GMAT Exam Preparation 2024: Section-wise Tips

The Verbal Reasoning section of the GMAT exam is the simplest of 3 modules. This section aims to understand how well you can comprehend reading passages, analyse arguments and correct English. 
 

The best way to improve your verbal reasoning skills is to invest time in reading all kinds of texts. The more you read, the better your comprehension will get. Here are some more tips for you: 

Work on your Reading Comprehension:
 

To improve your reading comprehension, you could use these reading techniques: 

• Preview the text before you dive into it to get a gist of what it’s all about.
• Once you have built context, read line by line. If you struggle with concentrating on text, try reading out loud. 
• Use annotations! Highlight important words, dates, and other information that could help you understand the text better. 
• Try summarising the text in your own words.
• If something is hard to understand, try visualising it by creating mental images. 

Improve your Critical Reasoning Skills:
 

Use these tips to develop critical reasoning and decision-making skills:

• When you read text, try to understand the basic structure of arguments, including premises (evidence) and conclusions (claims).
• Before you come to any conclusion, gather evidence to support the claim. 
• Assess whether your evidence is relevant, sufficient, and reliable.
• A good technique to use when answering multiple-choice questions is the process of elimination. 
• If you don’t know what the right answer is, then start by eliminating the wrong answers. 
   

Along with these tips, try to manage your time effectively. A great way to do this is to answer easy questions first and the difficult questions last.

The Quantitative Reasoning section assesses your math skills and ability to interpret graphical data. While many students find this section challenging, it primarily covers topics you likely studied in high school.

With focused preparation, you can excel in this section. Here are our tips:

• Review Basic Math Concepts: Solid knowledge of the basics is important for the Quantitative Reasoning section. Brush up on essential math topics such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probability, and basic statistics.
   
• Solve, Don’t Read: Math is very different from Verbal Reasoning. You cannot learn from just reading how to solve these questions. The only way to study Quantitative Reasoning is by solving as many problems as possible. 
   
• Practice Problem-Solving Techniques: Each problem can be solved using an efficient technique. By breaking down complex problems into smaller bits, you’ll be able to understand and solve the problems more efficiently.
   
• Focus on Data Sufficiency:  Data Sufficiency is a unique concept in Quantitative Reasoning. Familiarise yourself with the format of data-sufficiency questions. Most questions require you to determine whether the given statements provide enough information to answer the question.
   
• Take Practice Tests: Practice with official GMAT quantitative questions to get a feel for the types of questions you will encounter on the test. Analyse the explanations for correct and incorrect answers to understand the underlying concepts and reasoning.
   
• Improve Your Calculation Speed: It’s normal to take some time to solve quantitative questions, but since the GMAT is an exam with time restrictions, you must improve your speed. Practice mental math techniques to improve your speed. 
• 
  Managing time: During your prep, have timed practice sessions. Use your time wisely by spending more time on difficult problems, but avoid getting stuck on any one question for too long. And remember, it’s always better to make an educated guess than leave the answer box empty. 

The Data Insights section tests your ability to interpret data from tables, graphs, and charts. Here are some easy-to-understand tips to help you succeed:
 

• Understand the Data Types: Get familiar with bar graphs, line charts, pie charts, tables, and scatter plots. Practice reading and understanding these different data types.
   
• Focus on Important Details: Attention to titles, labels, and units. You will have to pay attention to detail to solve this section. Look for information that provides context. You could also look for patterns, trends, and unusual data points.
   
• Find Relationships: Once you have identified important data points, determine how variables are related. Check if changes in one affect the other. Understand correlations and causations in the data.
   
• Practice Calculations and Estimations: To interpret data, you must perform basic calculations, such as percentages, averages, and ratios. Use your math skills here, and avoid getting lost in complicated calculations.
   
• Use a Step-by-Step Approach: Understand the question, find the relevant data, and then analyse it. 
   
• Use the process of elimination: If you’re unsure about the correct answer, you can use the process of elimination to narrow down your choices. Start by ruling out the answers that are wrong.
   

Apart from these tips, focus on managing your time and getting enough practice during your prep time. One of the best ways to ensure this is to use GMAT practice tests or GMAT books!