Understand the GMAT CAT
What is GMAT CAT?GMAT CAT or the Graduate Management Admission Test Computer Adaptive Test is an entrance test administered by the GMAC. This test is administered in order to facilitate graduate management admissions in various colleges and universities across the world. GMAT is accepted worldwide by a large number of colleges that teach management, finance and accountancy programs. Its testing is fully computerized and has to be taken online. It aims at primarily testing the student’s abilities in mathematics, logical reasoning and English language. Only a good GMAT online score would ensure an admission into a top grade college or a university.Understanding the GMAT CATFirst, it is important that you know everything about the test, the sections, the syllabus, test structure etc in order to start your preparation for the test. Preparing for the GMAT should be essentially characterized by hard work coupled with commitment. Alongside, cracking the test cannot be easy lest you put in a great deal of effort in understanding the concepts and practicing different types of questions repeatedly. Let us first understand what the test contains.GMAT consists of four different sections that focus on testing a variety of abilities of the test taker. Each section is not patterned similarly and has differences in the total number of questions and timing etc. The four sections of the GMAT are Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), Integrated Reasoning Section, Quantitative Section and the Verbal Section.
- The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) Section assesses the test taker’s ability to present an essay on a given topic. In this section, the ability of a student to develop content, organize the flow of explanation, skill in writing the essay with minimum possible errors and so on will be tested. There is one writing task in this section, which should be completed in just 30 minutes.
- The Quantitative Section tests your mathematic skills. By mathematic skills, we mean your ability to solve a problem within a predetermined time frame and apparently in the process, your speed and accuracy will be put to test. You will have to solve 37 questions within a time frame of 75 minutes. Problems based upon mathematical concepts and data sufficiency are the types of questions that appear in this particular section.
- The Integrated Reasoning Section has been introduced very recently in the GMAT in order to test the student’s ability to think in a logical way. This section consists of only 12 questions that should be answered within 30 minutes. This section does not have a particular syllabus. The questions in this particular section are framed based upon information, data, info-graphics and analyses.
- The Verbal Section is probably the most important section of the test since it consists of highest number of questions. There are altogether 41 questions in this section that must be attempted within 75 minutes. The questions that appear in this section include Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction.
Advantages of GMAT as a Computer Adaptive TestThere are quite a lot advantages of administering the GMAT as a computer adaptive test or CAT. Primarily, the test is administered as a computer adaptive test in order to increase its availability for the aspirants.
- Since GMAT is administered as a CAT, it is taken an approximate two hundred thousand times every year.
- Every process pertaining of the test becomes easy for the reason that it is administered online. One can register online, prepare online, practice online and then take the test online.
- Most importantly, you can take the test conveniently. You can locate a place for yourself that is nearer to you, select a test date and then schedule your appointment so that you can take the test on the time that you wish to take. Very few other tests provide such convenience.
- Moreover, you can take the test again after a gap of 31 days, which ensures that your time is not wasted between attempts.