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The Graduate Management Admission Test 

The Graduate Management Admission Test Ū (GMATŪ) Program is administered by ETS for the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). The Graduate Management Admission TestŪ (GMATŪ) measures general verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills, just like the GRE. The GMATŪ is given entirely in English, and all instructions are provided in English.

The GMATŪ CAT is available the year-round in hundreds of locations around the world and is much easier than the paper test. For one, you can get your scores immediately and need not wait for six weeks. Also, you can take the test at your pace - and set your content and level of difficulty. The CAT adjusts to your ability level - you’ll get few questions that are either too easy or too difficult. You must enter an answer for each question, and you may not return to or change your response to any previously answered question. If you guess or answer a question incorrectly by mistake, your answers to the questions that follow will lead you back to the questions that are the appropriate level of difficulty for you. 

The Environment

The CAT is given in the quiet and privacy of separated testing cubicles at the Sylvan Testing Center in Chennai. You will be able to take two 5-minute breaks during the test, one after completing the essays and another between the quantitative and verbal sections. You may take as long as four hours for the test. However, many test-takers complete it in less time, as they move at their own pace. 

Identification

Similar to the GRE and TOEFL, the only accepted form of identification is your passport. Secondary ID can be any valid photo ID with your signature (driver’s license, student ID, etc.). Unacceptable forms of ID include social security card, draft classification card, or credit cards of any kind. 

Test-Taking Strategies (courtesy Embark.com's GMAT Central)

The first five or so questions count more than later questions. Budget a little more time for these questions. You have about 1 3/4 minutes for each verbal question and 2 minutes for each quantitative question. So, be prepared to spend more time with the initial questions.  Answer as many questions as possible. While there is no minimum number to answer in order to get a score, your score will be lower if fewer questions are answered. 

If you are not sure, make a guess. Unlike the former GMAT version, there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so if you are running out of time, guess. Also, since you have to give an answer in order to proceed to the next question, guessing may be necessary. For some tips see the Guessing section that follows. 

Pace yourself and be aware of remaining time. Be aware of the number of questions and remaining time. How much time is left in a test section can be determined by pressing the time icon and a clock will appear on the upper left hand side of the screen. 

Confirm your answer only when you are confident that it is correct. Remember, you cannot return to a previous question and you must confirm your answer in order to move on to the next question.

Be careful about section exit and test quit commands. Once you confirm a section exit command, you cannot go back. Confirming the test quit command, automatically ends the session with no chance of continuing. 

How Graduate Business Schools Use the GMATŪ

The GMAT is designed to help graduate business schools assess the qualifications of those who seek admission to study for an MBA or into another advanced business/management program. Your scores are one predictor of your academic performance in the first year of graduate management school - many other factors are considered in the admissions process. GMAT scores are used in some way by more than 1,500 graduate management programs around the world. About 850 of those schools require GMAT scores from each applicant. 

About MBA Programs

Though no two schools offer the same curriculum, all MBA programs expose students to a common body of knowledge in basic areas including accounting, economics, organizational behavior, statistics and quantitative methods, finance, marketing, operations and policy. This core usually forms a foundation for more concentrated study in one or more elective areas.

Many schools offer joint degree programs, so students can earn an MBA and a law degree or an MBA and an engineering degree, for example, in a unified fashion.

When a student goes to school full-time (excluding summers) in pursuit of the MBA degree, it usually takes two years. At some schools, students with outstanding undergraduate business preparation can complete programs at an accelerated rate.

MBA Program Search

By visiting the URL, http://www.gmat.org/search/index.html, you can use the search engine to search by school or by a more detailed search, by specifying fields such as Geographic Location, Type of Program, Length of Program, etc.

Cost of an MBA

The yearly cost of an MBA program can range from less than $5,000 for resident tuition at a state-supported school to more than $70,000 at a private school for tuition, living expenses, books, and travel to and from school.

Applying to B-schools

With many schools accepting online applications, many sites (other than the usual Petersons.com) have been set up to make life easier for the applicants. Sites such as Embark.com ( www.embark.com ) are very useful for students who want to apply to B schools. By filling the site's comprehensive questionnaire, the student can get a list of all the schools that fit into his category - area wise, finance-wise as well as major-wise.

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- Lavanya