The 15 Minute GMAT Primer

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Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 3

About CrackVerbal ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 4

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The GMAT Scoring Algorithm ---------------------------------------------- Page 8

The GMAT Preparation Strategy --------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- Page 12

Why is the GMAT Important?

The GMAT Test Structure

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CONTENTS

The GMAT 3 Step Study Plan --------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- Page 15

Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Page 16

CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

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Our 15 minute GMAT guide exposes the crucial elements that will help get you the dream score you have been yearning for. Flip through the pages and gain the right perspective on the approach which is needed to master the test.

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ABOUT CRACKVERBAL

For professionals who want to advance in their careers, CrackVerbal GMAT training and MBAAdmissions Consulting of superior quality along with unmatched support. Unline other testprep companies, CrackVerbal has made a no-compromise commitment to meeting ourstudents’ MBA needs. This is what has helped CrackVerbal grow from six students in a coffeeshop in 2006 to India’s fastest-growing test prep company, helping more than 1000 studentsevery year!

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Candidate A

Undergraduate: RVCE, Bangalore 69% Work experience: TCS 3.5 years GMAT: 750

Candidate B

Undergraduate: M.S. Ramaiah Bangalore 73% Work experience: Infosys 4 years GMAT: 650

Why is GMAT Important?

What is the GMAT?

According to GMAC, the experts who set the exam, “The GMAT exam is a standardized assessment,

delivered in English, that helps business schools assess the quali cations of applicants for advanced study in business and management.” (from MBA.com)

Reasons Why You Should Take the GMAT:

1. B-Schools need to have an objective measure/criterion for academic potential that is uniform across allcountries, universities and GPA systems GMAT is considered one such metric. 2. GMAT is an important factor in the B-School rankings. So for the same reason you prefer a

school with a higher average GMAT score - the schools want a higher GMAT score from you.3. It is a nice objective number that has a tangible quality to it. It is hard to compare workexperience or quality of education. But a GMAT score gives a nice 3-digit number with which to compare a pool of applicants.4. Most top Management Consulting companies look at your GMAT score for short-listing candidates for

How B-Schools Use the GMAT:

Consider the candidates listed below. Candidates A and B are very similar, however the one differentiating factor is the GMAT score. Candidate A is the clear favourite as he/she appears to be better suited to

A good GMAT score cannot

guarantee you admission to a

top MBA program, but a bad

GMAT score can almost

guarantee that you will be

kept out!

recruitment. They don’t divulge the details but will ask you to submit scores during the initial screening process. So if Consulting is your career goal, aim for a high GMAT score.

the tackle the rigorous MBA coursework.

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• Analysis of an argument – 30min

• Integrated Reasoning - 30 min, 12 Questions

AWA + IR

• 37 questions

• 75 mins

Quant • 41 questions

• 75 mins

Verbal

The GMAT Test Structure

Analytical Writing Ability (AWA)

Do not worry about this section. You are graded on a score between 0 and 6, and this doesn’t go into calculating your �nal 3 -digit GMAT score.

Most schools don’t bother about what you write – so long as you are able to manage a decent score of4.0 or above.

The only thing you need to practice is writing the AWA essays as fast and effectively as possible. The last thing you want to do is get �ustered and expend your mental energy before the “real” test starts.

The New Integrated Reasoning Section (IR)

The Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT exam consists of 12 questions. A single graph/data-set may have multiple questions around it. All answer options for a given question will be shown on the same screen. As with the rest of the GMAT, even over here you cannot return to an earlier question - you have to

answer each question and move onto the next one. The last type i.e. the multi-source reasoning will not be of more than 300 words. So there’s no need to

read lengthy passages in this section. The answer options themselves will be independent of each other i.e. you cannot use information

from one question for another. You need to solve each question independently.

In this section, you will be asked to analyse an argument for its soundness.

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The GMAT Test Structure

Quant (Math)

1 hour 15 minutes to solve about 37 math questions spread across Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry.

This is the section where Indians usually feel con�dent – but don’t end up getting complacent

Verbal (English)

The test is split into 3 areas:

Sentence Correction: A sentence, which is either partly or fully underlined, is provided to you as the “question”. You will have the select the answer choice that removes the error (if any) in the original sentence.

Critical Reasoning: An argument is given to you in the form of a paragraph, and you would be asked to analyze/critique it. For Eg. “Which of the following would most weaken the argument given above?”

Reading Comprehension: A passage would be provided and about 3-4 questions will be asked based on it. This passage can be on any topic (usually dry ones like social science) and will be between 1 and 3 paragraphs long.

You will be given two 7-minute

breaks on the test – one

each after the AWA and the

Quant section.

Remember to utilize the breaks

wisely.

Use the 1st break as a bio-

break. Also hydrate yourself

by drinking some water.

Use the 2nd break to eat or

drink something. The

usual favorites for the

break are a bar of

chocolate, a banana

and/or Red Bull!

