The first two sections of the GRE test are Analytical Writing sections. The duration of the two tasks to be completed as part of the Analytical Writing section lasts 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes).

The objective type questions in the GRE test starts from the third section. The third section is a 30 minutes - 30 questions verbal section and the fourth section is a 45 minutes - 28 questions Quantitative section.

The GRE Verbal section comprises about 6 Sentence Completion questions, 7 Analogy questions, 8 Reading Comprehension questions and 9 Antonym questions. You will have 30 minutes to answer these 30 questions. Please remember as GRE is a computer adaptive test, you will not be allowed to skip a question or come back to the previous question. Take a lot of care before you mark an answer.

The Quantitative section of the GRE test comprises 28 questions. About 14 of these questions are problem solving questions while the other 14 are quantitative comparison questions. Data analysis questions also form a part of the quantitative section of the GRE test. You will have a total of 45 minutes to answer these 28 questions.

GRE Analytical Writing Ability

This section replaced the multiple choice Analytical Reasoning section on October 1, 2002. It tests the ability to analyse issues as well as the writing ability through 2 essays. Watch this space for forthcoming material on preparing for these essays.

GRE score is calculated as follows

i. Total number of questions answered

ii. Number of questions answered correctly

iii. Difficulty level of questions answered

iv. Two people who complete test and have same number of correct responses - person who answers more difficult questions generally receives higher score

1. What is the format of the GRE General Test?
Answer :

The GRE General Test is a computer-adaptive test (CAT). The CAT is administered in an individualized environment in the quiet and privacy of separated testing stations at the GRE test center.

2. What is the content of the GRE General Test?
Answer :

The GRE General test measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study. The verbal section tests the ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, analyze relationships among component parts of sentences, and recognize relationships between words and concepts.

The quantitative section tests basic mathematical skills and understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, as well as the ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems in a quantitative setting.

The analytical section tests the ability to understand structured sets of relationships, deduce new information from sets of relationships, analyze and evaluate arguments, identify central issues and hypotheses, draw sound inferences, and identify plausible causal explanations.

3. When is the GRE General Test held and what are the registration deadlines?
Answer :

There is no fixed testing schedule for the GRE General Test. As testing is conducted on an individual basis, test candidates may schedule a testing appointment at their convenience, up to three business days before their requested test date if registering by phone.

4. How do I register for the GRE General Test?
Answer :

You may obtain a registration form and bulletin of information from IIE. Registration can be completed by phone, fax, or mail, by contacting the Regional Registration Center, which, for testing in Hong Kong, is located in Malaysia. After registering you will receive a confirmation of the testing date, time, and test center location.

5. How much does it cost to take GRE General Test?
Answer :

GRE General Test Fee: US$175

6. What is the format of the GRE General Test?
Answer :

Educational Testing Services (ETS) will deliver GRE in 2 parts, beginning July 1, 2003. The Analytical Writing measure will be delivered on computer through ETS’s computer-based testing (CBT) network. The Verbal and Quantitative measures will be delivered in paper-based format. This is known as the GRE Split Test Administration. Test takers must take the Analytical Writing first, the paper-based Verbal and Quantitative test second. To obtain General Test scores, test takers have to take both test between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004.

7. What is the content of the GRE General Test ?
Answer :

The GRE General Test consists of 2 papers: Computer-based analytical writing session which takes 2 hours. Paper-based Verbal and Quantitative session which takes 2 hours and 30 minuntes.

8. When is the GRE Analytical Writing Test?
Answer :

There is no fixed testing schedule for the CBT Analytical Writing section. As testing is conducted on an individual basis, test candidates may schedule a testing appointment at their convenience, up to three business days before their requested test date if registering by phone. Test takers must complete the CBT Analytical Writing section at least 6 weeks before taking the paper-based Verbal & Quantitative section.

9. How do I register for the GRE General Test?
Answer :

You may obtain a registration form and bulletin of information from IIE. Registration can be completed by phone, fax, or mail, by contacting the Regional Registration Center, which, for testing in Hong Kong, is located in Malaysia. After registering you will receive a confirmation of the testing date, time, and test center location.

