ICON+

Everybody is looking for tips to score higher on the GMAT - and who could be better to ask than somebody who has made teaching the ins and outs of the exam his career? I had the opportunity to sit down with one of ICON+’s senior GMAT teachers, Andrew Zajicek, to get some FAQ’s answered.

 So what’s the biggest mistake students make on the GMAT?

 Surprisingly, many students think they can get away without practice!  You need to practice questions rather than just reading the overview of question types given in review books. Anybody can follow the explanations for different question types, but you also have to be able to apply them on your own, which is basically impossible without practice! This is because only with practice will you see and understand different twists on basic question types. The explanations are supposed to be simple. I’d say that if you can’t even follow the explanations, then you have a serious problem!

How much do you need to practice?

As much as you can while still enjoying life! Practice a little everyday until you’re tired of practicing. As with everything, balance is key.

The number of weeks you need to prepare depends on your target score. If you are aiming to increase your score significantly or get above a 700, you should give yourself two months – one month if you are disciplined. 

If you haven’t used math for many years, you will probably need to devote more time to studying before taking the exam.

How much score improvement is reasonable to expect if I study between exams?

This all depends on your first score. If you’ve already scored a 650, maybe you can improve to a 700. If you started at around the average score (550), you can definitely improve by 100 points with practice. In contrast, if you already got a 700, it will be difficult to improve your score by leaps and bounds. Some people who scored very high on their first exam even score lower when they attempt it again. Beginner’s luck could be the factor there.

In summary, if you need a very high score, you should plan on taking the GMAT at least twice and studying hard between the tests.

What makes a great essay?

Having well-structured paragraphs and a range of vocabulary. Remember that your essay score is separate from the Quantitative and Verbal sections. It’s out of 6.0, but about half of test-takers get about a 5.0.

Although a lot of business schools are not as concerned with the essay score as they are with the math and verbal score, the essay section takes up an hour at the beginning of the GMAT.

My recommendation is to do your best on the essay, but to take the break you are allowed afterwards. You want to rest your mind so you can keep going strong for the rest of the exam.

Which is easier - the Quantitative or Verbal section?

I think they’re the same in terms of difficulty, actually.

Math is easier to learn because it’s basically a given set of rules about numbers.  In contrast, there are so many exceptions in rules regarding language use. It’s very difficult to memorize and accommodate these exceptions.

However, most people don’t use math every day. Sure, you might use some basic algebra, but how often do you consider prime numbers when you go shopping? Topics like inequalities, number properties, and probability are not things we think about daily. For example, if you give anybody a coin and ask him the probably of getting tails with one throw, he’ll quickly answer, “one half”. However, if you ask him why that’s the probability, it might take him a while to explain. (It’s because there are two possible outcomes, heads or tails, and only one valid outcome, tails.) When basic math principles are applied to more complex situations like in the GMAT, people get stuck.

With verbal - well, everybody uses language every day. Even if you’re working in a highly quantitative field, chances are you need to be able to read and write well.

What are some effective strategies for time management during the exam?

Before the exam, do a couple of practice questions under time pressure so you get a sense of what 1.5 minutes feels like. Because of the number of questions you have to answer, you get about 20 seconds to read a question, then just over a minute to solve it.

The thing about the GMAT is that you have to get through the entire exam; there’s a severe scoring penalty for not finishing, even if you just have a few questions left. That’s what makes the GMAT so difficult. If you spend too much time on a question, you might not have time to finish. However, if you keep answering correctly, you get more difficult questions and a higher score, so every question is important.

My recommendation is that if you have already spent two minutes on a question and are still very lost, then to skip it and move on. You should take a couple of mock computer adaptive and timed tests to get comfortable with when you should abandon a question and when you should keep trying to figure it out.

If you get a question that isn’t difficult in terms of concept but takes a long time for calculation, you need to know exactly what you are doing and to make sure your work is very accurate. You don’t want to spend a lot of time on such a question only to get it wrong!

What should I do if I’m clueless about a question?

Skip it! You’re only going to waste time if you have no idea how to solve a question. The GMAT requires you to submit an answer, so click, pray for the best, and move on!

Can we predict questions?

No. Sometimes people don’t get the types of questions they prepared so diligently for, and sometimes they do. You can, of course, expect to receive questions from all topic areas.

I do feel that there are some questions types that really can’t be made very difficult – for example, questions dealing with percentages. If you keep answering questions correctly and get to a certain level of difficulty on the GMAT, then you might not get questions of the “easier” topics.

Also, you know you won’t get, say, 15 questions on geometry. If you’ve gotten 3 geometry questions in a row, then the next question probably won’t be geometry.

What’s the best part about teaching the GMAT, in your opinion?

Dealing with motivated people who are smarter than average. My students know what they want in their careers and are determined to get into a good MBA program. They know they have to study for the GMAT, and work hard.

What’s the best piece of advice you give students for their test day?

Get rest. Eat healthfully, and go to the exam with a clear mind.