15 M I NUTE GUI DE TO THE GM A T

WHY GMAT?

GMAT TEST
STRUCTURE

GMAT 3- STEP
STUDY PLAN

OURINSTRUCTORS
Arun Jagannat han

Verbal Faculty
Over the past 11+ years, Arun has coached and mentored over 4000
students, teaching at major test prep institutions in India. He has
personally designed the CrackVerbal GMAT curriculum from the ground up
to include every feature he saw as missing in traditional courses and has
also devised all-new techniques to help out students. He is an active and
well-respected presence on popular online GMAT forums such as
Pagalguy.com, beatthegmat.com and gmatclub.com.

Saikiran Dudyal a

Verbal Faculty

For Saikiran, what started off as tutoring school kids in English and
Math at home, manifested into a career in no time. Saikiran has six
years of experience in the teaching industry and has trained hundreds
of students for a plethora of courses ranging from Spoken English and
Communication skills to GMAT, GRE, SAT, PSAT, ACT, IELTS, and TOEFL.
An engineer by qualification, he chose to heed the call of passion and
switched tracks to the education industry.

Al Ameen
Verbal Faculty
Al-Ameen is an alumnus of ISB Hyderabad. He is a digital marketing
enthusiast who has worked with a lot of top brands in helping them
re-target their audience. Al-Ameen is a rapper, karaoke artist. and an
emcee who has been featured in the Economic Times. He believes that

learning is an experience and presenting is a stand up act - his goal is

to do justice to both.

Shrikant Singh
Verbal Faculty

Shrikant is an alumnus of ISB Hyderabad and IIT Kharagpur. He had

4+ years of experience in Analytics before his MBA and is currently
working with Amazon as a Planning Manager. He loves teaching and
interacting with students as he believes this keeps him on his toes.

Mohammed Junaid
Quant Faculty
Junaid is the quintessential quants guy; a person who solves GMAT and GRE
quant questions as part of his day-job, and solves puzzles and problems in
his free time for fun. He has an M.Sc. in Mathematics, and 5 years of
experience in training students across Test Prep courses for the GMAT, GRE,
SAT, etc. When he?s not living and breathing Math, Junaid enjoys playing
volleyball and cricket.

Adit ya Kumar

Quant Faculty
Aditya is an engineer by qualification, and an alumnus of the famous M.S
Ramaih Institute of Technology. His foray into the education industry was a
serendipitous accident; but teaching soon turned into a calling as he
discovered how good he was at it. He has 3 years of experience training
students for test-prep courses for the GMAT, GRE, and SAT. His
super-power is his ability to uncomplicate a tangled mess of information
into simple, byte-sized facts.

Arit ro Bhat t acharya

Quant Faculty
Aritro has 8+ years of experience in business technology consulting. An
alumnus of Jadavpur and Indian School of Business, he is currently a senior
technology advisory consultant at Cognizant. He worships Steve Jobs, Jeff
Bezos, and Jan Koum.

To view more of our prestigious consultants CLICK HERE

STRUCTUREOFTHEGMAT

According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the makers of

the test, "The GMAT exam measures basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical
writing skills that you have developed over a long period of time in your
education and work. It does NOT measure your knowledge of business, your job
skills, specific content in your undergraduate or first university course work, or
your abilities in any other specific subject area.?
The GMAT is given in English, and consists of the following four separately timed
sections:
1. AWA - Analytical Writing Section
2. Integrated Reasoning Section
3. Quantitative Section
4. Verbal Section

1. ANALYTICALWRITING(AWA)
- In this section, you will be asked to analyse an argument for its soundness.
- Do not worry too much about this section. You are graded on a score between 0
and 6, and this doesn?t go into calculating your final 3-digit GMAT score.
- Most schools don?t bother about what you write ? so long as you are able to
manage a decent score of 4.0 or above.
- The only thing you need to practice is writing the AWA essays as fast and as
effectively as possible. The last thing you want to do is get flustered and
expend your mental energy before the ?real? test starts.

2. INTEGRATED REASONINGSECTION
-

The Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT exam consists of 12 questions.

