GMAT 2026 Preparation Tips: How to Prepare for GMAT Exam?

The GMAT conducted by GMAC, acts as a gateway for admission to more than 4,000+ business schools across the world. According to experts, you can start getting ready for the GMAT Focus Edition by using the following advice:

1. Determine which business school you want to attend and what GMAT score you need (out of 805).
2. Before creating a study schedule, familiarize yourself with the GMAT exam syllabus and also the GMAT exam format. 
3. Choose the appropriate study materials and mock tests for the exam in accordance with the GMAT syllabus.
4. Make a proper study schedule and focus on verbal and reasoning sections, as the GMAT prioritizes these sections more. 
5. Recognize which subject requires more of your attention so that you can give each section the time it needs.
6. Regular practice is necessary in addition to mock exams to improve GMAT accuracy.
7. Know why you want to attend a particular college; this will help you after your GMAT exam and when you are writing your college SOP.

The GMAT scores are valid for 5 years, and you can get the opportunity to study at top colleges after scoring well in the GMAT.

Candidates need a strategy to score 805 on GMAT. Before preparing decide what a good GMAT Score is. The best way to prepare for GMAT is

• First understand the structure of GMAT.
• Understand what kind of questions are tested and then start preparation.
• Take mocks to assess skills tested and understand your competency.
• Practice more and more to get a grip on the GMAT preparation.
• Go through GMAT Sample Paper and it will help them in preparing for GMAT. 

In order to crack GMAT in one go with a good score, you should begin preparing for GMAT exam at least 6 months before the exam date. Everyday you should target 1-2 hours for six months dedicatedly. Plus, attempt as many mock tests as possible in this duration. 

You must plan your GMAT preparation well in advance so that you can prepare with enough time in hand. 

Yes, more or less the GMAT books are same for preparing for Focus edition with older versions. Applicants can just selectively choose the topics that are relevant for the current GMAT edition and can easily prepare for the exam. However, there are options to buy official guides or prep material from MBA.com website for GMAT Focus Edition. 

To prepare for the GMAT exam, applicants can use the following study material:

• Start with the GMAT Official Guide (GMAT OG).
• You may also opt for the GMAT Official Guide Bundle. The reason for starting with the GMAT Official Guide is that you need to be aware of the previous years’ GMAT questions and the official GMAT study material. Hence, make sure that the GMAT Official Guide forms the base of your preparation.
• Also, The Princeton Review,  Manhattan Prep,  Kaplan books,  Khan Academy and Veritas also provide useful prep material.

Apart from this, you can also check out our GMAT Preparation Plan for 4 weeks.

Candidates need to understand that purchasing many GMAT books will not fetch them a higher GMAT score. In fact, if they start referring to multiple GMAT books and resources for a single topic, they will only get confused and end up leaving all the study material. The best starting point is always the official GMAT exam material. The official GMAT prep material should be at the base of your preparation. Make sure to cover the entire official study material at least twice. Once you are done with it, you can study other resources such as the Manhattan Guides, Veritas study material, GMAT club, Beat the GMAT, Thursdays with Ron, etc. Stick to selected GMAT books and resources, prepare notes, and appear for as many GMAT mock tests as possible.

Classes provide helpful structure. Studying alone saves money and offers flexibility for disciplined students, but a prep course gives you expert tips and a fixed schedule to make sure you keep improving every single week.

Choose what fits your style best.

GMAT tests different skill sets like the ability to think critically, ability to analyse data and draw conclusions using reasoning skills. So, one needs to develop these skills to get a decent score in order to get admission to their dream B-school. The best way to develop these skills and score well on the GMAT is to practice the official study material multiple times and appear for as many GMAT mocks as possible. Once you have completed the official GMAT study material, you can move over to other GMAT books such as the Manhattan prep GMAT guides.

One can take the GMAT practice test anytime, however, make sure you take the exam in the same way as you are going to take the real test. If you are going to attempt the Writing section first then do the same in the mock tests as well. Do not take extra time, and complete the test in one sitting. With every subsequent GMAT practice test and its analyses, you will come up with certain strategies (whether they are related to certain topics or sections); make sure to try those strategies in the next GMAT mock tests. Analyses of the GMAT mock tests is as important as the mock itself.

If at some point you prepared for GMAT 10th Edition and are planning to appear for the GMAT Focus Edition, then here are a few strategies to help you adjust your study plan for GMAT Focus. 

