![\"GMAT](\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2020\/03\/mprep-blogimages-wave1-52-4-e1583441001222.png\")
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While you study for the GMAT, you should take a practice test every 1-3 weeks. Here\u2019s how to get started and how to get more out of every GMAT practice test you take.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can take either an official practice test <\/span>from the same folks who write the GMAT<\/span><\/a>, or a third-party test, <\/span>like the ones we\u2019ve written here at Manhattan Prep<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n An official GMATPrep practice test is the closest you\u2019re going to get to the real test-day experience. The test looks and feels like the real thing, and the questions are official (albeit retired) ones. The GMAC hasn\u2019t revealed whether its practice tests use the same scoring algorithm as the real GMAT; however, at the very least, they were created by the same organization and should ostensibly be similar.<\/span><\/p>\n The downside to the official practice tests is that it\u2019s harder to learn from them afterwards. The problem explanations are weak to nonexistent, and they don\u2019t give you as much data to analyze as many third-party practice tests. That doesn\u2019t mean you <\/span>can\u2019t<\/span><\/i> effectively review a GMATPrep test! It just means that the analysis won\u2019t be at your fingertips instantly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For that reason, I recommend taking third-party practice tests during most of your GMAT study process, in order to really dig into the results and analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Then, take a couple of official practice tests in the weeks prior to test day, with your final practice test being a GMATPrep test one week before the real thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This question can mean two different things:<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m obviously biased, but I can vouch for the MPrep practice tests as a study tool without hesitation. Check out this series of articles, in which GMAT instructor Stacey Koprince goes over <\/span>the many useful things you can do with your MPrep practice test results<\/span><\/a>. Anecdotally, I\u2019ve heard that our Quant section feels a little harder than the real GMAT (although not every student I\u2019ve discussed this with agrees!). From a study skills perspective, that isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing: if you can train for a marathon wearing heavy jogging shoes, you\u2019ll feel awesome when you\u2019re wearing your ultra-light racing flats on race day!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The second question is harder to answer. It\u2019s really tough to get good data about whether any practice test accurately predicts scores. Various people have tried to compile this data, but only the GMAC has access to both the official score data and the practice test data that you\u2019d need to do a full analysis. As far as I can tell, they haven\u2019t revealed it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even if the data were to show that a practice test gave inaccurate scores, there are a number of complicating factors: the test day environment is different from the practice test environment, and this affects people in different ways. A test that gives inflated scores on average may or may not do the same in your specific case. For more, see this article on <\/span>why your official score might be lower than your practice scores<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I recommend that you use your practice test scores primarily to track trends, test different approaches (like doing the sections in a different order), and get a very broad sense of whether you\u2019re likely to score in your goal range. That\u2019s really all you <\/span>need<\/span><\/i> to know before test day, even if it might be nice to have a perfect prediction of your score! If you\u2019ve just scored a 700 on any reputable practice GMAT, you <\/span>definitely<\/span><\/i> have the skills to earn a 700 on test day. If you score a 640 when you start with Verbal and a 710 when you start with Quant, you should probably start with Quant on test day, even if you don\u2019t end up scoring exactly 710.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t dive into your practice test immediately. Prepare your environment first.<\/span><\/p>\n Make certain that you won\u2019t be interrupted while taking your practice GMAT. Sit at a desk or table in a quiet, unstimulating room. (If you plan to wear the provided headphones or earplugs on test day, do so during your practice test as well.) Prepare a snack and a drink to have during your break; otherwise, don\u2019t eat or drink while taking the practice test. Put your phone and electronics, other than the computer you\u2019re using for the test, out of the way. And close any other programs running on that computer so you won\u2019t be distracted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re taking a Manhattan Prep course, you should have already received a \u201cyellow pad\u201d that\u2019s just like the one you\u2019ll take notes on during test day. Use it while you take your practice