GMAT Strategy

Studying for the GMAT is like lifting weights. Reading about all sorts of fancy techniques and supplements in a muscle magazine will not make you strong. Hitting the weights consistently, and hitting the HEAVY weights is what build muscle. Trust me, I was a 6'1, 135 pound shrimp when I was a freshman in high school. I'm now 6'4, 215 pounds, I can bench over 300 pounds, and I'm an active duty Marine Officer.


On the same token, although BTG has plenty of useful information and works as a support group; I don't care what fancy study strategies and techniques you read about on this site. I guarantee you that effectiveness of such strategies is marginal at best. What will get you better is hitting TOUGH PROBLEMS relentlessly. Do you know how many times I've taken the MGMAT CATs? I've taken over 18 of them. In addition, I've taken a Knewton Free CAT, a Princeton Review CAT, GMATPrep 1&2 twice each, and 800score.com CATs over 15 times (there's only 5).


Why? Because I wanted to know that I could solve the toughest problems that they had to offer (since they rapidly adjust to your ability). Yes, my "score" wasn't exactly accurate after I recycled the tests, but it didn't matter. It provided me challenging problems that you rarely find in books, coupled with the pressure of a running clock. In addition, I went back to each and every problem I got wrong, and attempted to solve it under no time constraint. If I still couldn't solve it, I read the solution, and I walked myself through until I realized how the problem works.


I will persist until I succeed.


Don't stick with books if you want a high score. At a certain point, books will be too easy. Studying mostly from books is like practicing free throws for a state championship basketball game. You don't do that. You practice for a game by PLAYING games where guys are on the court muscling you, taking the ball away from you, and contesting your shots.


You must get it through your mind now:


I will persist until I succeed.


I have taken the GMAT 3 times. 700 --> 710 ---> 730. I have shot myself in the foot with a subpar GPA during my undergrad years, and now I need an immaculate GMAT to counter-weight for a top 15 school. It is difficult. I am currently deployed in Afghanistan working 90 hour weeks, doing a Calculus class from UC-Berkeley extension, and my margin of error is a heck of a lot thinner than an applicant who can just score a 700 and say goodnight.


But I refuse to quit. Be relentless in the pursuit of your dreams, and they will be realized.


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I just want to leave you guys with this last nugget from Og Mandino - "The Greatest Salesman in the World":

In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is bought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner. If I persist, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed.

I will persist until I succeed.

I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.

I will persist until I succeed.

The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner.

Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth one step at a time is not too difficult.

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today.

I will be liken to the rain drop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep my eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance of success at the next attempt. Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yes. Each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come. Each misfortune I encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck. I must have the night to appreciate the day. I must fail often to succeed only once.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will try, and try, and try again. Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession. I will persist and develop my skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I will learn and apply another secret of those who excel in my work. When each day is ended, not regarding whether it has been a success or failure, I will attempt to achieve one more sale. When my thoughts beckon my tired body homeward I will resist the temptation to depart. I will try again. I will make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails I will make another. Never will I allow any day to end with a failure. Thus will I plant the seed of tomorrow's success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labor at a prescribed time. When other cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full.

I will persist until I succeed.

Nor will I allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life.

So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough I will win.