How to Succeed on the GMAT?

I took the GMAT twice, once just days after graduating with my undergraduate degree and again two years later. While I earned a respectable score the first time I took the test, I had put little time and effort into preparing and knew I could do better. Two years (and a different study approach) later, I improved my score by 100 points, earning a 750 (98th percentile).

While I can’t guarantee you’ll earn a 750, I can offer a few insights into how you can prepare for the GMAT effectively based on my own experience. This approach may not work for everyone, but I believe these are sound principles that will help you succeed or at least improve your score substantially.

When should you begin studying? I recommend beginning your GMAT preparation at least three or four months prior to taking the test. If you have been out of school for a while, you may want to allow extra time.

How much should you study? I studied every day of the week except for Sunday. Monday through Friday, I spent at least a couple of hours each night working problems and studying concepts. In addition, I often used my lunch breaks at work to work additional practice problems. Every Saturday morning, I took a full-length practice test (including the essays – this is important to build your test-day stamina). I followed this regimen for about three months prior to taking the test.

What materials should you use to study? If you purchase only one item for your test preparation, get the Official Guide for GMAT Review. I worked nearly every problem in this book! It really paid off – the more problems I worked, the better I got. I also used a Princeton Review book, a Barron’s book, and a Kaplan book (a couple of these came with CD’s or DVD’s, which I also used). However, the majority of my study time was spent with the Official Guide. I found the problems in this book to be much more similar to the actual test problems (because they are actual test problems – just older ones) than were the problems in the other books I used. However, I did find some of the concept reviews in the other three books to be more useful than some of the concept reviews in the Official Guide.

But what if my practice-test scores aren’t very good? I don’t recall ever scoring as high on a practice test as I did on the actual test, and the score on my first practice test was shockingly low. Kaplan practice test results in particular are notoriously low compared to actual GMAT test scores. While taking practice tests is an important component of an effective study regimen, don’t panic if your practice test scores are not as high as you would like.

Do you recommend taking a test-prep class? I did not take a GMAT test-prep class; based on my own experience raising my score 100 points without taking a test-prep class, I know that you can score very high or improve your score considerably without taking a class. If you are highly motivated, you may do just as well studying on your own. However, if you need additional motivation to study regularly or follow a study schedule, a preparation class may be a good option for you.

What test-day tips can you share? I did not study at all the day before or the day of the test, as I knew that I was as prepared as I was going to be and I did not want to make myself overly nervous. I recommend taking the test earlier in the day, when you are well rested, and on a full stomach. Take a snack and take advantage of the brief breaks you are offered during the test to recompose and refocus yourself. And most importantly, relax and pace yourself!

Being well-prepared will give you confidence on test-day, as you will know what to expect and you will be ready to tackle whatever the test throws at you.

—Charlotte Larson, General Management, Class 2011