All TTP Thursday Treat GMAT Tips at one place

Question

No.  
 
   Topic  
 
   Link to Post

1. 
 
 Do not panic if you do not succeed 
  Post  
 
   2. 
 
 One of the most effective ways to be motivated is to enjoy what you’re doing 
  Post  
 
   3. 
 
 Do not use hacks to find correct answers 
  Post   
 
   4. 
 
 Anxiety on the test day is GMAT Score killer 
  Post  
 
   5. 
 
 Studying too much cannot help 
  Post  
 
   6. 
 
 Do not give up 
  Post  
 
   7. 
 
 Why Staying Consistent With GMAT Prep Matters More Than Studying Perfectly 
  Post  
 
   8. 
 
 Why Word-Matching on GMAT Verbal Can Lead You Straight to the Wrong Answer 
  Post

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

https://targettestprep.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/forums/Creative+-+8-thursday+threat.png

Life is a series of trials that result in varied degrees of success. Not every hit will be a home run. If you don’t succeed, you have an opportunity to improve by learning from what didn’t work. In the case of the GMAT, you can have a “do-over.”

If your plan hasn’t worked, your first duty is to identify what you can change to get different results. There are a few common reasons why people’s GMAT preparation plans don’t work. First, some people underestimate how much preparation is necessary. As a result, they don’t spend enough time studying, or they don’t cover enough exam content. Second, some don’t fully realize that the GMAT is a reasoning test. Accordingly, they focus on learning rules and concepts without building skill in finding correct answers. Third, some don’t make effective use of practice test results to direct their training.

Of course, your plan could account for all of the above and still not get you to your goal. If so, you can be sure that there are other methods to help you achieve your GMAT goal. I have seen people use everything from daily heavy reading to hypnotherapy to succeed in their GMAT quests. To the question “What can I do now?” there is always a fresh answer. Every positive study move you make brings you closer to your goal.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart 
Founder & CEO,  Target Test Prep

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

https://targettestprep.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/forums/Creative+-+8-thursday+threat.png

Whether we are talking about your job, college classes, or GMAT preparation, one of the most effective ways to be motivated is to enjoy what you’re doing. Conversely, working hard and ultimately achieving your goals becomes almost impossible when you don’t enjoy what you’re doing.

If you can find joy in your studying, you’ll be significantly more motivated to put in the necessary study time, and thus give yourself a great shot at achieving your GMAT goal. If you are struggling to find that enjoyment, consider the fact that not only will a high GMAT score help get you into a top MBA program, but also the skills you learn will carry over to business school classes and everyday life.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart 
Founder & CEO,  Target Test Prep

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

https://targettestprep.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/forums/Creative+-+8-thursday+threat.png

A big GMAT mistake test-takers make when answering GMAT Verbal questions is using hacks instead of skill to find correct answers. A very common (and, sadly, just as ineffective) hacks include:

automatically eliminating CR answer choices that use “extreme” words such as “only,” “always,” or “none.”  
 reading the first RC question associated with a passage before reading the passage itself

These so-called hacks, and others like them, are not a reliable route to finding correct answers to GMAT Verbal questions. Sure, it could be the case that a CR answer choice that uses the word “always” happens to be incorrect. And you could get an ace on 10 at the blackjack table.

Similarly, it could be that reading the first RC question before reading the passage slightly reduces the amount of time you spend answering that question. However, it’s likely that you’ll add back your “saved” time and then some on the questions that follow, since you will have read that passage specifically for the first question and not for overall understanding.

Ask yourself,  do you want your Verbal score to hinge on half measures and strategies that work only occasionally ? Or, do you want to be able to implement strategies that you know will work time after time, on question after question?

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart 
Founder & CEO,  Target Test Prep

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

https://targettestprep.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/forums/Creative+-+8-thursday+threat.png

A significant obstacle that GMAT students face is anxiety. If you’ve ever suffered from anxiety, you know that it can be paralyzing. If anxiety creeps in during your GMAT preparation, it will negatively impact your motivation to study. So, let’s discuss two of the most common causes of GMAT anxiety and how to overcome them.

