Treat this as the add-on package to what you read in the GMAT guides:

1.) Spend some time on the GMAT website, mba.com. You’ll find some useful things there, such as 2 free sample CAT tests and the full list of questions from which they choose the analytical writing questions. I didn’t know about these until I ran into my friend a week before my actual test. Luckily for me I had enough time to go through the material on the website.

2.) Go for at least one full practice run of the exam, preferably during the exact same times.Tehe sample test on the mba.com site is good. It looks exactly like the actual test. This way, you’ll know whether you have the stamina to last through the 4 hours, and whether you need to bring any coffee or food for consumption during the break. I brought in a can of coffee and a Milo bar. they not only rejuvenated me, but also gave me something to chew on during the 10 minute breaks.

3.) I know I said that the sample test on mba.com is good for a trial run, but it is not entirely realistic either. During my actual exam, the question difficulty in the math section scaled up much more quickly than that during my practice exam. I ended up spending more time than I planned for on the earlier questions, leaving me with very little time on the later part. 15 minutes for 15 questions is crazy stressful. You’ve been warned.

4.) The Verbal component seems to take up a higher component when computing your final score. I scored above average for the math component (48, 84th percentile), and crazy high for the verbal component (45, 98th percentile), and my final score was crazy high (750, 98th percentile). I guess if you wanna improve your overall score, its a good thing to start with the verbal portion.

5.) In Singapore, only passports are allowed for identification purposes. ICs and driving licenses are not accepted. And the only thing you are allowed to bring in to the testing area is your passport and locker key. You’re not even allowed tissue paper or jackets. They are damn strict about it.

Well. Hope this helps! Ask me lar if you need to know anything else. =)