GMAT Strategy

I initially wrote a part of this as a note to myself in order to read over it again and know where to go from here. I then decided that it may be a good idea to post it here.

So I just finished taking my first ever CAT using PR software this time. My score was much lower than I expected, but is pretty much in line with how I felt once I started the test. I scored a 480 with 29 in quant and 28 in verbal.

First: I panicked starting with the first problem on the first section, which was quant. Once I panicked all of the practice from the last five weeks and flashcard information flew right out of the window.

Second: Hopelessness set in around problem 6. I started seeing easy problems and pretty much gave up on the test. I felt like I did not have enough time to go to the paper and back to the problem, and kept thinking about how little time I would have left for the rest of the problems if I spent more time on the question at hand. I guessed more than I actually solved.

Three: Once the section was done and over, I moved on to the verbal section with the baggage from the quant section. This was supposed to be my stellar section, but the exhaustion, partial anger, and frustration with my own behavior got the best of me.

This is all after five weeks of working though the PR and Kaplan Premier books. I knew that my quant is weaker than my verbal. However, I scored pretty consistently on the math sections in both books. In Kaplan, which I consider to be a more serious text, I scored as follows:

Quant

Problem solving: 29 out of 50 (untimed, but tried to get though problems as quickly as I could; guessed when needed and moved on).

DS: 25 out of 50 (timed).

Verbal

CR: 32 out of 50 (timed).

SC: 42 out of 50 (timed).

RC: 42 out of 50 (timed).

In addition to this practice, I have also been reviewing some 100 odd flashcards DAILY at work during the lunch hour. I have also been practicing a few problems from this site, in addition to looking over several strategies and approaches. All of these, of course, did not do me any good since I panicked on the practice test and simply gave in to the GMAT monster before even really swinging at it.

Lessons:

1) Timed practice on each section is very different from practice on the actual test, because you do not consistently get in the flow of doing the same type of a problem as I did on the Kaplan sections.

2) Panic gets the best of you. DO NOT PANIC. This pretty much causes your brain to close down and forget all of the tools you have learned. Furthermore, if you do try to recover some of your lessons, they will be jumbled and fuzzy.

3) It must become my imperative to remain conditioned. I quickly ran our of steam on the test, because, lets face it, doing the whole test straight is not like doing ten minute sessions of the reading comprehension passages in Kaplan and then getting up to have a bite of a granola bar. I must take a test as often as I possibly can. Ideally, every single weekend, realistically, at least every other week.

4) I should get a solid grounding in the questions that appear at the 600 to 650 level before moving on to the harder questions. There is no sense in doing problems all over the board if you are not going to get to them. Do as many problems, as possible. Also, just because your weak area is math, do not neglect your stronger are-verbal.

5) Know your formulas, shortcuts, etc COLD.

6) Do not get depressed. Instead, use what you have learned as a vehicle for improvement. If you do not, it will be your downfall.