Winning requires a good strategy in chess, and the same is true in acing the GMAT. It’s not enough to excel at algebra or geometry or even writing essays. For high scores, mastery of the content is certainly required — but what separates the top performers from the mediocre ones is the applied strategies that make top scorers highly efficient.

What are these strategies? They fall into two categories. One set of strategies involves how business school applicants plan for the GMAT. The second set involves how to take the test. Again, as in chess, the top performers know and use many strategies. Here, we share just a few of these strategies.

Test Prep Strategies

Get to know the exam. Preparing for the test by learning the types of questions, question formats, and the problem-solving process helps test takers answer questions faster and more confidently.

The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test (CAT). Most test takers have not previously taken a CAT, so it’s important to learn to work effectively with both the computer screen and the erasable note boards.

Study effectively. When studying for the test, answer sample questions and do not move on to new questions until you can explain why the correct answer is right and an incorrect answer is wrong. This ensures that test takers understand the underlying concepts and can correctly answer essentially the same problem when it is stated differently on the actual test.

Test takers who want to score in the top percentile need to recognize and practice answering hard questions, because those answers are weighted more heavily than answers to questions of average difficulty. The majority of the questions in most GMAT preparation books are average-level questions. The most efficient way to practice and learn to answer the hard questions is by using test preparation materials that are customized to achieve the highest scores. Read the full story