How have we designed our course for GMAT?
As a test taker, you can download the free GMATPrep software, a test preparation kit which comprises 2 full-length practice tests, from the official website of the GMAT® exam (www.mba.com).
To ace the GMAT® exam, however, an intensive training programme such as ours is the perfect supplement to your preparation.
We have assisted a large number of students in their preparation for exams such as the CAT, GRE®, and TOEFL iBT® over the years, placing emphasis on the areas of Writing skills, Reasoning, Quantitative Ability, and Verbal ability. We have a good idea of our graduates and young professionals’ areas of strength and weakness. As a result, we have prepared our course content and practice material, as well as planned our classroom sessions, with this in mind.
For example, Analytical Writing is given special attention because it is an area where guidance and practice are greatly useful. In the verbal ability area, we focus on reading comprehension and critical reasoning. Still, we also emphasise proficiency with standard English to help you improve in error identification and correct and precise presentation.
Furthermore, improved proficiency with standard English elements helps you in the areas of Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. While attention is given to the revision of mathematical concepts to help in Problem Solving in the Quantitative ability area, similar attention is given to the careful application of these concepts, along with reasoning, in the Data Sufficiency area.
In the classroom sessions, you will receive various inputs, such as explanations, practice exercises, and discussions. It will be a thorough and comprehensive course.
The study material provided will cover all areas, including AW practice. In addition to evaluating your performance in class, we will encourage you to present us with your questions and essays for clarification.
We will also help you with the most important part of your admissions application: the Statement of Purpose (SOP).
In short, the preparatory course at JCCs would be the most valuable first step toward your preparation for Management and Business Studies at your preferred international standing institution.
WHAT IS GMAT?
The Graduate Management Admission Test, commonly referred to as the GMAT, is a multiple-choice, computer-based, and computer-adaptive standardised exam used worldwide for admission to graduate management/business programmes (such as MBA programs).
GMAC developed and administers the GMAT to provide business schools with standardised measures of applicants’ preparedness for graduate-level academic work. Admissions committees at business schools consider your GMAT score, as well as your work experience, academic record, and supporting materials, to determine your readiness for the rigours of an MBA programme.
What is the important part? A high GMAT score would most certainly have a direct and positive impact on your business school application.
WHAT IS IN THE GMAT?
While the GMAT does assess facts and rules, including grammar, as well as quantitative concepts in arithmetic, algebra, statistics, and geometry, the exam is primarily designed to assess your critical thinking abilities. It assesses your ability to analyse and evaluate quantitative and verbal material, think logically, and solve problems under tight schedules. Knowing how to efficiently reason through and analyse information is essential for a great GMAT score.
WHAT ARE THE GMAT SECTIONS?
The GMAT is divided into four sections, but you will use the same critical thinking and analysis skills throughout the exam as you will in your MBA coursework.
The GMAT content is divided into four scored test sections, each of which is scored separately. Two sections, Quant and Verbal, are also combined to generate your total score:
- Quantitative
- Verbal
- Integrated Reasoning
- Analytical Writing Assessment
GMAT test takers have the option of selecting the order of their GMAT test sections. You will select your section order at the test centre, just before the test begins. You will be able to select one of three orders:
1. Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal
2. Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing Assessment
3. Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing Assessment
Because the Quantitative and Verbal sections are generally the two most important sections for your admissions chances, approximately half of test takers choose to begin with the Quantitative section (order #3), and approximately one-third choose to begin with the Verbal section (order #2).
The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA or Essay) section is scored separately from 0 to 6 in half-point increments. The Integrated Reasoning (IR) section is scored in one-point increments from 1 to 8. Both the Quantitative (Quant) and Verbal sections have an official scaled score of 0-60, but only the scores 6 to 51 are used in practise.
Your Quantitative and Verbal scores are also combined to determine your Total score, which is assigned on a scale of 200 to 800 in 10-point increments. The Total score is the one that the majority of business schools are most focused on.
The mean Total score falls between 560 and 570. The mean Verbal score is in the high 20s, and the mean Quantitative score is in the high 30s or low 40s. The mean IR and Essay scores are typically in the 4 to 5 range. More information on how the GMAT is scored can be found below.
