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Disclaimer I found this post in my motivation list. This is not my story. This was written in a blog post. I will put the link in the description. If this motivates you please hit the kudos button.
Everyone has their own mantra on what works for them and what doesn’t, while preparing for the all important GMAT exam! I wrote GMAT twice and was able to make a tremendous difference in my scores, the second time around. To put down my two cents on this much discussed topic, I’ve put together a list of things that I believe really made that crucial difference to my prep! Here it is..
DOs
Maintain a Tracker/ Error Log:
Do maintain a tracker/ log for each of the areas that you’re working on. For example, for sentence correction, if you just solved 20 questions covering all types of errors, track which ones you got wrong and keep a note of specific concepts (e.g. a specific type of parallelism or specific type of modifier question etc) that you’re getting wrong. This will help you narrow down to specific concepts that you can then refer books to improve and clarify. Over time, observe your accuracy on these concepts. Next, don’t ignore the ones that you were doubtful about either – because these are your potential mistakes. If you were doubtful about a question and got it correct, make sure you know exactly why you’ve got the specific answer correct. Sometimes, it’s more important to know why the 4 incorrect options are incorrect. This will especially help in questions where you’re supposed to pick the best option out of 5 “Not perfect” options.
Study Sessions:
In one study session, make sure you solve all the different types of questions: If you’re doing verbal, then ensure that you’ve solved a few questions from each of the three sections –SC, CR and RC. If you’re doing Quant – then solve both DS and QA problems.
Write Tests:
Contrary to popular belief, you DON’T need to be fully prepared for the GMAT to start writing tests. Once you’ve covered the OG (Or you have familiarized yourself with the test pattern and the different kinds of questions), start taking tests every week. Don’t let initial low scores demoralize you – getting a great score is NOT the point of taking practice tests!
Take full-length tests:
Never take a test piecemeal i.e. with intermittent unscheduled breaks. Always write a complete 4 hour CAT including the essay sections, with only the scheduled breaks. GMAT is also a stamina game – you have to remain concentrated on the exam for almost 4 hours or more. Writing full-length tests builds stamina and gives you the correct picture of your performance. Ideally, try to take the test at the same hour that you’ve booked your actual GMAT slot for.
Analyze Tests:
Tests are your diagnostic tool. They are going to give direction to your preparation. Many a times, I found myself working on areas that I was good at but had a low confidence level on and ignoring the ones that actually needed work, just because I was more confident on those areas. Obviously, I wasn’t channelizing my efforts effectively and going by a not so accurate mental status of my preparation! So, objectively analyze the tests to identify strong/ weak areas and then work towards improving them. Don’t forget to log your findings into your tracker/ log.
Avoid section tests:
I don’t think they are of much help. According to me, full length tests are good enough to train yourself as well as evaluate yourself.
Buy / refer books:
Don’t be stingy on buying reference books. If there’s a book that you think is going to benefit you, then please go ahead and purchase it. I’m assuming that you’ve tried everything and cannot find an e-book or a second hand version of the book. Remember, no compromises! In fact, not a lot of people know this – buying even one book from Kaplan/ Manhattan – gives you access to online CATs which are great practice!
Refer to the Right books!
Don’t refer to a book, just because you have it! Start your preparation with quality books of great reputation such as Kaplan, Manhattan, Knewton, nova etc along with the official guides. If you’ve gone through the material given in these books, you’ll develop a good sense of what’s good and what’s not. Exercise this judgment while choosing material for further practice.
Write Essays for practice:
Make sure you practice both types of essays for the AWA section. Most of us have lost touch with writing and often find ourselves struggling to complete this section in time. So, do practice and flex your writing muscle! Just writing is not enough. Do get your essays reviewed by a reliable authority for content, structure and style.
My GMAT Mantra:
Practice. Analyze. Work Regularly.
Don’ts
Don’t participate in forum discussions on questions:
I realized that many a times, people discussed questions that they did not know the correct answer to / the questions, themselves, were incorrect. All this leads to bad learning. This can actually harm your preparation!
Only indulge in forum discussions on questions for which the answer is known from a reliable source such as Manhattan, Kaplan, Knewton or official guide etc
If you haven’t understood a certain answer, then it makes sense to discuss it on a forum to understand the underlying logic. However, be extremely cautious and ensure that your learning is corroborated by a good book.
Don’t refer to bad material:
This is the worst thing that you can do to your preparation. Never refer to material where only answers are provided, and explanations are not. Never accept any answer to any GMAT question, without a valid explanation. A lot of people recommend 1000 SC, 1000CR and 1000 RC word documents. Personally, I found a lot of mistakes in these documents and I would strongly “NOT RECOMMEND” any of these documents. When in doubt, refer to the OG – That’s the Bible!
Don’t Believe that your practice scores are accurate indicators of your actual GMAT performance: Most practice tests are Computer-based tests and NOT Computer Adaptive Tests, the way GMAT is. The scores on the actual GMAT are not only a function of your performance but also a function of other people’s performances in the same pool as you. The GMAT gives you a percentile along with the actual score. Most practice tests cannot give you a percentile due to obvious technical issues.
Having said that, my KAPLAN online CAT scores were extremely consistent at 760 and so was my actual GMAT score! It’s important to beware and know the important differences between practice tests and the actual GMAT.
