GMAT Club Introduction and Study Methods

Hello GMAT club!

First off, this website has been a very valuable resource in preparing for the GMAT -- I am very grateful for its existence. The people who dedicate their lives towards learning and helping others on this website are truly a cornerstone for the GMAT community. You should be proud.

A little background information on me: I graduated from Xavier University in 2015 with a BA in Philosophy, specializing in political theory. I love the world of the theoretical and truly believe philosophy to be one of the highest forms of human endeavor. This is why Philosophy majors are so rare.

However, there is a split between the theoretical and the practical. As much as I enjoyed the theorhetical world of philosophy, after graduation, I received a hard shock about the real world: I had to survive, and my instincts for commerce began to overpower my enjoyment for the ideal; this transition was not a happy stage in my life, in fact, post graduation I felt lowest. I was rejected from many jobs, over and over, with one arrogant employer thinking I was destined to work at a star bucks. Worst of all, I was unable to find a job that was not a dead end: I worked as an editor for a CDC branch, and I also did some landscaping for my family. But all this felt empty and a wasted disappointment.

So, with no fulfilling job, my survival instincts really took shape, and I completely departed away from anything one may call intellectual. In this moment of lowness, I turned to a career very alien to me -- I began to speculate on E-commerce: I sold anything I could get my hands on, from rare books, such as the Loeb series, to Laptops, and electronics, using eBay and craigslist as my platform. Eventually, after using the internet as my primary mode of communication and trade, I set my sights on Crypto Currencies. I began to invest in crypto currencies, at the end of 2016. I did so, after having unearthed my survival intuition, because I had an understanding of the trajectory of the digital world: from an ahistorical view, I abstracted that in history technology is the primary driving force for human dynamics within Industry. This means, without being trapped in historical context, I realized that the internet was here to stay; and with a new dominating medium, follows a new dominating currency. It was indeed a gamble, but a gamble that makes me proud.

------

With my entrepreneurial successes, Spring of 2017, i turned my attention back into the Academic world. I began to study the GMAT off and on throughout spring until late July, which is where I really began focusing on honing my GMAT skills.

As of August 1st, I put in 4.5 Hours daily into studying the GMAT. I use the OG guide, Manhattan test Prep, GMAT Prep Now, and, of course, GMAT club, which proved most valuable in terms of its resource pool and helpful community.

I have a 240 page note book, which purpose is for sketching drawings -- it is better used for taking notes. I have about 200 pages worth of notes. These notes are verbatim copies of the OG 2017 quantitative section. After copying their quantitative review word for word, I went back and read the notes aloud, recording into a voice recording app. What I did next was listen to my recording right before I fall asleep, then listen again after I awake -- this is a great way to memorize.

I usually wake up at 6-8 AM. And I intend to secure this habit up until test day. Since I am at my cognitive peak in the mornings, it is best to schedule the exam at 9 AM. This is relative, but I really do suggest that you do the same.

Back to note taking, I am also copying down some useful flash cards from GMAT prep now, which I will upload. They are flashcards, so they are summaries; they are joined with a video explanation for those who are more visual learners; however, you need an account to access their website, which also asks for money. But do not worry, many of their adjoined explanations are on youtube.

After I review, and memorize all of my notes, I will take the OG Practice Exam, and see where I stand on the quantitative. The questions I get wrong will be singled out for further study.

All in All, I plan on investing 120 Hours into studying for the GMAT, and will take the Exam on the Second Week of September.

tl;dr version of my study approach
STUDY APPROACH
1. Take a practice exam (contemporary) cold
2. Identify your weakness and strengths -- in my case, quant was weak, Verb strong
3. Set your score goal -- mine is 720-750
4. Read Prep guides, starting with OG
5. After reading, Copy the text verbatim
6. Reread your notes
7. Read your notes outloud, into a recording device
8. play back the recording device
9. Take MORE notes from different guides
10. Take another practice exam
11. Did you improve your score? If so by how much?
12. Refine the problems you have trouble with
13. Exercise, take a break, enjoy life
14. TAKE THE EXAM!

Seeing as I am taking the Exam in little over a month, I will be happy to discuss it with anyone.

Goodluck everyone!