GMAT FRIEND

The ‘NEXGEN’ GMAT

2011-04-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Experts' Speak

The ‘NEXGEN’ GMAT

Ashok Sarathy, Vice-President, GMAT programme, Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), talks to Reema Kaur on the ‘nexgen’ Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

Posted On: Monday, April 25, 2011

What is the ‘NexGen’ GMAC all about?

The GMAT exam has gone through several generations and it has evolved since its inception in 1954. We are currently in the ninth generation of the test and this 10 th generation is just the next cycle in evolution. For this change, we conducted a survey with over 740 faculty members from B-schools worldwide. We asked them questions on what are the skills that are really important to have in classrooms that the GMAT could be measuring. With that feedback, we prepared a list of additional skills that would enhance the GMAT exam as an admissions criterion.

Why did GMAC feel the need to introduce this change?

If you look at the business world today, people are constantly using data from various sources to make business decisions. The curricula of B-schools have also evolved with time to keep up with industry demands. So, this new section will test students on their ability to assimilate information from several sources, which could be in the form of textual information, table of contents, or graphical data like pie-charts, etc.

How will NexGen GMAC be different from the traditional format?

The new structure of the exam will have the same verbal reasoning section, a quantitative reasoning section and the scores of these sections will remain the same. In the current GMAT exam we have two essays but we found that one essay was enough to assess a candidate’s analytical writing ability. So, reducing the number of essays to one, the remaining 30 minutes will now be used for the new integrated reasoning section. Students will have to synthesise information from different sources given in the question to solve complex problems.

When are you planning to introduce this new test?

We are going to launch it in June 2012. In March-April we will be coming out with our own test-prep material to familiarise students about this new section.

What are the steps being taken to generate awareness about the new format?

We are going to go through several rounds of pilot testing and we are recruiting students for the same. Candidates who are currently taking the regular GMAT exam have the option of attempting this additional new section. We notify the candidates in advance and advise them to give their best efforts so that we can use that data to make our test question bank.
We will also engage with test preparation companies to give them information about these new test questions so that they prepare candidates as per the new format. We will also have candidate marketing campaigns and connect with students through www.mba.com, our website to register for GMAT.

Are there sample papers available for students online?

We will make sample questions available online. In fact, we will have a free version of the GMAT test preparation software online for all candidates. But, in addition we will have regular guides for which candidates will have to pay a small fee.

What will be the ideal GMAT score post the introduction of the new format?

In the final stage of testing we will be designing the scorescale which will help differentiate candidates across the spectrum.

Reference: http://educationtimes.com/educationTimes/CMSD/Experts%27-Speak/26/2011042520110421174525737293d3e10/The-NEXGEN-GMAT.html

Why going international for a MBA may be the best decision you ever made.

2011-03-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

As I write this post I am actually considering the possibility of studying abroad for my MBA. The main reason I have come to this conclusion is that many international MBA programs are globally ranked higher than U.S schools and their admissions policies are far more lax than U.S. counter parts. The starting pay is the same as graduates from U.S. schools and the percentage of those employed after graduation is the same(many back in the U.S.) For instance, INSEAD ( international graduate business school and research institution) is ranked #1 globally by Business Week. However, their GMAT scores (640-740 Avg of 699) for entrance is substantially lower than Harvard, UPenn, and Stanford. Also INSEAD option for a 1 year full time MBA is significantly more appealing than the traditional 2 year program at U.S. institutions. Many people who score 660 on the GMAT have a slight chance of getting into U.S. intuitions because of the saturation in applications they receive. You almost have to have started your own company, made millions, and wrote a book to get accepted. The percentage of applications admitted for the top 15 schools range from 6% to 18%. I am going to write more on this topic but here’s some links for rankings and admission statistics.

GMAT Percentiles

2011-03-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Below are tables of the most recent GMAT percentile ranking. They will help you understand how your GMAT score relates to other test-takers' scores from the past years.

Verbal Section		Quantitative Section		Total Scores
Percentage Ranking	Score	Percentage Ranking	Score	Percentage Ranking	Score
99	46-51	99	51	99	760-800
98	45	95	50	98	750
97	44	89	49	97	740
96	43	85	48	96	730
95	42	81	47	95	720
93	41	79	46	93	710
89	40	77	45	92	700
88	39	72	44	90	690
84	38	70	43	88	680
82	37	66	42	87	670
80	36	63	41	84	660
75	35	61	40	82	650
70	34	57	39	78	640
68	33	55	38	77	630
65	32	52	37	74	620
60	31	48	36	71	610
57	30	44	35	68	600
55	29	42	34	65	590
50	28	40	33	62	580
44	27	36	32	59	570
42	26	32	31	56	560
37	25	30	30	53	550
35	24	26	29	50	540
30	23	25	28	45	530
28	22	21	27	44	520
24	21	20	26	41	510
20	20	16	25	38	500
17	19	15	24	35	490
15	18	14	23	33	480
12	17	11	22	30	470
10	16	10	21	26	460
8	15	9	20	24	450
7	14	8	19	22	440
5	13	7	18	20	430
4	12	5	17	18	420
3	11	4	14-16	16	410
2	10	3	13	14	400
1	7-9	2	11-12	12	390
0	6	1	7-10	11	380
Sample Size: 616,490Standard Deviation: 9.0		0	6	10	370
		Sample Size: 616,490Standard Deviation: 10.5		8	360
				7	350
				6	340
				5	330
				4	320
				3	290-310
				2	260-280
				1	230-250
				0	200-220
				Sample Size: 616,490Standard Deviation: 118.6

Reading Comprehension

2011-03-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Sentence Correction Questions

2011-03-16T11:50:00.003-07:00

Data Sufficency Questions

2011-03-16T11:48:00.001-07:00

Problem Solving Questions

2011-03-16T11:47:00.001-07:00

Critical Reasoning Questions

2011-03-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Algebra Equations

2011-03-16T11:02:00.001-07:00

Question 1.

If 3x + 2y = 6 and 4x - 3y = 4. What is the value of y

Algebra

2011-03-16T11:01:00.001-07:00

Coordinate Geometry

2011-03-16T10:59:00.001-07:00

Measurement

2011-03-16T10:57:00.001-07:00

Geometry

2011-03-16T10:56:00.001-07:00

Power and Roots

2011-03-16T10:54:00.001-07:00

Statistics and Probability

2011-03-16T10:47:00.001-07:00

Ratio and Proportion

2011-03-16T10:46:00.001-07:00

Properties of Numbers

2011-03-16T10:43:00.001-07:00

Fractions and Decimals

2011-03-16T10:42:00.003-07:00

Integers

2011-03-16T10:41:00.001-07:00

Communtative Property of Multiplication

2011-03-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

a x b = b x a (a) and (b) are equal to real numbers

Example: 2 x 9 x 6 x 8 = 8 x 9 x 2 x 6

The order does not matter.

In this case the solution would be 2 x 9 x 6 x 8 = 864

Welcome

2011-03-16T09:28:00.001-07:00

Hello all! I decided to begin this blog to help people with actual questions types that appear on the GMAT. On the header you will find that there are several sections…arithmetic, algebra, critical reasoning…etc. I will be posting regularly questions and answers explanations, as well as websites that I have found helpful. In the future I plan on adding videos for solving problem and data sufficiency question types. Enjoy!

v/r

Justin

Test 2

2011-03-15T17:57:00.001-07:00

test 2

Test

2011-03-15T16:24:00.001-07:00

Test