MBA Center Global 
Kevin Armstrong
We recently had the opportunity to have a conversation with the GMAT expert and owner of Gmatclasses, Kevin Armstrong. With 18 years of experience, here are a few essential things that he told us about the GMAT that every candidate should know before taking it!
What things should a candidate take into consideration while preparing for the GMAT?
Kevin: A candidate must be realistic regarding the time frame. It's challenging to get ready for the GMAT in a matter of weeks, especially when you're combining the GMAT with your full-time job. Many of my students are working or studying, and it takes about three months on average to go from the very beginning until they do the exam.
How much time does a candidate take for the whole preparation?
Kevin: It depends on what they are looking for and how good you are. Students of mine who get a score of 700 or more, dedicate around 200 hours to the GMAT.
How important is the GMAT in the admission process? How important is it to have a good GMAT score?
Kevin: It's important to be within the middle 80% range of the schools they are applying to. For example, at Harvard Business School, 80 % of the people accepted have GMAT scores between 640-770. If you have a lower score than that, you must have other compelling qualities to compensate for the low GMAT score.
What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to take the GMAT?
Kevin: You should make sure that you master the theory and the technique behind the different question types before doing too many practice questions. It's ok to spend 20-30 minutes analyzing your question to make sure that you understand it so that if you have a similar question, you know what to do. You need to investigate precisely how to make those calculations as efficiently as possible.
When you practice exams, remember that your score doesn't improve by doing practice exams, it is what you do between the practice exams that matters!
Also read: GMAT Scores Soaring at Top BSchools
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