Length:
I studied from the beginning of October to mid january. Took the test in Mid-January.
Timewise:
I studied at the library 4 out of 5 weekdays (Usually took Fridays off to hang out with friends). On saturdays I would spend the day at the Library in the morning and take one GMAT exam at night. Sundays were off(woohoo!). Now to be serious...there was some variation to that depending on whatever was going on at that time, but I stuck to making up any time i lost.
Strategy:
I would keep a book with me whenever reading any study guide and write down any strategy that i wasn't already doing or i thought would be beneficial to me. So I first finished off an old Kaplan book I had lying around... as well as the Princeton Review book. Took about 10 pages of notes from the 2 books for stuff i needed to know and the strategies for certain types of questions.
I then took the Diagnostic test in the OG and spent about 2 days analyzing waht i had done. This was an eyeopener. I always thought i was bad at SC b/c they seemed so hard to me when I did them, but I learned I was amazing at it since I spent so much time on it, and I was quite weak in RC. With this in mind, i focused my studying for the next month on RC with the Manhattan GMAT specific book while still doing the rest of the practice tests and working on the OG.
One thing i reccomend for everyone taking the test is that you mark anything you guessed on or are not 100% sure on. My logic is that if your guessing, it is wrong and you need to review that topic, you shoudl never be guessing.
The week before my test, i took a vacation from work and took a test everyday and analyzed that test every night. Last day before the test, i watched 3 movies and ate alot of popcorn and slept early so I was refreshed during the test.
On test day, i went there with 3 cans of red bull. I drank on before the test and maximized each break to drink one more can. I also stood outside the test center (right outside so they can see you!) and got some fresh air and just relaxed...it was amazing to go back in b/c i still felt refreshed after the exam was over...
That's about it. If you guys have any questions for me, please do ask. I'm getting more active in the forums now that I'm working on my BS apps.
