Kurt, how did you do?

Hi Kurt,

Your optimism is contagious! I would love to hit that score range too. Would you mind sharing your study plan with me?

I have already gone thru the Kaplan GMAT/GRE math workbook and GMAT 800, now going thru the Official Guide... and I ordered the Nova GMAT book.

I also used Kaplan for studing GMAT. I used the flashcard book. I won't say it's not useful, but it's not the ultimate guide for preparing GMAT. The Kaplan flashcards are a good start to prepare GMAT because it's easier ( flashcards are fun!!!) and the questions are repetative which allows you to remember easily.

Please...PLEASE....do yourself a favor and order the MGMAT books. They are truly fabulous and helped me get over the GMAT hump.

Manhattan breaks down the basics a hundred times better than Kaplan does, while the OG doesn't really attempt to teach you anything.

Thanks! I was disappointed in the preparation from Kaplan. (No surprise there, it seems a lot of folks report the same results in using Kaplan materials or CATs alone.) I will look into the Kaplan flashcards, although I made a number of flashcards myself - about 4 inches thick!

I hear amazing things about the MGMAT Sentence Correction, but the reviews for the other books in the series are more lukewarm (Amazon.com). Can anyone vouch for the best ones in the series, or all they all great?

How much time would you recommend for a 150+ score increase before burnout and diminishing returns?

(given a new job and 2 classes in stats & org behavior... I am trying to get into a One Year MBA program)

Many thanks in advance for the support and advice.

Hi,

Same here. I got a mere 540 in my first attempt last year. Now I am back with a target of highest score. I will be taking the test in 2 months time frame.

I am positive that it is possble with good strategy, practice.

Keep it up and good luck

RC Reddy

I can only speak from personal experience, but I raised my quant from a 39 on my 1st test and 34 on my 2nd test to a 49 on my 3rd test.

I only bought the 5 quant books, didn't mess with the verbal ones.

It's hard to give an exact timetable on how long it would take you to raise your score significantly. Only you will know when you are truly ready, and not just fooling yourself because you want to get the test over with.

Good luck!

I think a very important preparation tip for first time GMAT takers is: prepare at your BEST for the first time. On your first time, you should treat the exam as once only without re-taking. Give yourself enough time from 2 months to 4 months. Get enough good books. Allocate enough time to study and practice and really focus yourself onto it. It is not wise to screw up the first time because you didn't put effort or didn't have enough time. If you know you do not have enough time, it is even better not to take it until you have.

But for those who did not do very well for the first time, it is worth to do it the second time, but make sure you really put the GMAT at a high priority, and treat it as the last chance. Personally I do not like the idea of trying it for several times for a high score because I did not treat the GMAT as important previously.
The GMAT is kind enough for us to have multiple tries, but don't mis-use it.