👉  Cause 1: You Have Not Given Yourself Sufficient GMAT Prep Time

I can’t tell you how often I speak with GMAT students who need a 200+ point score increase yet give themselves only 5 weeks to study. Unfortunately, obtaining such a score increase in such a short period is like trying to push a boulder up a mountain: it’s just not going to happen.

However, students still try to make these situations work, and in doing so, they get overwhelmed with anxiety. Thus, they find it very difficult to make any progress at all in their GMAT preparation.

If you find yourself in this situation, your path is simple: reschedule your GMAT for a later date. While you may be taking the GMAT at a certain time to meet an application deadline, that deadline won’t matter if you don’t hit your target GMAT score. So, by giving yourself more time to prepare, you reduce any potential anxiety that could derail your motivation.

👉  Cause 2: You Expect Overnight Success

One misconception about the GMAT is that you can study hard for a few weeks and score high. However, this type of “overnight success” is impossible for most GMAT students.

So, if you’re just beginning your GMAT journey, don’t expect to increase your score by 200 points in 2 weeks. By believing that such a score increase is possible, you are setting yourself up for failure. Then, when that miracle does not happen, you will likely feel demotivated. So, rather than rushing the process, take a gradual, structured approach to your GMAT studying. In the end, you will be happy that you took the time to do things the right way.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart 
Founder & CEO,  Target Test Prep

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

https://targettestprep.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/forums/Creative+-+8-thursday+threat.png

Be mindful that “burnout” is real. Every GMAT student wants to complete the preparation process as quickly as possible, but studying for 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, is likely not the answer.

Remember,  the human brain is an expensive organ for your body to maintain . There is a reason why studying for the GMAT for 3 hours will leave you more drained than binge-watching 8 hours of Netflix.

If you were studying for the GMAT in a vacuum, I suppose that you could study for 8 hours a day and be fine. However, you’re not in a vacuum; you’re studying for the GMAT in addition to other mentally draining activities such as a full-time job or school. So, to keep from burning out,  try studying in 1- to 2-hour spurts rather than 4+ hour marathons .

If you plan to have long study sessions, do those on Saturday or Sunday, when your brain is fresh and well-equipped to handle a more extended period of GMAT studying.

Feel free to reach out with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart 
Founder & CEO,  Target Test Prep

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

https://targettestprep.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/forums/Creative+-+8-thursday+threat.png

Having taught the GMAT for nearly 20 years, I’ve noticed that the students who went on to earn the highest GMAT Quant scores were the ones who wouldn’t let themselves give up on problems during practice.

Conversely, the students who gave in to their discomfort and gave up on questions after 60 seconds or 1:30, or some other brief time frame, were the ones who, all else equal, saw the least improvement in their GMAT Quant scores.

You must learn to push through GMAT Quant questions even when your brain begins to hurt, and you feel frustrated, and you’re tired, and you’d rather be doing anything other than studying for the GMAT.

Perseverance is key!

Learning perseverance is another reason to work on practice questions untimed until your skills improve. There is a psychological component to getting the right answer to a GMAT Quant question.

You may look at a question and not know how to answer it at first. You may start wondering whether you have what it takes to get the answer. Generally, if you keep at it and go through the fire — questioning yourself, feeling fear, anger, boredom, or whatever else — you’ll arrive at the answer. However, when you are practicing, that process may take more than two or three minutes.

So guess what? If you give yourself only two or three minutes, you let yourself off the hook. You don’t learn to go through the fire and come out the other side with the answer. You just go to the explanation and get the answer, but you have not learned one of the most important things, which is how to persist and hack and do whatever you have to do to get the answers to questions that you find challenging.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart 
Founder & CEO,  Target Test Prep

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

https://targettestprep.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/forums/Creative+-+8-thursday+threat.png

Why Staying Consistent With GMAT Prep Matters More Than Studying Perfectly

Every GMAT student agrees that studying can be grueling! Understandably, you might want to choose other aspects of your life over GMAT studying. Here’s the thing. Your daily level of dedication, motivation, and discipline will either contribute to or detract from your GMAT success.