A single graph/ data-set may have multiple questions around it.
All answer options for a given question will be shown on the same screen.
As with the rest of the GMAT, even over here you cannot return to an earlier
question - you have to answer each question and move onto the next one.
- As The last type, i.e., the multi-source reasoning will not be of more than 300
words. So there?s no need to read lengthy passages in this section.
- The answer options themselves will be independent of each other, i.e., you
cannot use information from one question for another. You need to solve each
question independently.

3. QUANTITATIVESECTION
- You will have 1 hour 15 minutes to solve about 37 math
questions spread across Arithmetic, Algebra, and
Geometry.
- This is the section where Indians usually feel confident ? but do not make the
mistake of feeling complacent. The questions are of 2 types: Problem Solving
& Data Sufficiency

4. VERBALSECTION
The test is split into 3 areas:
- Sent ence Correct ion: A sentence, which is either partly or fully underlined, is
provided to you as the ?question?. You will have to select the answer choice
that removes the error (if any) in the original sentence.
- Crit ical Reasoning: An argument is given to you in the form of a paragraph,
and you would be asked to analyze/ critique it. For E.g., ?Which of the
following would most weaken the argument given above??
- Reading Comprehension: A passage would be provided and about 3-4
questions will be asked based on it. This passage can be on any topic (usually
dry ones like social science) and will be between 1 and 3 paragraphs long.

EXPERIMENTALQUESTIONS
Roughly 1/ 3rd of all questions you will solve on the GMAT (9 in Quant and
10 in Verbal) will not go towards your final GMAT score. GMAT is simply
building a database for future test takers, by asking you these questions. If
luck is on your side and you only make mistakes on the experimental
questions, then you can expect a full score despite making mistakes!
However, it is possible for very high scores (read as ?very few mistakes?) to
show with a fair degree of accuracy, the association between mistakes and
raw scores.

THEZENCORNER
- You cannot ?beat? the system but knowing it better will help you optimize
your approach. This is especially true when you are taking practice tests and
want to know why you got a particular score.
- There are only 4 ways in which you can score well (or poorly):
1. Number of mistakes you made in the overall test
2. Number of experimental questions you got right/wrong
3. Position of mistakes, i.e., towards the start or towards the end
4. Frequency of mistakes in a row

GMATSCORINGALGORITHM

The GMAT is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, based on only the Quant and Verbal
sections. Along with this you will also get your AWA score, which is scored out of 6.0.
Since scores are distributed along a bell curve there are very few on either end of the
spectrum ? usual scores are in the 400-700 range.
The global average GMAT score is 540 ? and a ?good? GMAT score for top schools is
considered above 700. As mentioned earlier, you don?t need to worry about the AWA
& IR scores. You will be given separate ?raw scores? for the Quant & Verbal sections.
You will be given a 2-digit score out of 51 for each section. A raw score above 50 in
Quant & above 40 in Verbal is considered exceptional. Here is what a typical GMAT
score will look like:
700 Q49 V36 AWA 5.5 IR -7 - This means the person got a scaled score of 700 which
consisted of a Quant score of 49 (out of 51) and a Verbal score of 36 (out of 51), an
AWA rating of 5.5 (out of 6.0), and an IR score of 7 (out of 8).

It might look as if it is ?easier? to score higher on Quant than on Verbal since

typically Indians score above 45 in Quant while they struggle to hit the 40 mark
in Verbal. However, remember that the algorithm works these 2 sections! For
each question you get wrong on Verbal you are more severely penalized than
Quant. An optimistic way of looking at it is Verbal is also the area where you can
improve the most (and fastest!)

You will have to understand that the test algorithm is trying to determine your
ability level, so it is almost certain that you'll see questions that are too hard for
you. That's perfectly okay! Remember that it's possible to get a 700 (89th
percentile score) and answer more than a quarter of the questions on the entire
test wrong. Of course, this means you'll be answering difficult questions right
and missing only the even more difficult questions. It is a myth that you need to
have a very high accuracy to do well on the GMAT!

Let us now t ry t o underst and how t he GMAT Comput er Adapt ive Test works:
Theoretically, you won't get the same set of questions as the guy sitting next to
you (albeit a few overlapping questions). After the first few questions that are
selected at random, each subsequent question will be based on how you
performed on the earlier questions. If you're getting more questions right, the
algorithm gives you harder problems. If you're not, the test will start throwing
easier questions at you.

