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Please Help! I need a through study plan!

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Please Help! I need a through study plan!

by PapaB » Fri May 14, 2010 10:25 am
Hello,

I have taken the GMAT and have not faired well. I scored in the very low 500's and needless to say I was extremely disappointed. In hindsight I don't think that I was honest with myself in my preparation.

Previously, I took a Kaplan course to prepare for the test. I scored in the high to mid 500's and thought that I would pick-up from 30-100 points on the test. Obviously this was not the case.

The GMAT has taken on a whole new meaning for me. It is not just a barrier for me to get into B-school but now a personal challenge. The thought of conquering this test has been knawing at the back of my mind since my last test.

I am not looking to take a crash course in GMAT strategy, I am looking to master the body of knowledge that is the GMAT.

The question that I pose is, If someone was to have unlimited time to study, average ability and access to resources. What would be the recommend course of action to prepare for the GMAT.

I feel as though this is the mindset that I have to employ in order to accomplish my task and amasking what would an expert do with this scenario.

Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

PapaB
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by tpr-becky » Fri May 14, 2010 10:53 am
Given your scenario of unlimited time, average ability and access this would be my plan (and it has worked for several of my students).

1. Find reference material that discusses the GMAT in the simplest terms - meaning find something that says these are the top 10 sentence correction errors, these are the 20 math subject tested etc... I am partial to Princeton Review for this because they really essentialize what you need to learn.

2. Tackle a study session for each type of topic - review the rule, understand how it works in several situations and then develop a step by step approach for that type of problem that works every time. For example if I see a ratio problem I know to ask whether the answer is an actual number or a ratio. If the answer is a ratio I set up the information is Part/part ratios and manipulate them as if they were fractions. If the asnwer is an actual number then I put the information into a ratio box. This approach to each type of problem is essential.

3. Time yourself every time you do practice problems - a good rate is 16 problems in 30 minutes althought this is not exact. This means that if you are struggling you may have to skip problems, use techniques to make an educated guess or decide to spend the time. But at the end of every timed session you should be working on the last problem or this doesn't work.

continued in next post
Becky
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The Princeton Review
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by tpr-becky » Fri May 14, 2010 10:59 am
4. After you have timed yourself go through and simply mark the questions you got wrong (you can also mark which ones you guessed on even if they were correct). Don't indicate what the correct answer is.

5. At a later date pick up the section and re-do all the problems you got wrong on your own - do not look at solutions or get into your review book just try to re-do the problem. If you cannot then crack open your resources (not a solutions manual) and figure it out. A good way to look at this is "what concept is being tested and what do I know about this concept". If after you've looked through your stuff you still can't figure it out go ahead and read the solution and then try the problem again without looking at the solution. This part is key because this is the place you are really learning.

6. After you have done all the problems you can go back and identify what content was in each one and what new little trick or piece of information you have learned through the problem - write this rule down. (for example "I learned that when you multiply or divide across an inequality you have to pay attention to postive/negative") You can then add these little rules to your main study sheet.

7. Full exams are helpful but I would need a timeline to help you figure out when to take them.

This method is very time consuming and doesn't rely on doing tons of new questions constantly nor does it rely on memorizing every essoteric formula. It focuses on the GMAT as a problem solving exam with basic 8th grade math and english grammar was the content.
Becky
Master GMAT Instructor
The Princeton Review
Irvine, CA
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