GMAT Strategy

Well, not THAT old. Ok all you bright people fresh out of undergrad school, how about some prep advice for a 41 year old who has not been in school for 19 years (degree in Economics) and has 4 weeks to prepare!

"If you don't use it, you lose it." Let me tell ya, momentum IS everything and quite frankly, I'm scared out of my mind! I've decided to go back for MBA after all these years and I would really like to hear from people over, say, 35, who have taken this test of torture after so much time away from books!

Anyone out there?

(gulp) Ron

Well, I'm 23, but I can say for sure that something everyone should do is take a GMAT Prep Test from www.mba.com and see where you're at so you can set a specific goal for improvement. Then go through the OG11 voraciously and creat an excel spreadsheet detailing which questions you're getting right and wrong. Notice the types of questions you are frequently getting wrong, and focus on those areas for improvement. Retake OG11 problems, see if you've improved. Take many timed practice tests. That's pretty much it.

Hi Ron,
I took the test with an over six-year hiatus from any and all math, so even though I'm 24, I know how you feel (sort of?). My advice to you, at least for the math, is to get a book called the "Math Bible" from GMAThacks.com. It'll save you a ton of headache attempting to remember how to divide fractions or work out a permutations problem. I go into more detail about it in my post under the "I beat the GMAT" section of this forum, so you can feel free to peruse that for some additional info on how I prepared for the test (I got a 770, so I did something right!)

As for verbal, I did as many practice problems as I could. Being familiar with the questions was my biggest concern for the test, and by the time I took it I felt confident that there wouldn't be any surprises. I've also heard of people who start reading the Wall Street Journal or other similarly bland materials to get ready to focus on boring reading comp passages. Not sure if this works - I read all the time, so I'm not a good control group for that.

4 weeks, you said. So i assume u have already taken a date. !

1. Start with a diagnostic test. PowerPrep/GMAT Prep or any other CAT.

2. Material 2 b used -> Manhattan SC, OG 11, Kaplan 800. Keep error log (questions u did wrong and questions u found tough or u found good).

3. Give regular CAT's to get an idea where u stand.

4. Revise OG 11 b4 the exam. especially SC.

4 weeks, to b frank is quite short. But, at full steam, you can give it a try.

All the best,
i.dreem

So far, I have the OG11, a GMAT Math prep book.

I have to work as well as study so here is my 4 week plan of insanity:

1st week: minimum 2-3 hrs per day, visualization

2nd week: min 3 hrs per day, visualization

3rd week: min 3-4 hrs per day, CAT practice, visualize

4th week: no sleep, lots of caff and prayer!

all of this in the evenings......

hey, does anyone believe in miracles?

I'll go buy that math bible too

So far, I have the OG11, a GMAT Math prep book.

I have to work as well as study so here is my 4 week plan of insanity:

1st week: minimum 2-3 hrs per day, visualization

2nd week: min 3 hrs per day, visualization

3rd week: min 3-4 hrs per day, CAT practice, visualize

4th week: no sleep, lots of caff and prayer!

all of this in the evenings......

hey, does anyone believe in miracles?

I'll go buy that math bible too

So far, I have the OG11, a GMAT Math prep book.

I have to work as well as study so here is my 4 week plan of insanity:

1st week: minimum 2-3 hrs per day, visualization

2nd week: min 3 hrs per day, visualization

3rd week: min 3-4 hrs per day, CAT practice, visualize

4th week: no sleep, lots of caff and prayer!

all of this in the evenings......

hey, does anyone believe in miracles?

I'll go buy that math bible too

That's an ambitious schedule! I will say this, though - whatever you do, make sure you're reviewing, reviewing, reviewing. Also, you might want to try to get more sleep on the fourth (and most important) week. Consider making your third week the most intense, then using the fourth week to review and master some of the concepts that are new or tricky for youi. If you're drowsy during the test or during your studies, you won't be as quick and you'll have a harder time accessing everything that you've learned.

Three articles I recommend:

https://www.gmathacks.com/study-tips/slo ... later.html

https://www.gmathacks.com/study-tips/how ... ively.html

https://www.gmathacks.com/study-tips/how ... blems.html