QUANTITATIVE
| Number of questions | Number of minutes to complete Quant | Score range |
| 31 total questions 13–14 Data Sufficiency questions 17–18 Problem Solving questions | 62 minutes | 6 to 51 |
The GMAT Quant section is intended to assess your understanding of math concepts such as number properties, algebra, statistics, and geometry. It also assesses your ability to think logically about mathematical concepts. The GMAT Quant section contains two types of problems:
DATA SUFFICIENCY
Data Sufficiency (DS) problems are made up of a question stem and two data statements. At their core, DS problems are logic problems. You are not required to solve a mathematical problem; rather, you must determine whether the statements provide enough information for someone to solve the problem.
PROBLEM SOLVING
Problem Solving (PS) is a popular method of standardised test problems. You will be given a question stem and five answer options, and you will be asked to solve for a value or an algebraic expression.
VERBAL
| Number of Questions | Number of minutes to complete Verbal | Score Range |
| 36 total problems 12-14 Reading Comprehension 9-10 Critical Reasoning 12-13 Sentence Correction | 65 minutes | 6 to 51 |
The GMAT Verbal section is intended to assess your command of standard written English, ability to analyse arguments, and your critical reading skills. This section contains three types of problems:
CRITICAL REASONING
Critical Reasoning (CR) problems put to the test the abilities required to construct and evaluate arguments, as well as to devise a plan of action. You will be given a short argument or a series of statements, followed by a question about that information. You may be asked to identify an assumption or conclusion, strengthen or weaken an argument, evaluate a conclusion, or resolve a discrepancy.
SENTENCE CORRECTION
Long and involved sentences are common in GMAT Sentence Correction (SC). A portion of the sentence—or the entire sentence—will be underlined, and you will be asked to select the best version of the underlined section from the original or one of four alternatives. The original sentence may be correct or incorrect, and some of the answer choices may introduce new errors.
READING COMPREHENSION
You will be given an academic reading passage on a business, social science, biological science, or physical science topic and asked 3–4 questions about it. Reading comprehension (RC) evaluates your ability to summarise the main idea, articulate ideas stated in the text, make inferences based on information in the text, and analyse the logical structure of a passage.
INTEGRATED REASONING (IR)
| Number of questions | Number of minutes to complete IR | Score range |
| 12 multi-part problems total Multi-Source Reasoning (typically 3) Table Analysis (typically 2) Graphics Interpretation (typically 3-4) Two-Part Analysis (typically 3-4) | 30 minutes | 1 to 8 |
The Integrated Reasoning (IR) section assesses both quantitative and verbal reasoning abilities. The IR section covers the same quantitative concepts as the Quant section, but it adopts different problem types that can combine quantitative concepts with verbal skills, such as reading comprehension and logical analysis. Furthermore, the IR section assesses your ability to interpret and analyse graphs and tables.
Unlike other sections of the test, IR problems will deliberately provide you with more information than you need—sometimes a lot more. Part of the IR task is to search through a large amount of data and identify the precise information required to solve a problem. These problem types are similar to the type of analysis required for case studies in business school.
The IR section contains four types of problems:
MULTI-SOURCE REASONING
Multi-Source Reasoning prompts give you two or three tabs of information, including text and, in some cases, tables or other visuals. Based on this information, you’ll typically need to solve three separate problems (similar to a Reading Comprehension passage). Multi-Source Reasoning problems can be in the form of standard 5-answer multiple choice or Either-Or statements (e.g., True or False). If a problem is in either-or form, you must answer three such statements in order to complete it.
TABLE ANALYSIS
Table Analysis prompts will give you a table with 4 to 8 columns and 8 to 25 rows of data, and you will be expected to solve one problem based on that table. The table is interactive as follows: You can sort by any of the column headers. The problems will always be in the form of either-or statements (e.g., True or False), and you will need to answer three of them in order to complete that one problem.
table. The table is interactive as follows: You can sort by any of the column headers. The problems will always be in the form of either-or statements (e.g., True or False), and you will need to answer three of them in order to complete that one problem.
GRAPHICS INTERPRETATION
Graph problems will present you with a visual—either a traditional one, such as a pie chart or bar graph, or something more unusual, such as an organisational chart, a genetic map, or something created specifically for the test. Your job is to figure out how the visual works and what information it displays. Graph questions take the form of one or two sentences with two blanks, which you will fill in with options from drop-down menus.
