
Preparing for GMAT is . All you need is focus and clarity of action. You can choose to study on your own or you can join a coaching centre. Both these methods work perfectly fine, it all depends on your priorities. In this article, we will inform you how to prepare for the GMAT exam comprehensively. To choose the best practoce on how to prepare for the GMAT you first need to look at your criteria and decide accordingly. To be able to study on your own effectively, you need good GMAT books and resources, along with study material, motivation, and self-discipline. Let us look at the best way to study for GMAT and prepare for GMAT in a systematic manner through this article.
Preparing for the GMAT test takes time and sincere efforts. You can prepare for the exam in six to eight months or it can be 3-4 months depending on your practice and ability. You need to give consistent efforts to get a good GMAT score. Make sure that you understand the GMAT pattern and syllabus before you purchase any study material. You must start with the GMAT official study material and then move on the other standard resources such as the Manhattan Prep guides. You must also appear for GMAT mock tests every week to gauge your progress.
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.
- Since GMAT Focus is shorter, applicants will have to effectovely plan their question solving capacity.
- Understand that answering more correct questions here is the key rather than aiming for multiple questions and answering them incorrectly.
- 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.
- 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.
Being able to follow these will aid applicants in their GMAT preparation and also transition from GMAT 10th edition to GMAT Focus.
Yes, GMAT exam preparation is quite time consuming and requires a lot of precision in terms of applicant's understanding. The sections on GMAT are four in total and each section has a certain set of question type that are targetted in a timebound manner. Applicants have to time their preapration for GMAT because there's lots to cover based on syllabus and pattern. Plus for some the Quant section may be challenging, while for others the Verbal Reasoning section may be challenging. Based on the difficulty time should be allocated for GMAT preparation for individual sections and holistically as well.
Once the applicant decides to give GMAT exam, he or she should first understand the time that will be taken for GMAT preparation. The GMAT exam preparation varies with each applicant, and some applicants may need more time while the others may not. Once the applicant is completely sure of the fact that they wish to appear for GMAT, they should begin their preparation. The preparation for GMAT exam should be timely divided and applicants should identify their strategies first.
- Top 10 Study Tips to Prepare for the GMAT Exam 2025
- GMAT 2025 Study Material
- Section-wise Preparation Tips for GMAT 2025 Exam
- How to Prepare for GMAT 2025 Exam?
- GMAT Preparation 2025 FAQs
Top 10 Study Tips to Prepare for the GMAT Exam 2025
Make sure to understand the GMAT pattern and the GMAT syllabus. Once you have understood how the exam works, you need to refer to authentic GMAT study material and prepare a study plan. Those who are going to take the GMAT exam in 2025 can go through these top 10 GMAT preparation tips.
1. Learn about the GMAT sections
Before making a study plan, you should be well-versed in the structure of the GMAT exam. Understanding the GMAT exam pattern is the very first step towards GMAT preparation. Then, you can move on to understanding the GMAT exam syllabus.
The GMAT Focus includes three sections:
- Quantitative Reasoning (Quant section): evaluates the test-taker's ability to solve quantitative problems and reason mathematically.
- Verbal Reasoning (Verbal section): it measures your editing abilities, reading comprehension skills, and critical reasoning.
- Data Insights (DI): This is a new section of GMAT which assesses the applicant's ability to analyse and interpret different types of data and apply it to real-world business scenarios.
The GMAT is scored between 205 and 805. The GMAT results or scores include all three sections of the GMAT (Focus). In the latest GMAT exam format, there is no writing assessment.
2. Make a study plan before starting the preparation
Having a GMAT study plan early will help you choose a clear path for GMAT preparation. Mostly, students prepare a 12-week study plan that helps them know the tips and tricks needed to achieve their business school goals. Typically, students spend around 3-6 months on GMAT preparation. Here is a tip: before you decide how much time is required for the GMAT preparation, appear for a GMAT mock test. Depending on the score that you get in that mock test, you can decide the time you need to prepare for the GMAT.
3. Select GMAT prep material
The next step for GMAT preparation is gathering GMAT prep material online and offline. There are a lot of online GMAT prep materials that you can use to prepare for the GMAT test. You can also look at the GMAT official prep material. Select the material that has a similar scoring algorithm as the GMAT. Also, solve questions from past exams. Here is an overview of the GMAT preparation books:
- GMAT official study material
- Manhattan GMAT Guides
- Other resources from Veritas, Magoosh, Kaplan, etc.
