My GMAT experience and advice, 750 Q48 V45

1st attempt (12 Jan 18): 700 Q44 V44
2nd attempt (6 Feb 18): 750 Q48 V45

I completed my GMAT journey over 5 months ago but after getting my self-confidence battered by constant MSc rejections, i have not really been in the mood for online sharing and so it is only now, after receiving a few offers (including from the LBS MiM programme!) that i am willing to repay my debt to this wonderful website and share my, admittedly insignificant, 2 cents with all of you hopefuls out there.

My timeline:

July 2017: Graduated from my BSc
Sept 2017: Got back from an internship in Hong Kong. Immediately bought my material
Sept-Dec 2017: Revised approximately 3-4 hours a day
Jan 2018: Did my first test. Totally messed up quant section. Nerves more than anything. Revised ardently for 3 weeks, then sat it again. Fewer nerves, a tutor, better revision methods, more rest, etc all contributed to a much better score


Revision Material:

1) I recommend Manhattan very highly. Bought their guides a good 4 months before my first test. Their online quant tests are too tough in relation to the actual exam in my opinion. Be warned.
2) Didnt bother with Veritas, Magoosh, Kaplan, etc, but have heard good things.
3) Loved using this website. I struggle with Quant so i would parse the question bank and do at least 50 700-level questions a day. Later i also included 20-30 600-700 level questions too. For any novice out there, dont be afraid to quiz the old hands and experts who are extremely helpful. Magoosh, VeritasPrep and the mysterious Bunuel all provided excellent help. Didnt do the online gmatclub tests though...
4) Had a good quant tutor. BrushMyQuant is a thoroughly competent and absorbing tutor with a good personal database of quant questions, an easygoing manner, a natural flair for instruction and a tonne of patience! My quant score went from 44 to 48 in a month

Exam and revision advice:

1) As a native speaker, i found the verbal instinctive more than anything. barely revised for it. Struggled with quant though. all advice and tips relate to quant
2) Do not jump straight into the 700-level questions and ignore everything else. Chances are that you will only get 5-10 of these. The easier questions need to be done quickly and sufficiently and if you are not used to them, then they will delay you.
3) Timing is paramount. Cannot be stressed enough.
4) Constantly practice from the question bank. Do a set number a day and RECORD errors. Very important. Leave yourself a 3 week period before the test date to do practice tests.
5) I did a test once every 4-5 days and made sure that the last practice was at least 2 days before my exam. In the 3-4 day gap, i would assess mistakes and revise. Some, more experienced people, choose to leave 7-10 days before practice tests. I didnt.
6) Do not do a practice test the day before the real test. Dont even revise. Just relax. A day will not make or break you
7) If you suffer from nerves (As i did in my first test) then do the easy subject (verbal for me) first and the difficult one (quant) second. This helped my brain warm up and calmed me down.

Extra points:

1) Use this website. Cannot fully explain how useful a resource it is. It was so good that even a selfish, ungrateful b*****d like me felt compelled to come back after nearly half a year and praise it.
2) As perverse as it may sound, enjoy the GMAT experience. Especially if you're a student taking a gap year. Right now I am in the middle of a heat wave and am frantically searching for London accommodation whilst simultaneously attempting to (pre-maturely) leverage LBS's reputation by trying to secure a 4-week Chinese internship. Only today i have to trek down to London to get my Visa. I damn well miss those cold winter days when i could wake up and leisurely do GMAT questions all day, content in my little bubble.
3) "@*$ Oxford and long-live LBS!