GMAT Prep: Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses

The GMAT exam is challenging due to several reasons. First, the exam takes an adaptive format; you have to answer each question, and you cannot skip a question or go back to it later. Secondly, your score is for questions answered correctly and the difficulty level of the questions. Additionally, the exam questions come in various types and formats, which may be new to you. Therefore, you must have an effective study plan to help you adequately prepare for your test. A good GMAT prep course would also go a long way to help you prepare adequately.

When preparing for your GMAT exam, you should know your weaknesses and strengths to customize your study plan. If you know your weaknesses, you will allocate enough time to improve your skills in these areas.

How do I identify my weaknesses and strengths?

1. Take a GMAT exam practice test

You may already know your strengths and where you may struggle in your GMAT exam. However, the best way to gauge your abilities is to take an exam practice test. We recommend that you take a practice exam at the start of your preparation to establish a baseline and later establish your progress.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) offers two free practice exams that match the real exam format on their website to help you prepare. These exams consist of real past exam questions and use the same algorithm as the actual test. In addition, they simulate the actual test experience, which will help you understand your weaknesses.

You must take the practice questions with the same focus and time restrictions as the actual GMAT test, which will help you understand how you perform under pressure and how quickly and efficiently you can answer the questions. You can take an untimed practice test to familiarize yourself with the test questions.

Taking a practice exam will also help you develop a good exam strategy. You can choose which exam section to start with by identifying your strengths. You can decide to start with the strongest or most challenging sections while focusing more.

2. Analyze your practice test results

After taking the GMAT practice test, the next step is identifying patterns across your strengths and weaknesses. The first way you can understand your results is to ask yourself why you made the mistakes. Identify if it was due to knowledge gaps, not understanding the question, rushing, forgetting formulas, or running out of time.

You should also learn from the mistakes you made to ensure that you do not repeat them. In addition, come up with a strategy to avoid making these mistakes, for instance, reading through the question carefully, understanding formulas, and double-checking your answers.

It is also essential to consider your strengths and the areas you did well. Your strengths motivate you, and you should build upon them to ensure that you get a high score.

You can easily identify your strengths and weaknesses using the strategies above and create a customized study plan. When preparing for your GMAT exam, focus on your weaknesses to improve your skills. Additionally, you should dedicate time to the areas of your strengths to ensure efficiency during the exam.

Tips when studying for your GMAT exam

I. Create a customized study plan

To make the most of your study time, create a plan that focuses on improving your weaknesses. A customized study plan will help you answer challenging questions correctly and pace yourself throughout the test.

II. Develop a study plan early

MBA programs have varied application deadlines, and you need to get your GMAT scores in time to beat the earliest deadline. In addition, your application includes other components such as essays, resumes, and letters of recommendation, and you do not want to rush to get everything in order at the last minute.

You should dedicate at least three months to studying for the GMAT—the candidates who scored in the 90th percentile put in at least 90 to 120 hours of study.

III. Establish your exam testing baseline

Taking a practice exam at the start of your studies helps you establish a baseline from which you study. Consider the time limitations on the test. Keep in mind that you should spend an average of two minutes on quantitative questions, one minute and 45 seconds on verbal questions, and two and a half minutes on integrated reasoning questions.

Later on, you should take another practice test to evaluate your progress and ability. Additionally, establish how your strengths and weaknesses have improved throughout exam preparation.

IV. Practice the GMAT exam essay

The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) or essay section of the GMAT exam can be challenging because there are no multiple choices. However, you should not ignore this section but allocate time to practice and improve your skills in your study plan.

You can make the most of your preparation by identifying your strengths and weaknesses and creating a customized study plan. Adequate preparation will increase your chances of getting a high GMAT score, directly impacting your graduate school application. Choose the best test prep for you from Analystprep.com and get a high GMAT score on the first try.