- GMAT Club and Beat the GMAT forums
- Thursdays with Ron videos
4. Work on your weaknesses
Based on your past academic performances, check what your weaknesses were and work on them first while preparing for the GMAT. After identifying your weak areas, make a plan and work on them regularly. Out of the three GMAT sections and sub-sections within them, check out the areas where you need improvement and give all your attention to strengthening your skills as part of your GMAT preparation plan.
5. Don't stick to one question
There will be a penalty if you don't complete each exam section. Also, unanswered questions will decrease your score. Don't spend too much time on solving a single tricky question and rather give limited time to each question. Do not spend more than two and a half minutes on one question. Thus, keeping these pointers in mind, devise your GMAT preparation strategy.
6. Focus on the time limit while preparing for the GMAT
With limited time, developing your speed is of utmost importance. Focus more on the area which is taking too much of your time. Like if you are taking too much time on the Quantitative section, then work on improving your Quant skills. Solve the GMAT practice exam every day and develop your speed. This way you will gain confidence with GMAT preparation and not get overwhelmed in a real exam setting.
7. Use an elimination strategy
Don't spend too much time on a question you cannot solve. Do not get obsessed with giving the right answers. Whenever stuck with a tricky question, just mark the one which is nearest to the correct answer and move on to the next question. Using this strategy while doing your GMAT preparation will be beneficial when appearing for the main GMAT exam date.
8. Improve visual literacy while preparing for the GMAT
Learn to read charts, symbols, tables, and graphs to increase your efficiency while preparing for GMAT. GMAT exams have visual data questions, so, learning this skill will help you in better time management as well. This will help you in solving the GMAT Quant section.
9. Develop the right kind of skills
As it is a timed test, develop cut=to-cut skills that will be useful while giving the GMAT test. Find your weak area and work on it, so, it will not affect your performance on the entire exam. GMAT preparation should be solid and one must not leave any stone unturned.
10. Practice as much as you can
Practice more and more! As they say, practice makes a man perfect, you need to apply this while preparing for GMAT exam and once you are complete with your preparation go for the free GMAT sample papers. It will help you in finding how well you are prepared for the test. Also keep scope to retake the GMAT exam if the need may arise.
Commonly asked questions
Candidates need an appropriate strategy to score a perfect 805 in the GMAT Exam. Before start preparing also decide what a good GMAT Score (according to you) is, and then prepare accordingly. The best way to prepare for GMAT is as follows:
- To begin with, applicants must first understand the structure of the GMAT exam.
- Understand what kind of questions are tested and then proceed with GMAT preparation.
- Take mocks to assess skills tested on GMAT exam and then ready your preparation.
- Practice more and more to get agrip on the GMAT preparation.
- Candidates can also go through previous GMAT Sample Paper which will help them in preparing for the GMAT exam.
The Verbal Reasoning section preparation on GMAT exam requires applicants to focus on their reading abilities, comprehension of the given context of questions and reason their answers based on arguments tested in this section. There are three question types targetted in this section namely - Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. In order to tackle these questions, applicants will have to focus more on their practice and regular reading habits. Discussions will also help applicants understand different perspectives and contexts.
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.
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GMAT 2025 Study Material
If you take the route of self-study to prepare for GMAT, there are the best books for GMAT 2025 preparation along with study materials and GMAT study plans available to help you. GMAC has its own official study guide and free software. Refer to the following GMAT 2025 books and resources to help create a study plan:
- The Official Guide for GMAT Review – This exam guide includes more than 900 questions from past GMAT exams, a diagnostic section to help you assess where to focus your efforts, and invaluable test-taking tips and strategies to help you get the score you want.
- Kaplan GMAT 800: Advanced Prep for Advanced Students - Test-taking tips, proven strategies for getting a perfect score of 805, and focused guidelines for tackling each question type all combine for the ideal preparation tool for the most ambitious student.
- Other Resources from Veritas, Magoosh, etc.
- GMAT Club and Beat the GMAT forums.
- Thursdays with Ron videos.
Commonly asked questions
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.
Although there are a lot of sources available online to prepare for the GMAT exam, however, candidates can access free GMAT practice tests on the GMAC site (mba.com). They need to download the GMAT prep software and create an account and get GMAT practice tests. Make sure that you solve the practice tests provided by the GMAC. These will provide you with a near real-time feel of the GMAT and will help you gauge the level of your preparation. Once you complete a GMAT mock test, it is essential for you to analyse your performance in that GMAT practice test. You need to work on your weak areas based on your mock test analyses.