10. What is the format of the GRE Subject Tests?
Answer :

The GRE Subject Tests are pencil-and-paper tests, consisting of multiple-choice and free-response questions, depending on the individual test.

Your GMAT score can significantly affect your chances of admission. Without a good score, you have little or no chance of making it to a top school. GMAT tests skills that are usually developed over a period of time. However, a well-planned preparation schedule can help you ace the GMAT. The first thing is to approach it with the right attitude.

Developing the Right Attitude

Once the importance of the GMAT has clearly dawned on you, you can approach it with the right amount of determination and discipline. It helps to face the GMAT as a challenge a challenge that should get your adrenaline flowing, and bring out the best in you. To succeed, you need to have a focussed and concerted approach towards the preparation; given the nature of the test, regular practice along with expert guidance can work wonders for your final score report.

How much time do you need to prepare?

To a large extent, this is a function of your initial state of readiness. The GMAT requires primarily two kinds of theoretical inputs : basic math (comparable to Grade 10 syllabus, but subject to severe pressures of time) and grammatically correct English. Both of these are skills acquired over many years of schooling, and the stronger your foundations in these subjects are, the easier it is for you to prepare. Typically, I recommend that you start preparing at least 3-4 months before your test date. During this time period, your preparation will be divided into two parts the initial 1 -2 months when you concentrate on strengthening your foundations by delving into the topics of the GMAT syllabus, and the final two months or so when you will focus on sample GMAT tests that give you a feel of the actual computer adaptive GMAT.

Computer Practice : A Pre-requisite for the GMAT

Ever since the GMAT became a computerized test in 1997, the ETS (the organization that conducts the examination all over the world) has had a lot of opportunity to experiment with the content and composition of the GMAT. Computerization has no doubt been a step forward in the conduct of the GMAT, making it all the more demanding and challenging. The unique adaptive nature of the GMAT ensures that the questions on the test match your ability level so you can rarely have a test that was “too easy” or “too difficult”. Given the competitive nature of the exam, there is no way that you can hope to score high without actually preparing on the computer. You need to not only familiarize yourself with the instructions and format of the GMAT, but also acquaint yourself with the adaptive nature of the test so that you can finish the test in time. Finally, you need to practice on the computer for the writing section of the GMAT in which you need to type two meaningful essays on the computer in a space of 60 minutes. If you are not used to regularly working on the computer, you might find yourself woefully short of words on the day of the test.

The Preparation Process
1. Analyze your position:

Before you proceed with the actual preparation, you need to know where exactly you stand and how much ground you need to cover. It helps to assess your strengths and weaknesses through a good quality test, one that is comparable to the actual GMAT in both the quality of its questions and its scoring. Here, it is very important that you do not attach too much significance to your score on this test the test has to be purely of an indicative nature. Do not get disheartened with a low score, nor get complacent with a high score, for it can all change for better or worse by the time you take the actual test. You can even take a paper test if you cannot get hold of a computer adaptive test.

2. Strengthening the Foundations:

As mentioned earlier, the GMAT requires you to have strong fundamentals in Math and English grammar. Once you have an idea of which areas you need to work harder through the diagnostic test, you can accordingly streamline your efforts. A good way is to review the textbooks of the school level, without going into too much detail. Both grammar and math work on the basis of a fairly well-defined set of rules : it is important to be familiar with these rules. Work on the basics for a couple of months get the concepts right, clarify all your doubts, work through solved and unsolved examples before you attempt full length practice tests.

3. Practice Tests:

It is important that the practice tests that you attempt have been prepared by some authority, and that they reflect actual test questions and scores. Try taking the tests under simulated conditions with utmost concentration. The complete test is of nearly four hours duration a period long enough for our concentration to flag. It will take a couple of tests before you develop the rhythm for taking these tests. Also, it is imperative that you get a good feedback on your performance in these tests so that you can learn from your mistakes and make sure you do not repeat them. A mistake on the practice test must be looked upon as a learning opportunity, and not as something to fret about. Once you have practiced 4-5 tests, your scores are bound to improve, given that the level of the questions does not vary too much.

