My first attempt at the GMAT was in early 2009, when I was interested in a part time program at Boston University. As you can imagine, I didn't study much and was lucky to score 660. I used Kaplan and Princeton Review, didn't bother with attempting the tests from GMATPrep. I didn't use this forum either. But, I changed my mind after I got in. With my eye towards a top 10 full time program, I knew I had to get my GMAT score up. So my journey started in July 2009!!! Ha ha, yes, almost 13 months of "preparation". I won't elaborate on the test itself as there's really nothing unique about it. I probably saw a couple of experimental questions. I didn't spend much time on any one question, but made sure to start strong, not to miss 2 in a row and finish strong! I had at least 1 minute left at the end of each section. Basics Working full time, around 40 hours a week Active social life 2 hours every day during the week, and perhaps 10 over the weekend during the initial prep Final 3 - 4 weeks: 6 hours a day during the week, 15+ hours over the weekend Buy this set: https://www.manhattangmat.com/storeitems ... 29&catid=1 Silver bullet(s)? Hard work Timed tests until you can solve most (90%+) of the problems in under 2 minutes Hard work! Prep time-line July and August 2009: Kaplan/Princeton Review September 2009 - June 2010: MGPrep (If you have a real plan and work towards a deadline, allocate 2 months) June and July 2010: OG11 July and August 2010: CATs (as many as you can), GMATClub timed tests Weekend before: GMATPrep tests (took each 2 times), error logs review Day before: GMATPrep (took each one more time) Day of: GMATPrep Quant, one more time! I did this to get my brain going. My exam was at 11:00 am. Books Manhattan Prep: Start to finish, without skipping a single word. I did not, however, attempt the OG problems listed; saved them for later. This series is crucial, perhaps the most important of all resources I used. I was a cheapskate and got these from the public library, which worked out well in a way. Since there are so few copies available, I could only get 1 at a time and had exactly 21 days to finish and return; so good to have deadlines! I bought one towards the end to get access to the 6 CAT exams. I made lots of notes (5 - 6 pages per book) (attached in later posts) while reviewing each book. I definitely recommend this: reading is one thing, writing it down completely another! MGPrep is the real deal, and should command 100% of your attention! OG: Once I finished all MGPrep books, in early June, I started working on OG11. I didn't time myself but tried to be as fast as possible. I referred to the answer key page and split each chapter into column based problem sets. Eg. SC has 35 answers in each column, so I would attempt to solve 35 each day. I worked on 3 such columns every day, mixing and matching math and verbal: some method to madness! This took around 2 weeks. I maintained an error log, nothing too fancy, just a sheet with the problems that took too long to solve or those that I got incorrect. I also made a small note next to each regarding my mistake. This was great as I realized most of the SCs I were getting wrong were due to Idiom mismatch. Bottom line, use error logs! CR and RC were not a problem for me (see other tips). Kaplan/Princeton Review: These have some interesting tips and pointers. Since I had used these the first time around and remembered most tips, didn't refer back. If you have to, use them at the very beginning to start building a base. Online resources & CATs GMATCub tests: 25 Q and 6 V, buy them; these questions are awesome! https://gmatclub.com/tests/ They helped me most in getting my brain to solve most problems in under 2 minutes. The variety of questions is unbeatable! Of course, save these for the end, until after you are confident of your math and verbal foundations. MGPrep - 6 CATs. Scored 660 - 790, with consistent improvement from the first to the last test. Knewton - scored 730 GMATPrep - took each test 3 times; scored 730 - 750 Other tips When you get a question wrong during prep, don't look at the solution; try solving it again! Only look at the solution if you cannot solve it even after referring to your notes. English: Read The Economist, Slate, NYT, WSJ, etc. regularly; helps with CR, SC and RC. Towards the end, I would laugh when I found an error in one of these articles! But seriously, reading helps a lot. Food: I had a heavy breakfast at 7, and then ate a special sandwich at 9:45: spread nutella on toasted slices of whole grain bread and added a sliced banana. Yummy! Plenty of carbs to last you through 4 hours of exam + 1 hour of travel. After the AWA, I gulped down a 5 hour energy drink (not sure if this helped at all, but doesn't hurt. However, try this before to make sure your body reacts well). After quant, I ate half a banana and munched on some candy. I made a playlist of songs that pump me up; listened to these on my way to the test center! I didn't sleep well at all the night before, but had plenty of rest leading up to the exam. Wear comfy clothes, and layer up if you get cold easily. I wore my glasses instead of contacts! Even the smallest detail can make a difference. Bottom line, there is no substitute for smart hard work! In the final 10 days, I took at least 2 CATs (combination of GMATClub tests and true CATs) every day! Finally, thank you akaydee and everyone else! Feel free to ask questions and I will do my best to answer. Now come the applications...

Congrats! Amazing! Thanks for the tips

Congrats buddy,, gr8 score All the best for apps

I have similar hand written notes for verbal and quant sections. I was thinking of scanning and posting but my handwriting is not as legible as yours . Congrats for your score.

Thanks so much! This is very helpful!

760 (Q50, V42) - from 660 to 760! Detailed debrief and plan : Share GMAT Experience

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760 (Q50, V42) - from 660 to 760! Detailed debrief and plan

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