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 GMAT says you probably won’t
improve your score much
• Average gain = 33 points on a 2nd testing

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The most exciting hour of your GMAT life
• Part I: four-phase GMAT self-study “plan”
• Part II: 7 key principles for self-study
• Part III: Q&A… time permitting

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Part I: Four-Phase Study “Plan”

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 Phase 1: goals & baseline
• Score goals: find averages for target schools
– Be honest about your profile!
– HBS with a 650? Probably not.
• Familiarize yourself with question types (OG?)
• Take ONE free GMATPrep exam
– If you’re 100+ points away, be prepared for a LOT
of studying
– Save remaining 5 GMATPrep exams for later

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 Phase 2: long-term foundations
• Verbal: CR & RC
– RC Beginner’s Guide: http://bit.ly/2G8NXK8
– CR Beginner’s Guide: http://bit.ly/2BpSwkl
– LSAT for RC & CR: http://bit.ly/2GaG8E2
– Improve your reading…?
• Quant
– “All you need!” (@Bunuel): http://bit.ly/2F1whRx
– Emphasis on algebra, arithmetic, & execution
• Need 100+ pts? Save best materials for later!
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Phase 3: OGs + SC + timing practice
• CR/RC: transition from LSATs to GMAT OG
– For V40: ~80% on LSATs in under an hour
• SC: grammar is good, but meaning is king
– SC Beginner’s Guide: http://bit.ly/2Hcg3FX
– Only a few hundred questions available
• Quant
– Focus more on less-common question types
– Non-official practice tests for timing practice

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 “Graduating” from phase 3
• All homework: no careless errors
• Quant practice tests: nothing over 3 minutes
– Non-official quant tests aren’t 100% accurate, but
they’re good practice
– Avoid non-official verbal tests
• Strong overall results
– Difficulty levels vary throughout OGs
– Good time to use OG diagnostic

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 Phase 4: GMATPrep & final polishing
• Final 5 (or 6) GMATPrep Exams
– Buy the Exam Packs! http://bit.ly/2En3mGl
• GMATPrep “fake tests” using Question Pack 1
– $30 buys enough questions for 4-6 tests
– “Fake test” instructions: http://bit.ly/2o5hf4Y
• Work on weaknesses between exams
• Be honest about your scores
– Luck might buy +/- 30 points, but not much more
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Part 2: Self-study principles

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1. Official questions are king! But…
• Manage materials carefully!
• OGs (including quant/verbal guides):
– Just over 700 quant, 700 verbal questions
– 3 hours/day? You’ll be done in two weeks!
– OG: 2018 ed. + 12th ed. = 60% “bonus”
• GMATPrep = 6 tests only
• GMATPrep Question Pack
– 225 verbal, 230 quant
– Best used as “fake tests”: http://bit.ly/2o5hf4Y
• Choose non-official resources carefully
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 2. ZERO TOLERANCE for dumb errors
• Adaptive test
– Score is based primarily on WHICH questions you
miss, not how many you miss
– Score = level of question at which you get (very
roughly) 40% correct
• If you miss a few easy questions, you’ll see
more easy questions… and then you’re totally,
fully, comprehensively, epically, unbelievably
screwed.
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 2. ZERO TOLERANCE for dumb errors
• Be systematic
– Quant: read every question twice, check your
work as you go, reread again at the end
– Verbal: find your optimal intensity
• Manage your time wisely
– Quant: skip the hard stuff – nothing over 3 mins.
– Verbal: no gimmicks; guess at the end if necessary
– “Catching up” never works

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 3. Redo, don’t review… yet
• OG explanations are crappy
– NOT written by actual question-writers
• Explanations can’t say where YOU went wrong
• Redo your mistakes a day or two later…
– …after “washing your brain”
• Pay special attention to the ones you get
RIGHT the 2nd time -- how did you goof up?

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 4. Track everything
• Error logs
– http://bit.ly/2Hfi6bY
– count “careless” errors?
• Include times & dates
– Flag questions that took a long time, even if you
got them right

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 5. No bingeing
• 2 hours per workday, 4 hours per weekend day
=> ~ 15-18 hours/week
• Exceeding this might make you crazy and
worse at GMAT
• Maintain exercise, sleep, diet, social life
– Anxiety will eat you alive if your life is unbalanced
• Prioritize your weaknesses… but don’t binge
on question types/topics
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 6. Stay real, stay inspired
• Favorite REAL debriefs
– @abhishek.pitti, 420 to HBS: http://bit.ly/2Ery3y2
– @jkolachi, 350 to 700: http://bit.ly/2F2T0MX
– @abhimahna, V21 to V40: http://bit.ly/2ECNl2m
– @souvik, 4 yrs. to 760: http://bit.ly/2CkLA4x
• Be honest about your progress
• Stay positive, but don’t let scores fool you
– 7 reasons why scores fall: http://bit.ly/2nYNrYJ

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 7. GMAT Club resources: forum
• Tips from @abhimahna: http://bit.ly/2Eowkps
• Follow experts & top members
• Write explanations
– “One teach, two learn.”
• Question of the Day series
– RSS: http://bit.ly/2F5N6uE
– All previous QOTDs: http://bit.ly/2HbyBG5

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 7. GMAT Club resources: more plans
• @bb
– “Regular” plan: http://bit.ly/2ED99en
– Advanced plan: http://bit.ly/2BYKGiB
• @souvik101990
– http://bit.ly/2EIXgTY
• @Bunuel
– http://bit.ly/2F1whRx

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 7. GMAT Club resources: videos
• 2017 verbal videos: http://bit.ly/2GbuRDo
• Current video series: http://bit.ly/2GaxF3B
• Next week’s video (Feb. 21, 9:30 a.m. PST):
– How cutting corners kills your GMAT score
• Subscribe! www.youtube.com/gmatclub

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Part 3: Questions?

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