11 Expert Tips to Improve your GMAT score with NO extra studying

Question

11 GMAT Club Expert Tips to ace the GMAT with NO extra studying

1. Try to study in 1-2 hour chunks with 8 minute breaks  
Studying in this fashion will help mold your work into a test day environment. On Sat and Sun I would study 5-6 hours with 1.5 hour chunks and 8 minute breaks. Stamina went through the roof! Increasing stamina can be the one area, if overlooked, that can affect even the most prepared of test takers.

2. Wear earplugs while studying and on test day (Test Center Only)  
This is a key component many forget: On test day you have a room full of other people! You're not going to be in your mom's quite basement with a 40 inch computer monitor (great visual! haha). All these people will be going in and out of the room, all on different test schedules than you. Buy some earplugs and wear them during your practice tests and study sessions. Get used to what it feels like, sounds like, to have them in. DON'T take them out during the real test day breaks. It is in your best interest to not hear anything around you, and only care about what you need to do. Think tunnel vision, with a 700+ at the end of that tunnel. (Note: you cannot use earplugs for GMAT Online)

3. During breaks get the blood moving  
Jump around, move your legs, arms, hands, stretch out your muscles, do some push ups. I know this might feel weird, but go the bathroom on ALL breaks and before your test, do all of these exercises and get the blood moving. It will rejuvenate you physically and mentally. Get your face up on the mirror and say "YOU'RE GOING TO KILL THIS TEST". Then kick the door open, give the test proctor the double guns "what up" and a wink, and get back to your test.

4. FORGET ABOUT THE PREVIOUS SECTION  
Seriously, forget about it. Everybody tries to guess how they did, or feels like they did good or bad on the last section (especially quant). First, IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE. Your score is in the books and on a CAT test there is no way to really know how you did. Second, the verbal section is the biggest opportunity on the test to drive your score! FREAKING FORGET ABOUT IT! I've tried "guessing" how I did on a section and it doesn't matter, it's a stamina killer, and you're usually wrong. On test day I felt good on the Quant, and thought I blew the verbal. Go figure that it was the exact opposite. Buuut, my high verbal drove my overall score over 655. How many times have you read on these forums about how something got into someone's head, and they felt it affected their performance? Well, when i read that, it makes me think they are not mentally strong. When you are mentally strong, you force those thoughts out of your head, and move onto the next question... your next opportunity to take your score to the next level.

5. Take full length practice tests  
This was critical that you take a full test to measure your performance and build your stamina

6. Visit the testing center before your test  
Some of you may live 100s of miles from testing centers, so you may have an argument for not visiting the testing center. But for everyone else, you have NO reason not to check it out. This may be one of the most overlooked opportunities to familiarize yourself with your testing environment. People go to great lengths to have great practice tests. Why wouldn't they check out the center? I would go in, meet the lady at the front desk, ask her about your test and anything important you should know. On test day, the proctor might even remember you and put you at the best seat in the house. You never know! But wouldn't you want that advantage? Plus, you'll know how to get there, you'll know where the bathrooms are, and there will be so many intangible advantages gained by this trip.

7. Know exactly what you're going to eat and drink on test day  
You should literally know exactly what you are going to eat, how much you are going to drink, and how long it will take you. I had it down to a science. I knew what I was going to have for breakfast and how much I would drink with that meal and how long before I had to use the restroom. I practiced on all of my practice tests also. During the breaks I limited myself to only 4 oz of water, knowing that I would not get the urge in the middle of the test. You need to know your body, so that none of these factors distract you on test day. For example, if you've never worn earplugs and decided not to eat the morning of your test, then you're going to hear you stomach rumpling like thunder inside your body. You need to know how you're going to react to EVERYTHING.

8. Leave your cell phone and notes in the car or at home  
While this doesn't gain you any points on test day, it will keep you from making the most common and most serious test taking mistake. If you get caught with notes or a cell phone during the test, regardless if you are using them, you can be dismissed and have a "P" for policy violation put on your score report. You will lose your $250, and have to wait to take the test again. Plus you will have to deal with this on your score report, and explain to adcoms that you don't follow directions. Don't be one of these people.

