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Last Updated on May 16, 2023
Taking the GMAT is an integral part of applying to business school, and if you’ve done any amount of GMAT exam preparation, you’ve likely heard that taking full-length GMAT practice tests is a critical part of your preparation. This is sage advice.
Students who take the GMAT cold — without ever having taken practice tests ahead of time — can find the GMAT experience difficult. But, the flip side is that when students prepare properly, including taking a sufficient number of practice tests before the real GMAT, top GMAT scores are within reach.
That said, you want to be smart about when and how you use practice tests in your preparation strategy. So, in this article, we’ll discuss all you need to know about using practice tests to reach your goal.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- The Characteristics of Good GMAT Practice Tests
- Start Your Prep With a Full-Length Practice GMAT
- The Free Official GMAT Practice Tests
- The Paid Official GMAT Practice Tests
- Do Some Basic Prep Before Taking Your First GMAT Practice Test
- How to Take a Full-Length GMAT Practice Test
- The More You Deviate From Test-Day Conditions, the Less Accurate Your Results Will Be
- Analyzing the Results of Your Initial Practice Test
- Keep Your GMAT Prep Plan Flexible and Fluid
- Master the Material Before You Take More GMAT Practice Tests
- Begin Taking Weekly Practice Tests Near the End of Your GMAT Prep
- Analyze Your Results Between GMAT Practice Tests
- How Will You Know When You’re Ready to Take the GMAT?
- Approach Test Day with Confidence
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Summary: GMAT Practice Test Tips
- What’s Next?
Let’s begin by discussing the characteristics of good practice tests.
The Characteristics of Good GMAT Practice Tests
In the GMAT marketplace, there are many practice tests that students can purchase. However, not all practice tests are created equal. It’s important to invest your time and energy into tests that are high quality.
TTP PRO TIP:
It’s important to invest your time and energy into high quality GMAT practice tests. Don’t waste your time on the poor imitations.
So, what are the key characteristics to look for in high-quality practice GMAT exams?
The best GMAT prep practice tests will include the following:
- realistic GMAT questions
- an accurate scoring algorithm
- a large question bank
Let’s discuss each of those characteristics in further detail.
Realistic GMAT Questions
One of the most important features of a practice test is the quality of the questions it uses. The best practice GMAT tests utilize realistic GMAT questions. If you take practice tests that utilize less-than-realistic GMAT questions, your scores on the tests won’t accurately reflect your skill levels.
If you take practice tests that utilize less-than-realistic GMAT questions, your scores on the tests won’t accurately reflect your skill levels.
An Accurate Scoring Algorithm
The next important characteristic of the best practice exams is that they utilize a realistic scoring algorithm, one that replicates, to the best degree possible, the one used by the GMAT.
Although the basics of how the GMAT is scored are well-known, the specifics of how the test is scored is a trade secret known only to GMAC, the creator of the GMAT.
Therefore, when test prep companies create proprietary practice tests, they must use their best estimation of how to correctly score their practice tests. If the algorithms created by the companies are off, the practice test results could be artificially high or low.
If a practice test overestimates your score, you may earn a significantly lower score when you take the real GMAT. If a practice test underestimates your GMAT score, you may continue studying, believing that you’re not ready to take the GMAT and wasting valuable time that you could spend on your applications.
TTP PRO TIP:
It’s important to take GMAT practice tests that use accurate scoring algorithms.
A Large Question Bank
All GMAT practice tests utilize pools of easy, medium, and hard questions that are served to the test-taker. In order to accurately determine a user’s GMAT score, a practice test will require a sufficient number of questions. If a practice test does not utilize a large enough pool of questions, the results of the practice test will likely be inaccurate.
To provide an accurate GMAT score, a practice test will require between 300 and 500 questions.
TTP PRO TIP:
Be sure to take practice tests that utilize a large pool of GMAT questions.
Let’s now talk about why you should begin your prep with a full-length practice test.
