I am taking the GMAT in June for the Third time

Question

I need some tips in taking the gmat. My First score i got a 420 and didnt study at all, my second time out i studied about 12 solid hours and only got a 490. I must get a 500 or above on my third time out, does anyone have any tips for me. I find myself daydreaming, because the test is so long, and i feel i cant focus? I also get nervous, and fearful on some of the questions, then just guess. Can anyone help me?

jallenmorris · Answer

How many practice tests have you taken? The more you take, the more confortable you'll be with the real one. I'm talking, full-length, test conditions, practice tests.

If you find yourself daydream, there are things you can do to help you focus.

1) Since your goal is to increase your score to 500+ on this next test and you scored upper 400s before, you don't have all that far to go. Take a small break (30 seconds) ever 6 - 8 questions. Sit back, close your eyes and relax. Write a mantra to follow. Memorize it, and repeat it to yourself during that 30 seconds. Saying this mantra gets your mind off of whatever caused you to daydream and back onto the GMAT because you created the mantra for the GMAT! I would say something like "I'm confident....relaxed....focused. I'm going to do the next 8 questions no problem. I don't have to be perfect!" You can find whatever works for you. This breaks the test down into smaller parts and lets you focus on 8 questions rather than the full test. The journey of 1,000 miles starts with the first step? A 4 hour test starts with the first question, the rest doesn't matter until you get through the first one, and then the rest doesn't matter until you get through the 2nd, etc.

2) Studying for 12 solid hours is not the best way to study. Research shows that smaller bits of information obtained over a longer period of time in small intervals creates better retention. Schedule your GMAT out a reasonable way (end of June maybe) and study 30 - 45 minutes at a time. Take breaks between study sessions. Study for 45 minutes, take 15 minutes and go outside, walk - ANYTHING BUT GMAT!!!

3) Break your sessions up into topics as well. If you studying too many different things causes brain confusion. You mind wants to associate new information with what you're doing when you learn it. If you're doing Sentence Correction at the same time, or nearly the same time, as Quant, those are totally different parts of the brain used for each one. You don't do squats while doing bench press in a workout right (Unless you're Chuck Norris)? Giving your mind a break between subjects helps retention. During law school when studying for finals, I would take a minimum of 1 hour breaks between studying for my different classes. I'd let contracts sink in while walking around campus for an hour, then come back and study constitutional law. It helped.

4) Studying in testing conditions. That's why people that study in a test environment do well because their mind associates the test environment with the materials learned. If you study in Starbucks with people talking, you'll feel different in a quiet room trying to recal how to figure probability. If everything is quiet when you learn something, you're more likely (not guaranteed) to recall it on test day.

5) Sleep. This sounds odd, but the amount of sleep you get will correlate to how well your brain functions. This is easier said than done for most that want to go to b-school as we're overachievers and think sleeping is for the dead. Make sure you get 7 - 8 hours minimum per night between now and when you take the GMAT. It will help you focus.

Jarod

canterbury · Answer

Hi jallenmorris, your recommendations have been extremely useful for me.
I’m planning to take the GMAT in about 5 months. 
I already bought some of the books have been recommended in GMATclub:

1. OG12
2. OG for GMAT Verbal Review 2nd Ed.
3. OG for GMAT Quantitative Review 2nd Ed.
4. Kaplan GMAT 2010 Premiere Live Online
5. MGMAT Prep Guides - CR
6. MGMAT Prep Guides - RC
7. MGMAT Prep Guides – SC
8. Ace the GMAT (my personal decision based on Amazon reviews).
Do you have any suggestion about how long I’d have to study daily in order to get a 700+ score?

jallenmorris · Answer

I apologize for not being able to write a longer response. Your question is "how long" do you have to study to get 700+. It's not so much about the length of time as it is the quality of study. Some people can refresh their memory of this information quickly and others, it takes a lot longer to become familiar with these concepts. Much of it depends on what level of exposure you have had to this information prior to beginning your study for the GMAT. In my case, I took the test late April of 2008. I got a score that made me decide to attempt a better score and so I set my test for late July, 3 months away. I then threw myself into studying. I took about 7 - 8 full CATs, and of the tests here on GMATClub, I took 12 - 13 of the math tests. I reviewed the OG11, Offical Guide Verbal & Math books, Kaplan Premiere, as well as posted about 1,200 posts here on GMATClub (I joined here April 30, 2008, just 6 days after my first GMAT). I probably studied 20 hours a week for those 3 months while working fulltime. My performance at work certainly suffered, but I like my results

. You could study for 3 months and get a 730 or you could study for 6 months and get a 650. The length of time is not the true varaible you need to consider. What I would look for is whether you're making the same mistakes you were 2 weeks ago. Keep your error log and track what mistakes you're making and if you're making new ones. If you seem to be making the same number of mistakes but different types, then you need to address more than just the types of mistakes you're making. This could mean that you have a focus problem, because you'll remember one type of mistake and not make that, but then you'll forget a different type of mistake and get a question wrong in that area. I do not believe that a person has a set limit as to what they can learn/remember. It's a matter of teaching yourself how to remember on test day. I like lists and acronyms for those lists to assist in remembering the contents of the list. Remember the list and write down the acronym on your work book at the test center, this way you remember what you need to remember (yes, that sounds crazy "remember what you need to remember" but it will likely work). I hope this helps. If I think of anything else, I'll try to come back and add it.

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I am taking the GMAT in June for the Third time

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