9. Learn how to use a scratch pad, and how to use it to the best of your advantage on test day  
So many of you may not know this, but you are not allowed to use pen or paper on test day. No pen and paper you say!? Yes, the GMAT uses what is called a scratch pad. It is basically a legal (11x14 inch) laminated dry erase booklet with a wet erase pen.  I recommend that all of you purchase one .

10. Visualize test day success  
This is a technique used by many world class athletes. Visualize your success on the big day. Imagine yourself getting every problem right, seeing questions you know, pumping your fist when you see your dream score, walking out of the test center and telling all your friends and family your success, and even writing you debrief on GMAT Club. Seriously, the psychological effects of visualization can be profound in building confidence and keeping a clear mind. It's the self-fulfilling prophecy. When you are doing practice tests and on the big day, imagine seeing that score you want, pumping your fist, and saying goodbye to the GMAT forever. Using this technique could help give you that confidence boost to push you to the next level on test day!

11. Choose Your Test Time & Day to Set Yourself Up for Test Day Success  
So are you a morning person? How is your test taking ability on Saturday? Can your brain function at 8:00am? These are alllll questions you should ask yourself when you sign up for the GMAT. You should not only be trying to figure out what time fits best in your schedule, but also what time works best for you mentally. The general advice for the BEST time for the MOST amount of people to take the test is on Monday morning. Either 8:00am or 9:00am depending on the testing center. This is because you have the whole weekend to relax/easy study, and then Monday your brain is usually prepared for the work week. This is the time I would suggest to anyone.

The funny thing is, most commonly Saturdays and Fridays are the first days to fill up! Why??? Because people don't want to miss work, and people want days that make sense in their work week. Try to forget about the days you work, and try to figure out when your brain works BEST. You should book this time regardless of what day it falls on because taking one day off of work is worth never having to take this test again! So book your test day and time to help give you the best shot to score your top score. Once you have this test date booked, try to take your practice tests on this day and time if possible, but if not, make sure to at least take practice tests on the same time of different days to get used to the timing.

souvik101990 · Answer

GMAT Club FAQ Videos to watch to know more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWV3ND8yU2c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoFI-PwIqrw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq0-d3OH7fc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsa8hiO76RI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDQ_cnzr5PQ

priyanjolie · Answer

Another tip: Those who are used to working on a laptop do spend some time working on a desk top as that will be available to you at the test center.

Get used to the keyboard and mouse.

Musicat · Answer

These are some really good advices on improving my score! But a few questions arise.

What if i just really forget i have a phone on me? Or someone tries to frame me by leaving notes in my pocket without me noticing?
Do they just completely ignore explanations or is there any way to convince them if that's really the case?
I have one friend who's a total dickhead (sorry for the harsh language) and i could totally see him doing something like this to me the day before the test...

What if i can't wear earplugs? My ear canals are weirdly shaped and it hurts like hell to put anything in them!

Thanks in advance for the helpful answers!

Musicat

bb · Answer

I would add 5 more of my personal additions to the list:

1. Start every day session with a five or 10 minute review of Yesterdays material covered  and hardest areas and little tips and tricks perhaps that you learn from your mistakes. Don’t worry too much about finding patterns in your mistakes. Treat each of your mistakes with respect. Think of it as a teacher some of them teach you rules and some of them may teach you how to be less careless. Don’t except any have your mistakes as normal. Give them All respect. Some of them may be very easy to fix. Others may not but they’re all fixable and solvable. For example, if you make careless mistakes and calculations, you can remember it to double check your math next time you do some thing because that’s where you always trip up so make sure you double check your math or perhaps take a five second break before you start working on the question. I did that. Every time I would submit a question in Quant, I will take a five second pause brief clear my mind and start reading the next question.

