I’d like you to meet my friend Gus. Gus is a GMAT Genius. He’s known throughout the GMAT land for his legendary test-taking skills. He’s never met a data sufficiency problem that he couldn’t solve.

Gus is married to Gwen who is also a GMAT Genius. They even have a couple of cute little GMAT Geniuses in Training at home. Gus met Gwen over a data sufficiency problem. For their first date, they did sentence correction questions. It was love at first participle. When they married, they promised to love, honor and strengthen each other’s arguments. It was a beautiful ceremony – especially when the minister read from the Official Guide.

While they were dating, they compared notes on how each approached GMAT questions. For them, this analysis was their ultimate test of compatibility. It turned out that they approach most questions in very similar ways. Even more surprising was that those ways are very different from how some of their friends who are not GMAT Geniuses approach questions.

Gus and Gwen have decided to share their perspective on the GMAT. If you adopt their habits, you’ll watch your score skyrocket. Here’s a short list of some of Gus and Gwen’s favorite test-taking habits.

• Be Consistent. Great test-takers are very consistent in the way that they approach questions. They have a standard approach which they apply rigorously for each type of question. As Gwen explains, “I always do the same things when I tackle a weaken argument, for example. I always find the conclusion, the premise and give myself a few moments to look for assumptions. I also always look for common patterns such as causality. I wouldn’t do as well if I kept trying different approaches.” As you prepare for the GMAT, you should practice consistent approaches to the different types of questions. If you find that you are no longer concentrating on practicing your approach during a study session, it’s time to take a break. You want to reinforce good habits.

• Be flexible. While great test-takers are very consistent, they do recognize that every so often the GMAT throws a curve ball. Some questions can’t be solved using your tried and true approach. Getting these questions right is often the difference between a score in the 700s and one in the high 600s. As Gus puts it, “My favorite way of handling a yes/no data sufficiency question is to explore the statements by using numbers. I find that approach really helps me to remember to think about all the unusual numbers that might fit a statement. However, there are some statements for which it’s tough to find the right numbers. I don’t let that bother me. If my favorite tool isn’t the right tool for the job, I just pick up a different tool.” When you prepare for the GMAT spend some time thinking about different ways that you could approach a question. Don’t just race through a question to get an answer. Remember that you’ll never see that exact question again. You may, however, see very similar questions. So, practice looking for different approaches.

• Know what’s tested. Getting a great GMAT score depends on both knowledge and strategy. Don’t waste you time, however, reviewing arcane grammar rules that the GMAT doesn’t test. Gwen explains, “I saw a GMAT review book once that gave an excellent review of verb tenses including all the progressive tenses. The only problem is that the GMAT does not routinely test those tenses. Sure, it’s fun to know all about verb tenses but I just stick to what I need to know for the test.” You should study real GMAT questions to determine the frequency that topics get tested. If you can’t find more than one or two examples of a topic, there are more important items to learn about first.

• Know how to guess. Here’s the dirty secret that most high scores will not divulge. Most high scorers actually guess on a couple of questions. That’s right, high scorers don’t necessarily know how to solve every problem. They do, however, know how to guess. Gus says, “Before I took the GMAT, I learned how the test-writers came up with the wrong answers. If I got to a question that I wasn’t sure about, I’d see how many answers I could eliminate using my knowledge of how the wrong answers are devised. More times than not, I was able to guess the right answer. Only after I had practiced guessing did I look at the explanation.” So, there you have it. You need to practice how to guess as you study for the GMAT.

Getting a better GMAT score means that you need to practice in the right way. Doing a lot of questions is important. But, you also need to treat each of those questions as an opportunity to practice and develop your approach.