This post is not meant to elaborate my study plan for GMAT or to provide valuable tips and tricks for the test - there are already excellent posts on such matters - but to draw attention to certain aspects not related to studying, yet significantly contributing to my 780.
When I first started preparing for the GMAT about half a year ago, I wondered how difficult it could be for a 41 year old professional, out of academics for more than 15 years, to cram once again through the tenses, the modifiers, the time and distance problems and the set theory, devoting almost half a day each day to work and then the other half to family. Trust me, the journey was not unpleasant. Isn’t the GMAT test and the associated preparation supposed to be demonic in nature? May be, but here are a few points that I consider will help future test-takers tame the demon, making way for a ‘not so unpleasant GMAT journey’:
1. Set fire to your heart and feel the heat in your stomach:
Yes, you need to feel the heat almost continuously. Prepare as though your life depends on GMAT (yes, it actually does). Clench your teeth and determine that 7xx is what you are destined for; do not hope, decide. “I hope to get 7xx”: no, this thought is weak. “I decide to get 7xx”: yes, this though will take you to 7xx.
2. Stick to your plan:
If you have planned your study schedule, stick to the plan. You may have an important meeting to attend at the office or may have to put in extra hours of work to complete a presentation or to meet a tender submission deadline, or you may have to take your wife for weekly shopping or drop your daughter for the dance class – come what may, do not deviate from your study plan. Make broader plans, weekly or even monthly plans, plans those are easier to stick to than to daily plans; but once your plan is frozen, you must not deviate.
3. Eat brain food, live healthy:
Ban junk food, eat a lot of salt-water fish and a variety of nuts and seeds, and drink a couple of cups of coffee everyday. Exercise vigorously at least 4 days a week and sleep at least seven and a half hour daily. Maintain this routine throughout your preparation stage.
4. Breath right:
Conscious breathing helps improve concentration – practice paced breathing whenever you become conscious that you are not practicing and continue practicing till you are no longer conscious that you are practicing. Determine a pace suitable for yourself – I used to practice on ‘Inhale 4 second – Hold 2 second – Exhale 6 second – Hold 2 second’ cycle, about 4.3 breaths per minute. I was using an android app by the name ‘paced breathing’ to help me with the timing: whenever possible I had my earphones on with the paced breathing app running on my phone.
5. Take many, many mock tests:
The scoring system in GMAT prep tests and Veritas prep tests seems to correlate more closely with that in the real GMAT than the scoring system in the Manhattan tests does. The Manhattan tests gave me much lower scores, but those tests were very useful in keeping me on my toes. Whenever I became a bit complacent scoring a 750+ in a GMATprep test , a 700 in a Manhattan test tightened me up . My mock test scores are as below:
GMAT prep 1 750 50 42
GMAT prep 2 770 50 47
Veritas Prep 1 720 50 39
Manhattan 1 680 46 37
Kaplan free 760 97 percentile 97 percentile
Veritas prep 2 760 49 46
Manhattan 2 690 45 39
Veritas prep 3 750 51 42
Manhattan 3 690 46 38
Veritas Prep 4 740 49 43
Manhattan 4 720 46 42
Veritas Prep 5 770 51 45
Manhattan 5 760 51 42
Veritas Prep 6 800 51 51
Veritas Prep 7 760 51 43
GMAT prep 3 760 50 40
Manhattan 6 720 48 40
GMAT prep 4 770 51 45
Manhattan 1A 710 47 40
GMAT prep 1R 790 51 51
Manhattan 2A 700 46 40
(A note on Manhattan tests pricing: I do not consider it wise spending $50 for the Manhattan tests; these tests come free with purchase of any of its test prep books. I purchased an IR book for $26 and got all these tests in addition to an online IR question bank. I still do not understand the reason that Manhattan fixed such pricing.)
6. Eat a lot of energy food on the test day:
I had 8 Granola bars, 2 bananas and a 500 ml bottle of Gatorade for breakfast. During each break, I had 2 granola bars and half a bottle Gatorade, even though I did not feel hungry. I do not know how caffeine works since I did not have caffeine on the test day.
7. Spend money on quality material:
Buy the exam pack 1 (test 3 and 4) and question bank 1 of GMAT prep. Buy the IR prep book from Manhattan, allowing you access to its mock tests. Buy the Veritas prep tests. I also purchased a
Magoosh test prep course.
8. Don’t let your nerves take over during the test:
Into the 30th question in the quantitative section, my computer screen went blank!!! There was utter darkness, on the screen, and in my mind!!! I realized that I inadvertently touched the power button of the monitor while carrying out calculations on the scratchpad. I lost about 20 seconds, perhaps costing me one additional error in the quant section. However, now I have a valid consolation that I could not break the 51 threshold in quant section because of that 20-second black-out, even though my success rate in reaching Q51 in the mock tests was only 1 to 3.
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28 Dec 2014, 00:57
Thank you
