4 Common mistakes that people make while preparing for GMAT

By // No comments:
To err is human

Certainly. But definitely not something that should hold you back. Mistakes should always be something that you should learn from. In GMAT, there's a pattern of mistakes that students usually tend to commit on a frequent basis. While you are in the process of learning from your own mistakes, why not learn from other’s, in the meantime?


Here’s a list of mistakes that you don't wanna commit, while preparing for your GMAT!

Leave out a concept

While preparing for GMAT, you will come across many concepts that are completely new. Some you might find easy, but some really difficult. You might even want to leave that particular concept because leaving just one concept wouldn't make that much of a difference right?

No! The ideal key to dealing with such kind of situations is to at least brush up the subject concerned. You don't want to leave any page unturned. The number of “just one” concepts will gradually increase and will result in poor preparations.

Do tedious calculations

The GMAT reliably uses a set of simple numbers. When it doesn't, you can usually approximate. That means stay clear of tedious calculations. They not only consume too much of your practice time and reduce your speed of solving questions, but also take a toll on your confidence level.

Careless Mistakes

These are the kind of mistakes that make you wanna bang your head against the wall. Don't worry, we’ve all been there. The mistakes that give you the feeling that the solution could have almost been correct if it weren't for it. Unluckily, there's no step marking in GMAT, if you choose the wrong answer then you completely lose marks. Some very common careless mistakes that you can make are:
  • Read too quickly / misread the question: Yes, you're on a time constraint; but reading in a particular pace and not comprehending at the same, can lead to misinterpretation.
  • Solved for the wrong variable / question: This can be a consequence of the above mentioned mistake, or could happen because your inattentiveness.
  • Made an arithmetic error (got the wrong sum, product, etc): you might make a mistake with calculations that were too easy in the first place. This could happen because of lack of practice or constant habit of using a calculator.
  • Performed the wrong operation (multiplied instead of divided) or Skipped a step: Again, a result of inattentiveness.
  • Got it right, but clicked the wrong bubble: this kind of mistakes usually happen when you’re under stress or in a hurry.
  • Forgetting the unique numbers: let's understand this with the help of an example. A quick question; what number should you square to get 25? Your immediate answer would be 5. But you know that's not the only answer to that question. To get till -5 will take a few seconds of thinking. Its very common for people to completely ignore the possibility of such unique numbers and solutions.
To overcome such careless mistakes, you'll need lots and lots of practice. Regulate your speed of reading and solving problems, try not to get distracted and always stay focused, practice calculations in your head if you're used to a calculator and don't stress too much because stressed brain will never get you better results.

Conceptual Mistakes

These are the kind of mistakes that can be completely overcome by diligent practicing. Types of such mistakes are:  
  • didn’t understand what the question was asking
  • didn’t rephrase the right way (or thoroughly enough)
  • didn’t know/remember the rules
  • mixed up rules or applied the wrong rule/formula
These mistakes take time and patience to master over, but it's totally worth it. Afterall, what's better than a dream score? But also, In the end, don't just concentrate on a perfect GMAT score, instead, try going for an overall profile which is competitive in nature.

About Skill Maestro
At Skill Maestro, We guide prospective students about the entire application process as well as suitable universities as per their profile/test scores. We have consulted dozens of prospective students for MIS across the globe. We have a physical presence in Indore where we also help students prepare for GRE, GMAT & SAT Follow Us  on Google+!
©2014. Powered by Blogger.