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Yes, that's way too much studying. I think a good goal is 2-3 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 2-3 months. Cramming doesn't work. Most people manage to study for the GMAT while fully employed, though some of my students have taken personal days once in awhile to relax or have an occasional marath...
- by VP_Jim
Fri Jul 31, 2009 5:12 pm- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: Question on GMAT experience
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1014
My experience with myself and hundreds of students over the years has been that cramming is essentially worthless, so I usually recommend that people relax during the week before the exam. Look at a marathon runner's training schedule - they aren't running marathons every day up until the actual rac...
- by VP_Jim
Fri Jul 31, 2009 5:07 pm- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: What is the ideal plan of action during the last 7 days?
- Replies: 1
- Views: 887
I'm going to caution you not to forsake quality for quantity. Yes, more problems are good. However, don't move on to new materials until you truly understand everything. If you aren't scoring well after studying the OG, you do NOT need more problems. You need to go back and study the OG more because...
- by VP_Jim
Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:59 pm- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: More questions for practice... Where to find?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1163
I actually had a student drink two beers right before she went to take her GMAT. She said she needed to relax more during the exam. Her score? .... 780. Insane. Not that I advocate that same approach for everyone, but it worked for her! Go out and have some fun tonight. Relaxation is a big part of d...
- by VP_Jim
Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:56 pm- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: Drinking three days before game day - ok?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 2020
Well, I suppose it means what your definition of "superhigh" is. I'm not a quant jock by any stretch of the imagination, but I am a consistent 49 or 50 on quant (I let all the engineers and science kids get the 51s...). I definitely plug in numbers, although not as much as I used to. I did...
- by VP_Jim
Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:32 pm- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: Do superhigh scorers ever plug in numbers?
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1451
You won't get your money back (7 days' notice, as mentioned above), but it won't show up on your score report. The only way a cancellation shows up on your score report is if you cancelled AFTER taking the test.
Congrats on your acceptance!
- by VP_Jim
Tue Jul 21, 2009 6:36 pm- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: Need to cancel my appointment
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1639
While taking a prep course is generally better than not doing so, you certainly don't HAVE to spend a lot of money to do well on the GMAT if you're good at self study and are motivated to work hard (actually, you need that quality if you take a prep course, too!). What you DO need is to spend a litt...
- by VP_Jim
Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:34 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: I need some guidance, just decided to take the GMAT.
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1461
I also studied about two hours per day for about six weeks. I think that is a reasonable amount of time as long as you are studying the right way. Some people do need more time, of course - particularly if you need work on your math fundamentals. The first thing you need to do is take a practice tes...
- by VP_Jim
Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:46 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: I need some guidance, just decided to take the GMAT.
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1461
Yes, the best advice is to avoid finding yourself in that situation to begin with. Rather than running out of time with six questions left, practice your pacing and speed up over the rest of the test. Take guesses on super hard questions earlier on in the section to save yourself time for the (theor...
- by VP_Jim
Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:41 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: is there any difference between GUESSING strategies?
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1186
The stimulus is the passage/paragraph that (usually) precedes the question. So in the following: ____________________________________________________________ 1. All men are mortal. Therefore Socrates is mortal. Which of the following is an assumption on which the preceding argument depends? ________...
- by VP_Jim
Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:58 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: What is the stimulus
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1976
- by VP_Jim
Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:53 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: GMAT Time Format: Finishing Early
- Replies: 5
- Views: 7997
Getting such a different result on the actual GMAT vs. GMAT Prep tests is very unusual. I've had hundreds of students over the years, and I can probably count on one hand the people (who I know of, at least) who dropped over 100 points from GMAT Prep to actual GMAT. In my experience, they are accura...
- by VP_Jim
Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:26 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: GMAT Prep Software Reliability
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1337
Just playing devil's advocate here... The real GMAT has a margin of error of 30 points, so let's say that a practice exam - which is just a guess as to how the real GMAT works - has a margin of error of 50 points. Let's say that you underachieved by 50 points last week, and overachieved by 50 points...
- by VP_Jim
Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:19 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: 540 to 640 in one week? Is this possible?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1191
Speaking as a Veritas employee, even I will admit that the GMAT Prep test score is likely more accurate. Any practice exam other than GMAT Prep is simply a guess as to how the GMAT algorithm works, so they are naturally not as accurate. If I had to guess, I would say that your "true" score...
- by VP_Jim
Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:16 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: GMAT in 4 weeks
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1279
You are correct that OG problems tend to be on the easy side if you're really good at quant. Other than the last 20 or so problems in each section, you're looking more at 75th percentile level problems, not 90th percentile level problems. I haven't used the Kaplan 800 book personally, but I've heard...
- by VP_Jim
Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:10 am- Forum: GMAT Strategy
- Topic: Tougher Quant Qs?
- Replies: 1
- Views: 888