The First Step On Your Road To MBA

The entrance exams for a management or business school tests the person's analytical and verbal skills; both are necessary to perform well in a management program and later, after completion of the course, to cope with real life business situations. The tests also require the candidate to write on topics varying from social, political issues to sports and other current affairs. 


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The GMAT and CAT scores are some of the primary criteria for seeking admission to a reputed business school. At most schools, GMAT scores are the single strongest predictor of admissions success. It is probably the only element of your application that admissions committees can use to objectively compare candidates. The GMAT is not the usual test you take in schools. You cannot stay up all night and get full marks. GMAT is a game. Like say chess, baseball, tennis, or any other sport and if you know the tips and tricks to play the sport, you have an edge over those who are comparatively ignorant.

Fortunately, a variety of text books and study material is available at leading bookstores to prepare effectively for both the GMAT and CAT exams. However, do not inundate yourself with too much study material that will leave you confused. The Kaplan 800 book helps students to maximise their GMAT score. A majority of other text books or course material presents similar concepts and question types and therefore do not differ drastically from each other.
The sentence correction bibles, besides the official guide, can help a great deal in scoring well in verbal tests. It
is wise to take up the tests on various courses on the Internet that help put structure into your preparation. They also clear your fundamentals in math or quant as it is known in GMAT language, if that is your low point. Also make sure you give ample time to the analysis of the tests.
The secret to maximising your GMAT or CAT score is in the preparation. Besides the 3Ds that is determination, dedication and diligence, the mantra for scoring well in the exams is Practice, Practice and Practice. Consistency and perseverance really matter. The best way to develop your time management skills is to practise taking the test. It is strongly recommended that you take at least a few mock GMAT exams, in the computer-adaptive format and try to simulate the actual testing environment. So no taking food breaks, engaging in telephone conversations and all that.
Besides, make sure you schedule your GMAT test well. Don't count on taking GMAT at the last minute. Scheduling the GMAT well into the admissions season is also bound to cause undue stress. With proper planning and insight, you can spare yourself these negative energies and instead focus on maximising your GMAT score better.
There are few other things which must be kept in mind like reading the questions carefully, avoid any random guessing and spend adequate time on the first five questions.
To elaborate, one must avoid misinterpretation of questions. You will encounter questions in the exam that include incorrect answer choices that were deliberately designed to exploit likely misinterpretations of what the question is really asking. Don't fall into this trap.
The first couple of questions in any GMAT section are used to determine the range of questions that the program 'thinks' can handle. Thus, your answers to the first five questions will make a HUGE difference in your final section score. Solve these with extra care - double check if you have to. They must not be incorrect. If you are unsure of the answer to one of these first questions, at the very least, take a very good educated guess by eliminating.
To conclude, studying for a test is never fun, but try and turn it into a challenge. Ultimately, these entrance tests are all about practice and essentially test how cool you keep yourself while taking the test. Try and reward yourself for staying on track. Inspire yourself. Be perseverant. In the end the hard work will pay off !

Some Facts

• The GMAT score is valid for five years. Hence it is wise to appear for this examination when you are in your last or second last year of Degree College.
• It is not only applicable for seeking admissions in the B schools abroad but also in a few schools in India including popular institutes like TISS.
• Students from Asian countries tend to score better in GMAT. 
• The GMAT centres are in almost all leading cities of India including New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad etc. In Maharashtra there are three centres, namely Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.