TWO-PART ANALYSIS
Two-part problems are similar to standard 5-answer multiple choice problems with one exception. Instead of answering one question with one answer, you’ll answer two. For example, a question may ask you to strengthen and weaken an argument, or it may ask you to find variables x and y. You will be given one possible set of 5 or 6 answer choices and will select one answer from that set for each of the two parts of the question.
ANALYTICAL WRITING ASSESSMENT (AWA)
| Number of questions | Number of minutes to complete AWA | Score range |
| One: “Analysis of an Argument” | 30 minutes | 0 to 6 in half-point increments |
The Analytical Writing Assessment, also known as the Essay Section, assists business schools in analysing your writing skills. It is scored separately, and your Essay score is not used to calculate your 200-800 point total. Essays are graded by both a human grader and a computer grading system, and the two scores are averaged to determine your final score. If the ratings differ significantly, your essay is read and scored by another human.
For your writing task, you will be given a brief argument, similar to a paragraph from a Critical Reasoning question on the Verbal section. You are not required to present your own point of view on the topic; instead, you must critique the author’s argument, analysing the author’s evidence and reasoning.
Essay graders evaluate whether you can clearly identify and insightfully analyse parts of the argument, develop and organise your ideas thoughtfully and logically, and connect your statements with clear transitions when scoring this section.
HOW IS THE GMAT SCORED?
The GMAT is a CAT (Computer-Adaptive Test). The GMAT algorithm adapts to your performance on the Quantitative and Verbal sections as you take the test. As a result, everyone encounters a unique set of problems while taking these sections.
When you begin the quantitative or verbal section, the computer assigns you a medium-difficulty problem. As you correctly answer problems, the computer will serve up more difficult problems. When you answer incorrectly, the computer serves up easier problems. Because the test is problem-adaptive, you must solve all problems in the order they are presented, and you cannot return to problems you have already answered.
The algorithm that determines your score is…counterintuitive. Consider your score to be the difficulty level you were able to maintain all the way through the section. At the end of your section, your difficulty level is essentially your score.
It’s possible—and even common—to perform very well for the first two-thirds of the test, only to run out of time and see your score plummet at the end.
Your score will not be based on an average of your performance across the entire section, nor will it be based on the number of correctly answered problems. Rather, your score will be determined by where you are when you finish the section, so it is critical to maintain a consistent performance throughout.
Your essay will be scored for the Analytical Writing Assessment by one human reader and a computerised programme. The Integrated Reasoning section is not adaptive, but like the Quantitative and Verbal sections, you must solve the problems in the correct order and cannot go back to previous questions. Following the test, you will be given your unofficial GMAT score.
WHAT IS A GOOD GMAT SCORE?
When determining your GMAT score goal, it’s always a good idea to look at the mean or median GMAT score of applicants admitted to the MBA programmes to which you’re thinking of applying. This will provide you with a good baseline to work from. On their websites, schools usually post the mean or median of the current class.
A competitive score is one that is equal to or higher than the school’s posted median or mean score—you’re demonstrating that you performed as well as or better than a significant percentage of those admitted.
Many schools also publish a range of admissions scores. If your GMAT score is lower than the posted median/mean but still within the school’s range, it may not be a plus on your application, but it also won’t keep you out. In that case, other aspects of your application must stand out and demonstrate your value to the school.
Top-ten MBA programmes typically have mean or median scores ranging from 710 to 740. If you’re thinking about applying to a top-10 programme, aim for a GMAT score of 710 or higher—but even if you don’t, you can still apply. You’ll just have to be extra cautious with the rest of your application.
You can expect to sit for the exam for just under 3.5 hours on Test Day, including test-taking time and two optional breaks. For those who meet the accommodations criteria, the GMAT also allows 1.5x and 2x timing. You should arrive at the testing centre at least 15 minutes before your exam.
| GMAT Section | Time |
| Quantitative | 62 minutes |
| Verbal | 65 minutes |
| Integrated Reasoning | 30 minutes |
| Analytical Writing Assessment | 30 minutes |
| Optional Breaks (Total) | 16 minutes |
| Total Approximate Time | 3 hours, 23 minutes |
