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GMAT Vocabulary 2023: Word List, Strategies, Books

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Rituparna Nath

Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams | Updated On - Apr 5, 2023

A strong GMAT vocabulary helps you deal with reading comprehension and sentence correction questions. GMAT does not test your vocabulary directly. It will test your ability to understand written passages, rules of grammar, and your ability to reason and think logically.

GMAT Vocabulary List That You Must know

GMAT Vocabulary words helps you ace the GMAT grammar test in the Verbal section. Here is the GMAT vocabulary list 2021 with explanations to help you understand and prepare for GMAT:

GMAT Words Explanation
Analyze: To examine a passage or argument, in the context of the GMAT and break it down into its constituent parts; to inspect in detail.
Assertion: A statement, usually backed up by some kind of solid proof or reasoning. Synonyms include ‘claim’ and ‘contention.’
Assumption: The underlying reasoning of an argument. ‘Premise’ is a synonym. You’ll be asked about the assumptions of various arguments frequently in Critical Reasoning questions in the GMAT Verbal section.
Cite: To refer back to your source or reasoning.
Claim: An assertion, argument, or statement.
Contention: Can mean a conflict or clash. In the context of the GMAT, usually refers to an argument or assertion, especially a controversial one. The verb form is ‘to contend.’
Corroborate: To support or validate an existing opinion, belief, or argument. Other synonyms include ‘verify’ and ‘confirm.’ Often used in the phrase ‘corroborating evidence.’
Faulty: Some Critical Reasoning questions may ask you if or how an argument is faulty. Faulty is a synonym for ‘flawed’ or ‘invalid.’
Imply: To imply is to suggest based on evidence (but not state explicitly).
Infer/Inference: To infer is to conclude based on given evidence/information.
Maintain: In the context of the GMAT, ‘maintain’ means to argue, assert, or contend, particularly repeatedly or after opposition.
Mitigate: To lessen, diminish, or render less extreme or severe. Often used in the phrase ‘mitigating circumstances,’ which refers to circumstances that make a crime more understandable but don’t entirely exonerate someone of his/her crime.
Paradox: This is common in GMAT Critical Reasoning questions in the Verbal section. A paradox is something that is seemingly contradictory or doesn’t make sense or two facts that don’t seem to coexist logically.
Posit: To posit is to present an argument or hypothesis about something that is currently unknown or uncertain.
Premise: A premise is a statement upon which an argument or theory is based.
Redundancy: ‘Redundancy’ refers to something (a word, phrase, or piece of information) that’s repetitive and thus meaningless or unnecessary.
Sufficient: ‘Sufficient,’ in the context of the GMAT, means ‘enough on its own.’
Undermine: To weaken or invalidate (usually an argument, in the context of the GMAT).
Validate: Often used interchangeably with ‘corroborate.
Warranted: ‘Warranted’ means justified, deserved, or necessary.

GMAT Vocab Strategies

Here are few strategies to improve your GMAT vocabulary.

Reading: A proper GMAT vocabulary practice will involve reading from Economist, Popular Science, Psychology Today, New York Times, and more. Understanding your reading level, attaching the words to your mind or emotional level will help many candidates to stick them in their minds. There are numerous reading level assessments available online which will be very helpful. Not only these will help in remembering and making your own GMAT word list but will also help in understanding the different kinds of vocabulary used by the other writers.

Exercising with real questions: Always practice with real questions. Breaking down the questions and then asking how it was different from the previous one will help you in solving them. When you start thinking backward, it is then you realize what went wrong in the GMAT vocabulary.

Curating your own vocabulary words: While you are making use of the GMAT vocabulary tests, make sure to note down the vocabulary somewhere and make GMAT vocabulary flashcards. This list is going to be very helpful while giving the exam, especially if you are a non-native English speaker or fighting with the GMAT english words every day.

Evaluate the meaning from the text: By this we mean, figuring out the meanings from the text while reading it. While you are reading the passage, there will be new words that you will be getting. There are possibilities that you understand the meaning from the flow of the sentence and the answer might be correct. Try and learn the most commonly used GMAT vocabulary words, then move on to defining their meanings in the content easily.

Acing the flashcards: The GMAT vocabulary flashcards are quite helpful ones. Though they are not the solution for all, test takers can make them interesting by putting sentences by using the unique word rather than simply writing the word on one side and the meaning on the other. When the word appears on the questions, they will be able to decode them by remembering the sentence that they read.

Taking the word game outside: getting out of your comfort zone and playing with new words will result in faster learning along with learning new words.

GMAT Vocabulary Books 

To learn GMAT vocab you can go through the few GMAT Books to ensure high scores.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

Ask your question

Answered Questions

BS

Bhavya Singh

18 Mar 21

Several factors affect the chance of a candidate getting a seat in ISB Hyderabad. Not only the GMAT score, but also the application profile, essays, and performance in the interview combined together decides whether a candidate should get a seat or not in such an elite institute. The points listed below are some important aspects to consider for admission to such institutes.

  • There is no fixed cut-off for ISB Hyderabad, as declared by the institute. There are examples of people with a GMAT score of 720 not getting a seat from the interviews. On the other hand, there are candidates with a score of 700-710 but are successful in getting a seat in ISB Hyderabad.
  • GMAT score is not the only criteria for getting a seat, but the door to get an interview call. The quality of essays written by the candidate, his/her application/ profile, and the performance in the interviews are also considered.
  • For candidates with an average profile, a GMAT score of 720+, along with a complete application and a good essay can be considered to have high chances to receive an interview call. After having a call, the rest depends on how the candidate will perform in his/her interview.

This is the overall scenario for admission in ISB Hyderabad, for a student with an average profile.


MN

Mahak Nigam

30 Jun 22

More than 140 Business Schools in India accept GMAT scores. Here is a list of popular B-School that accept GMAT scores.

IIM Ahmedabad (PGPX) IIM Bangalore (EPGP) IIM Calcutta (PGPEx)
IIM Indore (EPGP) IIM Kozhikode (EPGP) IIM Lucknow (IPMAX)
XLRI Jamshedpur MDI Gurgaon IMT Ghaziabad
IIFT Delhi FMS Deli ISB Hyderabad/Mohali

Many other reputed B-School across the country also accept GMAT scores.


AV

Arvind Verma

30 Jun 22

ISB Hyderabad accepts both examination scores. So, you can opt for either of GMAT or GRE. Your chances of selection or rejection will remain the same. Go through the examination pattern and syllabus and choose the one in which you feel that you will be able to score better. Ultimately having a good score is what matters during admission. As per the recent trends, ISB Hyderabad cutoff for GMAT is 600, while for GRE it is 311. 


AS

Aditi Sen

12 May 21

There are many business schools in India that require GMAT scores at the time of admission.

Some of the top business schools with requiring GMAT scores in India are:

Institute Name

GMAT Score

ISB, Hyderabad & Mohali

730 or higher

S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai

550

IIM Ahmedabad

711

School of Management, NMIMS Mumbai

600

IIM Bangalore

710

Great Lakes Institute of Management

600

IIM Calcutta

701

XLRI Jamshedpur

710

IIM Lucknow

680

IMT (All campuses)

720

IIM Indore

700

ICFAI Business School (Hyderabad & Mumbai)

700

IIM Kozhikode

700

A few other institutes include - MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, Sunstone Business School Noida, ISB Indore, and more.