I took the GMAT in December and after all the shock of applying, not getting accepted and getting back on the saddle again, I thought I would post my experience.

I began prepping for the GMAT in September of 2009 and because I was recently laid off, I had all the time in the world. With all the time that I had, my study habits were very sporadic, some days I studied more than others.

**Tip 1: If you have an abundance of time to prepare, set a plan and stick to it.

I began using all the free resources available to me and got overwhelmed with all the information that I was being hit with. It wasn't until the end of my prep time that I realized that I had serious gaps in my problem solving area.

**Tip 2: Take a practice exam at the beginning of your prep and analyze it closely to determine areas of weakness so that you won't get to the week before the exam to figure out that you need help. Cramming doesn't work (at least for me!).

One month before the exam I amped up my test prep and it helped me not at all because the basics weren't in place. I took the practice exams and each time I received in the 400's. I never properly analyzed the exams therefore I never improved.

**Tip 3: Insanity is doing the same thing repeatidly and expecting different results.

When I took the real exam I scored a 490, which is higher than I had ever scored but really put reality in my face.

**Tip 4: Be realistic when applying to schools.

Schools will not give you the benefit of the doubt if the rest of your application is awesome, everyone's application is awesome and their GMAT score is higher!!

**Tip 5: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!!

Be proactive remember that you are spending alot of money and the GMAT is an important part of your b school application.