test! If you\u2019re not taking a course, you can also purchase the yellow pad here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before you begin, take a few minutes to quietly reflect on your goals for the practice test. Articulate two or three <\/span>SMART goals<\/span><\/a>. By the way, achieving a specific score isn\u2019t a SMART goal, since it isn\u2019t \u201cattainable\u201d: you only directly control your choices and your behavior, not your score. Focus on what you\u2019ll actually do during the practice test, not on the results. For instance, you might want to <\/span>guess on more problem<\/span><\/a>s or <\/span>use timing benchmarks<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n If your main goal is to estimate your score, then <\/span>take the whole test realistically<\/b>. Back in the day, when the essays and IR section always came first, that included taking those two sections to simulate the fatigue you\u2019d feel on test day. Nowadays, since you can do those sections at the end of the test, you don\u2019t necessarily have to do them on every practice test. (Do them at least once or twice before test day, though, so you know what you\u2019re doing before you get there!) No matter what, definitely take both the Quant and Verbal sections, and take them using only the amount of time you\u2019ll be allotted on test day. Do your best to finish each section in its entirety. Don\u2019t pause the test, extend your break time, or take any additional breaks. That\u2019s how you\u2019ll get the best possible estimate of your real GMAT score.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If your main goal is to practice test-taking skills, a practice test may not even be what you need! If what you really need is to work on Sentence Correction, only a third of the Verbal section will really be helpful: the rest might be a waste of your time and a waste of a practice test. Practice tests are valuable, but be clear about what they\u2019ll actually help you practice: when you take one, you\u2019re working on staying alert and attentive, managing boredom, fatigue, and anxiety, and switching quickly between different topics and concepts. Those are important skills to practice, but they aren\u2019t the only skills you need to ace the GMAT.<\/span><\/p>\n After you finish a practice test, take a break: you\u2019ve earned it. A practice test produces mental, and even physical, fatigue. Don\u2019t beat yourself up over the score if it isn\u2019t what you hoped for. A score on a practice test, whether good or bad, is valuable data that will help you decide where to go next.<\/span><\/p>\n In a day or two, it\u2019s time to start reviewing! In the meantime, here\u2019s some guidance on how to do a fantastic job of reviewing GMAT problems. If you take each practice test effectively, and review it effectively, you can expect to learn a lot from each one you take.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tips for reviewing GMAT practice problems:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n You can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free! We\u2019re not kidding. <\/i><\/b>Check out our upcoming courses here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While you study for the GMAT, you should take a practice test every 1-3 weeks. Here\u2019s how to get started and how to get more out of every GMAT practice test you take.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[929],"tags":[306,57674,57610],"yst_prominent_words":[53635,53821,55446,53632,57667,53778,57670,57665,56516,54365,54068,53644,57673,53630,53640,57671,55476,53638,57666,57664],"class_list":["post-18692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat-prep","tag-gmat-practice-test","tag-how-to-take-a-gmat-practice-test","tag-prepare-for-the-gmat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18692"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19253,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18692\/revisions\/19253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18692"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=18692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Which GMAT practice test should you take?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Which GMAT practice tests are the best?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Your GMAT practice test-taking environment matters<\/b><\/h3>\n
How to take a GMAT practice test<\/b><\/h3>\n
What to do after your GMAT practice test<\/b><\/h3>\n
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\n![\"Chelsey](\"https:\/\/cdn2.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2015\/11\/chelsey-cooley-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Chelsey")
<\/a>Chelsey Cooley<\/a>\u00a0is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Seattle, Washington.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/i><\/b>Chelsey always followed her heart when it came to her education. Luckily, her heart led her straight to the perfect background for GMAT and GRE teaching: she has undergraduate degrees in mathematics and history, a master\u2019s degree in linguistics, a 790 on the GMAT, and a perfect 170Q\/170V on the GRE. Check out Chelsey\u2019s upcoming GMAT prep offerings here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/i><\/p>\n