To begin with a disclaimer : This post is based on my own experience of preparing for the GMAT. I understand that not everyone thinks the same way. So for you the methods could be quite different, but I hope you find something of interest in this post
.
The BeginningI am the kind of person who does not work well without deadlines. After thinking about preparing for GMAT for a month and doing nothing about it, the first thing I did was to take an exam date.
How much time do you require to prepare for the exam will vary from person to person. In my opinion all the material takes about a month and half to go over and then it is just about practice, practice and practice !!! All in all a solid two months should suffice. (
my take on the prep time)
I didn’t even have enough patience to do that. So I started giving practice tests after two weeks of preparation. So for all those of you who have the tendency to procrastinate things indefinitely … Take a GMAT date and then start preparing.
PreparationThe first thing that people do when they think of giving the GMAT is to start collecting study material. The course content for GMAT is very simple, it is the kind of questions that makes it a tough nut to crack. So more than the reference material, you need the practice material.
For me the Math Review section in the GMAT Prep Tests software was enough to review the basic concepts in maths and start cracking the questions. You can go through the Manhattan Math review books, if you really need help. Verbal is a different story altogether (especially for non-native speakers like me). You need to e aware of the rules to start attempting the SC problems, need to develop a GMAT way of thinking to crack CR problems, and will have to start reading to get through the RCs. I reckon the Manhattan Review SC book does come in real handy to learn the SC rules. The CR and RC can be improved by practice.
So my list of study material would include :
1. OG12 (or the latest version)
2. GMAT Prep software (the MATH review section)
3. Manhattan Review Sentence Correction
optional.
OG 2 Verbal (for further practice in verbal)
optional. Manhattan Review guides for Maths
Study Plan
1. Start approximately 60 days in advance.
2. You can get access to a whole lot of Free Mock Tests on the web :
Kaplan GMAT Test
Knewton GMAT Test
Manhattan GMAT Test
Princeton Review GMAT Test
Veritas Prep GMAT Test
Plus you can get access to all 6
MGMAT tests if you buy the Manhattan SC book. Plan to give mock tests on all weekends leading up to the test.
3. Develop interest in the test – If you are good with verbal, start with verbal. If you are good in Maths start with Quant. But develop an interest in the test. If preparing for the GMAT becomes a grind from the first day. You are not going to last long
.
4. Start reviewing sections (no particular order, go by your interests). Once you have reviewed a section, solve corresponding problems in
OG.
5. Download an
OG Error log (These ones here are nice). Solve
OG problems daily and keep track of your errors. Once you have finished the
OG, use the
error log to work on your weaker sections.
6. Plan to finish reviewing all sections within a time-frame of six weeks. If you let it stretch, the preparation can go on for ever. Therefore, make goals and deadlines and stick to them.
7. Subscribe to GMAT Club question of the Day
here. It is a fun way to be regular during your preparations. I used to solve the two problems that come daily via email just after lunch at my office.
Problem SolvingI had no real trouble in this section. So not many tips to share. Just remember that concepts behind the problems are very simple. These are not abstract equations you have to derive. The solutions are always simple.
Never make any question an ego-issue. If you haven’t been able to solve a question for 4 minutes, don’t just keep going hammer and tongs at it. Guess ! even if you get it wrong the next question will be simpler. If you waste your time you are risking getting a lot of questions wrong at the of the test.
Data SufficiencyI tried to form an equation as I read the problem statement. This would give me an idea of how many variables are there, and what information I need to solve the question. Sometimes it worked, sometimes didn’t. Just another approach
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Sentence CorrectionMost difficult section to master for me. Read a lot and a lot and a lot. Basically, if you are lucky there will be more than one rules separating the correct answer from the wrong ones. Normally, one rule (the easier one) would get you down to two choices, and both would seem equally possible. There are rules to separate them of course, but if you don’t know them just hope that this is your lucky day
.
Critical ReasoningPractice, Practice, Practice !!! If you solve enough problems, you would start realizing the GMAT way of thinking and CR would become a piece of cake. There is no substitute for practice here. No matter how plausible your answer seems to you, if GMAT says it is wrong, it is wrong.
Reading ComprehensionI love reading, and this was perhaps the easiest section for me. You have to get used to reading, and the mock tests will help you a lot in this regard. The reading stamina slowly build up. So do not panic if you eyes become bleary and brain freezes on those long RCs. Steadily your mind will adjust, just keep at it.
Mock Test PhaseWhen you feel you have covered enough subjects to be confident in your ability to hold your own in the GMAT, give the GMAT Prep 1 test. Try and replicate exam conditions, and sitting for the exam for the full 75 minutes of both sections. Whatever your score is, don’t get disheartened. This test was just a reality check. We now know, the things you are good at and not so good at. Try to improve your score by practicing questions from your weakest sections.
The next time you give a Mock test, write the two Analysis essays as well. The actual GMAT is 4 hour and not 3 hour. The first hour you spend writing the essays will drain you. In the majority of the cases, when people feel that they were performing well in the mocks but couldn’t replicate the scores in GMAT, the problem is that their mind was only trained to be sharp for 3 hours straight. That is when you are at the start of your Verbal section in your actual GMAT. And then the score just tapers off. Make it a habit to write the Analysis essays in all the mocks.
Plan to give the GMAT Prep 2 a couple of days before the GMAT (or as close as you feel comfortable). This should be your indicator for the performance in actual GMAT. If the score is still bad, do not panic. Analyze your GMAT Prep 2 performance. Identify the questions you got wrong, identify the patterns. Did you get consecutive questions wrong at the end of section ? Then make sure your concentration is higher in the actual GMAT. Did you perform weakly in CR ? Spend extra time in GMAT on questions from this section. Make such strategies for the exam day for yourself.
D-DayJust remember pace yourself in the GMAT. You would be charged up when you reach the exam center. Normally your brain would be in peak performance mode. Don’t waste this. Remember you have to write those two 30 minutes essays. Stay calm when you enter the center, and try to psyche yourself up for the test as you go along. You should hit the peak performance level at the start of Quant, not the essays.
Hope I am able to help at least a little. Happy GMATting
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09 Jun 2011, 11:56
. Finally a guy walked in at 8:30 and told me that I had to wait outside as they had to clean the premises. Cue ... it started raining!!! Had to wait outside under an overhanging roof to save myself from the rain, for a good 15 minutes before I was allowed to enter.
