The Right Way to Practice for the GMAT
Once you have read the lessons, watched instructional videos, taken thorough notes, tested your recall with flashcards, and used spaced repetition to reinforce your learning, the next step is to put that knowledge into action. Mastery on the GMAT comes from skill in applying what you know, and that skill is built through consistent practice with a wide range of realistic GMAT questions.
When you answer practice questions, you engage in active retrieval of information. This process not only tests your understanding in the moment but also strengthens your ability to recall that knowledge under pressure later. The connection between retrieving what you know and remembering it when it counts is well established.
Breadth of practice matters. The more variations of a topic you encounter, the better prepared you will be for unexpected twists on test day. For example, you may be confident with slope-intercept form, y = mx + b, when working with slopes or y-intercepts. However, without practice in the standard form of a line, Ax + By + C = 0, even a straightforward question could slow you down. Similarly, exploring related question types—parallel lines, intersecting lines, and linear equation word problems—will not only expand your knowledge but also help you see the many ways the GMAT can test a single topic.
It is also important to adjust your mindset toward practice. You will get questions wrong, and that is part of the process. In fact, early failures often provide the most valuable learning opportunities. Each mistake gives you a chance to refine your understanding, sharpen your approach, and prevent similar errors in the future. Over time, you should notice steady improvement—not because you avoid difficult questions, but because you embrace them as training opportunities.
Do not stop when you finally get a question right once or twice. Keep going until the question type feels so familiar and your process so sound that you cannot get it wrong. That is when you will know you have turned knowledge into reliable test-day skill.
Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