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Questions are of 2 types: Problem Solving & data Sufficiency

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Neeraj 770 (Q50, V44)

Raviraj 750 (Q50 V42)

Rahul 740 (Q50 V40)

Neha 730 (Q49 V40)

Sanat 700 (Q49 V38)

Jyoti 710 (Q48 V40)

Shardul 710 (Q46 V42)

Prashant 700 (Q51 V34)

Ganesh 690 (Q48 V38)

Apratim 680 (Q49 V34)

The GMAT Scoring Algorithm

The GMAT is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, based on only the Quant and Verbal sections. Along with this you will also get your AWA score, which is scored out of 6.0. Since scores are distributed along a bell curve there are very few on either end of the spectrum – usual scores are in the 400-700 range.

The global average GMAT score is 540 – and a “good” GMAT score for top schools is considered above 700. As mentioned earlier, you don’t need to worry about the AWA & IR scores. Your will be given separate “raw

will look like:

700 Q49 V36 AWA 5.5 IR -7 - This means the person got a scaled score of 700 which consisted of a Quant score of 49 (out of 51) and a Verbal score of 36 (out of 51). There is also additional information that he got an AWA rating of 5.5 (out of 6.0), and an IR score of 7 (out of 8).

Here are a few of scores with their split. They are actual CrackVerbal student scores!

The scores depend on how well you are doing *relative* to others on the test, and also the nature of the adaptive algorithm (more on that on the next page). What this means is that these scores don't directly correspond to getting a certain number of questions right or wrong. So it is impossible to say how much you’ll score if you get say 5 questions wrong, or say 10 questions wrong.

Let us now try to understand how the GMAT Computer Adaptive Test works:

Theoretically, you won't get the same set of questions as the guy sitting next to you (albeit a few overlapping questions). After the �rst few questions that are selected at random, each subsequent question will be based on how you did on the earlier questions. If you're getting more questions right, the algorithm gives you harder problems. If you're not, the test will start throwing easier questions at you.

scores” for theQuant & Verbal sections. You will be given a 2-digit score out of 51 for each section. A raw score above 50 in Quant & above 40 in Verbal is considered exceptional. Here is how a typical GMAT score

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The GMAT Scoring Algorithm

For given RAW scores what would be the corresponding scores?Remember that GMAT looks for your expertise across areas. Which means if you make similar mistakes inthe same subject area your overall scaled score will be lower than another person who uniformly distributeshis mistakes in all the subject area? For example you can have 2 candidates with same Q+V scores (sayQ50 V40) but with different scaled scores – either 740 or 750.Here is a nice little table to compute your scaled scores, given that you have Q and V raw scores:

Frequency of the mistakes:

If you get questions wrong consecutively, you are atgreater risk than if you distribute your mistakes over a range. For example, let’s say, from questions 21 to 30 there are 2 candidates X and Y and their frequency of mistakes is: X marks the wrong answers for questions 22, 26 and 29, while Y marks the wrong ones for 23,24,25. Then Y would be penalized heavier than X.

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The GMAT Scoring Algorithm

Experimental Questions: Roughly 1/3rd of all questions you will solve on the GMAT (9 in Quant and 10 in Verbal) will not go towards your nal GMAT score. GMAT is simply building a database for future test takers, by asking you these questions. If luck is on your side and you only make mistakes on the experimental questions, then you can expect a full score despite making mistakes! However, it is possible for very high scores (read as “very few mistakes”) to show with a fair degree of accuracy, the association between mistakes and RAW scores. The following data is fairly representative:

It might look as if it is “easier” to score higher on Quant than on Verbal since typically Indians score above 45 in Quant while they struggle to hit the 40 mark in Verbal. However remember that the algorithm works

these 2 sections! For each question you get wrong on Verbal you are more severely penalized than quant. An optimistic way of looking at it is Verbal is also the area where you can improve the most (and fastest!)

You will have to understand that the test algorithm is trying to determine your ability level, so it is almostcertain that you'll see questions that are too hard for you. That's perfectly okay! Remember that it's possible to get a 700 (89th percentile score) and answer more than a quarter of the questions on the entire test wrong. Of course, this means you'll be answering dif cult questions right and missing only the even more dif cult questions. It is a myth that you need to have a very high accuracy to do well on the GMAT!

Remember the following:

• You cannot “beat” the system but knowing it better will help you optimize your approach. This isespecially true when you are taking practice tests and want to know why you got a particular score.• There are only 4 ways in which you can score well (or poorly):

Number of mistakes you made in the overall test

.

differently for

1.

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Number of experimental questions you got right/wrong

Position of mistakes i.e. towards the start or towards the end

Frequency of mistakes in a row

• Questions are not “easy” or “hard” by themselves but “easy” or “hard” for the test-taker at a givenlevel. So a 750-level test-taker will �nd easy, even the most dif�cult question that a 450-scorer faces Similarly the 450-scorer will �nd even the easiest question that a 750-scorer faces as

“dif�cult”.

• Questions cannot get progressively harder till you end up making a mistake. In fact GMAT will try toput you on the 40-60 zone i.e. there is a 40% to 60% probability that you make a mistake on thatquestion.

The GMAT Scoring Algorithm

2.

3.

4.

