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I've lurked around this forum for the past three months, but I haven't posted much. I've appreciated reading other people's debriefs, so I thought I'd add my own.
I. My preparations
I exclusively used the MGMAT books to prepare. I think it's the most thorough form of preparation. I studied slowly for three months, putting in 8-12 hours a week. I also took about 7 CAT's, weekly. My scores ranged from the upper 600's to the lower 700's. My most recent were:
GMATPrep 2 720 (Q48,V40) -- took this two weeks before my exam
GMATPrep Exam Pack 1 Test 710 (Q47, V41) -- took this one week before my exam
- I studied quant exclusively for the first month and mostly verbal for the second month. After that, I focused on CAT's and reviewing mistakes. I did not really use an error log, as many other people have.
- I had a hard time with adjusting to answering questions from a computer screen. The OG book was easy for me; doing problems from the screen slowed me down and lowered my accuracy for some reason. But, the GMATPrep software is the right way to practice, so I got over it.
RECOMMENDATIONS YOU CAN LEARN FROM
1. Only do retired GMAT practice problems on the computer screen. The new OG, I believe, includes computer access with the GMAT Prep software. I bought the practice questions pack. DO NOT waste your time with practice questions from other places. Go through retired GMAT questions over and over again if you have to. I would say do the Manhattan GMAT CAT's if you're looking to save your GMATPrep CAT's for the latter half of your studying and are looking for a score estimate. (I also once made the mistake of doing a Kaplan CAT. Never do that!) Don't use MGMAT CAT problems for study. They're not the real thing.
2. Practice the retired GMAT problems so often that you can explain why each incorrect answer choice is wrong. Your focus should not be on why the right answer is right. It should be on why the wrong answers are wrong. Don't think that retired GMAT problems aren't hard enough; they're completely reflective of the type of questions on the test, just as GMAC says it is. Stop searching for "hard" problems outside the retired problems.
3. Buy the MGMAT dry erase pad thing and use it for every practice problem. Get comfortable with it.
4. Don't study so much that you lose sense of time and space. More than two or three hours a day is useless. It'll all turn into a blur after that. Give yourself at least one or two days off each week. You want to approach the test with a clear mind, not with a dizzied, frenzied state of mind. 100-150 hours of study is enough. It's not quantity, it's quality. Overstudying will not increase your score; it will decrease it. You'll grow so paranoid about whether you've covered everything that you'll paralyze your brain's ability to think freely.
5. Take CAT's in ultra-real conditions. No phones, 8 minute breaks. Eat what you will eat on test day. Take it when you'll take the test. If it's at noon on a Saturday, take it at noon at a Saturday.
6. Start enjoying the game of studying and learning. It'll make it easier.
7. Don't try to outsmart the CAT with the first five or ten questions or whatever. Efforts to try to outsmart the system are better used elsewhere. Don't rely on tricks. Focus on mastering retired GMAT problems. That's all that can help you score higher after you've learned content.
8. In your CAT's, focus as much on avoiding reading errors as you do on getting the tough questions right. You can't excuse yourself for being sloppy. Reading errors due to inattention are not acceptable.
