well, i pulled it off. after nearly three months of fairly intense studying, i managed to score a 720 today! i was shooting for 700+ and all of my hard work finally paid off.
throughout those 3 months, i frequented this site and learned a number of useful techniques and tricks that helped me solidify my math skills. to those who have posted either PS questions or replies, i highly appreciate it.
i also customarily checked out the "I Just Beat The GMAT" section, to read members' stories of success and failure, and take from them what i could. admittedly, i was pretty intimidated by some of the posts, i.e. those from members who scored extraordinarily well (770, 780, etc.) and boasted extensive business backgrounds, since i just finished undergrad and i've got precisely 0 years full-time work experience.
however, i tried to force my fears aside and focus on what would help me succeed on the GMAT, and i became especially fond of those posts in which strategies were explained in excruciating detail. so, i feel that the least i can do to thank the BeatTheGMAT community is to share my strategies with anyone interested.
before i begin though, let my offer a quick warning: some of my strategies are unconventional, and may not mesh with all styles of study. that said, read on!
i began studying for the GMAT in july, and found out about this website shortly thereafter. i managed to attain a good idea of how hard it was going to be to do well early on, and so i decided that some drastic measures were called for. i used these in addition to the strategies commonly described by others who've taken the test.
1) i realized that consistency in my studies would be crucial to scoring well, and i extended that need for consistency beyond reading books and doing practice problems. i strove for absolute consistency in all aspects of my life.
so, the clothes i decided to wear on july 6th constituted my attire for the following 2.5 months. i did not wash them, and i only removed them in order to sleep. (showering did not pose a problem, since i was forced to give that up as well - the reason for which is explained in strategy 2).
in addition to helping me maintain consistency throughout those 2.5 months, this strategy helped me in 3 unforeseen but welcomed ways:
#1. the odor that i developed was strong enough to keep people away from me. thus, i could not be distracted by the draws of socialization.
#2. that same odor surely distracted those people unfortunate enough to be in the testing room while i was taking my test. if any of them happened to be taking the GMAT, i can virtually guarantee that their scores turned out to be significantly lower than they should have been.
#3. the layers of dirt and mold that accumulated and grew on my clothes became thicker as the summer passed, enough so that my dress essentially self-adjusted according to the gradual decline in temperature, and i stayed warm with no extra effort.
overall, this strategy led to a win-win-win situation and helped me immensely.
2) i realized that in order to maximize my concentration, i had to minimize the potential for distraction. i happen to get distracted very easily, so this was of the utmost importance. i also felt a strong desire to get in touch with my emotional roots, since having a good sense of emotional balance is integral to reaching one's peak performance.
in order to fulfill these needs, i built a treehouse in the woods behind my actual house, and that became my home for the long haul. i only left my treehouse to access the BeatTheGMAT website and to hunt for food, which i had to eat raw since starting a fire wasn't an option: i essentially lived in a flammable wooden deathtrap and my house would have gone up in flames, along with my hopes of beating the GMAT!
one word of advice: keep an eye on any vines that grow near your treehouse. i say this because when i awoke this morning, i was astonished to find that i had been ensnared by a lengthy vine! because i was so wrapped up in my studies, i hadn't moved much over the past few days, and apparently in that time a rogue vine had weaseled its way into my treehome and wrapped itself tightly around my body. it took me 2 hours to free myself from its merciless grasp, and as a result i nearly missed my test appointment.
nonetheless, i escaped the vine, took the test on time, and scored a 720. my strategy for concentration maximization proved to be quite effective for me, and it can do the same for you
3) approximately 2 months into my studying, i felt that i was progressing adequately. i was performing well on practice tests, and answering questions with much more confidence than i was when i first began. however, i was still having trouble memorizing some important mathematical concepts, specifically those relating to triangles. that is, until i was struck with another idea.
prior to going into the testing room to take the GMAT, you must store all personal items and belongings. these include electronic devices, food, and anything that could possibly aid you on the test. however, this does not mean you must go into the testing room without any aids whatsoever. i ask, what is one thing the test proctors cannot possibly make you remove? your body! or more precisely, your skin.
in order to permanently remedy my triangular struggles, and to improve my chances of getting a good score, i had the pythagorean theorem, complete with numerical and illustrated examples, tattooed on my left palm, and a isosceles right triangle tattooed on the other. from that point on i had no difficulties remembering which side was x root 3 or x root 2.
unfortunately, i did not get any questions on the actual test involving either of these two triangles. the point is that if you so desire, you can have your entire body covered in tattoos which explain complex mathematical concepts, detail the rules of modifiers and proper verb tense, or whatever concepts you may find difficult. and regardless of the absence of triangle questions on the test, the tattoos served as invaluable confidence boosters.
there are other techniques and strategies i employed, but the moral nature of those techniques is somewhat questionable. they might actually constitute crimes against humanity. but more importantly, i'd hate to spark any kind of heated debate on BeatTheGMAT - we're all friends here and i wouldn't want to do anything that could spoil that profound sense of community.
anyway, i feel that the 3 strategies i listed above were the most important elements to my success. sure, OG11, MGMAT, and PR study materials were helpful, but i think success on the GMAT is really a matter of figuring out what strategies work for you, and confidently sticking to those strategies. i personally believe that by focusing on the fundamentals of consistency and concentration, and by staying the course no matter what obstacles may impede one's path, anyone can beat the GMAT regardless of initial mathematical or verbal endowment.
that said, i wish good luck to anyone considering taking on the behemoth we all simply refer to as the GMAT, and i hope that my strategies for success may, in some way, help anyone in search of it.
