{"id":7099,"date":"2011-05-07T08:05:48","date_gmt":"2011-05-07T16:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=7099"},"modified":"2011-05-05T08:07:39","modified_gmt":"2011-05-05T16:07:39","slug":"tips-for-re-takers-5-ways-to-hit-your-target-gmat-score","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/tips-for-re-takers-5-ways-to-hit-your-target-gmat-score\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Re-takers: 5 Ways to Hit Your Target GMAT Score"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Want to achieve your dream GMAT score? Here are 5 ways to make that goal a reality.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Target your weaknesses but reinforce your strengths.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cKnowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.\u201d -Aristotle<\/p>\n<p>If  you\u2019ve taken the GMAT before, make sure you\u2019re not just going through  the motions with your studying. Target your weaknesses for the most  efficient score increase. If you are performing well in Reading  Comprehension but having trouble with Data Sufficiency, for instance,  focus primarily on Data Sufficiency (while periodically reviewing  reading comprehension). If you are having trouble with Reading  Comprehension, study strategies that help you determine the main idea,  purpose, attitude, and structure of whatever article you are given.<\/p>\n<p>The  harder you concentrate on your weaknesses, the faster you will see  tangible improvement. At the same time, remember to keep the big picture  in mind: harness your strengths and maintain your mastery of areas in  which you excel. Confidence is another important factor: if you are able  to answer several questions correctly in a row, it will decrease your  stress level during the exam.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Get at the root of the problem.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If  you are getting almost every question wrong for a specific question  type, try going back to the basics. Review underlying question patterns  and trap answer choices, then clear your head and take a break. This  way, you\u2019ll return to the question type with new knowledge and renewed  energy. Be sure to take the time to read each question carefully; you  may be surprised at the extent to which mistakes can be avoided by truly  understanding what each question is asking.<\/p>\n<p>You  can learn quick tricks to help increase your score, but these  strategies will be most effective when combined with long-term study. To  improve your verbal score, for instance, it may be helpful to start  reading high-caliber magazines. To improve your quantitative ability,  begin by re-familiarizing yourself with the fundamentals: number  properties, basic geometry, arithmetic, and algebra. You may not see  results immediately, but short-cuts (which are crucial if you want to  have enough time to complete the exam) often involve a familiarity with  numbers that can be cultivated over a long period.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Improve your endurance.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A  week or two before the exam, consider taking three or four practice  CATs to gain familiarity with the feel of the exam. This will help  acclimate you to the level of mental and physical endurance required.  Also don\u2019t blow off the AWA section during your practice CATs; even if  you find writing easy, the section adds an extra hour to the exam, which  might erode your concentration if you don\u2019t account for it during  practice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Improve your pacing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Try  to get a sense of your pacing and timing across different  sections--Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction, Reading  Comprehension, Data Sufficiency, Problem Solving. If you\u2019re spending 2  minutes per question in Data Sufficiency, for instance, study short-cuts  and move more quickly through these questions. If you\u2019re getting early,  easy questions wrong due to carelessness, read these questions more  carefully and stay attuned to details.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Don\u2019t expect the \u201cperfect\u201d test.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>However  much you prepare, there may still be something unexpected about the  questions you encounter. To avoid getting stumped, make sure you  understand concepts when tested at the most basic level and recognize  these same concepts in more sophisticated situations that require  multiple steps and complex reasoning. This way, you will not be fazed if  you encounter a variation on the familiar. Also know that you do not  have to answer every single question correctly even to score an 800; the  test will increase in difficulty the better you perform, so expect it  to feel like an \u201cuphill\u201d climb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to achieve your dream GMAT score? Here are 5 ways to make that goal a reality. 1. Target your weaknesses but reinforce your strengths. \u201cKnowing yourself is the beginning&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7099"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7100,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7099\/revisions\/7100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}