Start Your Prep With a Full-Length Practice GMAT
At the beginning of your GMAT studies, you should take an initial GMAT practice exam. A great place to find full-length practice exams is mba.com, the official website of the GMAT.
TTP PRO TIP:
At the beginning of your GMAT studies, you should take an initial GMAT practice exam.
The goal of this practice test is to get a baseline score, which will help you understand how far you are from your GMAT score goal. For example, if your GMAT score goal is 750 and you score 720 on your first practice test, you’re pretty close to your goal. However, if you score 620, you’re pretty far from your goal.
The degree to which you’re close or far from your score goal will indicate the length of GMAT study time and effort required for you to achieve your goal.
Although this initial practice test will give you a baseline GMAT score, it’s important not to over-infer from the results. For example, you may get two questions wrong on similar triangles, one question wrong on functions, and one question wrong on quadratic equations. It would be a mistake to assume that your only weaknesses are in these areas.
Remember that one practice test provides a limited amount of information. You’ll need more rigorous study with comprehensive GMAT prep materials to truly understand your strengths and weaknesses.
TTP PRO TIP:
Don’t over-infer from the results of your first practice test.
Note that although test-takers have the option to purchase an Enhanced Score Report (ESR) after taking the real GMAT, the ESR is not available with the official practice tests.
So, which are the best GMAT practice tests to take?
I prefer the official practice tests from GMAC.
The Free Official GMAT Practice Tests
Along with its free GMAT Official Starter Kit, GMAC offers two free GMAT practice tests. Once you create a GMAT account on mba.com, you’ll be able to access these practice tests.
These official practice tests are representative of what you’ll see on test day. They feature all four of the GMAT sections — Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), Integrated Reasoning (IR), Quantitative Reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning — and provide users with the look and feel of the real GMAT.
Because GMAC exams use the same scoring algorithm that the actual GMAT uses and feature retired GMAT questions, these practice tests provide a very accurate assessment of your GMAT score.
However, as with all practice tests, you’ll find that there is a margin or error of about 30-40 points. Thus, if you scored a 750 on one of these practice tests, your actual GMAT score would likely fall between 710 and 780, all else being equal.
KEY FACT:
Because GMAC exams use the same scoring algorithm that the actual GMAT uses and feature retired GMAT questions, these practice tests provide a very accurate assessment of your GMAT score.
The question bank driving these practice tests is large, so one cool feature of these tests is that they can be taken more than once. We’ll talk more about this feature later.
The Paid Official GMAT Practice Tests
In addition to the two free official practice tests, GMAC offers four GMAT practice tests that can be purchased. These practice tests offer the same features as the official free practice tests.
Thus, in total, GMAT-takers have access to six official practice tests.
Now, let’s discuss how to take GMAT practice tests, starting with doing some basic prep before your first test.
Do Some Basic Prep Before Taking Your First GMAT Practice Test
To gain the most accurate sense of where you stand using your first GMAT practice test, beforehand, familiarize yourself with the sections of the test and the types of questions you’ll see. In doing so, you will ready yourself to attack the questions you encounter on your first practice test, as you will not have to figure out even what the questions are asking.
TTP PRO TIP:
To gain the most accurate sense of where you stand using your first practice test, beforehand, familiarize yourself with the sections of the test and the types of questions you’ll see.
While you could use any quality resource to gain this familiarity, one high-quality resource is the information provided in the GMAT Official Starter Kit. To get a general overview of the test and how it is structured, you could open the Official Starter Kit and click into the Study Plan section. In the Study Plan section, you will find information on the four sections of the test along with descriptions of and directions for answering the seven main types of questions that appear on the GMAT.
Some students feel that they should do some rigorous prep prior to taking a practice test. But remember, the purpose of this initial practice test is to help you better understand your starting level of preparedness and what the test is like. Thus, only minimal preparation is necessary before you take your first practice test.
TTP PRO TIP:
Since the purpose of an initial practice test is to help you better understand your starting level of preparedness and what the test is like, you need only minimal preparation before you take your first practice test.
Answer Some Sample GMAT Questions
The Official Starter Kit includes 90 practice questions. These questions are broken into six categories within the Practice Questions section.