throughout those 3 months, i frequented this site and learned a number of useful techniques and tricks that helped me solidify my math skills. to those who have posted either PS questions or replies, i highly appreciate it.
i also customarily checked out the "I Just Beat The GMAT" section, to read members' stories of success and failure, and take from them what i could. admittedly, i was pretty intimidated by some of the posts, i.e. those from members who scored extraordinarily well (770, 780, etc.) and boasted extensive business backgrounds, since i just finished undergrad and i've got precisely 0 years full-time work experience.
however, i tried to force my fears aside and focus on what would help me succeed on the GMAT, and i became especially fond of those posts in which strategies were explained in excruciating detail. so, i feel that the least i can do to thank the BeatTheGMAT community is to share my strategies with anyone interested.
before i begin though, let my offer a quick warning: some of my strategies are unconventional, and may not mesh with all styles of study. that said, read on!
i began studying for the GMAT in july, and found out about this website shortly thereafter. i managed to attain a good idea of how hard it was going to be to do well early on, and so i decided that some drastic measures were called for. i used these in addition to the strategies commonly described by others who've taken the test.
1) i realized that consistency in my studies would be crucial to scoring well, and i extended that need for consistency beyond reading books and doing practice problems. i strove for absolute consistency in all aspects of my life.
so, the clothes i decided to wear on july 6th constituted my attire for the following 2.5 months. i did not wash them, and i only removed them in order to sleep. (showering did not pose a problem, since i was forced to give that up as well - the reason for which is explained in strategy 2).
in addition to helping me maintain consistency throughout those 2.5 months, this strategy helped me in 3 unforeseen but welcomed ways:
#1. the odor that i developed was strong enough to keep people away from me. thus, i could not be distracted by the draws of socialization.
#2. that same odor surely distracted those people unfortunate enough to be in the testing room while i was taking my test. if any of them happened to be taking the GMAT, i can virtually guarantee that their scores turned out to be significantly lower than they should have been.
#3. the layers of dirt and mold that accumulated and grew on my clothes became thicker as the summer passed, enough so that my dress essentially self-adjusted according to the gradual decline in temperature, and i stayed warm with no extra effort.
overall, this strategy led to a win-win-win situation and helped me immensely.
2) i realized that in order to maximize my concentration, i had to minimize the potential for distraction. i happen to get distracted very easily, so this was of the utmost importance. i also felt a strong desire to get in touch with my emotional roots, since having a good sense of emotional balance is integral to reaching one's peak performance.
in order to fulfill these needs, i built a treehouse in the woods behind my actual house, and that became my home for the long haul. i only left my treehouse to access the BeatTheGMAT website and to hunt for food, which i had to eat raw since starting a fire wasn't an option: i essentially lived in a flammable wooden deathtrap and my house would have gone up in flames, along with my hopes of beating the GMAT!
one word of advice: keep an eye on any vines that grow near your treehouse. i say this because when i awoke this morning, i was astonished to find that i had been ensnared by a lengthy vine! because i was so wrapped up in my studies, i hadn't moved much over the past few days, and apparently in that time a rogue vine had weaseled its way into my treehome and wrapped itself tightly around my body. it took me 2 hours to free myself from its merciless grasp, and as a result i nearly missed my test appointment.
nonetheless, i escaped the vine, took the test on time, and scored a 720. my strategy for concentration maximization proved to be quite effective for me, and it can do the same for you
3) approximately 2 months into my studying, i felt that i was progressing adequately. i was performing well on practice tests, and answering questions with much more confidence than i was when i first began. however, i was still having trouble memorizing some important mathematical concepts, specifically those relating to triangles. that is, until i was struck with another idea.
prior to going into the testing room to take the GMAT, you must store all personal items and belongings. these include electronic devices, food, and anything that could possibly aid you on the test. however, this does not mean you must go into the testing room without any aids whatsoever. i ask, what is one thing the test proctors cannot possibly make you remove? your body! or more precisely, your skin.
in order to permanently remedy my triangular struggles, and to improve my chances of getting a good score, i had the pythagorean theorem, complete with numerical and illustrated examples, tattooed on my left palm, and a isosceles right triangle tattooed on the other. from that point on i had no difficulties remembering which side was x root 3 or x root 2.
unfortunately, i did not get any questions on the actual test involving either of these two triangles. the point is that if you so desire, you can have your entire body covered in tattoos which explain complex mathematical concepts, detail the rules of modifiers and proper verb tense, or whatever concepts you may find difficult. and regardless of the absence of triangle questions on the test, the tattoos served as invaluable confidence boosters.
there are other techniques and strategies i employed, but the moral nature of those techniques is somewhat questionable. they might actually constitute crimes against humanity. but more importantly, i'd hate to spark any kind of heated debate on BeatTheGMAT - we're all friends here and i wouldn't want to do anything that could spoil that profound sense of community.
anyway, i feel that the 3 strategies i listed above were the most important elements to my success. sure, OG11, MGMAT, and PR study materials were helpful, but i think success on the GMAT is really a matter of figuring out what strategies work for you, and confidently sticking to those strategies. i personally believe that by focusing on the fundamentals of consistency and concentration, and by staying the course no matter what obstacles may impede one's path, anyone can beat the GMAT regardless of initial mathematical or verbal endowment.
that said, i wish good luck to anyone considering taking on the behemoth we all simply refer to as the GMAT, and i hope that my strategies for success may, in some way, help anyone in search of it.
nice post!
