How to Prepare for GMAT? GMAT Preparation Tips [2025]
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a key step for anyone aiming to get into a top business school. Recognized by over 2,400 business schools worldwide and accepted for more than 7,700 programs, the GMAT tests your problem-solving, strategic thinking, and communication skills. Excelling in this exam requires focused preparation and smart strategies. In this blog, we will discuss how to prepare for a GMAT exam. We’ll cover everything you need to know about preparing for the GMAT, including its sections and practical tips to help you succeed.
How to start preparing for GMAT
Achieving your target score on the GMAT exam requires a well-planned approach and a solid understanding of the exam format. If you are wondering how to start studying for a GMAT exam then these practical tips will guide you step-by-step and help you build a strong foundation for success.
1. Understand the syllabus for the GMAT Exam
The GMAT exam is designed to evaluate your communication, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities across three main sections. It includes 64 questions in total, with a duration of 2 hours and 15 minutes, plus an optional 10-minute break. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Content | Number of Questions | Stipulated Time | Detail |
Quantitative Reasoning | 21 Questions | 45 minutes | Tests logical and analytical skills using basic algebra and arithmetic. The focus is not on advanced math but on reasoning. |
Verbal Reasoning | 23 Questions | 45 minutes | Assesses reading comprehension and critical reasoning through two parts: Reading Comprehension: Focuses on main ideas, inferences, structure, and style. Critical Reasoning: Tests your ability to evaluate and build arguments. |
Data Insights | 20 Questions | 45 minutes | Covers data sufficiency, multi-source reasoning, table analysis, and graphical interpretation to assess data literacy. |
Pro Tip: Do you know to crack the exam you must be familiar with the exam syllabus? Check out our most helpful guide on GMAT syllabus, to get high scores in your upcoming exam.
2. Practice Sample Questions for Each Section
Practicing sample questions is a crucial step in preparing for the GMAT exam. It helps you become familiar with the exam format, understand the types of questions, and assess your current skills. To support your preparation, GMAT offers official sample questions for each subsection. If you’re unsure how to prepare for the GMAT exam, these sample questions are an excellent starting point.
i. Quantitative Reasoning: This section focuses on problem-solving using algebra and arithmetic, testing your logical and analytical thinking. Here’s an example to help you understand:
Question: If a wheel revolves around at a constant rate of x per minute, how many revolutions will it make in k seconds? (A) kx (B) 60kx (C) x÷(60k) (D) x÷k (E) kx÷60 Answer: (E) |
ii. Verbal Reasoning: This section measures a candidate’s ability to read and understand written materials. Additionally, it assesses the ability to reason evaluate arguments, and express ideas clearly in English.
Schools generally expect textbooks to serve as reliable sources of information for students. However, my research indicates that textbooks discussing the role of Native Americans in U.S. history often distort historical facts to align with a specific cultural value system. For instance, some textbooks portray settlers as more humane, intelligent, skilled, and wise than Native Americans. This effectively stereotypes and diminishes the rich diversity of Native American cultures while promoting the idea that the European conquest of the Americas reflects the superiority of European civilizations. While textbooks do evaluate Native American achievements in areas like architecture, political systems, and homemaking, these evaluations are often filtered through an ethnocentric European lens, disregarding alternative perspectives. An opposing viewpoint suggests that textbooks are inherently biased and that students are capable of recognizing these biases. Some researchers even argue that by the time students reach high school, they understand not to take textbooks at face value. However, substantial evidence refutes this claim. For example, two researchers conducted studies showing that children’s perceptions of various cultures are significantly shaped by the textbooks they use in school. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct ongoing and careful reviews of how textbooks portray Native Americans. Question: What would most logically be the topic of the paragraph immediately following this passage? Answer Choices: (A) Specific strategies for assessing bias in U.S. history textbooks (B) The importance of teachers in teaching U.S. history (C) Innovative methods for teaching U.S. history (D) Contributions of European immigrants to U.S. development (E) The influence of parents on children’s political attitudes Answer: (A) CRITICAL REASONING Mall Owner’s Argument: Our mall’s low occupancy rate is making it difficult to turn a profit. Raising rents is not an option, as it would likely result in losing established tenants. At the same time, the operational costs for a fully occupied mall are comparable to those for a mall with some vacant spaces. Thus, the best solution to increase profits is to bring in new tenants. Question: Which of the following, if true, most strongly undermines the mall owner’s reasoning? Answer Choices: (A) Operating costs could be reduced by consolidating existing tenants into fewer spaces, allowing an entire section of the mall to be closed. (B) The mall is located in an area where summer air-conditioning costs far exceed winter heating costs. (C) The mall’s relatively low occupancy rate has remained stable for several years. (D) Past rent increases caused the mall to lose tenants. (E) None of the mall’s current tenants are likely to require additional floor space in the near future. Answer: (A) |
iii. Data Insight: The Data Insights section measures your ability to analyze different kinds of data from several sources to make informed decisions.