Answering all of these practice questions before you take a first test is not necessary. However, by answering at least a few sample questions from each of the six categories, you can familiarize yourself with the question formats and get a basic sense of how to go about answering each type of question.
Once you’re familiar with the structures of and directions for each of the question formats and have gotten some experience answering questions of each type, you will be ready to take your initial practice test.
Now, let’s discuss best practices for sitting for GMAT practice tests.
How to Take a Full-Length GMAT Practice Test
It’s important that, when you take a practice GMAT, you replicate test-day conditions to the greatest degree possible, so that you can accustom yourself to the testing experience and get an accurate picture of how close you are to your score goal.
TTP PRO TIP:
To get the most accurate results from your GMAT practice tests, be sure to replicate test-day conditions to the greatest degree possible.
The following guidelines will help you achieve a realistic testing experience.
Replicate Test-Day Conditions as Best You Can
If you’ll take your actual GMAT at a test center, plan to go to the library and rent a private study room or go to another quiet location to take practice tests. However, if you will take the online GMAT, take practice tests in the same location that you’ll take your actual GMAT.
The more you replicate the test-day environment during practice tests, the more comfortable you’ll be when you take the real GMAT.
TTP PRO TIP:
The more you replicate the test-day environment during practice tests, the more comfortable you’ll be when you take the real GMAT.
Don’t Skip Any of the Test Sections
Don’t skip any of the sections of a practice test. Yes, you must do the Integrated Reasoning section and the AWA essay! Skipping sections makes taking the test easier, resulting in your score being higher than it would be if you didn’t skip sections.
Don’t Do Anything Not Allowed on the GMAT
It’s important that you don’t do anything during practice tests that you could not or would not do during the real GMAT. Here is a list of some common things to consider:
- Don’t take any additional breaks.
- Don’t pause the exam and go for a walk.
- Turn your cell phone off.
- Don’t use a calculator on the quantitative section.
- Don’t pause the exam to check your answers.
TTP PRO TIP:
It’s important that you not do anything during practice tests that you could not or would not do during the real GMAT.
Do Scratch Work With a Wet-Erase Marker and Pad
One common mistake that students make when taking practice tests is using a normal pen and paper to take notes and do scratch work. Don’t do this.
Instead, do your scratch work with a wet-erase marker and pad similar to those provided at GMAT test centers. You’ll see that using the wet-erase marker and pad is a bit different from using a pen and paper.
If you’re going to take the online GMAT, then use the exact same whiteboard you’ll use while taking that test.
TTP PRO TIP:
Do your scratch work with a wet-erase marker and pad similar to those provided at GMAT test centers. If you’re going to take the online GMAT, then use the exact same whiteboard you’ll use while taking that test.
Take Practice Tests at the Same Time You’ll Take the GMAT
It’s important to take your practice tests at the same time of day (or close to it) that you’ll take the real GMAT exam.
So, if you’re taking the GMAT in the morning, try to take your practice test on Saturday or Sunday morning, when your mind is fresh. It would not be a great idea to come home after working all day and sit down to take a practice GMAT.
TTP PRO TIP:
Take your practice tests at the same time of day that you’ll take the real GMAT exam.
Replicate Your GMAT Section Order
On both the in-person GMAT and the online GMAT, you’ll be able to choose from a few different section orders. Whatever order you’ll choose, be sure to follow that same section order when you take your practice tests. You would not want to complete the verbal section of the GMAT first during your practice tests and then, on test day, switch up the order and complete the quantitative section first.
TTP PRO TIP:
Whatever GMAT section order you’ll choose on test day, be sure to follow that same section order when you take practice tests.
Utilize the Same Timing Strategy
When taking practice tests, it’s important to use the same timing strategy that you’ll use on the actual test. You wouldn’t want to practice using a timing strategy that is different from the one you’ll use on test day!
TTP PRO TIP:
When taking practice tests, it’s important to use the same timing strategy that you’ll use on the actual test.