2. Know when to give up.  This is very important for the overall well-being of your test. You can sync the whole test score was a single question. Not by answering it incorrectly. You cannot mess up the test was one incorrect answer but you can mess up the whole test with one correct answer that takes you for five minutes to answer. You can’t afford to spend more than three minutes with a question. Unless you have a lot of time left over, don’t chase questions that are too hard. If you have no solution in sight at two minutes, just guess and MoveOn. It’s just one question. It could be experimental question it won’t even count but if it’s a real question, it won’t penalize your score too much because it’s a question that is too hard so the penalty will be minimal.

3. Don’t worry about the overall test or how you’re doing . He wants to focus just on the question that is in front of you. You don’t want to think about the question that you solved before or worry about being tired. Just focus on the question in front of you. Don’t worry about being tired. Don’t worry about having enough stamina for the next section. That stamina will magically appear. Clear your mind so it’s just you and the question and all your mental notes about how not to get tripped up how not to get sucked in. Imagine you disarming a bomb. That should be the level of attention. Do you have a complex bomb in front of you and the only thing that matters is following the steps and nothing else.

4. Make sure you break up your study sessions.  Use the best time of the day. For example if you work during the day, try to study in the morning. Your performance even though the best time of the day will start going down after about an hour or an hour and a half. Take long breaks. You can actually cover a ton of material in an hour and a half. The key is not so much to cover but to remember it and make sure it sinks and make sure you can leverage it.

5. For the stubborn areas I suggest making hand written notes.

Thelegend2631 · Answer

Any science for Ideal test time? I prefer to study late. Not a morning person. 
But let's say I schedule my test for 4 P.M. and i wake up at 11ishh... 
I'm afriad anxiety, waitingfor 4P.M. will cook my brain.

Any theories what to do on the test day? Sleep till 3 ? 😂

Also I'm confused at what time i should schedule my mocks. If i were to schedule them for 4ishh.. what should i do all morning ? ( I've all the time in the world to prep for GMAT since I'm on break for my last job! )

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

There are a few trade offs for the time of the day (perhaps someone else can share their experience) but I feel the main trade offs are: 1. Best personal performance time. For me, even though I am not a morning person, I have a lot more clarity and concentration in the morning (like right now at 9 AM). I can get a ton of things done, so I scheduled my test for 8 AM (choices were 8, noon, or 4 or smth like that - I can't remember and making these up) 2. The challenge with my strategy was the 8 AM part. While I do best in the morning, I could not fall asleep the night before. I kept remembering my checklists, thinking about the test and my life and what I will do if I fail

. I could not fall asleep for a long time only to wake up at 6:45 to head over to the test center (I visited it a few days before to take my TOEFL) so I knew exactly how long it took to get there and I did not have any anxiety of finding it or checking procedures. Anyway, I was not very well rested when I took the test but starting with AWA got me going and warmed me up for the battle and lifted brain fog. Something I did and I recommend (I know a number of people disagree with this, so be careful), I have staged my test day the day before. E.g. If my test was on Monday, I have woken up on Sunday just as though it were Monday. Wore the clothes I was planning to wear, ate the food I was planning to eat, and woke up at the same exact time. Then at 8, I started taking my practice test. I wanted to know how it felt and what I should anticipate so that I would not have any surprises on the test day. I got done taking the full test (if you are doing AWA and IR last, you can skip it but I took it all since there was no choice back then). I got a 730 I believe and was very happy with it. I was hoping I could get over the 700-mark. I spent the rest of the day with friends and running errands. Still had my checklists (of the most often missed errors on SC) and notes with me which I repeated to myself and consulted the whole day but I did not do any more studying. My review was also very short - i just looked up the questions I got wrong and why. I was done in 5 mins probably. There was no point in going deeper since all studying should have already taken place. Pick the best time. I know some people pick noon so they can sleep in. I would say you don't to be too groggy and want to have a "normal" schedule and take the test when your body performs best. Don't do anything weird that day or anything unusual. It should be a very BORING day with you trying absolutely nothing new at the test center or outside. You should use your usual strategies, eat usual food, and wear usual clothes. Good Luck!

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