II. Approaching test day and test day
Up until a couple days ago, I had planned to take the test three weeks later than I did. But, I was growing restless, and I rescheduled to take it in two days. I felt like it was a bold, invigorating decision. I took it right when I was ready. I knew that I didn't really understand combinations and permutations, and I didn't bother trying to understand them before the test. I kind of just accepted that I knew what I knew and left the rest up to fate. I slept 9 hours+ each of the two nights preceding the night before my test. I woke up twice the night before my test, at 3:30am and 5:30am. The next morning, I had a light breakfast, exercised hard for 10 minutes, showered, played a little online chess to warm up my brain, and ate a burger before the test. I bought fries, Coke, and Mountain Dew for the breaks. I also took one shot of espresso before the test. I played pump-up music on my way to the testing center. I spoke with my dad before I walked in to the center. Check-in was smooth. When I got to my desk, I wrote my goal at the top of the dry-erase pad: 770 Q49 V45. ***During the tutorial, I also wrote a little note from my family to me. It was like: "Dear John, We love you. You're going to destroy this test. Love, Mom, Dad, and Jenny." This was so reassuring psychologically. Do something like that on your exam. It's going to be okay, and you can channel Mom or Dad or your boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband to tell you that.***
I went two and half minutes over on my first break, and I told myself I wouldn't let it get to me. The adrenaline kicked in, and I finished the test with 9 or 10 minutes left for the last three questions. The quant section started way too easy.. it felt like a 7th grade test. It ramped up, especially at the end, but it didn't feel overwhelmingly hard. I thought I would get destroyed by the quant section. Here's my advice: Focus on getting the easy questions correct quickly. If you commit to working real fast, 100% focused on the questions, you won't have to look at the clock more than two or three times throughout the test. Your internal clock will tell you when you're spending too long as long as you've done timed practice for two to three months. Don't focus on the clock; focus on the question. Also: be patient with Data Sufficiency. Don't jump at the easy bait.
I went over my second break by about 30 seconds. The verbal section was not as smooth as I had hoped. At the beginning, I felt like I couldn't get a clear read on several questions, and I knew the problem was with me. EVERY VERBAL QUESTION HAS ONE DEFINITELY CORRECT ANSWER CHOICE AND FOUR DEFINITELY WRONG ANSWER CHOICES. Accept that. I was hoping to end the verbal section with six errors or less, and I don't think I met that goal. I hated guessing between two answer choices -- but usually there was at least some giveaway once I read the two answer choices again. Being a native English speaker who reads a ton of articles really helped; I won't lie to you about that. The thing about verbal is that precision is more important than ANYTHING else. Literally one word makes all the difference. If you don't train yourself to hone in on words that make incorrect answer choices incorrect, your ability to discern wrong and right answers will be compromised. Knowing precisely what the question is asking for is also absolutely essential. Try not to look at the answer choices for CR and RC until you have a clear-as-day idea of what the question is asking.
In my breaks, I had soda and fries. I used the bathroom and splashed ice-cold water on my face four times. I also did some deep breathing before each section; it was helpful. I managed my psychology. I think there's a lesson here: Your sleep, your food, and management of your psychology can impact your score probably 50-60 points, if not more. That means: Don't just focus on learning material and practicing. Also focus on managing your psychology.
The GMAT, I have come to understand, is nothing more than a more clever, more precise SAT test. It's the psychology around the importance of the score that makes it difficult. The test itself, for people who were high-performing in school and on previous standardized tests, is not that hard. In essence, the GMAT is only hard if you let it get in your head. Talk through all the psychologically tough aspects of your GMAT preparation with someone who loves you. Vent if you need to, but don't create excuses and rationalizations for failure. Don't self-sabotage, and keep yourself psychologically afloat from the beginning to the end of your study. Keep the brain chatter to a minimum, and forgive yourself when you mess up. My advice is that whenever you feel like your brain chatter is holding you back, calmly tell yourself: Shut up, and study. Once you've put in two hours of study and review, move on and don't think about the GMAT until the next day.
Fluency with how the GMAT questions are asked comes with months of practice with retired GMAT problems. Such fluency plus above average intelligence results in a great shot at a 700+ score.
Thank you to the GMAT Club community for all the posts. I learned a lot through this site. I definitely used the advice on the forum selectively (with lots of discretion), but overall, it was a truly amazing resource.
Good luck to everyone preparing. I wish you the best.
I. My preparations
I exclusively used the MGMAT books to prepare. I think it's the most thorough form of preparation. I studied slowly for three months, putting in 8-12 hours a week. I also took about 7 CAT's, weekly. My scores ranged from the upper 600's to the lower 700's. My most recent were:
GMATPrep 2 720 (Q48,V40) -- took this two weeks before my exam
GMATPrep Exam Pack 1 Test 710 (Q47, V41) -- took this one week before my exam
- I studied quant exclusively for the first month and mostly verbal for the second month. After that, I focused on CAT's and reviewing mistakes. I did not really use an error log, as many other people have.