1. Since GMAT Focus is shorter, applicants will have to effectovely plan their question solving capacity.
2. Practice taking GMAT and solve multiple GMAT sample papers to understand the pattern of the paper. The mock test of GMAT Focus may be difficult to access so relying on available materials is important. 
3. Since GMAT Focus has the bookmarking questions feature where applicants can come back to review and edit, will also be an added advantage for the applicants.

There is a lot of GMAT study material available online which you can access and start preparing. Those who do not want to go for coaching/tutoring can study at home and can prepare for the GMAT test on their own. Make sure to prepare a sound strategy to prepare effectively. Do not leave the official GMAT study material at any cost. You must complete it at least twice. Prepare short notes as you study; these will aid in revision. Also, give practice tests once you are through with the preparation. It is always better to understand your weaknesses and work on them.

Well equally distributing time for each section can be beneficial for applicants. However, those who feel that completing one section at a time is beneficial, they can use that strategy. Either ways, it is a plus point to cover GMAT syllabus and thoroughly prepare for the exam at large at the end.

Check out tips to start GMAT preparation:

1. Take a mock test.
2. It points out your weak spots in exam sections. This will help you build a smart study plan that focuses your time.
3. Consistent work brings results.

Getting a perfect GMAT score i.e. 805 is not at all easy and not many test takers achieve this feat. Out of almost 2,00,000 test-takers annually, only a handful of candidates are able to get a perfect GMAT score. With consistent efforts and perfect strategy, one can get a good score; however, getting a perfect score is quite difficult. Students need to understand that a good GMAT score does help in their application; however, it is not the only criterion of your admission application. Other documents such as a Statement of Purpose, admission essays, etc. are equally important. Hence, you must focus on these documents as well.

You should take GMAT practice tests as often as possible after you are done with the complete GMAT exam preparation or if you are targetting preparation section wise. Practice tests give an overview of the overall strengths and weaknesses of the applicant based on their performance. Based on this assessment, applicants will get help in honing their skills where they lack. 

Candidates are not allowed to bring their calculators; however, they are provided digital calculators with basic functionality for the Integrated Reasoning section. Rather than depending on a calculator, candidates must increase their speed. The best way to do this is to visit CAT and Indian Banking exams’ websites. Students can find the best possible tricks to increase their calculation speed on these websites. Moreover, it is advised that the students memorize tables till 20, squares till 30, and cubes till 20. Your goal should be to increase your speed without compromising your accuracy.

If at some point you prepared for GMAT 10th Edition and are planning to appear for the GMAT Focus Edition, then here are a few strategies to help you adjust your study plan for GMAT Focus. 

1. Since GMAT Focus is shorter, applicants will have to effectovely plan their question solving capacity.
2. Practice taking GMAT and solve multiple GMAT sample papers to understand the pattern of the paper. The mock test of GMAT Focus may be difficult to access so relying on available materials is important. 
3. Since GMAT Focus has the bookmarking questions feature where applicants can come back to review and edit, will also be an added advantage for the applicants.

Very important. The syllabus changed a lot. Old books have topics that are gone now. You need the updated guides for the new Data Insights section. Don't study wrong materials.

If you study schedule for GMAT has been inconsistent over time, then you will have to do something about it. Cracking GMAT is no cakewalk because it requires a lot of time and effort into preparation. You will have to take out time for preparation and maintain consistency to one finish the GMAT exam syllabus and two be able to prepare for it thoroughly so that you can aim for a high score. 

GMAT's Quant section preparation can be tricky for some applicants. The main aim is to test the applicant's analytical reasoning plus how they can analyse data and consequently draw conclusions. The strategy to target these type of questions on Quant section of GMAT shoudl ideally require applicants to time themselves, understand the strong and weak points plus work on them, most importantly practice as much as possible and finally, have your own shortcuts and tricks to solve lengthy questions. 

For GMAT Focus Edition, prioritize Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning (Sentence Correction is removed). Build a daily habit of reading texts like The Economist. It will improve speed and retention. Analyzing argument logic rather than memorizing rules is key.

There are various sources available online where one can get useful study material to prepare for the GMAT test. Following are the sources where one can study and prepare for the GMAT for free:

• Official GMAC site (mba.com): Here, you can get tips to prepare for the exam and free GMAT practice tests as well
• Manhattan Prep: It offers free GMAT online prep tools that are very useful for the candidates preparing for the GMAT exam
• Veritas Prep: It offers free GMAT lessons and free tools that will come in handy while preparing for the exam