Hey to all!
So I have officially decided I want to give the GMAT another shot after a pathetic 500 score on my first attempt. I have been contemplating what went wrong last time and after giving it some consideration feel I can certainly improve my approach.
On my first attempt I attended a few local classes for gmat/gre study which mostly just seemed to get my mind ready. I did not actually commit to a specific GMAT test date until maybe a little over 1 month ahead of time. I did use the GMAT pill and Kaplan book (which doesn't seem to focus on actual test material covered very well).
The dilemma I seem to be facing after such an abysmal score is that I want to find a study plan that is achievable. During my initial gmat study attempt, I seemed to struggle with time management issues: After working long hours at a boutique investment bank and as a newly wed (4 months at the time) I felt guilty every time I would have to blow off another weekend with her and/or friends in order to study. Additionally, I decided to give up my morning workout routine in order to find more time to study. However, the lack of physical activity and time spent with my new family really seemed to affect me emotionally as I constantly felt like I ALWAYS needed to be studying. After a couple of weeks, the morning study routine became sub-par as I would oversleep/procrastinate and only achieve between 25-45 minutes of actual study time.
So, enough of my griping.....I have discussed with my wife and, to her credit, she has suggested I give the test another try. But I want to make sure I start off on solid ground this time with a strategy with which I can remain committed and achieve effective results.
I wanted to reach out to those of you with similar commitments and time constraints - especially those who are married. I feel if I can even squeeze in exercise for a few days per week I might be better off mentally.
Top questions:
-What sort of study schedule has worked best for you?
-How were you able to squeeze in personal time (ie running, gym, etc)
-How to be alert enough for 1-2 solid hours of morning study? (as it seems this is where I could find some time)
-what books were most worth your time? (realizing you don't have as much time as you might like to cover all of the books recommended on beat the gmat)
-Since I keep hearing repeatedly about the Manhattan gmat books - is it worth while to get all of these books? Are they assuming you start them having had a high level of gmat expertise already or do they do a good job of bringing you up to speed before they throw you into some high level questions?
Thanks so much for ANY and ALL feedback!! I will say this is my first post, so I apologize for its length. I know that if I can get settled into a solid schedule, it could really make a huge impact on my score and, for that matter, potentially my family's future. Thanks again!!
So I have officially decided I want to give the GMAT another shot after a pathetic 500 score on my first attempt. I have been contemplating what went wrong last time and after giving it some consideration feel I can certainly improve my approach.
On my first attempt I attended a few local classes for gmat/gre study which mostly just seemed to get my mind ready. I did not actually commit to a specific GMAT test date until maybe a little over 1 month ahead of time. I did use the GMAT pill and Kaplan book (which doesn't seem to focus on actual test material covered very well).
The dilemma I seem to be facing after such an abysmal score is that I want to find a study plan that is achievable. During my initial gmat study attempt, I seemed to struggle with time management issues: After working long hours at a boutique investment bank and as a newly wed (4 months at the time) I felt guilty every time I would have to blow off another weekend with her and/or friends in order to study. Additionally, I decided to give up my morning workout routine in order to find more time to study. However, the lack of physical activity and time spent with my new family really seemed to affect me emotionally as I constantly felt like I ALWAYS needed to be studying. After a couple of weeks, the morning study routine became sub-par as I would oversleep/procrastinate and only achieve between 25-45 minutes of actual study time.
So, enough of my griping.....I have discussed with my wife and, to her credit, she has suggested I give the test another try. But I want to make sure I start off on solid ground this time with a strategy with which I can remain committed and achieve effective results.
I wanted to reach out to those of you with similar commitments and time constraints - especially those who are married. I feel if I can even squeeze in exercise for a few days per week I might be better off mentally.
Top questions:
-What sort of study schedule has worked best for you?
-How were you able to squeeze in personal time (ie running, gym, etc)
-How to be alert enough for 1-2 solid hours of morning study? (as it seems this is where I could find some time)
-what books were most worth your time? (realizing you don't have as much time as you might like to cover all of the books recommended on beat the gmat)
-Since I keep hearing repeatedly about the Manhattan gmat books - is it worth while to get all of these books? Are they assuming you start them having had a high level of gmat expertise already or do they do a good job of bringing you up to speed before they throw you into some high level questions?
Thanks so much for ANY and ALL feedback!! I will say this is my first post, so I apologize for its length. I know that if I can get settled into a solid schedule, it could really make a huge impact on my score and, for that matter, potentially my family's future. Thanks again!!
