Sticking with Your GMAT Test Prep New Year’s Resolutions

If you’re anything like us, you probably started out 2015 with a long list of New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you wanted to:

• get a better job
• earn more money
• learn a new skill
• better yourself 

Sound familiar? Perhaps you even scrapped one or two of these resolutions, thinking that your passing ambitions were too high for your daily commitment. However, there’s one way that you can tackle all of these resolutions at once in 2015: by applying to business school.

Think about it—whether you’re realizing a lifelong dream of finally taking the plunge to earn your MBA from a top business school or simply making a responsible move for your professional and financial future, getting your MBA can have countless benefits in the years to come.

Now that you’re a month or so into 2015, those resolutions may already seem far away and irrelevant. However, this is exactly the time when you need to recommit yourself to the good study habits that will get you that high score on the GMAT (or GRE, which is increasingly accepted on the exam). By doing this, you will pave the way toward your future as an MBA.

So how can you recommit yourself to GMAT test prep and get into business school? Here are some great tips to get you back on track:

1. Get focused on your GRE or GMAT test prep

In order to gain admission to top MBA programs, you’ll need to take either the GMAT or the GRE. Generally speaking, you want to take the GMAT or the GRE as early as possible, preferably at least a month before you submit your business school applications.

While you can take either test more than once, it’s far preferable to get the score you need the first time, so proper preparation is key.

2. Start with one clear, achievable goal for your test prep

It’s often hard to get back into the swing of things at the beginning of the year—or after any break—but it’s always easy to commit to achieving one manageable goal each day.

When it comes to GRE or GMAT test prep, break down your studying into pieces. The first day, you may want to focus on twenty new vocabulary words; the second day, you might conquer some commonly tested math concepts; the third day, how about some sample GMAT data sufficiency questions. All of these small accomplishments can eventually add up to big scores.

3. Recommit to a consistent study schedule

Routine is important in GMAT and GRE test preparation, even if that routine begins with only a half hour a day. According to one Kaplan Test Prep expert, “A mere 30 minutes is something you are likely to achieve, and once you do, you will feel a sense of accomplishment, which will make you want to do more.”

After establishing a short, manageable routine, you can ramp up your time commitment incrementally each study session until you’re comfortable focusing on your exam test prep for stretches of 3.5 hours—the length of the test.

4. Download a goal setting app

These apps keep your goals front and center—and on your smart phone!—so that you won’t fall behind in your GRE or GMAT test prep. You can also set alarms on your personal calendar or phone to remind you when and what to study each day.

5. Find study buddies

The benefit to partnering up or joining a group for your GMAT or GRE test prep is twofold. First, others can help you master the material, explaining concepts beyond the written explanations in a book. Also, others will help keep you on track for your goals, calling you up if you miss a study session or calling you out if you did not reach your study goals that week.

6. Remind yourself of your ultimate goals

When you’re feeling unmotivated and you don’t want to study, think about the big-picture stuff and why you want to go for your MBA and get into a top business school in the first place. Remember that a high score is going to help you gain admission to your dream MBA program.

All of the work that you put in now will pay off soon, and you will be better off for it—personally and professionally. As Dr. Nando Pelusi says in Psychology Today, “Accomplishing practically anything today means overcoming the need for instant gratification—and questioning the idea that a task will be excessively painful. The rewards of getting what you want in the long run make the present-moment hassles worth enduring.”

7. Sign up for a Kaplan GMAT class

A Kaplan class can help you earn the high GMAT or GRE scores you need to gain admission into top MBA programs. You can take your classes in person or online, allowing you flexibility (yet consistency) in your test preparation. 

Want to know what business school will be like for you? Enter the Dream School Experience Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to your personal dream school!

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