- I had a hard time with adjusting to answering questions from a computer screen. The OG book was easy for me; doing problems from the screen slowed me down and lowered my accuracy for some reason. But, the GMATPrep software is the right way to practice, so I got over it.
RECOMMENDATIONS YOU CAN LEARN FROM
1. Only do retired GMAT practice problems on the computer screen. The new OG, I believe, includes computer access with the GMAT Prep software. I bought the practice questions pack. DO NOT waste your time with practice questions from other places. Go through retired GMAT questions over and over again if you have to. I would say do the Manhattan GMAT CAT's if you're looking to save your GMATPrep CAT's for the latter half of your studying and are looking for a score estimate. (I also once made the mistake of doing a Kaplan CAT. Never do that!) Don't use MGMAT CAT problems for study. They're not the real thing.
2. Practice the retired GMAT problems so often that you can explain why each incorrect answer choice is wrong. Your focus should not be on why the right answer is right. It should be on why the wrong answers are wrong. Don't think that retired GMAT problems aren't hard enough; they're completely reflective of the type of questions on the test, just as GMAC says it is. Stop searching for "hard" problems outside the retired problems.
3. Buy the MGMAT dry erase pad thing and use it for every practice problem. Get comfortable with it.
4. Don't study so much that you lose sense of time and space. More than two or three hours a day is useless. It'll all turn into a blur after that. Give yourself at least one or two days off each week. You want to approach the test with a clear mind, not with a dizzied, frenzied state of mind. 100-150 hours of study is enough. It's not quantity, it's quality. Overstudying will not increase your score; it will decrease it. You'll grow so paranoid about whether you've covered everything that you'll paralyze your brain's ability to think freely.
5. Take CAT's in ultra-real conditions. No phones, 8 minute breaks. Eat what you will eat on test day. Take it when you'll take the test. If it's at noon on a Saturday, take it at noon at a Saturday.
6. Start enjoying the game of studying and learning. It'll make it easier.
7. Don't try to outsmart the CAT with the first five or ten questions or whatever. Efforts to try to outsmart the system are better used elsewhere. Don't rely on tricks. Focus on mastering retired GMAT problems. That's all that can help you score higher after you've learned content.
8. In your CAT's, focus as much on avoiding reading errors as you do on getting the tough questions right. You can't excuse yourself for being sloppy. Reading errors due to inattention are not acceptable.
II. Approaching test day and test day
Up until a couple days ago, I had planned to take the test three weeks later than I did. But, I was growing restless, and I rescheduled to take it in two days. I felt like it was a bold, invigorating decision. I took it right when I was ready. I knew that I didn't really understand combinations and permutations, and I didn't bother trying to understand them before the test. I kind of just accepted that I knew what I knew and left the rest up to fate. I slept 9 hours+ each of the two nights preceding the night before my test. I woke up twice the night before my test, at 3:30am and 5:30am. The next morning, I had a light breakfast, exercised hard for 10 minutes, showered, played a little online chess to warm up my brain, and ate a burger before the test. I bought fries, Coke, and Mountain Dew for the breaks. I also took one shot of espresso before the test. I played pump-up music on my way to the testing center. I spoke with my dad before I walked in to the center. Check-in was smooth. When I got to my desk, I wrote my goal at the top of the dry-erase pad: 770 Q49 V45. ***During the tutorial, I also wrote a little note from my family to me. It was like: "Dear John, We love you. You're going to destroy this test. Love, Mom, Dad, and Jenny." This was so reassuring psychologically. Do something like that on your exam. It's going to be okay, and you can channel Mom or Dad or your boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband to tell you that.***
I went two and half minutes over on my first break, and I told myself I wouldn't let it get to me. The adrenaline kicked in, and I finished the test with 9 or 10 minutes left for the last three questions. The quant section started way too easy.. it felt like a 7th grade test. It ramped up, especially at the end, but it didn't feel overwhelmingly hard. I thought I would get destroyed by the quant section. Here's my advice: Focus on getting the easy questions correct quickly. If you commit to working real fast, 100% focused on the questions, you won't have to look at the clock more than two or three times throughout the test. Your internal clock will tell you when you're spending too long as long as you've done timed practice for two to three months. Don't focus on the clock; focus on the question. Also: be patient with Data Sufficiency. Don't jump at the easy bait.
