Anisha has done MBA in Marketing from NMIMS And Executive Management(PMNO) from Harvard Business School. She has been instrumental in growing CATKing Digital with her experience with Marico and Henkel in the past.
NMAT is the first step to getting admitted to any MBA full-time course at NMIMS Mumbai (and PGDM courses at NMIMS Navi Mumbai, Hyderabad & Bengaluru). There are other schools, that accept the NMAT score for admission as well. NMIMS is, however, a premier B-school that every NMAT aspirants target to get it; hence the competition becomes very intense, but like anything else, it is not impossible.
How do we prepare for NMAT? What are the top 10 tips to crack NMAT:
These 10 tips have been created by actual NMAT toppers and alumni who know exactly how to crack NMAT and how one can easily get that call from NMIMS:
1) Focus on your Basic concepts:
This is the first and foremost thing you should be doing while preparing for NMAT. Since it’s a test of efficiency, to ensure concept clarity on fundamental formulae and number operations, begin with basics such as LCM and HCF, odd and even, prime numbers. Once this is done, move to advanced concepts. Make sure that you revisit every topic even if you feel that you have covered them before. Don’t skip any topic, you never know what might come up in the paper. Most questions that come in NMAT are based on basic concepts themselves, so ensure that you are extremely well prepared with your basics.
2) Sharpen your mental calculation:
Since NMAT is a speed-based test, you need to get familiar with multiplication tables, squares, cubes, common fractions, and their percentage equivalents. This helps you tremendously to save time and quickly attempt all questions. Mental calculations will be very effective in both NMAT Quants and DI. You can especially perform well in DI because most of the questions are easy but calculation intensive. Hence, if you quickly solve the numbers mentally, you can definitely, score higher.
Watch this video to learn the shortcuts and tips on how to save time in DI and Quants.
3) Focus equally on all the sections:
A lot of candidates tend to neglect Logical reasoning, often considering it as ‘easy’ and ‘manageable’. However, once they attempt the exam, they realize that they have lost a lot of marks just because they didn’t get enough practice! Don’t skip out on practicing LR daily, it’s your only way out. Logical Reasoning in NMAT has a mix of a variety of questions, and you need some prior practice to solve them all quickly and accurately. You cannot develop a skill for it overnight, so keep practicing.
In Quantitative Skills, Data Interpretation & DS There are 36 questions to be attempted in 52 minutes which brings down to 1.5 minutes per question in this section.
It also consists of data sufficiency and data interpretation sets. There are 4 main important areas in this section – Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Modern maths. In Language Skills (or Verbal Ability) To increase efficiency in the verbal ability section, you need to increase your comprehension skills for which you need to acknowledge and appreciate the contextual usage of words. One of the best ways to do this is by reading editorials (of newspapers) regularly.
4) Make a habit of reading editorials every day
5) For vocabulary, Prepare a word list:
It has been observed that NMAT’s verbal section focuses on a lot of vocabulary-related questions. Such as synonyms, antonyms, and analogies. Make a list of at least 10 words every day and keep revising them. Include the words that have come in previous papers in NMAT, since they tend to repeat a lot of words. Try to not just learn the word, but use it in a sentence also, since you may get fill-ups based on it.
6) Learn shortcuts and tricks to solving questions:
To optimize your time, speed, and accuracy, you have to learn shortcuts and tricks for all sections. A lot of these are available on the net for free. In Quants, you can learn the tricks to solve questions in Numbers, allegation, and mixtures, SI & CI Time distance speed, etc. which are very frequently asked. In Logic, learn how to solve some typical coding & sequencing questions. They take up a lot of time, but if you have a method prepared it will help a lot. In RC, first, go through all the questions and read the passage and in the first read itself make small notes of important points in the passage. You can also use the technique of eliminating the least likely option first and then choosing the right answer. All these tricks can help you score well.
7) Give mocks :
NMAT Mocks should become your best friends during these 3 -4 months of your preparation phase. It becomes imperative for you to practice via mocks, both overall and section-wise, to excel in the test. Time management and prioritization are two integral capabilities that come handy in any entrance exam, and you can learn this only when you give mocks!
You can follow a common strategy i.e. solve mocks once a week 3-4 months before the exam, twice a day 2 months before the exam, and once every two days with one month left for the exam. The two days are allocated for each mock so that one day you attempt it and the next entire day is invested in an in-depth analysis of the mock. This is a more crucial step than giving the mock, since only then would you be able to identify and improve your mistakes.
8) Choose your sections wisely:
While giving the test, the first section to be attempted should either be a section that tests your strengths, or a section that demands higher concentration as compared to others. For example: If quants if your strength, attempt it first. If you need more concentration on language section you can give it second, and finally attempt logic. This is just an example of how you should think while selecting your sequence. Everyone is different, so prepare your strategy. Playing by your strengths gives you a confident start that helps in the successful gradual advancement in the test.
9) Attempt questions strategically:
Since there is no negative marking in the test, the best way to maximize your score would be to attempt what you know first and then make an assumption and mark the rest in whatever time is left. It is not advisable to leave any questions unanswered/unmarked. Every mark counts and if you want to target 240+, optimize your correct attempts. And in the last one minute, mark whatever is left out, go back to them. and keep solving till the time runs out.
10) Give multiple attempts:
Unlike other MBA exams which are conducted only once every year, NMAT by GMAC can be attempted 3 times per year (first attempt plus 2 retake attempts) including no show. You need to keep a gap of at least 15 days between two successive attempts. This is an advantage you can tap because the colleges would consider the best score out of the three attempts.
We recommend that you at least take two attempts in NMAT. If you are not satisfied with your performance, you should attempt all three. The first attempt of NMAT takes place very early in September end or October. So it might be that you are not well prepared to give the exam. Once you prepare all around for the next 2-3 months, your chances of getting a higher score will go up. So, definitely give this a thought.
Overall, this test is created to test your management skills, hence act as a manager when you sit for it. Prepare well by practicing every day, manage time among questions in each section. Do not let ego overpower your rational while allotting time to each question. Lastly, stay calm and give it your best shot, nothing can stop you from getting that call! I hope you found these 10 tips to crack NMAT helpful.
