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GMAT Study Strategy - I need to revise (Help!)

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GMAT Study Strategy - I need to revise (Help!)

by mattnyc15 » Fri Sep 18, 2015 12:08 pm
So, I'm currently taking a 9-week Manhattan GMAT course. Lately, we have had a lot more verbal studies - CR, SC, RC.

What I've been doing is spending A LOT of time in the strategy guides trying to nail the concepts. I've noticed I don't remember much from Quant (especially DS) strategy now I've been hitting verbal so hard.

Should I concentrate so much on the strategy guides? I tend to obsess over reading everything and trying to understand each concept while a certain strategy chapter is assigned in the syllabus, and I've noticed I tend to study things in blocks: 3-4 days on SC, 3-4 days on RC and so on.

Should I study a bit of every section each day? I feel overwhelmed by materials and I'm having trouble remembering everything as I moved forward.

What strategy or study concepts should I keep in mind as a 700+ score is my ultimate goal?

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by [email protected] » Sat Sep 19, 2015 9:31 am
HI mattnyc15,

The concept of focusing on a subject for a short period is just fine - many Test Takers incorporate that approach during their studies. You might find it beneficial to 'mix' your studies a bit - do some Quant and some Verbal each day that you study.

If you're having trouble retaining certain knowledge, tactics, etc., then you might find it beneficial to work in some 'review time' each week, so that you can revisit past subjects and keep all of your skills sharp. With a 700+ score goal, you can't afford to be 'weak' in any of the major question types of categories.

1) How have you been scoring on your practice CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sat Sep 19, 2015 11:18 am
I recommend a systematic (even methodical) approach, in which you take the time to master each topic/concept (e.g., percents, ratios, assumption questions in critical reasoning, comparison questions in sentence correction, etc).

So, for each topic/concept, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it
Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

To help you focus on one topic at a time, you can use BTG's tagging feature. For example, here are all of the questions tagged as statistics questions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/forums/tags/ ... statistics
See the left side of that linked page for more tag options.

You should also use an Error Log (aka Improvement Chart) while completing questions from the Official Guide (OG). You can find a free downloadable Improvement Chart here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-error-log. This will help you identify and strengthen your weak areas.

I also suggest that you spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts on this site, since they often model the steps you should be taking when answering questions.

Finally, in addition to learning the core concepts and GMAT-specific strategies, be sure to work on your endurance and test-taking skills (e.g., time management) by taking several practice tests. If you're interested, we have a free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

Cheers,
Brent
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by MartyMurray » Sat Sep 19, 2015 8:19 pm
Ultimately, the GMAT is a game and getting to a high score involves getting good at the game. So everything you do to increase your score should be driven by the game.

In other words, one way to handle all this is to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts your are learning about and then seek to play the game.

As you play the game, if you are not getting questions right or scoring high on practice tests, then you can decide what you need to learn more about in order to improve your game. Then you could go back to concepts with which you had become general familiar and focus on learning more about the ones you need to in order to score higher on the game.

This is different from what you have been doing, in that what you have been doing is learning things not because you see the need to learn them in order to improve your game, but rather because they are part of a syllabus or guide you have. Naturally you forget things, because you are learning them just because someone has told you to learn them.

Ok, sure, the course you are taking has been put together by people who know how to play the game, and yes it makes sense to keep up with the material. At the same time, it sounds as if you are seeing the material as the focus of what you are doing as opposed to seeing playing the game as the focus of what you are doing and the material as just some ideas for how to score higher on the game.

Also, be aware that many people score very high on the GMAT without learning many of the things you are studying. There are many ways to play the game, and while understanding certain concepts and strategies can be integral to effectively answering GMAT questions, understanding others can be quite optional. For instance, knowing to look for the conclusions to CR questions is basic, but knowing all kinds of strategies for handling various types of CR questions is totally optional. In fact, people often find that they do better when they dispense with many things they have learned and just use common sense to work their ways to answers.

The GMAT is not really a math and English test. It's more a test of vision, skill in noticing key details, and reasoning skill. The math and English involved are just building blocks of the reasoning game. So you don't have to study as if you were preparing for a math and English test. You more need to train as if you are preparing to play a game, with learning anything being driven by a need to learn that in order to score higher on the game.

So the upshot is that you don't need to obsess over the strategy guides. You more need to see what is in them, learn some key things, and develop some skills and then get busy playing the game by doing practice questions and taking practice tests. As challenges arise you can go back to the strategy guides as necessary or in cases in which you feel that doing so will help you score higher.
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