I went over my second break by about 30 seconds. The verbal section was not as smooth as I had hoped. At the beginning, I felt like I couldn't get a clear read on several questions, and I knew the problem was with me. EVERY VERBAL QUESTION HAS ONE DEFINITELY CORRECT ANSWER CHOICE AND FOUR DEFINITELY WRONG ANSWER CHOICES. Accept that. I was hoping to end the verbal section with six errors or less, and I don't think I met that goal. I hated guessing between two answer choices -- but usually there was at least some giveaway once I read the two answer choices again. Being a native English speaker who reads a ton of articles really helped; I won't lie to you about that. The thing about verbal is that precision is more important than ANYTHING else. Literally one word makes all the difference. If you don't train yourself to hone in on words that make incorrect answer choices incorrect, your ability to discern wrong and right answers will be compromised. Knowing precisely what the question is asking for is also absolutely essential. Try not to look at the answer choices for CR and RC until you have a clear-as-day idea of what the question is asking.
In my breaks, I had soda and fries. I used the bathroom and splashed ice-cold water on my face four times. I also did some deep breathing before each section; it was helpful. I managed my psychology. I think there's a lesson here: Your sleep, your food, and management of your psychology can impact your score probably 50-60 points, if not more. That means: Don't just focus on learning material and practicing. Also focus on managing your psychology.
The GMAT, I have come to understand, is nothing more than a more clever, more precise SAT test. It's the psychology around the importance of the score that makes it difficult. The test itself, for people who were high-performing in school and on previous standardized tests, is not that hard. In essence, the GMAT is only hard if you let it get in your head. Talk through all the psychologically tough aspects of your GMAT preparation with someone who loves you. Vent if you need to, but don't create excuses and rationalizations for failure. Don't self-sabotage, and keep yourself psychologically afloat from the beginning to the end of your study. Keep the brain chatter to a minimum, and forgive yourself when you mess up. My advice is that whenever you feel like your brain chatter is holding you back, calmly tell yourself: Shut up, and study. Once you've put in two hours of study and review, move on and don't think about the GMAT until the next day.
Fluency with how the GMAT questions are asked comes with months of practice with retired GMAT problems. Such fluency plus above average intelligence results in a great shot at a 700+ score.
Thank you to the GMAT Club community for all the posts. I learned a lot through this site. I definitely used the advice on the forum selectively (with lots of discretion), but overall, it was a truly amazing resource.
Good luck to everyone preparing. I wish you the best.
adityadon
Joined: 18 Mar 2014
Last visit: 28 Nov 2025
Posts: 204
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 177
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Strategy
Schools: INSEAD Jan '17 NTU '17 NUS '17 (D) Rutgers '18 SMU '16 (A) Weatherhead '18 (S) Broad '17 (M)
GMAT 1: 670 Q48 V35
GPA: 3.19
WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)
Schools: INSEAD Jan '17 NTU '17 NUS '17 (D) Rutgers '18 SMU '16 (A) Weatherhead '18 (S) Broad '17 (M)
GMAT 1: 670 Q48 V35
Posts: 204
Kudos:
152
03 Mar 2015, 02:09
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Congrtas !! Gr8 score ..
The bold texts written is hard truth !!
The bold texts written is hard truth !!
05 Mar 2015, 20:56
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theturtle
Hi theturtle, Thanks very much for taking the time to share your experience.
I actually started late August last year but did terribly on my first official GMAT in late Dec. Looking back I do believe it was because I over studied. By the end I was just doing lots questions: when I read answer explanations, I often felt like I 'got it' at the time, but then wouldn't be able to explain why an answer was right/wrong the next time (so basically I never truly understood).
My question to you is were you rusty with your maths and verbal when you first started your GMAT studies?
MGMAT books - did you follow MGMAT's studying plan (e.g. follow the exercise prompts throughout its books etc).
Thanks again & best of luck for your school applications.
