Here’s a advice which worked for me
“CONSISTENCY, NOT INTENSITY WORKS IN GMAT”.I dreaded standardised tests and, for sure, not among the guys who can pull it off in 2 months
A consistent schedule for 7 months (paced up in last two months) helped me in gaining the crucial clarity in core testing elements.
Background:I gave my first GMAT prep 7 months ago without preparation and scored a 440.I then read de-briefs of people who made drastic improvements, as I was unsure what it takes to improve from the unknown entity.I then made an initial schedule to make full use of spare time. I work full time a 10-6 job,leaving me with 2 hrs of study time in morning (I would recommend to make full use of morning Hrs) and 1 hr at night.
Resources:OG 17 (quant,verbal,review),Manhattan sets,Powerscore CR, Manhattan 6 CATS,Veritas 7 CATS.
First 3 Months: Nothing too intense,followed same schedule (2hr-M,1Hr-N).Started with Manhattan Guides 1-7.Please save the best for the last and do not exhaust
OG questions yet.Completed theory part of Powerscore CR,Manhattan SC along with free video resources from
E Gmat,Veritas etc.
Please utilise all modes of learning viz. READING,AUDIO AND VIDEO.These are completely different ways to learn and could work wonders when exploited together. Practised quant (Topic wise) from GMAT Club with exhaustive review of solutions.Took below tests in this duration
CAT 1 Manhattan: 610 (A major relief as I was seeing improvement)
CAT 2 Veritas :630
And many other CATS scored within same range.
3-6 Months:Schedule unchanged but I made sure to never miss a day.
Started practising
OG with initial accuracy around 60% in Quant and 50% in verbal.Reviewed all solutions with excruciating details but accuracy did not improve substantially.Couple of CATs (Manhattan 630 Veritas 620) taken during this period and I was not improving.Then I came across the infamous terminology “Score Plateau” and this phase took the better of me.Reading De-briefs really helped me than anything else to maintain the momentum.
At this point,I started watching 'Thursdays with RON’ videos and stepped up the analysis of methods I was currently employing.Took detailed notes and maintained error logs on question I missed on
OG and on the CATs.
It is imperative to keep up your patience if you are studying GMAT for 6-7 Months,as in my case,I had no other option
Took CATs in the 6th Month every weekend (I would recommend CATs every alternate week.Too many CATs never help)
CAT 4 Manhattan: 630 (These M-tests are brutal! )
CAT 3 Veritas :670
CAT 5 Manhattan: 620
CAT 4 Veritas :670
Last Month:Stepped up my schedule to 4 hrs a day.Took my GMAT PREP 2 and scored a 650.I was bit disappointed with score but made every effort to analyse my weak areas.Retook GMAT prep1(690) and GMAT Prep 2 (720).Please take these test at least 2 times to give you that much needed confidence.Took a week off from work and reviewed error logs.Nothing too heavy.
D-DAY: Relax and keep your mind off the test as much as possible before the real thing.Trust me on this:’The real thing is a breeze’.
Sorry if the debrief is too generalised.
Closing Tip: Never miss a day of studying GMAT.If you don’t feel like studying on given day,read a debrief or visit website of your dream B-School.Remember “CONSISTENCY is the Key”.Best of Luck !!