GMAT Preparation strategy one must learn, understand and practice in order to score top marks and secure admission into Ivy League college. Typically, you should start preparing for the test at least 3 months in advance. Dedicate 3 hours every day, but not more than 1.5 hours at a time. The key here is to work smart with breaks in between so that you can push your effort with continuity.
Start out your preparation by taking a GMAT mock test. This will let you know where exactly you are starting and how much you need to cover. You will know where you struggled and can dedicate more preparation time to those areas. Every week, take one mock test. Spend time analyzing your performance on this mock to understand what sort of mistakes you are making.
Your main strategies start by taking small steps like:
- Understand your weak areas and strong areas:
Start with reviewing study material for weak areas and start practicing questions across all sections. Your goal should be to figure out which sections such as Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction, and which question types such as Arguments, Idioms, etc. trouble you the most. As you practice, keep an eye on your improvements and success rate in solving questions.
- Start tracking your time spent per question:
Bring your performance on problems with all other chapters & your overall success rate. Don’t let a chapter or section be heavy on your score.
- Take a timed practice test 3 weeks before the exam and then 1 more practice test every week. Check your score and timing.
- Keep reviewing math or grammar sections that still trouble you:
Figure out what to do if you are not being able to complete the entire test on time. Try elimination techniques and other GMAT strategies such as negative assumptions in CR, plugging numbers in Quant, etc.
- Revise, Repeat:
Make sure whatever you learn at the start of your prep is still fresh on test day.
- Practice tests:
Full-length practice tests are important but don’t overdo mock tests. One full test every other week is more than enough. Whatever scores you get, focus more on your errors and missed questions than on the actual score. Use practice tests to build test-taking stamina and improve your timing.
Avoid:
- Don’t assume that you can make up for your lack of ability on one section by doing better on the other section. This is a critical mistake as doing poorly on one section can harm your score more than acing another section will.
- A short burst of cram sessions won’t help. The exam does not test knowledge or ability to memorize, it tests skill, and improvements to your score will only come from dedicated and regular practice.
- Don’t rush through your prep-remember, your GMAT score is the most critical component of your admission application.
Hope these six strategies help you score good marks on GMAT. All the best!