The More You Deviate From Test-Day Conditions, the Less Accurate Your Results Will Be
The baseline score that you achieve on your first practice test will tell you how far you are from your target GMAT score, thus helping you to determine the length and intensity of GMAT preparation necessary to reach your goal.
Remember, that practice test will not be an accurate gauge of your current GMAT skills unless you adhere closely to actual GMAT testing conditions when taking it. If you allow yourself to pause repeatedly, go over the allotted time for a section, or use a calculator during the quant section (one won’t be available on the real GMAT), your score will not be accurate and your results will not be optimal for devising an effective study strategy.
A practice test will not be an accurate gauge of your current GMAT skills unless you adhere closely to actual GMAT testing conditions when taking it.
Seasoned test-takers will tell you that it is a great idea to duplicate the test-day experience any time you take a practice exam. For the same reason that a band rehearses on the stage where it will perform, and a wedding rehearsal is held before the ceremony, GMAT test-takers should practice for the GMAT in a realistic way, in a realistic test environment.
TTP PRO TIP:
It’s a smart strategy to duplicate the test-day experience any time you take a practice exam.
Now, let’s discuss how to effectively analyze the results of your initial practice test.
Analyzing the Results of Your Initial Practice Test
OK, so you took your first practice GMAT. You’re off to a good start. Your goal now is to do a high-level analysis of where you stand.
For example, are you 50 points from your target GMAT score? 100 points? More? The score gap will give you a sense of how much time and energy you’ll likely need to invest to reach your goal.
It’s also helpful to do a high-level analysis of your quantitative reasoning score and your verbal reasoning score. Were they about the same? Does one need substantially more improvement than the other (for example, you got a Q50 and a V26)? You may find that your most strategic move to reach your GMAT score goal is to focus more heavily on your weaker area.
Here is a helpful GMAT score calculator that allows you to see which quant and verbal score paths lead to which GMAT scores.
Although you’ll carefully review all of the questions you answered on future practice tests, such review is not necessary for your first practice test. It’s difficult to draw useful conclusions about specific areas of strength and weakness from the results of one practice test. Instead, lay out your comprehensive study strategy.
Some students need as many as 300+ hours to prepare for the GMAT. However, your preparation time will depend on how far your baseline score is from your score goal, your learning style, and your other daily commitments.
A person with a full-time job may have to spread his or her study over a greater number of weeks than someone who has those hours free to devote to GMAT prep. Similarly, someone who is 50 points from his or her score goal likely will need far less time to prepare than someone striving for a 200-point increase.
Some Other Important Questions to Ask Regarding Your Performance
After you take a practice test, it’s important to reflect on how the test experience went. How were you feeling? What went well? What didn’t go well?
Here is a list of important points to reflect upon:
- Were you strict with your timing, or did you spend five minutes on a question?
- Did you answer all of the questions, or did you not make it to the end of the exam?
- Was timing a huge factor or just another factor?
- Were you able to compartmentalize and stay focused on answering the questions, or were you worried about how you were performing?
- What was your emotional state? Were you calm but ready, or were you anxious and jittery?
- How organized were you on your wet-erase pad? Did you write neatly and clearly, or was your writing sloppy and disorganized?
- How were you at determining which questions you had a low probability of answering correctly, and thus making educated guesses and moving on?
- How successful were you at getting easy- and medium-level questions correct?
- Did you get long streaks of right answers, and thus drive up your score? You can tell by looking at the patterns of right and wrong answers on the review screen.
- Did having trouble with a question ever cause you to become flustered and to therefore miss two or more questions in a row? You can tell by looking at the patterns of right and wrong answers on the review screen.
- Did you feel that what you were doing when answering questions matched what you have been preparing to do? In other words, did answering the test questions seem to require the skills you have been developing, or were there aspects of the questions that you felt unprepared to handle?
- How did the first few questions go? Did you start strong and get most of the first few questions correct, or did you take a little while to warm up?
- In general, were you focused or distracted?
- Were you excited to battle the GMAT and earn a strong score?