DATA SUFFICIENCY Directions for Data Sufficiency Questions This problem includes a question and two statements, labeled (1) and (2), which provide certain information. Your task is to determine whether the given statements are sufficient to answer the question. Based on the information in the statements, along with your knowledge of mathematics and general facts (e.g., the number of days in a month or the definition of common terms), select the appropriate option: Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient. Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient. BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient. EACH statement ALONE is sufficient. Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient, and additional information is needed. Question: What is the monthly rent for a specific apartment? Statements: The monthly rent per person when four people share the apartment is $375.The monthly rent per person for four people is $125 less than the rent per person when three people share the apartment. Answer Choices: (A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient. (B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient. (C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient. (D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient. (E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient. Correct Answer: (D) |
Official Guide to Prepare for a GMAT Exam
The GMAT Official Guide is an essential resource for aspirants. It provides authentic practice questions from past GMAT exams, detailed explanations for answers, and access to practice sets. Incorporating the Official Guide into your study plan ensures you are practicing with reliable material that mirrors the actual exam’s difficulty and format.
Name | Price ($) | Price (₹) |
GMAT Official Starter Kit | Free | Free |
GMAT™ Official Guide Bundle 2024-2025: eBook & Online Question Bank | $109.99 | ₹9,528.60 |
GMAT™ Official Guide Verbal Review 2024-2025: eBook & Online Question Bank | $24.99 | ₹2,164.92 |
GMAT™ Official Guide 2024-2025: eBook & Online Question Bank | $49.99 | ₹4,330.71 |
GMAT™ Official Guide Quantitative Review 2024-2025: eBook & Online Question Bank | $24.99 | ₹2,164.92 |
GMAT™ Official Guide Data Insights Review 2024-2025: eBook & Online Question Bank | $24.99 | ₹2,164.92 |
GMAT™ Official Practice Exams 3 – 6 | $107.99 | ₹9,355.34 |
GMAT™ Official Practice Exams 3 & 4 | $59.99 | ₹5,197.02 |
GMAT™ Official Practice Exam 5 | $34.99 | ₹3,031.24 |
GMAT™ Official Practice Exam 6 | $34.99 | ₹3,031.24 |
GMAT™ Official Practice Questions Bundle | $79.99 | ₹6,929.65 |
GMAT™ Official Practice Questions – Quantitative | $29.99 | ₹2,598.08 |
GMAT™ Official Practice Questions – Data Insights | $29.99 | ₹2,598.08 |
GMAT™ Official Practice Questions – Verbal | $29.99 | ₹2,598.08 |
Premium GMAT™ Study Collection 2024-2025 Bundle | $299.99 | ₹25,988.58 |
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Top Tips to Prepare for a GMAT Exam
Cracking a competitive exam like the GMAT requires thorough preparation and a strategic approach. That is why we have compiled a detailed list of tips you might require to crack each section of the GMAT exam. Here is an overview of the GMAT preparation tips.
i. Quantitative Reasoning:
Here are some of the top tips on how to start preparing for a GMAT quantitative reasoning section.
- Master Basic Concepts: Make sure you have a solid understanding of fundamental arithmetic and algebra rules.
- Approximations: Before solving approximation questions, review the answer choices. This will help you judge how precise your answer needs to be, saving you time by avoiding lengthy calculations when an estimate will do.
- Use the Whiteboard: Practice writing out your solutions on the whiteboard. This can help reduce mistakes. Familiarize yourself with how it works so you can use it efficiently during the test.
ii. Verbal Reasoning:
Here are detailed GMAT preparation tips for the verbal reasoning section.
a) Reading Comprehension Questions
These are some of the tips to help you ace the reading comprehension questions.
