According to the official website of the GMAT, the exam assesses the test taker’s capacity to assess higher-order reasoning abilities — namely quantitative, verbal, integrated reasoning, and analytical writing. And there is empirical evidence to suggest that the exam accurately projects the success of students in year one of graduate management education.

How you do on the GMAT will play a large role in determining whether you get accepted into business school or you get passed over for candidates deemed to be better qualified.

With so much at stake, you need to practice so that you’re prepared when it’s time to sit down and take the real exam. While you can study for the GMAT independently, you can also enroll in an online GMAT prep course — which is arguably a better option.

Here are the top 5 reasons to enroll in an online GMAT prep course. All of them are important, but number 4 is one you really need to consider before making your choice.

1. Confidence

When you enroll in an online GMAT prep course, you’ll see the same sorts of questions that you’ll find on the actual test, which will give you a good feel for what to expect. So if you put in the time and answer the questions, you’ll ultimately gain confidence. While studying on your own is an option, doing so won’t allow you to simulate what it’s like to actually take the test.

2. Thorough Preparation

An online prep course will thoroughly prepare your for the quantitative, verbal, integrated reasoning, and analytical writing questions that you’ll find on the actual GMAT exam. As you go through the online preparation, you’ll learn which areas you might need to work on. Following a more independent study regimen rather than going with an online prep course will be harder since you’ll be responsible for obtaining the right study materials.

3. Practice Makes Perfect

When you enroll in an online GMAT prep course, you’ll get not only thorough preparation, but also lots of practice. And practice, as the old saying goes, makes perfect. Since the online prep will highlight areas that you may need work on, you can focus more on the sorts of questions that stand to trip you up during the real GMAT exam. The more you do that, the better prepared you’ll be when you sit down to take the test. Simply put, you’ll have an easier time of studying if you enroll in an online GMAT prep course rather than studying independently.

4. Timing Matters

The reason that timing is important is that the real GMAT exam is timed, so your preparation needs to simulate this as much as possible. It will definitely be more difficult to do this if you prepare independently, so sign up for an online GMAT prep course to get a realistic simulation of the actual test. It’ll teach you to monitor how long you take on questions so that you can finish the entire test on time.

5. Discipline

With everything on your plate leading up to the GMAT exam, you might find it hard to figure out just how much time to dedicate to studying. But when you enroll in an online GMAT prep course, you will benefit from a thorough study plan that will allow you to focus on preparing rather than on deciding how much time to dedicate to preparing.

Yes, the GMAT is a high-stakes exam, and you want to take it seriously. In order to really be prepared, you should enroll in an online GMAT prep course. It’ll be money well spent.