Here is the original blog post
https://beingmansi.wordpress.com/2015/1 ... mat-mantr/
Everyone has their own mantra on what works for them and what doesn’t, while preparing for the all important GMAT exam! I wrote GMAT twice and was able to make a tremendous difference in my scores, the second time around. To put down my two cents on this much discussed topic, I’ve put together a list of things that I believe really made that crucial difference to my prep! Here it is..
DOs
Maintain a Tracker/ Error Log:
Do maintain a tracker/ log for each of the areas that you’re working on. For example, for sentence correction, if you just solved 20 questions covering all types of errors, track which ones you got wrong and keep a note of specific concepts (e.g. a specific type of parallelism or specific type of modifier question etc) that you’re getting wrong. This will help you narrow down to specific concepts that you can then refer books to improve and clarify. Over time, observe your accuracy on these concepts. Next, don’t ignore the ones that you were doubtful about either – because these are your potential mistakes. If you were doubtful about a question and got it correct, make sure you know exactly why you’ve got the specific answer correct. Sometimes, it’s more important to know why the 4 incorrect options are incorrect. This will especially help in questions where you’re supposed to pick the best option out of 5 “Not perfect” options.
Study Sessions:
In one study session, make sure you solve all the different types of questions: If you’re doing verbal, then ensure that you’ve solved a few questions from each of the three sections –SC, CR and RC. If you’re doing Quant – then solve both DS and QA problems.
Write Tests:
Contrary to popular belief, you DON’T need to be fully prepared for the GMAT to start writing tests. Once you’ve covered the OG (Or you have familiarized yourself with the test pattern and the different kinds of questions), start taking tests every week. Don’t let initial low scores demoralize you – getting a great score is NOT the point of taking practice tests!
Take full-length tests:
Never take a test piecemeal i.e. with intermittent unscheduled breaks. Always write a complete 4 hour CAT including the essay sections, with only the scheduled breaks. GMAT is also a stamina game – you have to remain concentrated on the exam for almost 4 hours or more. Writing full-length tests builds stamina and gives you the correct picture of your performance. Ideally, try to take the test at the same hour that you’ve booked your actual GMAT slot for.
Analyze Tests:
Tests are your diagnostic tool. They are going to give direction to your preparation. Many a times, I found myself working on areas that I was good at but had a low confidence level on and ignoring the ones that actually needed work, just because I was more confident on those areas. Obviously, I wasn’t channelizing my efforts effectively and going by a not so accurate mental status of my preparation! So, objectively analyze the tests to identify strong/ weak areas and then work towards improving them. Don’t forget to log your findings into your tracker/ log.
Avoid section tests:
I don’t think they are of much help. According to me, full length tests are good enough to train yourself as well as evaluate yourself.
Buy / refer books:
Don’t be stingy on buying reference books. If there’s a book that you think is going to benefit you, then please go ahead and purchase it. I’m assuming that you’ve tried everything and cannot find an e-book or a second hand version of the book. Remember, no compromises! In fact, not a lot of people know this – buying even one book from Kaplan/ Manhattan – gives you access to online CATs which are great practice!
Refer to the Right books!
Don’t refer to a book, just because you have it! Start your preparation with quality books of great reputation such as Kaplan, Manhattan, Knewton, nova etc along with the official guides. If you’ve gone through the material given in these books, you’ll develop a good sense of what’s good and what’s not. Exercise this judgment while choosing material for further practice.
Write Essays for practice:
Make sure you practice both types of essays for the AWA section. Most of us have lost touch with writing and often find ourselves struggling to complete this section in time. So, do practice and flex your writing muscle! Just writing is not enough. Do get your essays reviewed by a reliable authority for content, structure and style.
My GMAT Mantra:
Practice. Analyze. Work Regularly.
Don’ts
Don’t participate in forum discussions on questions:
I realized that many a times, people discussed questions that they did not know the correct answer to / the questions, themselves, were incorrect. All this leads to bad learning. This can actually harm your preparation!
Only indulge in forum discussions on questions for which the answer is known from a reliable source such as Manhattan, Kaplan, Knewton or official guide etc
If you haven’t understood a certain answer, then it makes sense to discuss it on a forum to understand the underlying logic. However, be extremely cautious and ensure that your learning is corroborated by a good book.
Don’t refer to bad material:
This is the worst thing that you can do to your preparation. Never refer to material where only answers are provided, and explanations are not. Never accept any answer to any GMAT question, without a valid explanation. A lot of people recommend 1000 SC, 1000CR and 1000 RC word documents. Personally, I found a lot of mistakes in these documents and I would strongly “NOT RECOMMEND” any of these documents. When in doubt, refer to the OG – That’s the Bible!
Don’t Believe that your practice scores are accurate indicators of your actual GMAT performance: Most practice tests are Computer-based tests and NOT Computer Adaptive Tests, the way GMAT is. The scores on the actual GMAT are not only a function of your performance but also a function of other people’s performances in the same pool as you. The GMAT gives you a percentile along with the actual score. Most practice tests cannot give you a percentile due to obvious technical issues.
Having said that, my KAPLAN online CAT scores were extremely consistent at 760 and so was my actual GMAT score! It’s important to beware and know the important differences between practice tests and the actual GMAT.
Here is the original blog post
https://beingmansi.wordpress.com/2015/1 ... mat-mantr/
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