GMAT
I. GMAT – the basics
Click here to listen to the introductory class for GRE
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized test designed to evaluate your cognitive skills deemed necessary for higher management education in countries such as USA, UK etc.
A. The test has the following sections
Section I – Analyticalwriting assessment
This section measures your critical thinking and persuasive writing abilities. When you evaluate an argument, you need to think critically and present your critique or argument convincingly in writing. These abilities of yours are tested in this section. This section is with a score range of 0 – 6. This score is not a part of 800, the perfect GMAT score.
II. Section II: Integrated Reasoning
The Next Generation GMAT will include Integrated Reasoning part which contains 12 questions. These questions are based on recommendations of faculty of reputed B-schools across the globe. These questions are designed to test your ability to assimilate and integrate info from multiple or/and divergent sources to solve challenging problems. You need to interpret visual data accurately. The data is presented in the form of graphs, tables with sortable information, and even arguments/critique presented orally. Briefly, this section measures your ability to work with complex data formats.
Remember, an online calculator with basic functions is provided for you during this section only. This calculator is not available during the Quantitative Reasoning section that follows this section.
Though the scores from the above two sections are not a part of the GMAT score of 800, good B-schools demand good AWA and IR scores.
Important Note: this integrated Reasoning section is to be introduced in the Next Generation GMAT, which is to be introduced in the month of June 2012. The students who take the test before this date will have to write one more essay (besides the Analytical Writing Assessment. This essay is Perspective on Issue Topic.
B. Section III: Quantitative reasoning
The second section of GMAT, Quantitative Reasoning, measures your ability to think mathematically. The questions in this section are trickier than they used to be. So, if you are aspiring for great scores, you need to put in more efforts, even though you are a mathematics student. One noteworthy thing about this section: mathematical reasoning ability is given ascendance over calculating ability. I know instances in which students were able to answer even high difficulty level questions without calculating.
C. Section IV: Verbal reasoning
This section tests your ability to reason verbally in complex situations of expression, reading and argumentation. The language is generally formal English or what the test makers call ‘Standard Written Expression’. This is the language you will find in the constitution of your country, rather than in any of the text books, novels or newspapers you read.
III. Test format
The test is delivered on a computer as a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) about which I will soon tell you more.
The following is the broad description of the test format Next Generation GMAT
| SECTION I | ||
| ANALYTICAL WRITING ASSESSMENT | ||
| Analysis of an argument | 1 topic | 30 minutes |
| SECTION ii | ||
| INTEGRATED REASONING | ||
| Graphics Interpretation, Table Analysis, Multi-Source Reasoning, Two-Part Analysis | 12 questions | 30 minutes |
| Optional break for 5 minutes | ||
| SECTION II | ||
| QUANTITATIVE REASONING | ||
| Data sufficiency + problem solving | 37 questions | 75 minutes |
| Optional break for 5 minutes | ||
| SECTION III | ||
| VERBAL REASONING | ||
| Critical reasoning + sentence correction + reading comprehension | 41 questions | 75 minutes |
| Total time (with breaks) | 3 hours 40 minutes | |
Note: The Next Generation GMAT will be introduced in June 2012. Students taking GMAT before that will have to write two essays in Analytical Writing Assessment (1essay analysis of any issue topic +1 essay analysis of an argument).
IV. Sowrya’s edge
- Sowrya is the only test prep institution in India where GMAT verbal classes are taught by Pearson GMAT verbal author.
- Sowrya is the only company to have perfect integration of online practice and classroom instruction.
- Sowrya is the only company that offers practice questions in perfect coordination with the classroom instruction.
- Ours is the only company that offers explanations online for all the SC and CR section of the official guide, which is provided as a part of our class room practice material along with exhaustive classroom practice material for all types of questions.
- Ours is the only company that presents unique class tested strategies for Sentence Correction and Critical Reasoning questions.