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ONE GMAT tip that helped the most...add your own!

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jordanhendrix
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ONE GMAT tip that helped the most...add your own! [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 20 Sep 2010, 14:37
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What 1 tip made the most impact on your GMAT prep?


For me it is: Be able to drop a problem and move on without emotions

I think of it as a football player saying "after the game I leave it on the field" if a loss bothers a pro athlete they would all be severely depressed! we've seen great athlete blow it or just get into a funk for weeks or even months.

Being able to move on and doing so robotically keeps your head in the game, the timing right and IMO will bring your score up.
If you can move on without caring about the last problem or the last 2 minutes your going to have a better mindset. GMAT ZEN

Summary of Tips Contributed

  1. Go easy the last couple days.
  2. SIMPLIFY, quant does a good job of masking the basics, so look for the underlying theme of the question.
  3. Keep an Error Log!
  4. Always remember: You have 180 minutes to make your future. Just forget everything and Stay focused, don't think you can do it, just do it...(more GMAT ZEN!)
  5. Read the debriefs on GMATCLUB.com they are motivating and a great map towards success. (overtime you will pick up on a pattern in the 700+ scorers' methods)
  6. Bring earplugs to the test. Some test centers may not have any.
  7. Energy drinks are your friend. One caveat: don't try any energy drink for the first time on test day
  8. Do not worry about practice scores, use them as a measure but don't let them get you depressed.
  9. Be able to drop a problem and move on without emotions
  10. One of the most useful tip that I have found during my GMATPrep is not to continuously study the same section for two many hours in a row.
  11. Take your practice tests in a variety of locations, perhaps a library or computer lab, which will simulate test center conditions.
  12. If you are not ready, you are not ready, don't be afraid to postpone!

Originally posted by jordanhendrix on 16 Sep 2010, 14:08.
Last edited by jordanhendrix on 20 Sep 2010, 14:37, edited 3 times in total.
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shaselai
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   16 Sep 2010, 16:32
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go easy the last few days. i have seen a lot of people going hysterical because of last minute "horror" scores and they go in the center with a bad mood. I just take it easy - watch movie, play games etc.
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   16 Sep 2010, 16:36
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I haven't taken the GMAT yet but there are countless tips that I've come along during my study time that have helped me immensely. I'd say the biggest one is SIMPLIFY. Quant doesn't come easily to me so a lot of big scary algebra problems (i.e. those with exponents and multiple variables) often freaked me out when I saw them. However KAPLAN reminded me that the GMAT quant is less about complex calculations and moreso pulling out the most pertinent piece of information to answer the question asked. Most problems that seem complex can usually be simplified into more manageable terms that facilitate a relatively quick solution. It's especially helpful on data sufficiency.
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   16 Sep 2010, 19:10
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I think the tip that was most impactful for me was to keep a quant error log. It's something I wouldn't have done if not for the oh-so-handy templates provided by GMAT Club, and it really allowed me to identify patterns in my missed questions.

It gave me a big jump in score after tracking back WHY I kept missing probability questions and I discovered I was making the mistake of not reading the question closely- for example, if it asked for the probability of something NOT happening I would answer with the probability of it happening. Stupid mistakes that are relatively easy to adjust your method and approach to = easy points and more confidence on exam day!

So big KUDOS to the developers of the error logs! You guys helped me so much!
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   16 Sep 2010, 20:19
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Always remember: You have 180 minutes to make your future.

Just forget everything and Stay focused, don't think you can do it, just do it...
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   16 Sep 2010, 20:53
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jordanhendrix wrote:
What one tip made the most impact?

For me it is: Be able to drop a problem and move on without emotions

I think of it as a football player saying "after the game I leave it on the field" if a loss bothers a pro athlete they would all be severely depressed! we've seen great athlete blow it or just get into a funk for weeks or even months.

Being able to move on and doing so robotically keeps your head in the game, the timing right and IMO will bring your score up.

