Proven Preparation Tips for a 700+ GMAT Score

The GMAT is the accepted gold standard for graduate business school admissions to more than 6000 programs worldwide. A GMAT score of 700+ is the starting point to your successful application to the best international business colleges; data shows that only 11 percent of students who attempt the GMAT secure a GMAT score of 700 and above.

Crossing the 700 GMAT barrier is an achievable feat, but one that will require you to labour hard, work smart, and make sacrifices along the way. Here are nine tips for achieving a high GMAT score to help realise your dreams of an international MBA.

1. Straight up - Define your goal

Thinking that - "All I want is to get the best GMAT score I possibly can" is a mistake! To achieve a high GMAT score, you need to define what you want to achieve.

For starters, list down your target business colleges and find out the average GMAT score accepted by them over the last few years. That will give you a reasonable idea of what your GMAT score needs to be. The GMAT scores accepted at some of the top business colleges are - Stanford - 733, Wharton Business School - 732, and Kellogg School of Management - 724.

A target score of 720 plus will require that you master much more complicated concepts and problems in the GMAT and study a lot more, than if your target score is 650+.

Let friends and family know that you are pursuing a high GMAT score, and their support in any way possible is welcome.

2. Target a balanced GMAT score

Focus on getting a good score across all the sections of the GMAT. Although the quantitative section is undoubtedly a critical part of the GMAT exam, a relatively low score on the verbal or integrated reasoning section will upset your GMAT applecart.

Many of the skills required to master the integrated reasoning (IR) section are also used in the Math and Verbal sections. So it makes sense to begin by your GMAT preparations with the quantitative and verbal sections and then move to the IR section.

3. Assess your start point

Attempting a full GMAT sample paper will give you a baseline indication of your abilities. However, to get a better understanding of how well or badly you performed in each section, you may want to order the diagnostic feedback report called the 'Enhanced Score Report' prepared by GMAC, the company that administers the GMAT.

4. Be mentally prepared to put in the long hours

While a friend may boast how they managed to score high on the GMAT with only a few weeks of preparation, the truth is that if you want to score a 700+ on your GMAT, be prepared to spend 300-400 hours of study time.

It's not just the number of hours you study, but also the consistency of your effort that can make the difference. So, spending a few hours every day over a period of four to five months is a better idea than cramming up the concepts in the weeks leading up to the exam.

5. Get the right GMAT preparation resources and training help

Use GMAT preparatory resources available online such as the GMATPrep® Software, Magoosh and TargetTestPrep. Check with friends who have attempted the GMAT on the best GMAT training courses available in your locality. You can also hire an online tutor to work with you one-on-one at a training pace that's convenient to you.

6. Regularly attempt complete practise tests

It is critical to take practice tests, but most students make the mistake of practising sections one at a time. You need to attempt the complete GMAT in one-go regularly. Taking the test in its entirety will prepare you for the 3.5 hours testing on the main exam day.

A word of caution - while taking practise tests is an important part of your preparation strategy, your focus in the initial weeks of GMAT preparation should be to master the essential concepts behind the questions in each of the sections. Begin taking the practise papers only once you have understood the fundamentals.

7. Record and analyse your errors

Improve your score by maintaining a record of the type of error in responses you are making in each section. Identify your errors as per the question type and level of difficulty. Record these errors on an excel sheet. (You can also use online apps such as Evernote to construct and review the error list.)

Examine the error file regularly to identify the concepts you need to work on at the most. Keep updating the file throughout the preparation time to ensure that the errors don't pop up again.

8. Spend time revising what you have learnt

One mistake that students make is that they master one aspect of the GMAT material, and then they move on to the next concepts, but within a few weeks, they forget the concepts learnt earlier.

Don't let this happen to you; make reviewing what you have learnt a regular feature of your study plan. For every three to four hours that you spend learning new material, spend one hour of review time. Of course, how much reviewing you need will depend on your retention power.

9. Take the GMAT more than once

It makes sense to reattempt the GMAT if your last performance was below the scores required by your target MBA colleges. You can take the GMAT five times a year, with a gap of at least 16 days between the two tests.

Once you have completed a GMAT exam, you will have the option to either report or cancel your GMAT score. An accepted GMAT score will form part of the report that is sent to business schools. Scores of GMAT scores over the last five years are included in the report.

If you begin to feel demotivated by your inability to grasp concepts initially or by the long hours of study, remind yourself of the GMAT score goal you have set. A high GMAT score can open the doors to the best business schools in the world, and set you on an enviable professional trajectory. So, march on!