Stick to your study plan! However, it’s understandable that if you study hard for a few weeks straight, you might want to give yourself a cheat day. That’s okay, as long as you change your study schedule to reflect your day off. Just don’t let one day off from studying turn into two or three. Alternatively, if you can’t bear the thought of a full study session, at least flip through your flashcard deck or do a 20-question mixed review. The key idea is to keep your forward momentum even on days when you would rather flip burgers for the rest of your life than study for the GMAT.

Remember, success doesn’t come from perfect days—it comes from consistency. The students who ultimately crush the GMAT are not always the ones who sprint at full speed every day. They’re the ones who keep showing up, even when they’re tired, bored, or frustrated. So, even if you’re not operating at 100%, operating at 50% is still far better than zero. Keeping a “something is better than nothing” mindset will keep your prep alive and your confidence intact.

Keeping your GMAT prep as your most important daily activity will get you through those tough days. Remember, it’s only for a couple of months, and it will pay big dividends for the rest of your life.

Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart 
Founder & CEO,  Target Test Prep

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

https://targettestprep.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/forums/Creative+-+8-thursday+threat.png

Why Word-Matching on GMAT Verbal Can Lead You Straight to the Wrong Answer

GMAT Verbal question writers do their darndest to make incorrect answers attractive to test-takers and correct answers not so obvious. One way they can accomplish this feat is by using wording in incorrect Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension choices that matches the passage wording and switching up the wording in the correct choice.

Naturally, when answer choices look, on the surface, as if they say something the passage says, we’re drawn to them. We may even assume that a choice that isn’t related at all to what the passage says—or possibly even to what the question is asking—must be relevant simply because it echoes familiar terms. And when a choice uses wording that doesn’t exactly match the passage, we may wrongly dismiss it, assuming that a shift in language equals a shift in meaning.

Of course, the GMAT writers aren’t going to make things so easy for us that we can simply play a word-matching game to ace Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. Think about it: would your reasoning or comprehension skills really be tested by such a game?

The truth is, you will not perform well in CR or RC by selecting answer choices on the basis of whether they include words that appear in the passage. In fact, you’re likely to fall for many trap choices—some of which may mirror the passage so closely in language that you miss the subtle logical flaw hiding beneath the surface.

So, how do we avoid taking the bait?

We have to dig below the surface of CR and RC answer choices. We can’t stop at the words used. Rather, we must focus on the logic and meaning of what they say. For instance, an incorrect choice could mirror language from the passage but actually contradict what the passage says is true. If we stay at the surface level in evaluating such a choice, we won’t catch that contradiction. We might walk right into the trap, thinking, “It sounds right,” when in reality, it’s subtly but significantly wrong.

Additionally, we might overlook a correct answer just because it’s phrased differently from the passage. The GMAT often tests whether we can recognize valid logical connections even when the wording changes. That’s part of the skill we’re being tested on—flexibility of thought, not memorization of phrasing.

So here’s the fix: Make logic and meaning—not just wording—your north stars. If a choice restates the idea in a new way but is logically consistent with the passage or argument, that’s a green flag. If a choice uses familiar words but introduces a new, unsupported, or contradictory idea, it’s likely bait.

Engaging in this kind of deeper-level analysis is how you rise above the traps and consistently select the correct answers on CR and RC.

Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart 
Founder & CEO,  Target Test Prep

	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $79 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $325 $200 Discount + $79 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

All TTP Thursday Treat GMAT Tips at one place

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

No.	Topic	Link to Post
1.	Do not panic if you do not succeed	Post
2.	One of the most effective ways to be motivated is to enjoy what you’re doing	Post
3.	Do not use hacks to find correct answers	Post
4.	Anxiety on the test day is GMAT Score killer	Post
5.	Studying too much cannot help	Post
6.	Do not give up	Post
7.	Why Staying Consistent With GMAT Prep Matters More Than Studying Perfectly	Post
8.	Why Word-Matching on GMAT Verbal Can Lead You Straight to the Wrong Answer	Post