Before you go into unknown
territory, it's always a wise idea to look at a map of the territory you're
facing. And the more granular the map, the better.
You Can't Settle for a Broad, Big-Picture View
The GMAT is composed of four different segments: the Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal. That's like looking at a map and seeing mountains. You still don't know how high they are or what's required to climb them. You can't scale Mt. Everest with no more experience than hiking an Appalachian mountain.
You've Got to Really Understand What the Questions are Going to Test You On
Only by looking at GMAT example questions will you gain the up-close, detailed look at the landscape you need to take the test with confidence. The Analytical Writing Assessment segment gives you 30 minutes to writing an essay that analyses an argument. The Integrated Reasoning segment gives you 30 minutes to answer 12 questions that test your ability to evaluate data. You'll need to know and study all four types of questions. The Quantitative segment gives you 75 minutes to answer 37 questions, and it's often the one where people run short of time before they answer all the questions. The Verbal segment gives you 75 minutes to answer 41 questions.
You Can't Settle for a Broad, Big-Picture View
The GMAT is composed of four different segments: the Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal. That's like looking at a map and seeing mountains. You still don't know how high they are or what's required to climb them. You can't scale Mt. Everest with no more experience than hiking an Appalachian mountain.
You've Got to Really Understand What the Questions are Going to Test You On
Only by looking at GMAT example questions will you gain the up-close, detailed look at the landscape you need to take the test with confidence. The Analytical Writing Assessment segment gives you 30 minutes to writing an essay that analyses an argument. The Integrated Reasoning segment gives you 30 minutes to answer 12 questions that test your ability to evaluate data. You'll need to know and study all four types of questions. The Quantitative segment gives you 75 minutes to answer 37 questions, and it's often the one where people run short of time before they answer all the questions. The Verbal segment gives you 75 minutes to answer 41 questions.
GMAT Example Questions are Good but Incomplete Preparation
GMAT questions are more complicated than many of the tests we take in school. It doesn't just evaluate your knowledge of a subject or even how to reason and how to apply that knowledge, but to do so in many realms, even how to decide when information is irrelevant to the problem. Unfortunately, this is complicated application of mental skills that can't be learned in a week or year. Therefore, if you practice answering GMAT example questions and get almost all of them right, you're justified in feeling well prepared.
If You Miss a Lot of GMAT Example Questions
You will likely need a teacher or coach to show you how to think your way through both the complicated math and verbal problems.
