Profile:
Undergraduate GPA: 3.51
Current job: Financial Specialist/full-time
GMAT: 640-->650-->720 (2014/10/3, Quant: 51/ Verbal: 35)
I really want to share my experience with people especially those who prepare for GMAT while working full-time as I did.
It's possible to achieve good score regardless of tight secedule.
Debrief:
First Month:
Resolved to pursue advanced study in business in the U.S, I started to prepare for GMAT in the fall of 2013. I was lucky since the first book that I checked out was “Cracking GMAT” by Princeton, which helped me get familiar with the GMAT test format in an easy way. The book was comprehensive, it introduced GMAT question types, covered quant and verbal essentials, and provided useful test taking strategies such as process of elimination. After finishing the book in approximately one month, I had a good picture of the test but knew I had to supplement my preparation with other materials to master the test.
Second Month:
In the second month of preparation, I acquired
Official Guide (a must for GMAT test takers) which contained more than 100 questions (retired from previous tests) in each question type. I also downloaded free version of Math book by GMAT Club to review math concepts. For about a month, I was fully devoted to quant, starting with number theory, I studied one chapter and did both PS questions and DS questions every day. I reviewed all the explanations after I checked the answer, even when my answer was right. I believe that in the beginning of preparation, building up a solid foundation is more important than doing lots of practice questions.
Third Month:
After I was able to achieve 80% accuracy rate in quant section, I began to focus on verbal section, which is my weak link. In the beginning, I was frustrated by sentence correction questions. Every answer choice seemed right to me and I had to read the question multiple times simply to understand the meaning. I released that I had to make great effort on verbal section. I downloaded Grammar Book by GMAT Club and started from the basics. Even though some concepts were so basic that they do not necessarily appear in real GMAT test, they laid good foundation for advanced grammar concepts. Furthermore, strengthening grammar concepts helped me not only in SC but also in CR and RC. When I faced a long, complex sentence in reading comprehension passage, I was able to eliminate long modifiers and focused on the core meaning of the sentence. I also purchased Sentence Correction by Manhattan recommended by most GMAT test takers. The SC by Manhattan deals specifically with grammar issues in SC in GMAT and was indeed a big help for me.
However, for non-native English speakers like me, one should make sure all the fundamental grammar concepts are crystal clear before moving on to SC by Manhattan.
The Last Month:
In the last month of my preparation, I started to sharpen my test taking skills such as time management. I used timer whenever I did practice. I trained myself to finish a sentence correction in 1.2 minutes, critical reasoning in 1.5 minutes, and reading compression in 8 minutes. I also did one simulation test every weekend and reviewed all the questions. Among so many simulation tests available on the market, I especially recommend simulation tests by Manhattan. In fact, if you purchase the SC book by Manhattan, you will gain free access to 6 free computer adaptive simulation tests. Questions in the quant section in Manhattan tests were much more challenging than those in a real GMAT, but I gradually got used to difficult questions. When I was taking real GMAT test, I was able to finish the quant section 10 minutes earlier and save energy for the verbal section.
Life style:
I was working full-time in an investment bank while preparing for GMAT. When I got home from work, it was almost 9 PM. However, I managed to study a little bit every day by dividing study schedule into small, attainable units. I utilized the 30-minutes bus commute time every day to memorize GMAT vocabulary and math formulas with cell phone apps. I scanned Bloomberg or Financial Times during lunch breaks. I usually study for 1.5- 2 hours on the weekday and 6 hours on the weekend. On days that I feel really exhausted, 10 minutes of study would be fine. The bottom line is to be consistent and keep the habit of study every day.
When I got home from work, I would take a comfortable bath, have a nutritious, healthy dinner, and dive into the universe of GMAT. It is very important to do well on the test, but it is equally important to take good care of ourselves. With healthy body and sound mind, one can achieve long term success regardless of short term setbacks.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who supported me during my GMAT journey, especially my family, my friends, my flat mates and GMAT club.