If you can move on without caring about the last problem or the last 2 minutes your going to have a better mindset. GMAT ZEN


x2 + (whatever written below)

I guess just the quantity of people getting good scores on the GMAT really opened my eyes to the possibility. I originally thought I was just going to probably bank 500 or something around the average and be done but I got a lot of motivation to do better than what I wanted originally. Folks on here are real helpful (most of them), and it's really made a difference for me I think.
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   16 Sep 2010, 21:42
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I was going to write something profound about finding motivation to study but I figure that if you guys are already here on this website then you are way ahead of the pack.

Anyway, my one gmat tip is this....bring earplugs to the test.

Seriously, sitting in a room with 5 other dudes typing away on their essays is distracting.
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 09:09
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I hope this isn't cheating, but we have an article with 5 GMAT Study tips. :)

https://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/f ... y-tips.cfm

Hope they're helpful!

Best,
Caitlin
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 09:44
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Energy drinks are your friend.
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vwjetty
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 10:00
Dawgie wrote:
Energy drinks are your friend.


Kudo's to that.

live off this stuff!

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Dawgie
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 10:04
I like redline more, my caffeine tolerance is too high.
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 10:11
5 hour energy darnit! it doesnt get mentioned much at alll!!! it is magic in a bottle!
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jordanhendrix
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 10:21
^^^^I agree, 5 hour energy is the best, but back to the topic at hand, post your most beneficial tip, lets make this thread sticky worthy!
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Dawgie
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 10:27
Why would I use 5 hour when I can use 7 hour by redline. That's enough energy to take 2 GMAT's back to back!
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 17 Sep 2010, 10:37
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1.Have a solid knowledge of concepts.
2.Do not consider yourself a smart-ass: you can't befool the GMAT! (well I wil learn sth from A and B and hope not to have much of C and D stuff).
3.Know your weaknesses.
4.Keep on error-log AND REVIEW IT constantly.
5.Work hard/ study smart.

Originally posted by PTK on 17 Sep 2010, 10:30.
Last edited by PTK on 17 Sep 2010, 10:37, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 10:36
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On a serious note, I see a lot of people worrying about practice scores and getting depressed. This slows down your progress. Take practice tests for what they are, PRACTICE!
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Re: Post the ONE GMAT tip that helped you the most... [#permalink] New post   17 Sep 2010, 18:43
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Dawgie wrote:
On a serious note, I see a lot of people worrying about practice scores and getting depressed. This slows down your progress. Take practice tests for what they are, PRACTICE!


This is great advice and would be my one gmat tip. My practice scores were 40+ points lower than my real gmat score. Don't stress over the practice scores.
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Re: ONE GMAT tip that helped the most...add your own! [#permalink] New post   19 Sep 2010, 14:26
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thank you, I have tried to add value by tweaking the formatting.

My tip relates to verbal and the tip that helped me the most on the GMAT was reading fiction books to improve my English. you can find my thoughts here books-to-read-improve-verbal-score-and-enjoy-a-good-read-76079.html?highlight=ml310
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Re: ONE GMAT tip that helped the most...add your own! [#permalink] New post   19 Sep 2010, 18:35
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a) One of the most useful tip that I have found during my GMATPrep is not to continuously study the same section for two many hours in a row.

I would typically try to mix and match RC, CR and Math on a daily basis and make sure that all my neural circuits are well exercised :-D

b) Find your motivation behind GMAT and beyond-GMAT and imagine yourself basking in the satisfaction of having achieved it. It might sound like day-dreaming but whenever I go wrong on two many problems while solving Math questions, I image myself to being in my dream institution. Believe me it works and help you move past obstacles and helps focus on the larger goal.
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Re: ONE GMAT tip that helped the most...add your own! [#permalink] New post   19 Sep 2010, 19:27
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I don't know if I can contribute TOO much since I haven't taken the exam yet (7 more days!), but I have found it helpful to take my practice tests in a variety of locations. I have taken a couple in a perfectly silent house, others in an area with people walking around, and at least one in an area with many distractions. I have heard horror stories about people showing up for their exam and having some kind of major distraction around: jackhammering outside, marching band practice out the window, etc. Practicing in a silent, sterile environment every time has the potential to really throw you off if there is suddenly something that could be distracting.
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Re: ONE GMAT tip that helped the most...add your own! [#permalink]
19 Sep 2010, 19:27
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