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Avoid the following:

Brute Force Approach a.k.a “RS Agarwal approach”:

This is when students start blindly solving questions without either analyzing them properly or taking a rain check to see the dif�culty level of questions. The particular book in question is a classic example of this approach. If you are learning a concept such as “Area of rectangle” then you will be given a question “Length = 5,Breadth = 7, Area =?”. After that you will have another question “Length =3, Area = 12, Breadth =?”. And so on. Get the drift? It is an absolute waste of time to solve 10,000 questions of this sort as you end up learning nothing. GMAC claims that it spends about $2000 per question. Considering the tons of questions they make, that is a pretty huge spend. The major expense is in the quality of the questions – getting it vetted by expert pscyhometricians

CrackVerbal’s approach is based on solving only high quality questions which correctly re�ect the GMAT standards.

Not taking enough tests early on – wasting GMAT Prep questions.

GMAT is more a test of your mental stamina than anything else. Don’t lull yourself into complacency bylooking at incorrect measures. For e.g., one metric that most people use and one that we absolutely hate – of correct questions. All this little until you are able to build your mental stamina to endure a 4-hour battle (that is the duration of the test. It is like sprinting short distances in order to prepare for a marathon – it won’t work! Ensure your study plan has enough tests – starting right now.

We encourage students to come to our center to take simulated tests at our lab, which is equipped with more than 30+ computer based tests. We even give you a Scratch Pad similar to the one you get on the real test.

Consistency and not Contingency – relying only on weekends.

This is not a battle that can be fought on 14-hour weekends and 0-hour weekdays. If you think your day job is just too demanding for you to focus during the week then reconsider shifting your decision to take the GMAT (and ultimately pushing your decision to do an MBA). This is a test match and not a 20-20 game! We have heard enough students crib about how they never get time. At the same time we have seen our own

students who have studied diligently for 2-3 months, putting in about 2 hours on weekdays and about 10 hours on weekends, and who scored very high on the GMAT. It is all a question of will-power.

We ensure you get a comprehensive study plan. The plan dovetails with what we teach in the class so we ensure you stay focused on the plan till the date of your test.

The GMAT Preparation Strategy

%

(Yes, during the test, you’ll be given a laminated scratch pad and not paper to do rough work)

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The GMAT Preparation Strategy

Trusting “online advice” and solving questions other than the “of�cial” ones :

It has been shown that if you study for more than the optimal preparation time, your scores will actually start going down! This is because unlike tests such as IAS, IIT-JEE etc., the GMAT is not a test of memory, it testshow intelligently you can apply your knowledge. The most important key is to not pick the wrong books, wrong questions, and still worse – the wrong advice.

At Crackverbal we understand that you are taking the test after making some personal and professional sacri�ces. We ensure we keep you on the straight and narrow throughout the preparation so you are never lost or misguided.

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We Recommend the Following Study Material to Optimize Your GMAT Prep:

Of�cial Guide ed. 10, 11, 12,13 (if you have already done one version of the OG & are looking at updatedmaterial from the other version, then read our blog here:http://www.crackverbal.com/whats-newin-the-gmat-of�cial-guide-13th-edition)

Of�cial Guide Verbal Workbook ed.1,2 CrackVerbal Advance Document (all GMAT Prep questions which we have created by taking the test multiple times)

Practice on forums such as pagalguy.com, beatthegmat.com, urch.com, gmatclub.com, manhattangmat.com

You can e-mail us your queries at enquiry@crackverbal.com to better prepare for your GMAT.

What are the rules to remember while you take the mock tests?

A Total of 12- 14 tests to be taken over 3 months. Always take it with the AWA Section and IR sections. No mobile/No Internet while in the “test-zone”. Consider taking it at the CrackVerbal center. Take it at the same time as the actual test slot you’ve booked. Eat and Do exactly what you would on the test day.

The GMAT Preparation Strategy

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Practice

Application

Foundation

3 Step Study Plan

The GMAT Preparation StrategyThe GMAT 3 Step Study Plan

Phase 1: Foundation:

This is the time you need to ensure you understand theGMAT exam well and focus on the right approach to solvingquestions. If you end up having the wrong approach then practice will only make things worse. You will end up becoming better at “being bad”. This means if you have an accuracy of 40% you will just get better at solving questions at 40% accuracy (not 25% - not 50% - just precisely 40%!).

Phase 2: Application:

In this phase you take your prep to the next level by focusing on the higher level of dif�culty as well as the more dif�cult to grasp concepts. This is also a good time to up the tempo in quant. You should be able to accurately pinpoint your areas of weakness & work on them. For example you should be able to say “I am weak in questions on Standard Deviation” or “I am not con�dent when there is a pronoun ambiguity in SC”. Not

Phase 3: Practice:

The Americans have a phrase for it. They call it the “homerun”. This is when you make the �nal lunge towards getting that near-perfect GMAT score. Ensure that by this time you are working on crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s. And yes – plenty of carbs before the �nal run – in the form of full-length tests.

“ I am weak in SC!”

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Conclusion

With the 15 minute guide to the GMAT, you will have learned the crucial aspects of the exam & those seemingly minor details which help craft a better GMAT result. Remember that the approach is vital and your perspective on how to take the GMAT will have changed considerably, for the better!

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