CHAPTER 3
Before taking this pretest, find a quiet place where you can work without interruptions for a little over 2.5 hours. Make sure you have a comfortable desk, scratch paper, and something to write with. Be prepared to time yourself. You may take an 8-minute break between the sections.
This is not a full-length practice GMAT. Rather, this pretest comprises the two multiple-choice sections on the GMAT: the Quantitative and Verbal sections. These are the two sections that determine your 200–800 score, which is the most important score for business school admissions. (We have not included the Analytical Writing or Integrated Reasoning sections on this pretest, as we believe it is a better use of your time to first learn about and practice these question types in the relevant chapters of this book. You will have the opportunity to practice the Analytical Writing and Integrated Reasoning sections as part of full-length practice tests in your online resources.)
This pretest is designed to accurately reflect the question types and content of the GMAT Quantitative and Verbal sections. The most important benefits you’ll get from taking this test are familiarity with the test content and the ability to assess your strengths and areas of opportunity. As you review this test, take note of the question types and topics that gave you the most trouble so that you can prioritize your studies in those areas for the maximum score improvement.
Since this pretest is not adaptive, it cannot be used to estimate your ability level. To get an estimate of your current score, as well as to experience the online test interface, take the Diagnostic Test in your online resources at kaptest.com/login. (If you have not yet registered your book, go to kaptest.com/booksonline to do so.) As you learn the Kaplan Methods and strategies taught in this book, take more full-length computer-adaptive tests in your online resources to gauge your progress.
To make it easier to check your answers, use the answer sheet that follows to record your responses to the questions. You’ll find the answer key and explanations in the chapter following the test. As is the case throughout this book, answer choices are referred to as (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E), even though the test questions are formatted as you’ll see them on Test Day: preceded by ovals, not letters.
Since the computer-adaptive GMAT does not allow test takers to skip questions or answer questions out of order, you can emulate that experience on this paper pretest by answering each question in order, guessing where necessary, and not going back to check your work on previous questions.
Good luck!