TTP PRO TIP:
It’s important to reflect upon the test-taking aspect of each practice test. Take the time to assess what went well and what did not go well. Then, take the necessary steps to be a better test-taker on your next practice test.
Keep Your GMAT Prep Plan Flexible and Fluid
In determining how much time you should set aside for GMAT prep, you may find it useful to check out this article on creating a GMAT study plan. Remember, every person is different, so you should not assume that you can follow someone else’s study plan and achieve that person’s score.
Remember also to keep your application deadlines in mind when creating your GMAT study schedule. You want to allow time at the end of your initial prep to take and analyze the remaining five GMAC practice exams, and to revisit any weak areas you uncover. Ideally, you also want a time cushion for retaking your real GMAT, in case your first GMAT score does not match your goal.
Keep your application deadlines in mind when creating your GMAT study schedule.
The great news is that the Target Test Prep GMAT Course provides a day-by-day study calendar that students can follow, taking the guesswork out of how, when, and what to study.
Now, let’s discuss the importance of mastering the material prior to taking the five remaining practice tests.
Master the Material Before You Take More GMAT Practice Tests
After your initial diagnostic exam, it will be time to get to work on the targeted study and focused practice that is fundamental to GMAT success.
At this point, your job is to master the material that appears on the GMAT. Forget about taking additional practice tests until your GMAT prep is nearly complete. Taking further practice tests before you master the material is a poor use of your time. After all, these tests would tell you the obvious — that you need to master the material.
For example, if you haven’t mastered functions, sequences, probability, and geometry, you can predict — without spending four hours on a full-length practice GMAT — that you won’t fare well answering questions involving those concepts. Instead of using up precious practice exams when they aren’t of the greatest use to you, spend your time training.
TTP PRO TIP:
Once you’ve taken your first practice GMAT test, it won’t be a good use of your time to take another practice test until you’ve mastered the material.
With that idea in mind, let’s discuss how to use practice tests to dial in your GMAT score.
Begin Taking Weekly Practice Tests Near the End of Your GMAT Prep.
As you approach the end of your GMAT prep — that is, once you’ve mastered the content, strategies, techniques, tips, and tricks necessary to earn a high GMAT score — including completing numerous practice questions to round out your study of each topic, a sound strategy is to begin taking weekly full-length practice GMAT tests.
If you follow the advice I’ve provided in this article, you’ll have five official GMAC practice exams remaining. At this point in your preparation, you should have a month or so before your scheduled GMAT date. Thus, you should take one full-length practice GMAT every five days or so.
TTP PRO TIP:
Take and carefully review an official practice test each week in the five weeks leading up to your GMAT exam.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of taking each of the remaining five practice tests under the most realistic conditions possible. Doing so will give you a level of familiarity and comfort that will take some of the pressure off when the time comes to take your actual GMAT.
Of course, you can’t take your practice exams at the test center. However, taking the test according to GMAT rules, in a quiet location away from home, can go a long way toward building the familiarity you need.
TTP PRO TIP:
Take your practice tests under the most realistic conditions possible. The more closely you emulate the real GMAT, the better prepared you’ll be.
Let’s discuss what to do in between your final practice tests.
Analyze Your Results Between GMAT Practice Tests
It’s a good idea to take a break and recharge after a practice test. Once you’re rested, your job is to carefully analyze the results of the practice test. If you have not yet achieved your GMAT score goal, what prevented you from doing so?
Chances are there are specific concepts and skills that you’ve yet to fully master. You can use the results of your practice exams to pinpoint those concepts and skills so you know which topics to revisit for further study.
GMAC practice tests provide reports with separate scores for Quantitative, Verbal, and Integrated Reasoning. These are good, big-picture snapshots of your overall performance. However, you’ll get the most out of your test results by thoroughly analyzing each incorrectly answered question.
