Hey guys, I apologize for neglecting to follow up on the responses for so long. If it is still pertinent, I found gmathacks.com the most comprehensive set of material available (if you struggle in math, I can't recommend his study guide highly enough- and I assure you I have no affiliation with that site), and what I used for 70% of my preparation. The rest was probably 25% Official Guide questions, and 5% Kaplan 800.
But instead of viewing foundational knowledge (formulas, grammar rules, etc.) as the be-all end-all of your study time, view the list above as a hierarchy.You can�t engage in creative thinking about an algebra problem if you don�t know how to FOIL a quadratic, and you may not be able to work through the problem accurately and efficiently without thinking about it creatively.
Only after that can you get the most out of practice problems, trying various out-of-the-box problem solving methods, seeing what works, and streamlining your approach.
Two of the biggest challenges of studying for the GMAT�especially if you�re flying solo�is knowing how much time to spend, and maximizing the efficiency of that time.
Find the time of day that your brain works best, and study then.That may mean working for half an hour during lunch, getting up an hour early and studying before work, or staying at the office for an extra hour and preparing then.
Study at the same time every day�including weekends.
Study every day.If you can�t study at your usual time on a certain day, fine.But make sure you do something�even if it�s only fifteen or twenty minutes�every single day.
Study in a quiet, uncluttered place.This may not be possible if you�re sneaking in twenty minutes of work on your lunch break, but at home, this is a must.The test center won�t be cluttered; neither should your study space.Going to Starbucks on Saturday morning may be a motivator, but don�t stay there.
Don�t let yourself be interrupted.If you have a spouse or roommates, let them know that you�re going to study and for how long, and let them know that silence and solitude is important during that time.If possible, turn off your cellphone and your internet connection as well: every interruption will cost you at 5-10 minutes to get back in a groove.
When working through practice problems, be organized.For more details on this, read my Tip, How to Do Practice Problems.
Practice doesn�t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.
�When preparing for a high-intensity, high-stress, timed experience like a standardized test, that saying is as true than ever.The trick, then, is using your time to practice perfectly.
Three steps to planning an effective practice session
The first step is to drastically lower your expectations of how many practice problems you�ll do in a sitting, in a week, in a month, or in your entire course of preparation.500-800 problems, total, may be more than enough to get you ready for the GMAT.If you have a hefty stack of prep books sitting around, you�re likely to have at least five times that many at your disposal.Don�t do them all.
Second, always practice the same way�the way you�ll do questions on the test.Work only on scratch paper; don�t write in your book at all.
The third step is to set a reasonable goal for one sitting�and not take a break.
But even if you have all day, never plan on doing more than about 40 at one stretch.
As you�ll see in a few moments, the proper time investment for 40 problems may be far greater than you�re currently spending.
How to do practice problems
Here�s what you�ll do when you start working through problems.Start the timer and work as you would normally.Don�t worry about meeting certain time limitations, but when you complete each question, jot down, next to your scratchwork, what your timer reads. Also, of course, write down your answer for each question.Last (this is important), if you have any concerns that the way you approached the question was inefficient, incorrect, or in any way suboptimal, mark your scratch paper with a star.
When you�re done with the problems you set out for yourself, pat yourself on the back, get up and stretch, and take a break.You might even let those problems sit for an afternoon or even a day.(But no longer than a day.)The key part of the process begins only after your first time through the problems.
How to review your practice session
When you look back over your scratch paper, three types of problems should jump out at you: the ones you answered incorrectly, the ones you starred (because you thought you could have done them better), and ones that took too long.Getting a math problem right in five minutes may feel good, but that�s a largely worthless skill on the GMAT, when you have to answer 37 questions in 75 minutes.
Regardless, for every problem you missed, starred, or took too long the first time through, do it again.
Before you do that, though, read through the explanations.There will probably be a few of those that you don�t quite understand; if you�re working with a tutor, those are among the best potential uses of your time with him or her.If there are problems that you just don�t know how to go about, even after reading the explanation, take those off the list and put them aside until you can get help.
When you do go through the problems a second time, follow the same guidelines you did the first time�scratch paper, timer, the whole works.
Obviously, this process takes some time�much longer than what is required to simply do the problems, glance at the explanations, and move on.The difference in usefulness, however, is enormous.
The positive effect of doing problems this way
When you�re doing problems a second time�even ones you�d already gotten right, if they took too long or you weren�t sure about your approach�you�re pounding the correct method into your head.
Your scratchwork, as well, should be perfect�not only will your brain remember the process by which it completed the problem, but it will also seize upon the visual of clean, clear scratchwork.
However, it�s crucial that you spend a substantial portion of your study time perfectly practicing.Doing problems a second, or even a third or fourth time�correctly, confidently, cleanly, and efficiently�is the best way to accomplish that.
Almost all Critical Reasoning questions are somehow related to the construction of arguments. In the item above, you're looking for evidence to support a conclusion. That isn't a common question type, though it does come up occasionally.
Here are some more common types of questions in CR:
Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the consultants' proposal?
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument in the advertisement?
Which of the following is an assumption on which this argument depends?
If the statements above are true, which of the following is most strongly supported by them?
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
Wordy item can cause accidental lapses through interference
You can use categories in SuperMemo 2000/2002, provide different branches of knowledge with a different look (different template), use reference labels (Title, Author, Date, etc.) and clearly label subcategories (e.g. with strings such as chem for chemistry, math for mathematics, etc.). This will help you simplify the wording of your items as you will be relieved from the need to specify the context of your question. In the example below, the well-defined prefix bioch: saves you a lot of typing and a lot of reading while still making sure you do not confuse the abbreviation GRE with Graduate Record Examination. Note that in the recommended case, you process the item starting from the label bioch which puts your brain immediately in the right context. While processing the lesser optimum case, you will waste precious milliseconds on flashing the standard meaning of GRE and ... what is worse ... you will light up the wrong areas of your brain that will now perhaps be prone to interference!
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D. Rich says: