GMAT Strategy

Hi,

My GMAT is on Tuesday 18 May. I have 4 full days to go. Any suggestions on how I should be spending the last 4 days. I have taken the GMATprep. Here are my scores

GMATprep 1 - 710
GAMTprep 1 repeat - 760 (after a month)
GMATprep 2 - 720 - last weekend
GMATprep II repeat 750
GMATprep I repeat 750

I have completed the MGMATand my scores have ranged from 680 - 700. I have a few Kaplan tests but I'm afraid that it may dash my confidence.

Please suggest how I shoulds spend this last stretch. I plan to do the GMATprep again, take a test everyday. Is it a good idea to run through the OG? I really appreciate your advise on this.

Regards,

Nix

Don't take the Kaplan tests at this point. The only exam you should probably even consider right now is a GMAT Prep 2 (retake).

You can look at notes and restudy strategies and missed problems from other sources, but in terms of new problems and new exams... I think that it is best to work primarily with OG and GMAT prep questions during the last several days. If you have not run through the entire OG yet, then do those in sets and work on your pacing. This way you're working on actual GMAT questions. I think non-official questions and exams are great practice resourses, but the real thing is the way to go for your final days.

This is my favorite way to use the OG books:
Take the OG questions, and get a digital timer (stopwatch/whatever). Do 10, 15, 20, 25, etc. questions at a time. And just write down the time after each question. So if you finish q1 1:15 into the practice session, you'll write write 1:15 next to your answer choice, and then if you finish q2 2:45 into the practice session, you'll write 2:45. This saves you time instead of trying to figure out how long each question took you while your trying to work on pace. Then after you're done with the set of questions, you can go back and figure out how long each question took you. I think it can be easy for us to ignore question that we answer correctly. But if a question takes you 2 minutes and 30 seconds, even if you answered it correctly, you could probably learn how to do it more efficiently. I think this is a great strategy for identifying your types of problems that tend to take you a while to answer. Once you do that, you can just focus on learning how to solve these types of problems more efficiently.

Best of luck!

Also, don't take a practice exam the day before the exam. It will get in your head.

Thanks Riprop!

What are your thoughts on the day of the exam..it's at 11am. i'm usually up by 7, gives me about 2 hours to prime my brain..What's a good read..concepts or just practice questions?? Thanks
niX

The resources on this site are amazing. I looked over the Beat the GMAT flash cards one exam day. If you're going to do that, definitely look them over before test day as well, so nothing catches you off-guard.

Also, during the days leading up to the exam, I looked over Spidey's and Sahlil's (two different files) notes. These are probably better to look at today/tomorrow than on Tuesday. Both be found in the SC section of the resources page on this site.

And finally, a great way to work your mind in these final days is to use the explanation forums on this site to explain questions to others. This way you get your mind thinking about how questions actually work. Answering a question and explaining a question are two different animals.

Best of luck! (and of course, if you have any other questions to ask, I'm happy to answer them)

Thanks again! I've been doing OG again.. The problem is that I remember CR & SC answers..although I do understand the concepts, I'm not sure whether I can identify/spot the errors in SC or CR in a different context.. anyway way around this?

Also, is the actual GMAT close to the GMATprep and OG in terms of difficulty? What approach do you suggest for AWA? I haven't practiced a single AWA.

Appreciate your guidance!

nix

I mean I know I didn't score what I would have liked too have scored, but I think I can offer just a little advice. So the day of my exam I did a couple practice problems of each type. So I did a couple PS, DS, SC, CR, and 1 RC. I didn't look at the answers though... I didn't want to dash my confidence but I just wanted my brain to be in the mode again.

Okay. I was confused. I thought you had not finished the OG yet. Yeah, redoing problems is tricky, since you will remember a lot of answers. From a optimist's perspective, that means you have a good memory, which means you're probably retaining a lot of what you have learned!

First piece of advice, do both essays when you take your next (final?) practice exam. Solving the quant & verbal sections feels different after you've already sat in front of the computer for an hour. It's better to be used to that feeling. Second, search this forum for a discussions on templates. Find something that works for you. Third, look at the essays in the OG Book. They'll have essay examples for different scores for both of the essay types. Honestly, looking at those examples will both show you what's necessary and put you at ease (because they're not ridiculous dissertations).

Hmmm... have you gone through the OG supplement books (the quant-only and verbal-only)?

And I'd say the OG is probably not as difficult as the harder problems you'll see on the GMAT exam IF YOU'RE SCORING AS WELL AS IT LOOKS LIKE YOU CAN/WILL. But, the tougher GMAT prep questions are probably on par with the tougher GMAT questions. So you've had some exposure.

Also, I think doing the SC and then looking at all the answers in the back of the book is very useful for learning the SC rules.

Given your circumstances (having finished the OG), you can also feel free to do practice problems from other sources, but just don't let them get in your head.

Also, Money's suggestion of doing a problem or two of each type isn't a terrible thing during the morning of the exam. I don't I did that, but I'm not positive at this point (I took the exam in '08). I'd definitely do it with problems that you have gotten right in the past out of the OG. Remember, if you choose to do that warm-up, you're doing it to warm up your brain, not to learn something new.

Most important... don't freak out. Don't feel like you have to follow any of my advice. It looks like you schould score very well on this exam. Just be focused. Don't psych yourself out. You've put in the work. Now claim your reward!

I really appreciate your advice!! i just hope I can break the 700 barrier... one last question.. can't promise though

I've done the MGMATs in the past ..should i even try them again or just stick to the GMATprep?

thanks

nix

I think MGMAT practice exams are great resources, but if it were my exam, I wouldn't touch them (or any other non-GMAT prep exam) at this point. Again, if you think it will help, don't avoid taking another prep exam because of me. But I, personally, would not do that at this point.

"First piece of advice, do both essays when you take your next (final?) practice exam." definitely...

Do not touch MGMAT lmao... GMATprep all the way...

Also... make sure you're comfortable with the last 15/20 OG SC questions, because those are more like what you'll experience on the real exam...

Have any of you tried Redbull before the exam?? what's a good snack/drink to carry, something that will keep me focused throughout the 4 hour session.

I'd like to carry some champagne and pop it open once i'm done!! I just hope to get done with the GMAT this time..keeping my fingers crossed

NIXBTG wrote:Have any of you tried Redbull before the exam?? what's a good snack/drink to carry, something that will keep me focused throughout the 4 hour session.

I'd like to carry some champagne and pop it open once i'm done!! I just hope to get done with the GMAT this time..keeping my fingers crossed

A quick tip regarding Red Bull (or caffeine in general) on test day: Don't alter your normal routine! If you chug a Red Bull every morning, drink it on test day. But if your body isn't used to that kind of jolt -- and believe me, Red Bulls pack a punch -- then you'll wind up jittery for half the test and crashing for the rest of it. No fun. Sticking with your standard caffeine routine is the best strategy.

It's definitely a good idea to bring snacks for the breaks -- think protein, carbs, and a little bit of sugar to give you healthy energy and keep you focused. Nuts and granola bars are great, string cheese is good (as long as it's not too hot in your testing center, yuck), and a couple chocolates or candies can provide a quick, tasty boost. Make sure to eat a good breakfast, too! Water has always been my beverage of choice, and champagne sounds great as a post-test celebration.

Great luck!

Thanks Jen!

The most serious GMAT prep question there is , and I agree 100% with Jen.

I went with dark chocolate (get some good dark chocolate too, you've earned it!), almonds, a banana... and maybe a granola bar (can't remember it). And I either went with water, gatorade, or propel to drink.

Turned out to be a very productive day.... I revised OG PS, DS and CR. Did a few SCs from the blue official verbal book and finally took GMATprep II.

I did the AWA section for the first time, scored 750(v40 q50). I did see a few repeats in quant. I'm not feelng too good despite the score. Didn't feel like I was in control of the test during the verbal section. I guess it's the anxiety and it seems to kill my SC. I struggle to read actively and spot errors. Any tips on how I can get around this and read actively.

Also, I need some advice on keeping time. I'm able to finish both sections comfortably, however I'm looking for a strategy to efficiently keep track of time. How frequently should I look at the clock? I find it distracting

I have 3 days to go..plan to take the GMATprep from here on every day and revise OG. SC Qs make me really nervous..there are days when I can really break the sentence down and spot the errors and there are days when I read a sentence and have no clue what I just read.

Thanks again everyone! This forum rocks thanks to you guys

Cheers,

Nix