Hello everyone! I wanted to post this thread because I truly feel that reading so many success stories in this forum really motivated me to work hard and enabled me to achieve the score that I did. The least I could do is give back in the same spirit. So:
Background
I actually took Manhattan GMAT's prep course, but did not complete almost any of the curriculum that students are supposed to follow while taking the class. Although the instructor was very helpful in providing unique strategies and guiding us through the process, all progress was a result of hard work. So for those who have the discipline, a class may be a catalyst, but far from necessary for success.
I registered for the test approximately 4.5 weeks after my class ended. I started taking my studies seriously 4 weeks prior to the test date, which is why I'm calling this thread the "One Month Grind." Hopefully, this will be helpful for those trying to cram in some serious progress within a month.
Materials
Although I had all of the books from MGMAT (which include OG 11, and the Verbal and Quant OGs), the books I used the most were the orange OG 11, the green Quant OG, and the MGMAT Sentence Correction book. Furthermore, I took the 6 MGMAT CATs, the free Princeton Review CAT, an in-person Kaplan Paper Test, and the 2 GMATPrep CATs. I also had the yellow pad and erasable marker. This may sound stupid, but many people on this board agree - get yourself this pad and pen, because emulating the testing experience is huge.
Score Progression
MGMAT 1 - 11/28 - 620 (Q38 V36)
MGMAT 2 - 1/28 - 640 (Q44 V33)
MGMAT 3 - 2/23 - 650 (Q43 V36)
MGMAT 4 - 2/25 - 690 (Q44 V39)
MGMAT 5 - 2/28 - 660 (Q42 V38)
MGMAT 6 - 3/4 - 710 (Q47 V40)
P.Review - 3/6 - 710 (Q45 V44)
Kaplan Paper - 3/8 - 620 (Breakout N/A)
GMATPrep 1 - 3/9 - 670 (Q44 V38)
GMATPrep 1(2nd)- 3/10 - 710 (Q49 V 38)
GMATPrep 2 - 3/11 - 710 (Q49 V37)
GMAT - 3/12 - 740 (Q49 V42)
Study Plan
I had a hard time finding posts dedicated to one month prep, so I picked and chose what was best.
1.) The first thing I did was complete every single question in OG11, excluding the diagnostic tests and the AWA. (This was a painful first weekend in terms of workload.) I also did every single problem TIMED. This is CRUCIAL for this test - understanding your limits and knowing when to guess, cut your losses, and move on will make your score jump. I recorded all questions in a spreadsheet, divided it up by problem type/content, and noted if I got it incorrect, guessed, or took a very long time with it. From there, I spent a thorough amount of time understanding the underlying concepts of each flagged question. Again, quality is more important than quantity.
2.) With all of that data, I figured out where my weaknesses were - between accuracy rates, timing issues, or whatever. For me, this was Data Sufficiency (specifically Rates & Work and combinatorics) and sentence correction. This is also crucial. Don't let your ego get in the way, and accept what you're good at and what you're not.
3.) After identifying my weaknesses - I first went through the Quant OG guide (the green book) and marked all of the Data sufficiency questions that had to do with Rates & Work and Combinatorics. I was on a tight timeline, so I didn't want to do every single question again - it really wasn't necessary. Rather than do a whole batch and check, I did 3 to 4 questions, read the explanations thoroughly, and then did another 3 to 4 questions. Rather than waste all these questions upfront, I wanted to learn as much as I could from a few, and then apply what I learned on the ones I did afterward. Toward the end of this exercise, my accuracy started going up. Sentence correction was a bit different, as brute force doesn't work as well in verbal. I read through the MGMAT sentence correction guide, and it was VERY helpful. I had always been more comfortable in verbal, but still, reading this was huge. Afterwards, I redid the sentence corrections from OG11. I made huge gains after reading this book.
4) Throughout the 4 weeks, I took practice tests. (Ignore the ones I took much earlier - I didn't take them seriously.) Don't read too much into the scores, because they can discourage you and put you in a funk. Do, however, note the content of the questions that were incorrect or took a while. I cross-examined my results with my OG questions, to see if my weaknesses were consistent. For me, for the the most part, they were. Give yourself a maximum of 2 minutes for all questions, except sentence correction, where each question is 1.5 minutes. Force yourself into clicking an answer and moving on.
5) Study your exam data. In contrast to the OG problems, when I revisited incorrect practice test questions, I didn't look at the answer right away. I sat and tried to figure it out on my own, regardless of how long it took. This was huge for me - i recognized how stupid I was being after I'd come to an answer 20 minutes later that should have taken me 30 seconds. I think this was especially helpful, given that I only had a month to do this. This way, each problem was understood in a meaningful way. I'd say that the value extracted from 10 normal questions was equal to what i learned from one of these grind-outs.
6) I just kept cycling through this process, until 5 days prior to the test. At that point, I built stamina. Whereas before this in practice tests I would simply write an outline for my AWA, I'd actually write the whole essay. I also used exclusively GMATPrep for these 5 days. The way it appears on your computer screen is identical to the real test - again, emulating the experience is very helpful. I did all of the practice problems that came with the software as well.
7) Lastly, on the morning of exam day (my test was at 12), I woke up early, ate a good breakfast, and did some "mental stretching." A lot of people say that this isn't good, but I redid some of my GMATPrep 2 test - skipping the questions I had already seen, but doing the new ones. I maybe did like, 20 Quant and 20 Verbal questions. I didn't want to just walk in and start testing - I thought getting in the zone would be useful. I also read the news that morning, to see if any current events could be adapted into my AWA portion (I actually used something I read in my "Issue" essay).
Also, stay as positive as possible. I read people posting this comment again and again on this board, and kind of rolled my eyes, but it is SO important when sitting in front of the screen during the real thing. Reading these success stories were really crucial to me, as I imagined to myself how awesome it would feel to get a 700+ score myself, while reading about someone else that actually did it. (Note- this board is so great because 700 is the standard here, not a reach. Really makes you shift gears.)
Other thoughts
1) I think the weaknesses of Data Sufficiency and Sentence Correction, for me, were quite serendipitous. These two sections are the easiest to increase your score. Once you figure out how to play through DS, it's easy to eliminate choices, and pump up your accuracy percentage on an aggregate basis. Sentence correction is similar - whereas all other sections require you to think through and execute, a lot of sentence correction is simply recognizing flaws that appear in front of you, and crossing off the choices that don't fix them. Again, it's easy to eliminate choices and increase your accuracy.
2) In retrospect, I really don't think this method is ideal for someone who isn't familiar with the content of the test at all, nor for someone who is very rusty. If you find yourself getting a lot of the OG questions wrong, and not concentrated in a few areas, you should likely take a step back, refresh yourself, and try again. Eric summed it up in his one month prep post - the GMAT wasn't meant to be studied within a month - so take your time if you need it.
Summary
Given this tight timeframe, I think the most effective method is to 1) identify your weaknesses and attack them aggressively and exclusively and 2) subsequently take practice tests to improve upon the weaknesses and keep everything else sharp. Don't waste time redoing practice problems (outside the tests) on things you already know.
Also, quality is always more important than quantity, but in the one month timeframe, BOTH are very important, at least to first figure out how you want to start studying.
Okay! That's my debrief. I hope that wasn't too long, or difficult to follow. I'm going to linger on these boards to answer any questions that may arise. I truly hope that this is helpful for those who are trying to achieve a high score within a tight timeframe!
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