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
Section-wise Preparation Tips for GMAT 2025 Exam
Learn how to prepare for the GMAT and review the GMAT exam preparation tips section-wise. Learn about the GMAT exam pattern and syllabus and plan your routine strategically covering topic by topic. Making slow progress but continuous efforts will help you achieve a GMAT score of 645 or above.
GMAT Preparation Tips: Quantitative Section
- This section includes 21 questions and a time limit of 45 minutes.
- Cover questions related to Algebra and Arithmetic while practising.
- Memorizing the mathematical formulas used in these topics will help increase the speed.
- Practice both easy and tricky questions to cover the entire GMAT syllabus for the Quant section.
Read: GMAT Preparation Tips: Quantitative Section
GMAT Preparation Tips: Verbal Section
- 45 minutes are allotted for the Verbal Section of the GMAT test during which you need to solve 23 questions.
- This section tests your English language skills and usage. For the Verbal section enhance your grammar with grammar books and read newspaper editorials.
- The section will have questions from various topics like reading passages and inferring the main idea and its supporting ideas.
- This section will also test the applicant's critical reasoning aspect, thus applicants should practice questions which challenge their critical thinking.
- Cover all these topics while preparing and using different guide books as this section will also test your reasoning and analytical skills.
Read: GMAT preparation tips: Verbal section
GMAT Preparation Tips: Data Insights
- A total of 45 minutes are allotted to the Data Insights Section for a total of 20 questions.
- Practice questions on data sufficiency, examining the interpretation of data from multiple sources.
- Understand and build your speed for table analysis and graphics interpretation.
- Solve as many questions as possible, source them from analysis through different media and simultaneously check your performance.
- This section is new on GMAT Focus, hence, you can source its questions and solutions either from the official website or from prep materials.
- Try to increase your speed, so, manage time efficiently and be able to answer maximum questions on Data Insights on GMAT exam.
Note: The AWA or the writing section on GMAT has been scrapped for the new format of testing.
These preparation tips will help you understand how to improve your GMAT scores to get into better colleges. Getting a great score on the GMAT exam isn't a difficult task, and just requires proper planning and preparation.
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
Applicants who struggle with questions like these should consider the following pointers:
- Are they comfortable with self-study or they require discipline by taking up a GMAT prep course?
- Have they cracked exams before by studying on there own or by seeking help?
- Lastly, do applicants have the budget to go ahead with a GMAT prep course?
Based on these questions, applicants can make up their minds of whether they should take a GMAT prep course or study independently. These questions are subjective and will vary person to person.
Candidates should start doing free GMAT practice tests right from the beginning of their preparation. Even if they do not score well, they must appear for full-length mocks. GMAT mock tests will help them analyse the level of their preparation and will help them develop question-solving skills. In addition, once you are finished with your complete preparation then you should do a free practice test every 3-4 days before the real test. GMAT mock tests are the most important aspect of your GMAT exam preparation. Moreover, just giving a mock test is not important; you must analyse your performance in that test to understand your weak areas.
How to Prepare for GMAT 2025 Exam?
Now that you have looked at the section-wise strategy of the GMAT 2025 exam preparation, it is time you understand, in brief, the 3-month GMAT 2025 study plan. Students can always tweak this plan as per their requirements. The best way to study for GMAT exam is as follows:
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Commonly asked questions
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.
GMAT books are essential for preparation because they are designed in a way that applicants can:
- Prepare based on current GMAT syllabus.
- Prepare and get practice
- Understand what kind of questions can be tested
- Look at the pattern of the paper and time themselves
- Finally, get enough material to be able to crack the exam in one go.
Download this guide to read it offline
GMAT Preparation 2025 FAQs
Now that you have understood the GMAT 2025 exam preparation strategies, you must implement them and follow them with dedication. For answers to more queries, you may read our GMAT 2025 Preparation FAQs.
Commonly asked questions
The GMAT test might be easy for those go prefer logical problems instead of Geometry as there are more Geometry questions in the GRE. In addition, the Quantitative section is harder in the GMAT in comparison to the GRE. The verbal section in the GRE can be difficult for non-native English speakers. Candidates can go back and forth in the GRE test, whereas in GMAT one doesn't have the freedom to save and return to each section during the exam. The decision to choose a test for studying abroad depends on various factors such the course requirement, university requirements, current level of preparation, comfort level with the exam pattern, etc.
Getting a perfect GMAT score i.e. 800 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.
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.
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The current version of the GMAT exam "will continue to be available until early next year". There is no specific date for the same. After MCom, you may opt for an MBA as it will enhance your profile. You might as well venture into a new field (e.g. supply chain management) if you find it interestin