This is how I scored a 730 (96th percentile) on the GMAT in 8 days: The summer
before I started my senior year at Northwestern University, I finished my
internship and still had a month left. My brain was getting bored, so I picked up
an LSAT book and decided to take the test. After the first week, I put the book
down. I really did not like that test. So then I opened up a GMAT book and took a
practice testit was much better.
I went back to college, and from time to time I would pick up the GMAT book, but
never actually spent much time on it. Then one day, I decided to take the GMAT.
Why? First, I thought it would be a fun way to test myself. And second, it wouldnt
hurt to have the GMAT done incase I decided to apply to business school (once
you have a job, it will be hard to find time to study).
So I attended a Manhattan GMAT (one of the top GMAT test companies) class.
The teacher handed us a syllabus and told us it would take a minimum of 3
months in total of preparation (2 months of class and 1 month of practicing on
our own). I was not thrilled. I went home after the class and started reading
GMAT forums. I remember reading everywhere that it took on average 100 hours
to master the GMAT. I took a look at the next day that the GMAT was being
offeredit was 8 days later. I signed up, went to sleep, and woke up the next
morning eager to start my 100 hours.
Why is this guide important? As soon as I signed up, I looked for a guide for
taking the GMAT in 8 days. No guide was nearly this short. The shortest course I
found was the Manhattan GMAT course during which you stay in a hotel for 2
weeks and learn the GMAT non-stop (super expensive).
Materials to purchase (*):
Official GMAT Guide
Official GMAT Quant Guide
Official GMAT Verbal Guide
Official GMAT Integrated Response CD
Manhattan GMAT
Algebra GMAT Strategy GuideFractions, Decimals and Percentages GMAT
Strategy GuideNumber Properties GMAT Strategy GuideWord Problems GMAT
Strategy Guide
* Purchase all of these in e-book format. On the actual test, you are going to be
looking up at the computer, down at your paper, and then back up at the
computer. Get in the habit of doing that by using electronic books. Additionally,
time is a huge constraint; you need your books NOW. Getting them electronically
is a massive advantage as you can get them in seconds. Personally, I
downloaded all of mine off of Kindle. Oh and also, since it was on my Kindle, I
could pull up textbooks on my phone and study while commuting on trains or
busses!
The test is broken down into 4 parts:
1. Essay
You analyze an argument
2. Integrated Response
Mix of quant and verbal
3. Quantitative
1.
2.
1.
2.
3.
Data sufficiency
Problem solving
4. Verbal
Reading comprehension
Critical reasoning
Sentence correction
First, forget the essay. At the time I took the test, most business schools had
publicly stated that they didnt care about the essay. And literally, the only prep I
did for the essay was the night before I took the test. I went through about 20
essays (both in the official guide and the Manhattan GMAT guide) that had scored
a perfect 6 out of 6, realized that they all had the same format, memorized the
format, and reproduced that on the test the next day. Sure, I only got a 5/6 on
the essay, but when you only have 8 days, every second of study time is
valuable. I have typed up my essay notes below:
Essay (formally referred to as the Analytical Writing Assessment):
Identify/ Summarize the evidence +conclusion
List the flaws (3 to 5)
a) Cause and Effect
i. Conclude that x causes y when y causes
ii. Conclude that x causes y when y causes x
b) Statistical
i. Sample is not representative of the entire population
ii. Conclusion does not match statistics
3. Analogy
i. Not enough similarities to draw conclusions
4. Other
i. Unsubstantiated assumptions
ii. Vague words: some, many, few
iii. Ignoring supply+demand fundamentals
iv. Drawing a strong conclusion based on weak evidence
5. Find 1 or 2 ways to strengthen the argument
6. Choose the top 2 to 4 flaws -> write essay
7. Proofread
Essay outline:
Tell what you are going to say
Say it
Tell em what you told em
Intro:
First sentence: paraphrase argument and state that it is flawed.
General Format: The author concludes x based on y, howeverSecond
sentence: In drawing this conclusion, the author not only fails to X, but also Y,
furthermore, the author Zs.
2nd Paragraph (biggest flaw)
State your point
Elaborate and/or provide examples
Explain why this indicates a weakness
3rd and 4th paragraph
official GMAT math problems was that the official math questions were much
more accurate and helpful in terms of what was actually on the test. On the
other hand, Manhattan solutions to problems usually showed faster and simpler
methods to solving similar problems.
Another key strategy is to use Khan Academy. There are going to be times
when you are burned out from working through problems. When this happens,
open Khan Academy and navigate to the GMAT page. There I found that he had
recorded himself working through every math problem in the old GMAT official
guide. This is extremely useful, since you can see someone work through
problems and explain step by step what they are doing and why. This was
probably the best tool for quickly learning the math section that I used.
Along the way, you may realize that you forgot how to long divide or multiply two
numbers. You will also realize that it is easy to miscount zeros and decimal
places. You have been warned.
Random notes on the Math Topics:
Ratios
You will see these a ton. They are very easy to make a simple mistake on.
Factors and Multiples
You need to memorize divisibility rules
Ex: A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of the digits is divisible by 9
You need to memorize the square of 1 through 20
Rates
These probably gave me the most difficulty. Drawing a picture of the
problem helped.
Systems of Equations
Most times, this means just plugging one equation into the other
Overlapping Sets
Quickly draw and label a Venn diagram
Right Triangles
There will be a bunch of rules listed on these in both the Mahnattan GMAT
book and the Official GMAT book. You need to memorize all of these.
Inequalities
Rearrange the inequality
Exponents
There will be a bunch of rules listed on these in both the Mahnattan GMAT
book and the Official GMAT book. You need to memorize all of these.
Percentages
If you have trouble on these, draw a box and shade in the appropriate
percentages so you can visually see the problem
Coordinate Geometry
Draw stuff and count spaces carefully
Verbal use the official guide
Reading comprehension
First, skim the questions so that you know what you are looking forRead it
like it is a story. Understand the general flow of the logic, and write a small note
Signing uphere: If you are going to take the GMAT seriously, you need to
sign up. If there is no deadline (test date) and you havent paid the $250 to take
the test, it is going to be much harder to motivate yourself. Sign up here.