Remember that the GMAT looks for your expertise across areas. Which means if
you make similar mistakes in the same subject area your overall scaled score
will be lower than another person who uniformly distributes his mistakes in all
the subject area. For example, you can have 2 candidates with the same Q+V
scores (say Q50 V40) but with different scaled scores ? either 740 or 750.
The table below is a mapping of your scaled score to it's percentage ranking.

If you get questions wrong consecutively, you are at greater risk than if you
distribute your mistakes over a range. For example, let?s say, from questions 21
to 30 there are 2 candidates X and Y and their frequency of mistakes is: X marks
the wrong answers for questions 22, 26, and 29, while Y marks the wrong ones
for 23, 24, and 25. Then Y would be penalized heavier than X.

The scores depend on how well you are doing *relative* to others on the test, and

also the nature of the adaptive algorithm (more on that on the next page). What
this means is that these scores don't directly correspond to getting a certain
number of questions right or wrong. So it is impossible to say how much you?ll
score if you get say 5 questions wrong, or say 10 questions wrong.
Raw scores, such as the number or percentage of correct answers, are sometimes
used to report test results, but their interpretation is limited. They tell you how
well an individual answered a specific set of questions, and they also give you an
idea how one test taker did relative to others who answered the same set of
questions. Yet raw scores rarely convey regular intervals of ability. In other words,
the difference in ability between a person who got 95 percent correct and one
who got 90 percent correct on a test is not the same as the difference between a
person who got 85 percent correct and one who got 80 percent correct.

Learn how GMAC calculates your GMAT score! Click Here to download the
GMAT algorithm score sheet!

HEREAREAFEWSPLITSCORESOFCRACKVERBALSTUDENTS!

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WHYSHOULDYOUTAKETHEGMAT!

1. B-Schools need to have an objective measure/ criterion for academic potential

that is uniform across all countries, universities, and GPA systems. GMAT is
considered one such metric.
2. GMAT is an important factor in the B-school rankings. So for the same reason
you prefer a school with a higher average GMAT score - the schools want a higher
GMAT score from you.
3. It is an objective number that has a tangible quality to it. It is hard to compare
work experience or quality of education. But a GMAT score gives a concrete 3-digit
number with which to compare a pool of applicants .
4. Most top Management Consulting companies look at your GMAT score for
short-listing candidates. So, if consulting is your career goal, aim for a high GMAT
score.

4 MISTAKESTOAVOIDONYOURGMAT
PREP

Over the last decade we have spent countless hours with thousands of students,
helping them understand why their scores were not going up. We have come to
the conclusion that the root of all lies in the same four basic problems in our
approach to test-taking, namely:

1. Brute Force Technique

2. Not taking enough tests early on
3. Consistency not Contigency
4. Trusting online advice and solving questions other than from the OG.

1. BRUTEFORCETECHNIQUE
This is when students start blindly solving questions without either analyzing
them properly or taking a rain check to see the difficulty level of questions. If you
are learning a concept such as ?Area of a Rectangle?, you will be given a question,
?Length = 5, Breadth = 7, Area = ??. After that, you will be given another question,
?Length = 3, Area = 12, Breadth = ??, and so on. Get the drift?
It is an absolute waste of time to solve 10,000 questions of this sort as you will
end up learning nothing. GMAC claims that it spends about $2000 per question.
Considering the tons of questions they make, that is a pretty huge spend. The
major expense is in the quality of the questions ? getting it vetted by expert
pscyhometricians. CrackVerbal?s approach is based on solving only high quality
questions which correctly reflect GMAT standards.

2. NOTTAKINGENOUGHTESTS EARLYON
The GMAT is more a test of your mental stamina than anything else. Don?t lull
yourself into complacency by looking at incorrect measures. For e.g., one metric
that most people use and one that we absolutely hate is the percentage of correct
questions. This matters little, unless you are able to build your mental stamina to
endure a 4-hour battle (that is the duration of the test). It is like sprinting short
distances in order to prepare for a marathon ? it won?t work! Ensure your study
plan has enough tests ? starting right now.
We encourage students to come to our center to take simulated tests at our lab,
which is equipped with more than 30+ computer based tests. We even give you a
Scratch Pad similar to the one you get on the real test (Yes, during the test, you?ll
be given a laminated scratch pad and not paper to do rough work).

3. CONTINGENCYINSTEADOFCONSISTENCY- A.K.A 'RELYINGONLYON

WEEKENDS'
This is not a battle that can be fought on 14-hour weekends and 0-hour
weekdays. If you think your day job is just too demanding for you to focus during
the week then reconsider shifting your decision to take the GMAT (and ultimately
pushing your decision to do an MBA). This is a test match and not a 20-20 game!
We have heard enough students crib about how they never get time. At the same
time we have seen our own students who have studied diligently for 2-3 months,
putting in about 2 hours on weekdays and about 10 hours on weekends, who
scored very high on the GMAT. It is all a question of will-power.
We ensure you get a comprehensive study plan. The plan dovetails with what we
teach in the class so we ensure you stay focused on the plan till the date of your
test.

4. TRUSTING"ONLINEADVICE" ANDSOLVINGQUESTIONSOTHERTHAN
THEOFFICIALQUESTIONS
It has been shown that if you study for more than the optimal preparation time,
your scores will actually start going down! This is because unlike tests such as IAS,
IIT-JEE, etc., the GMAT is not a test of memory, it tests how intelligently you can
apply your knowledge. The most important key is to not pick the wrong books, the
wrong questions, and still worse ? the wrong advice.
At Crackverbal we understand that you are taking the test after making some
personal and professional sacrifices. We ensure we keep you on the straight and
narrow path throughout the preparation, so you are never lost or misguided.

GMAT3- STEPSTUDYPLAN

PHASE1: FOUNDATION
This is the time you need to ensure you understand the GMAT exam well and
focus on the right approach to solving questions. If you end up having the wrong
approach, practice will only make things worse. You will end up becoming better
at ?being bad?. This means if you have an accuracy of 40% you will just get
better at solving questions at 40% accuracy (not 25% - not 50% - just precisely
40% )!

PHASE2: STRATEGY
In this phase you take your prep to the next level by focusing on the higher
levels of difficulty as well as the more difficult to grasp concepts. This is also a
good time to up the tempo in Quant. You should be able to accurately pinpoint
your areas of weakness and work on them. For example, you should be able to
say, ?I am weak in questions on Standard Deviation? or ?I am not confident when
there is a pronoun ambiguity in SC?, and not, ?I am weak in SC!?

PHASE3: PRACTICE

The Americans have a phrase for it. They call it the ?home run?. This is when you
make the final lunge towards getting that near-perfect GMAT score. Ensure that
by this time you are working on crossing your t?s and dotting your i?s. And yes ?
plenty of carbs before the final run!

WHATSTUDYMATERIALSHOULDYOUUSE?
You can use either of the study material mentioned below:
1. Official Guide ed. 12 or 15 or 16.
2. Official Guide Verbal Workbook ed.1 or 2 or 2016,.
3. Official Guide Quant Workbook ed 1 or 2 or 2016.
4. Official Guide Quant Review ed. 2nd or 2016.
5. Official Guide Verbal Review ed. 2nd or 2016.
6. CrackVerbal Advance Document (all GMAT Prep questions that we have
created by taking the test multiple times)
7. Practice on forums such as pagalguy.com, beatthegmat.com, urch.com, and
gmatclub.com

You can e-mail us your queries at enquiry@crackverbal.com to better prepare

for your GMAT.

THEZENCORNER
What routine should you follow while taking a mock exam?
A Total of 12- 14 tests should to be taken over 3 months.
Always take it with the AWA Section and IR sections.
No mobile/no internet while in the ?test-zone?.
Take it at the same time as the actual test slot you?ve booked.
Eat and do exactly what you would on the test day.
And if you're a Crackverbal student, consider taking the test at our
test center, where we provide you with a test experience designed to
simulate the actual GMAT test.

CLICKHERETOLEARNHOWYOUPLAN YOURGMAT
PREP

Email : enquiry@crackverbal .com

Mobil e: +919008166800/ 9008177800
www.crackverbal .com
www.f acebook.com/ CrackVerbal
www.t wit t er.com/ AskCrackVerbal