For example, let’s say that a practice GMAT presented you with a total of four geometry questions:
Question 1: Circles (you answered correctly)
Question 2: Shaded region in a rectangle (you answered correctly)
Question 3: Cylinders (you answered correctly)
Question 4: Triangle inscribed in a circle (you answered incorrectly)
Spend the time to understand why you got the first three questions correct. Your goal is to be able to correctly answer similar questions in the future. Study what you did correctly.
Then, ask yourself why you did not arrive at the correct answer to the fourth question. Was there a pacing issue? Did you make a careless error or fall for a trap answer? Do you fully understand the content on which the question is based? Go back and review inscribed shapes in circles to eliminate any lingering weaknesses in that area. Follow this process for all questions you answered incorrectly on the test.
TTP PRO TIP:
The work you do in between practice tests is an important component of improving your GMAT score.
Be Honest With Yourself in Your Practice Test Review
You’ll be presented with only 31 quant and 36 verbal questions on each test, so don’t take any question for granted. Use every question you see to analyze your strengths and weaknesses.
It’s important to be honest with yourself in your review. For example, did you answer the question on cylinders correctly because of a lucky guess? If so, take the time to revisit cylinders.
Don’t be surprised if you need four or five days to fully review a practice test and study the material corresponding to your weak areas. Don’t skimp on this necessary work in between tests.
Without working on your weak areas, taking another GMAT practice test makes little sense. After all, you want to increase your skill from one test to the next. Otherwise, why would you expect to score higher? Again, you must be honest with yourself. If you haven’t had time for sufficient study after your last practice test, make the time before you take another test.
TTP PRO TIP:
Without working on your weak areas after taking a practice test, taking another GMAT practice test makes little sense.
Ideally, over the course of your final month of preparation, you will improve from one practice exam to the next. However, if you don’t see this improvement right away, don’t panic! Continue to carefully analyze your mistakes and revisit weak areas. In preparing for the GMAT, a methodical approach will be much more helpful than scrambling to relearn every topic.
Improving Your Accuracy Will Help Improve Your Score
If, in analyzing your GMAT practice tests, you determine that you’re getting a higher-than-desired percentage of questions incorrect as a result of careless mistakes, you may find it helpful to read this article on how to improve your accuracy on the GMAT.
Improving your accuracy is key to improving your score, and thus careless mistakes can seriously hold back your score.
Now that we know how to take practice tests, let’s discuss how to know when you’re ready for the real deal.
How Will You Know When You’re Ready to Take the GMAT?
So, you’ve worked hard and smart, and you’ve taken a sufficient number of GMAT practice tests under realistic conditions. How do you know whether you’re ready to sit for the actual GMAT?
Let’s start by talking about what you don’t want to do.
Don’t Arbitrarily Take the GMAT
Many students set an arbitrary GMAT test day and sit for the test regardless of whether they’re properly prepared. It has never made complete sense to me why anyone would do this. The GMAT is nearly impossible to trick; if you’re not ready, your score will reflect your lack of readiness.
So, why spend your money and time taking the GMAT before you have evidence that you’re prepared enough to earn a good score? You want to walk into the test center confident and prepared, not nervous and wishing you had studied for another month.
Additionally, as some people discover too late, you can take the GMAT only five times in a twelve-month period and eight times in total. So, by taking the test multiple times just to see how you do, you could use up your opportunities to hit your score goal.
TTP PRO TIP:
Take the GMAT when you’re ready to earn the score you’re seeking, not on some arbitrary date.
With that point in mind, how will you know when you’re ready to earn the GMAT score you’re seeking?
Use Full-Length Practice Tests to Assess Your GMAT Readiness
The best strategy is to sit for the GMAT once you have sufficient evidence that you’re ready to earn a good score. How can you get that evidence? You can use the official GMAT practice tests from mba.com.
For example, let’s say that your goal on the GMAT is a 730 or higher because you’re applying to Harvard Business School. Let’s assume that your last three GMAT practice test scores were 670, 680, and 690. If your GMAT is a week away, you must be honest with yourself about the chances that you’ll hit a 730 score on test day. In other words, the evidence suggests that you’re not quite ready to earn a 730. After all, the average of your last three practice GMATs is 680. Why would you expect to go up approximately 50 points on the real test?
