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jon82
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 11:16 am
- Thanked: 3 times
- GMAT Score:750
Here is a summary of my GMAT experience and my opinions on how to beat it. Take it for what it's worth:
I am an American Male with a decent academic profile but mediocre past performance on standardized tests. I bought a GMAT book in 2008 with the best intentions to study. However, when I looked through the math questions in the front I could hardly do any of them. It had been so long since I had studied math that I'd forgotten (and was never good in the first place - got a C in my 11th grade pre calc class and never went beyond that). So, I put the book down for about a year. In Sept 2009, I decided that an MBA is truly what I needed to succeed. I read Eric's blog (not this website, but his blog about his studies) and was adequately motivated to study. Seriously study. I never read anything else. I had my motivation and the rest was up to me.
Sept 3rd 2009, I came up with a plan based on Eric's experience: Study my brains out for two months and take the test. My target score: 710.
I bought books and anything with problems that would help me improve my score. I studied 3 hours a day for 77 days. Some days I woke up and couldn't face the books. On these days I would look online at my dream school: Oxford. I went to msn's map site and gave myself a virtual tour of the beautiful campus and a short pep talk: "Do you want to end up at Central Michigan?" No. So, I got back to the books.
I studied mostly math problems, but devoted maybe 20% of my time to areas of weakness on the verbal side. I'm not writing to tell you what I studied or how I studied. That is up to you and your needs. Just study. Don't spend your free time reading this website if you're in study mode. THERE IS NO FREE TIME. Either you want to go to Oxford or you would settle for Central Michigan. There is no middle ground.
Mid October, 2009 - I was fading a bit, so I went online and signed up for a late November test date. Now I had a real deadline and continued my pace. I was stressed out but called my brother and parents every night to vent. I couldn't have done this without their patient listening.
November 20th, 2009 (the day before test day) - I took the day off work and didn't study. I caught a movie at a small theater. It was a comedy. I worked out at the gym. I drove to the test center to make sure I knew how to get there. I looked up brain food and went to the store to buy some fish, blueberries, whole grain pasta, spinach and nuts. I cooked it all together and it tasted like crap. But it was fuel for my brain.
November 21st, 2009 (test day) - I had an 8am test, so I got up at 6:30am (I had been going to bed steadily earlier and earlier in preparation and even told my boss a month prior that I would be coming in earlier that month "to make sure we get stuff handled for our customers in an earlier timezone") and had some more crap tasting fish gruel and coffee (to simulate what I normally consume in the morning).
When the test screen with my score came up I was amazed. First Try. 750. I hope this motivates you, because that is what you really need to accomplish your GMAT goals.
J
I am an American Male with a decent academic profile but mediocre past performance on standardized tests. I bought a GMAT book in 2008 with the best intentions to study. However, when I looked through the math questions in the front I could hardly do any of them. It had been so long since I had studied math that I'd forgotten (and was never good in the first place - got a C in my 11th grade pre calc class and never went beyond that). So, I put the book down for about a year. In Sept 2009, I decided that an MBA is truly what I needed to succeed. I read Eric's blog (not this website, but his blog about his studies) and was adequately motivated to study. Seriously study. I never read anything else. I had my motivation and the rest was up to me.
Sept 3rd 2009, I came up with a plan based on Eric's experience: Study my brains out for two months and take the test. My target score: 710.
I bought books and anything with problems that would help me improve my score. I studied 3 hours a day for 77 days. Some days I woke up and couldn't face the books. On these days I would look online at my dream school: Oxford. I went to msn's map site and gave myself a virtual tour of the beautiful campus and a short pep talk: "Do you want to end up at Central Michigan?" No. So, I got back to the books.
I studied mostly math problems, but devoted maybe 20% of my time to areas of weakness on the verbal side. I'm not writing to tell you what I studied or how I studied. That is up to you and your needs. Just study. Don't spend your free time reading this website if you're in study mode. THERE IS NO FREE TIME. Either you want to go to Oxford or you would settle for Central Michigan. There is no middle ground.
Mid October, 2009 - I was fading a bit, so I went online and signed up for a late November test date. Now I had a real deadline and continued my pace. I was stressed out but called my brother and parents every night to vent. I couldn't have done this without their patient listening.
November 20th, 2009 (the day before test day) - I took the day off work and didn't study. I caught a movie at a small theater. It was a comedy. I worked out at the gym. I drove to the test center to make sure I knew how to get there. I looked up brain food and went to the store to buy some fish, blueberries, whole grain pasta, spinach and nuts. I cooked it all together and it tasted like crap. But it was fuel for my brain.
November 21st, 2009 (test day) - I had an 8am test, so I got up at 6:30am (I had been going to bed steadily earlier and earlier in preparation and even told my boss a month prior that I would be coming in earlier that month "to make sure we get stuff handled for our customers in an earlier timezone") and had some more crap tasting fish gruel and coffee (to simulate what I normally consume in the morning).
When the test screen with my score came up I was amazed. First Try. 750. I hope this motivates you, because that is what you really need to accomplish your GMAT goals.
J
Last edited by jon82 on Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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