Obtain the “GMAT Information Bulletin” available free with Prometric Testing Services and USEFI. You can also request the bulletin from Infozee at Request Test Forms and it will be delivered to your given address. The Test Scheduling Form comes with the bulletin. The Test Scheduling Form comes with the bulletin. There are three ways to register:

Registering by Phone: You may call up Prometric office to register. Make sure to call at least THREE BUSINESS DAYS before the test date.

Registering by Fax: If registering by fax, you must send your fax at lest SEVEN DAYS prior to your first choice of a test day.

Registering by Mail/Courier: Fill in the form, get the draft made (if you are not paying by credit card), and submit these to the Prometric office either by hand or by registered post/courier. You must send the documents at least THREE WEEKS before your choice of a test day.

On receipt of your documents, an appointment will be scheduled for you to test at the Prometric Center. Confirmation of the date, time and location of the appointment will be sent to you. If you do not receive confirmation at least THREE business days before your first choice of test day, please call the Prometric office to verify your appointment.

Prometric Testing Private Limited
2nd Floor, DLF Infinity Tower - A
Sector 25, Phase ll
DLF City, Gurgaon
Haryana 122002
India

Tel: 91-124-5147700
Fax: 91-124-5147773

You will receive an admit card normally within a week of applying. Remember to keep a copy of the form and the draft with you

1. The Official Guide for GMAT (ETS)
Rating: * * * * *

This book, designed and written by ETS, has more than 1000 GMAT preparation questions. Many of these questions have already appeared on the GMAT, and modified versions may still be in the ETS question pool for GMAT. So this guide can prove to be an invaluable resource for all test takers. However, this book is is not adequate if you need to brush up on the concepts as it does not have many lessons or tutorials. Each question is solved and has a detailed explanation

2. The Unofficial Guide for GMAT (Arco’s)
Rating: * * * *

The Arco’s Unofficial guide features five full length practice tests, in addition to a diagnostic test. It has some additional practice questions in the quantitative section. It relies on a series of “tips” and “strategies” to bolster your preparation, though does not delve into theoretical topics or concepts too much. Handy if you already have a strong foundation in the basic GMAT topics.

3. The Princeton Review CD for GMAT preparation
Rating: * * * *

The Princeton CD offers three full length tests on the computer, in addition to practice exercises on all the sections of the GMAT. It creates a study plan for you based on how much time you have to prepare. The standard of questions is good, especially in the Quantitative sections. It also has some good tips for sentence correction questions.

4. The Barron’s Guide for GMAT
Rating: * * *

The Barron’s Guide has been around for a long time now, but has not been able to leverage on its long-standing stature. It has a lot of practice questions, but does not measure up if you are looking for a high score on the GMAT. It is particularly weak in the Quantitative Section.

5. The Kaplan GMAT Guide and CD
Rating: * * * *

The Kaplan preparation material is ideally suited for high achievers, with a tough pool of questions in both verbal and quantitative sections. Its lessons, however, seem to be too simplistic, particularly in the CD. The CD has three full-length computerized tests and practice questions in all the sections. It is recommended that you take the practice tests on this CD well before you take the actual test, as the scores you get on this CD tend to underestimate your actual potential.

1. When GMAT volume increases or decreases, can I expect to see a change in application volume?

Answer:-A change in test-taking volume may or may not result in an immediate change in application volume. First, the incidence of repeat test taking has increased with the advent of computer-adaptive testing, so a change in the number of tests taken does not necessarily indicate that more or fewer people are taking the test. Second, scores are good for five years and not all test takers apply immediately after taking the test. Also, not all test takers intend to pursue MBA programs the GMAT test is also required for various other business programs. A recent study showed that approximately 20% of GMAT test scores are submitted to nonbusiness programs.

2. Is repeat test-taking increasing? What types of gains can test takers expect?

Answer:- A recent study showed that approximately 21% of GMAT tests are taken by individuals who take the test more than one time in a given year. Within the mean score range for the GMAT Total score, 500 to 540, approximately 28% of tests are taken by repeat testers. Great care is taken to match test takers on multiple demographic variables so as to minimize the possibility of mismatching test administrations.