If your GMAT is scheduled but you’re not quite feeling ready to hit your target GMAT score, you have some options. First, you can reschedule your GMAT for a later date when you’ll be better prepared.
Second, you can take the GMAT as scheduled and see how you do. Listen, you may just hit your target score, and even if you don’t, you can consider canceling your score and retaking the test at a later date.
Keep in mind that a good percentage of GMAT-takers must sit for the exam more than once, and although you want to limit the number of times you take the GMAT, sitting for it is good practice. (You may find this article on GMAT testing policies handy in deciding when to sit for the exam.)
Approach Test Day with Confidence
If you follow the GMAT practice test strategy I’ve outlined, after completing your final GMAC practice exam, you’ll have about a week until your actual GMAT. (I’ve written an article that provides some useful strategies for your final week.) It’s natural to feel nervous in the days leading up to your exam. However, rest assured that you will have done the prep necessary to tackle your GMAT with confidence. If your nerves and anxiety are getting the best of you as test-day approaches, try out some of these simple strategies to help eliminate GMAT test-day anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many GMAT practice tests should I take?
Before sitting for the GMAT, you should take (and carefully review) all six of the official GMAT practices tests available from mba.com.
In an ideal world, you’d take each of these exams on six consecutive Saturdays or Sundays. After each practice test, you’d spend the rest of the week reviewing your mistakes and developing a plan for how to earn a higher score on the next week’s practice GMAT.
If you don’t take (and review) all six of the official GMAT practice tests, you’re leaving points on the table. In fact, one common mistake I see among GMAT-takers is to study the concepts hard and solve tons of practice questions yet take too few practice tests. The issue with not taking practice tests is that you never give yourself the opportunity to experience what it’s like to sit for the GMAT. Without this experience, you’ll struggle to earn your best score.
TTP PRO TIP:
If you don’t take (and review) all six of the official GMAT practice tests, you’re leaving points on the table.
Imagine a boxer who has spent months doing roadwork, hitting the heavy bag, jumping rope, and shadow boxing but has never actually gotten into the ring and sparred with an opponent? We don’t have to know too much about boxing to understand that such a boxer probably would not fare well in a boxing match.
Don’t let this kind of problem hold back your GMAT score. Take and review all of the official GMAT practice tests!
How accurate are GMAT practice tests?
The official GMAT practice tests found at mba.com are very accurate. Although no practice GMAT perfectly matches the real test, if you’ve followed the points in this article, the scores you receive on the official practice tests will be a good guide for how you’ll score on the GMAT.
Which practice test is best for GMAT prep?
We advise people to take the official GMAT practice tests from mba.com.
Where can I find free practice tests?
If you’re on a budget and seeking practice tests you can download at no cost, you can get two official practice tests from GMAC, the company that owns and administers the GMAT, by going to mba.com.
Can you take GMAT practice tests online?
The official GMAT practice tests offered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Council, are taken online.
Let’s now wrap up with a summary of what we’ve discussed.
Summary: GMAT Practice Test Tips
- Taking full-length practice tests is a critical part of your preparation.
- The best practice tests use realistic GMAT questions, an accurate scoring algorithm, and a large pool of questions.
- At the beginning of your GMAT studies, you should take an initial GMAT practice exam to determine your baseline score.
- The more you replicate the test-day environment when taking your practice tests, the more comfortable you’ll be when you take the GMAT.
- Once you’ve taken your first practice GMAT test, it won’t be a good use of your time to take another practice test until you’ve mastered the material tested on the GMAT.
- Take, and carefully review, an official practice test each week in the five weeks leading up to your GMAT exam.
- Without working on your weak areas after taking a practice test, taking another GMAT practice test makes little sense.
- Take the GMAT when you’re ready to earn the score you’re seeking, not on some arbitrary date you’ve set.
What’s Next?
Want to attend our live GMAT Quant and Verbal webinars? Join us every Thursday and Friday for our popular TTP GMAT webinar series!
