Just wanted to offer some encouragement to anyone who, like me, was absolutely disappointed with his/her first try on the GMAT. 
I first took the test in September 07. After a very dedicated study plan (using mostly the OG, OG Verbal, OB Quant, and paper tests, and also the main Kaplan book), I was frustrated with the end result--a 680. What made it more annoying was the fact that my score breakout of Q42 (66%) and V41(93%) was not reflective of my math skills, especially since I am applying to top 10 schools with heavy quant expectations.
The second time around, I used 4 out of 5 of the MGMAT math subject books. I did pick up a few tricks from these guides, but mostly I took advantage of the online access to 6 practice tests. Although I found the quant sections on these tests to be quite difficult and the problems were written quite verbosely, feeling the pressure made the actual quant section seem much more manageable. And you all know the end result--I went from a 680 to a 750 in about 2 months of steady (but not obsessive) studying. A girl has to have a life!
Here are a few tips I picked up along the way--I hope you'll find them useful, too. Some may seem obvious, but sometimes it is helpful to remind ourselves as such.
- The best thing you can do is set a date and stick to it. Once you have a goal in mind, you'll be much more motivated to study.
- Take as many timed tests as possible, even if you only focus on one area of the test. It's a good idea to work in a full test every 3rd attempt or so, just to stay fresh on the other subject matter. I took about 8 practice tests in the 2 months between GMATS, but I usually only completed the quant portion since that was my area of focus. Of the 8 tests, I probably completed 3 full quant + verbal tests.
- For quant, be sure to review all answers and keep a running log of "tricks"/facts you learn along the way. Then review this list of notes on a regular basis. One trick I recorded was tested twice on my actual GMAT, which absolutely boosted my score.
- Don't try and predict your score by estimating the level of difficulty of the problems you encounter during practice tests or on GMAT day. Every time I did this, I found I was 180 degrees off in my judgment--several times I thought the questions were very easy, which made me worry that I was underperforming, but in the end I scored higher. While this is a great outcome, it can also shake your confidence unnecessarily.
- Use this forum for encouragement/motivation, but remember that everyone has different goals in mind and varying lifestyles that dictate how much time you can devote to preparation. Don't judge yourself by others' study approach; just do the best YOU can do. This might seem obvious, but showing yourself a little kindness can go a long way.
I first took the test in September 07. After a very dedicated study plan (using mostly the OG, OG Verbal, OB Quant, and paper tests, and also the main Kaplan book), I was frustrated with the end result--a 680. What made it more annoying was the fact that my score breakout of Q42 (66%) and V41(93%) was not reflective of my math skills, especially since I am applying to top 10 schools with heavy quant expectations.
The second time around, I used 4 out of 5 of the MGMAT math subject books. I did pick up a few tricks from these guides, but mostly I took advantage of the online access to 6 practice tests. Although I found the quant sections on these tests to be quite difficult and the problems were written quite verbosely, feeling the pressure made the actual quant section seem much more manageable. And you all know the end result--I went from a 680 to a 750 in about 2 months of steady (but not obsessive) studying. A girl has to have a life!
Here are a few tips I picked up along the way--I hope you'll find them useful, too. Some may seem obvious, but sometimes it is helpful to remind ourselves as such.
- The best thing you can do is set a date and stick to it. Once you have a goal in mind, you'll be much more motivated to study.
- Take as many timed tests as possible, even if you only focus on one area of the test. It's a good idea to work in a full test every 3rd attempt or so, just to stay fresh on the other subject matter. I took about 8 practice tests in the 2 months between GMATS, but I usually only completed the quant portion since that was my area of focus. Of the 8 tests, I probably completed 3 full quant + verbal tests.
- For quant, be sure to review all answers and keep a running log of "tricks"/facts you learn along the way. Then review this list of notes on a regular basis. One trick I recorded was tested twice on my actual GMAT, which absolutely boosted my score.
- Don't try and predict your score by estimating the level of difficulty of the problems you encounter during practice tests or on GMAT day. Every time I did this, I found I was 180 degrees off in my judgment--several times I thought the questions were very easy, which made me worry that I was underperforming, but in the end I scored higher. While this is a great outcome, it can also shake your confidence unnecessarily.
- Use this forum for encouragement/motivation, but remember that everyone has different goals in mind and varying lifestyles that dictate how much time you can devote to preparation. Don't judge yourself by others' study approach; just do the best YOU can do. This might seem obvious, but showing yourself a little kindness can go a long way.