Most repeat test takers test two or three times within a year. Very few test more often than that. GMAC has a policy to prevent excessive repeat test taking. Test takers can take the GMAT test as many as five times within a 12-month period. In order to test more than five times in a 12-month period, a test taker must submit a written request to GMAC.

The average gain between the first test and the second test is about 30 points on the GMAT Total score. The amount of gain varies depending on the amount of preparation undertaken by students prior to initial testing, among other things. Not all repeat test taking results in an increase scores can also go down when the GMAT is taken more than once.

3. On the preadmission report, the test taker’s raw score is presented along with a percentile. How is this percentile computed?

Answer:- The percentile is based on three years’ worth of GMAT scores. Three years worth of data is used to balance out random fluctuations. [When a test administration older than five years is pulled, new percentiles are not computed the test takers’ scores are presented relative to the tests taken three years prior to the date of the administration.] When a test taker requests an additional score report (ASR), his or her GMAT scores are presented relative to the current three years of tests. So, if a test taker took the GMAT test in 1998 and requested an ASR in 2002, the percentiles presented on the ASR would have been for the tests taken during the time period January 1998 through December 2000, whereas on the original preadmission report the percentiles would have been presented relative to tests taken during the time period January 1995 through December 1997.

4. How can I compute the percentage of scores that are above a certain score, say, 600?

Answer:- The percentages presented in Guide to the Use of GMAT Scores (downloadable at left) can help you calculate that. For instance, Table 2 shows that 70% of tests taken were below 600. Thus, 30% of tests taken were at or above 600. Information is presented for each of the four GMAT scores Verbal, Quantitative, Total, and AWA.

5. How reliable is the GMAT? Do scores vary a lot from test to retest?

Answer:- The standard error of measurement of the GMAT Total score is 29 points meaning that the test taker’s true GMAT Total score is within 29 points (above or below) of the score he or she received on the test. Thus, test takers with GMAT Total scores of 580 and 600 may not be materially different in terms of their performance on the GMAT . This is why GMAC does not recommend the use of hard cut-off scores. The average reliability for the GMAT Total score is 0.92 (1.00 is the highest possible reliability coefficient).

6. How valid is the GMAT? Does it actually predict the academic achievement of MBA students?

Answer:- The predictive validity of the GMAT has been established by analyzing the statistical relationship between GMAT scores and first-year (or midprogram) grade point average. Analyses of the relationship between a combination of three of the GMAT variables Verbal, Quantitative, and AWA and first-year (or midprogram) grade point average have been conducted at numerous schools since the inception of the GMAT . The average (represented by the median) statistical relationship is +0.41 out of a possible 1.00. When undergraduate grade point average was added to the three GMAT variables the predictive power increased to +0.47. Thus, a combination of the GMAT variables does contribute to the prediction of how well candidates for admission might perform academically in an MBA program. Other variables such as motivation, time spent studying or otherwise engaged in learning also contribute greatly to student achievement. The GMAT is an extremely useful predictive tool, yet it is only one of many tools that are necessary to make a good admissions decision.

7. How can I keep track of candidates? We keep a file of the preadmission reports, but there must be another way.

Answer:- Management school rosters are sent to your school on a monthly basis and quarterly rosters are sent on a quarterly basis. These rosters facilitate record-keeping by providing the test scores as well as the (self-reported) demographic information for all of the individuals that have sent score to your institution within a month or a quarter. The rosters can help to capture patterns in score sending month over month, quarter over quarter and can aide in the tracking of score sending patterns year over year.

8. How can I keep track of competitors?

Answer:- Annually, your school is sent a multiple score report. This report lists the top 25 programs (based on volume) that receive scores from your candidates. It also indicates the number of scores that were sent to your program only.

9. How can I know which factors are most predictive of academic success in my program?

Answer:- Conduct a validity study. Validity studies are offered at no cost to schools that use the GMAT . The study helps to validate current admissions processes and provides current and valid statistical ammunition to use when you have challenges regarding admissions criteria. See Validity Study Quick Facts/FAQs for details.