Dawgie wrote:
Holy crap, WELL DONE Vince, keep up the good work to solidify that 700! Give more tips!
OK, I guess my tips and strategies have been a bit sparse so far. Really, I am of the belief that each individual finds the course that works best for them so what I'm doing is likely not what would work for someone else. So here is my work to date:
1. The first thing I did was research the heck out of what books and materials I wanted. I based my final decision on not only the opinions of people on here but also on my goals. As I read on this forum, if I were content with an average score, I could have gone with a simpler and straightforward set of guides. As my goal is to hit 700+, I went with the toughest, hardest, roughest set out there. Better to get burned now while studying then burned on the test day!
2. A nice example of getting burned now would be my first practice test where I absolutely bombed it with a 420. It is good to know where you are starting from. In this case, I am able to see my growth over time, which helps keep me engaged in the process.
3. As for my purchases, I bought all 8
MGMAT books. I also have the GMAT Verbal, GMAT Quant, and
OG 12th for their questions. In addition, I have bought the 11th Edition (super cheap and more on why I bought it later).
4. After reading on here, as well as other forums, I jumped right into the
MGMAT books, starting with volume 1 and working through them. I'll admit I was working fast but I find that it works for me. I absorb a lot and am also able to connect ideas and concepts from different volumes more easily when there isn't a huge gap in the studies.
5. I have taken 3 tests so far. The results are:
GMATprep 7/22/10: 420 (Didn't record breakdown and erased that sucker!)
GMATprep 8/5/10: 590 (Q36, V35)
MGMAT #1 8/10/10: 710 (Q45, V41)
6. I'd say the quick progression in score is from a number of factors. First, some of the material is really just relearning old things I have forgotten. I know there are definitely some math concepts I have NEVER touched, but the verbal concepts aren't new to me. Still, it has been well over a decade since I studied them. Also, I am a voracious reader and that helps a lot (as well as being a native speaker of course). In addition to the relearning process, I have tackled this like a madman and have been studying a lot.
7. As for the tests so far, I am already seeing a pattern in the questions. This has helped a lot in DS as well as Verbal. One of my few inherent strengths is pattern recognition, which helps a ton in some situations (this luckily being one of those situations). I know this isn't news to anyone, but practice is the key. Concepts are fundamental of course, but so is learning the patterns of the questions. Some answers hinge on such stupid little minutia that any edge, even from recognizing the patterns of the GMAT tricks, helps a lot.
OK, I think that's all for now. I am still very new to the whole process. I have only been studying a few weeks so I'm definitely not an expert like some of the posters on here. What I am is very motivated and stubborn. Also, I love to help others (I used to be a teacher after all) so any help I can give, just send me a question.