Tips on mistake to avoid!!!

[Sonammishra23]

Hi guys,
I guess from my headline itself it is evident that I did not do too well in the test. But I will be happy if some body can learn from my mistakes and get a better score. I got 650.

First thing, I was not preparing for CAT or any other such exams to supplement my GMAT prep. (Agreed I have given CAT once 2 years back but that does not count). So when I say that I prepared only for a month, that is what it exactly means.

Just one month, that is mistake #1. If you are in mad rush to finish GMAT before the R2 deadline of many US colleges in Jan, as I was, than you have no choice, so read on for how to prepare in a short amount of time. Otherwise please take at least 2/3 months for prep, as suggested by most of the 740+ PGs. I am saying this because you will not have enough time to be comfortable with the dreaded SCs. My suggestion is to start with a basic brush up of grammar even before you try the Verbal Workout for the GMAT (The Princeton Review), this was the most helpful guide for Verbal and SC.

Do as many practice tests as you can under timed conditions when you think your "concepts" are clear enough. Because GMAT is not about giving the right answer only, it is mostly about giving the right answers in the allotted time. I am certain my first 15 Qs in verbal is right, but took too much time in those and struggled towards the end. How many tests did I complete under timed condition, ONE, this is mistake #2. Got 710 in the test(PP), so I guess I could have taken the test that day itself without struggling to make time for prep with the heavy workload at office.

Be smart, pick a day for your GMAT, when you think that office workload will be the least. I picked the worst date for my test. Mistake # 3 Practically before even applying for a single biz school , I was living every MBA student's nightmare, 18+ hr workdays for a month straight, 10-12 in office and the rest for GMAT. Believe me fatigue sets in very easily. Only thing that pushed me through this phase was endless cups of coffee and 10 cigarettes a night. At the end, nobody really cares what was the situation leading to your GMAT, how many months you prepared and all, it is the great equalizer, 700 is always better than 650.

So if you can not follow any of the above because you have less time (may be to meet R2 deadline for 2008 Fall admissions), than I guess these points might help you.

1) Like me, If you are better at PS than DS, than instead of solving too many PS, look for a plan to attack the different types of PS questions. Go through all the maths concepts and remember them.
2) For DS with inequalities, try to simplify it couple of steps till it is clear what are the must have conditions in it before you look at the statements.
Starting from what is asked and simplifying it down to what is given was my fav approach which helped in getting the mistakes down.
3) If your verbal is not so good, mine was very bad, start from Princeton Verbal Workout and Kaplan and work your way up to the OG.
4) If your time is less, don't bother downloading questions from the net, spend the money and buy the books straight away or get it immediately from your friends.
5) Best place to practice RC is the office, if you have to read a lot of tech doc in your work, than go for it or else grab the news paper in the lunch/coffee breaks.
6) For RC follow CPA method as much as you can. I did that 90% of the time.
7) For SC, try as many questions as you can and keep revising your mistakes as frequently as possible.