- Don’t expect to know the content of the passages. The questions are based on the information in the text, not on your prior knowledge.
- Read each passage carefully and analyze it before looking at the questions.
- Pay attention to keywords and phrases that will help you understand the main ideas and overall context.
- Base your answers only on the details provided in the passage, and take your time—this section is about comprehension, not speed.
b) Critical Reasoning Questions
These tips will help you crack the critical reasoning questions.
- Understand precisely what the question is asking. Start by reading the question before examining the accompanying material.
- Focus on the following elements:
- What is presented as factual information?
- What is implied but not explicitly stated?
- What conclusions are drawn from the facts presented?
- How well those conclusions are supported?
- Evaluate the reasoning behind arguments rather than judging the truth of the facts presented.
- For argument-based questions, identify the conclusion and understand its role within the argument.
Also Read: GMAT Exam Fees
iii. Data Insight:
This is a brief overview of how to study for the GMAT data insights section.
a) Data Sufficiency Questions
These are some of the officially recommended tips to help you ace data-sufficiency questions.
- Determine whether the problem has a single solution or allows for a range of solutions. Remember, your goal is to assess whether there is enough data to solve the problem, not to solve it completely.
- Avoid making assumptions based on geometric figures, as they are not necessarily drawn to scale.
b) Multi-Source Reasoning Questions
Here are some tips and tricks that will help you solve multi-source reasoning questions.
- Don’t expect to be familiar with the material presented. All the information required to answer the questions will be provided.
- Carefully analyze each data source. Questions often require a detailed understanding of the information provided. Text passages usually build ideas in sequence, so pay attention to how each statement contributes to the main idea.
- Graphic elements like tables, graphs, charts, and diagrams must be interpreted in conjunction with the text.
- Read the questions carefully to understand what is being asked. You may need to:
- Identify discrepancies between different data sources.
- Draw inferences.
- Determine which data source is most relevant.
- Base your answers solely on the provided data. Avoid letting your subject knowledge influence your choices.
c) Table Analysis Questions
Make sure you use these tips to ace table analysis questions.
- Review the table and accompanying text to understand the type of information provided.
- Read the question carefully to identify the type of analysis required. Review answer options to understand the choices available.
- Evaluate each answer statement against the specified condition (e.g., yes/no or true/false). Focus on whether the condition has been satisfied.
d) Graphics Interpretation Questions
Solve graphics interpretation questions with these top tips.
- Study the graphic carefully, noting scales, labeled values, and any units of measurement. Be aware of differences between the units in the graph and those mentioned in the text.
- Read any accompanying text, as it may provide data not shown in the graphic but needed to answer the question.
- Understand the question’s requirements. You’ll need to interpret, integrate, and analyze the data to discern relationships or make inferences.
- Review all drop-down menu options. These options may offer additional clues about the task.
- Choose the option that best completes the statement. While multiple choices may seem plausible, select the one that is most accurate or logical.
e) Two-Part Analysis Questions
Here are some tips that will help you with two-part analysis questions.
- Carefully read through the information provided, which may include a mix of quantitative and verbal material. Don’t rely on outside knowledge; only use the data given.
- Understand what the question is asking, especially since response headings may be vague.
- Review all answer options before selecting one. Pay attention to whether the tasks are independent (separate tasks) or dependent (one task with two parts). Some answers may apply to both columns if they meet the conditions for each task.
Conclusion
Preparing for the GMAT exam can feel overwhelming at times, but with the right approach, you can certainly succeed. The official GMAT website offers a variety of free and paid resources like practice kits, study guides, and sample questions to help you get ready. In this blog, we’ve provided detailed insights on how to prepare for GMAT. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to ace the exam. And if you’re concerned about what score will boost your application, don’t miss our guide on what is a good GMAT score.
FAQs
The scores from the GMAT Exam (10th Edition) are valid for a period of five years from the date of appointment.
The GMAT exam focus edition is the latest edition of the GMAT exam structure. It has been in power since February 1, 2024.
You can take a total of five GMAT attempts in 12 months. This includes all exam attempts across all editions, including online and offline exam formats.