GMAT preparation advice?

I taught a GMAT prep course once. Got paid $1200 to work from 9 to 3 with a one hour lunch break, and that's just the verbal portion. So I won't pretend to know anything about the quantitative section. And this is all free advice.

The good prep books point out that, on the verbal tests, the GMAT only asks for a limited range knowledge. For example, on the grammar sections, you won't have to know everything about English grammar, just 7 or 8 things like Subject/Verb agreement, etc. If you pick up a test prep book or program, see if it tells you what those limits are. That's a sign that you're holding a good one.

For the written portion, don't worry too much about it: that's on there mostly for international applicants. Theoretically, it's a way to make sure that the person applying for B-school can write English. Most of the test books will tell you how to format a response. Practice a couple of times and you should be okay (some of the people I taught said they practiced simply by paying more attention to their emails, proofreading them before sending them, things like that).

I gave the people in my class one extra bit of advice that many found helpful. It has nothing to do with the test, but with the application process. When you apply to biz school (or any graduate or professional program), you should do so differently than when you applied to college. Basically, act as if you're applying for a job. Emphasize not just what you can learn from the program, but what you can bring to the program with your experience. Don't go over the top and act as if you can teach the classes, obviously, but make it clear that you'll be able to contribute something to the program.

Finally, getting back to the tests, I found everything I needed to prepare to TEACH the prep course at a good public library, and in the booklets that the Educational Testing Service provides for people who sign up for the GMAT. There's probably no need to spend too much money getting ready for this.

 

I took it twice, so I can offer some advice.

If you've been out of practice for a few years, I recommend taking a prep course to review the math. It will be more helpful than use of a book alone. I'd also buy a newer book. Several of the test advice publishers offer a free online test, but if you buy a book with (IIRC) Kaplan (but it may be Princeton Review), you'll have access to four additional free tests on their website. Take all of these. Because the test adapts to your answers, you can even take the same test multiple times as practice if you change your answer to one of the early questions.

After I would take a practice exam, I'd review the results and take detailed notes regarding problems I missed, and I'd review these notes regularly.

Really, you should take as many practice tests as you can, and plan to spend an hour or two every night studying.

Finally, when you sign up for the GMAT, you'll be able to download two more practice exams. If you only have time to take a couple of exams, these should the the two, as they're created by the testing agency and will predict your final score with uncanny accuracy.

The test is computer adaptive, so taking it is *not* a fun experience. If the questions seem easy, you panic because you think that it means you've missed the harder ones; if they seem difficult, you feel like you're in over your head. Make sure and snag a pair of earplugs from the test administrator before you start, as the sound of clicking keyboards at other testing stations will distract you much more that you'll anticipate.

Dr. Wankler's comments on the verbal section are right on target. My background is English, and I work in publishing, so I found this section and the writing section to be pretty easy. However, the study guides still helped quite a bit, as they alerted me to the test's tricks and tendencies pretty well. I'll also add that the writing section serves an additional purpose: to ensure that native English speakers haven't submitted essays written or heavily edited by peers.

 

I'll also add that it took two attempts to get into the program of my choice, and multiple applications are quite common at this particular program. A rejection should not deter you. Keep in mind that the program likely offers several different responses to applications: the straight-up acceptance, the straight-up rejection, and something in the middle. After my first attempt, I received a letter telling me that I didn't make the first cut but that they didn't reject me; the rejection eventually arrived a couple of weeks later.

I met with an admissions counselor shortly thereafter, and she offered very specific advice. Once you have your GMAT scores, you may wish to meet with such a person to save yourself the time and money of an additional application.

 

Good advice all around. I totally forgot about this feature of the GMAT. Modify my advice accordingly, Boston.

 

for quantitative study, get the book "Think without ink", by K. Venkataraman. It is great practice for the types of problems on the quant side.
also, check out the website www.gmathacks.com. the guy was an instructor on the quant side and has some good advice. he also has practice questions with answers and tips that are sent out weekly (with old questions/answers archived) via email for free.
I took the practice tests without having touched any of the guides and did how i expected I would. then I actually took a computer adaptive practice test and did ALOT worse than I thought I would. once I reviewed the Kaplan books (great time saving tips) and "TWI" for two weeks, i took the real exam and did as I expected. now I've just got to get up the motivation to start the application process for grad school before the score expires (next winter). I figure i'll apply next fall, get in to a couple schools, and ultimately pick whichever one allows me to defer.

 

Hey Wingtips...I've tried looking for Think Without Ink, and to no avail. It looks like the only place I could buy it is from some online store in india. Where did you get yours?