Raise your GMAT score 200 points!

Let me explain. No ebooks, no courses, no tutoring, no sales pitch. This is only my experience and a plan that payed off BIG for me.

I registered at GMAT.com, not for the test just as a user, and downloaded the two Computer Adaptive Tests (CATs). I took the first practice test after doing nothing more than familiarizing myself with the question formats. Scored a 550. I knew I had better get to work, as I knew that score would get a nice loud DING from the schools I planned on pursuing.

I studied 1 day a week for 2 months and then 4-6 hours each night for 2 weeks. That's it! No Manhattan GMAT or Princeton Review Classes. I did NO PREP in the 48 hours before the test, slept well, had my morning coffee (if you need the best cup, look HERE) and off to the testing center. A Few hours and several figerprints later (they check it TWICE every time you take a break), I was looking at a 760!!!

Just the other day, I got a "Please consider us..." from the London Business School. Yeah, that felt good :)

All of the GMAT Prep books, courses, videos, classes, etc. have one thing in common. They are PRACTICE. They all draw from prior GMAT questions, at least in form and usually in difficulty. The official guides are fine, but beware using them if you plan on testing with the two free CATs from GMAC (the questions do overlap). Personally, I used a Princeton Review and a Kaplan book which were each a couple of years out of print and a new edition of the "Kaplan 800". The questions in the Kaplan 800 are harder than the others, but I feel that many are beyond the scope of the actual test. If you are not doing well in this book, you may become worried about your goals, so take notice.

I believe the real key to improving is to:

1. Be sure you understand the concepts BEHIND the strategies

2. Make sure you understand why the right answer is right

3. Figure out where you went wrong when you're wrong

4. Brush up on concepts you can't get from the materials

5. Use internet forums, groups, blogs, etc. to answer questions you just can't figure out on your own

Remember the saying "Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect"? This is why you must not only review your incorrect answers, but also the questions you got right through ellimination, guessing, or just dumb luck. The general "test taking" strategies will help on test day, but the extra few correct answers you will get from better practice could increase you're score by up to 40 points each. That's right... EACH!

In my experience, the verbal section of the GMAT offers the smallest opportunity for quick improvement. Aside from reviewing the commonly tested sentence errors, and understanding them, I see little hope in improving your raw verbal score.

However, the good news is that if you are a native english speaker and have read some actual literature (ie. Catcher in the Rye, Hamlet, Walden), you can usually elliminate 2-3 of the choices without even thinking about why. They just won't sound right. The remaining choices can then be evaluated using the aforementioned testing strategies. This is the gravy for the english speaking candidates. I see no reason for a native speaker, educated and motivated enough to pursue a high score and an MBA, to score below 40 on this section. I may be villified by those not attaining this score, but if you can't, then perhaps you should reevaluate your scoring goals or you level of effort.

I can't approach this section from the perspective of a non-native speaker, but I could pontificate that without the inherent errors experienced in everyday use, the testing strategies may actually be more beneficial. With only formal english training in lie vs lay, who vs whom, etc., the sentence errors may be easily quantified. I could though see a great disadvantage to them on the more difficult of the reading comprehension sections.

Ah, Quant, the great equalizer. This is the section where many foreign prospective business school students often shine and the section that typically brings an english speaking prospect's overall score back in line with the average. If you are shooting to score in the 700's the quant section will be difficult, but not for the reasons you think. You won't fail on this section because you can't tackle higher level math. Though you could score low because junior high was just so, so, so long ago.

That's right, the people who have the best shot at a perfect score on the quant without much preparation are those who are still a couple years away from driving (legally anyway). ALL of the concepts behind the GMAT Quantitative section have been taught to the average 8th or 9th grader. If you were given these same questions as a freshman in high school, you're raw score would probably surprise the current day you.

Your key to really scoring here, in the high 40's, is brushing up on the concepts and breaking down a solution's steps. There aren't many concepts, and with the proliferation of internet sources, you won't even need to buy a book to refresh yourself. The prep books often skim these ideas, so if you can't grasp them there, then websites dedicated to algebra and geometry are good sources of help.

They key to scoring well on the most difficult quant questions is being able to identify the parts of the question. These questions do NOT cover harder material just MORE of the same in combination. These questions require more steps if you are forced to solve the whole thing out. The more familiar and comfortable you become in doing so, the faster you will become and the more shortcuts you will find. You will also know when you are taking to long and it's time to make your best guess.

Start over. Start your prep as if your original score is the baseline. Get yourself some new sources, not because they might be any better, but because you don't want false hope from going over the same questions again. You will get some of them correct just because you've read/solved them before.

Nothing is lost. Yes, your schools will see all of your past scores, but most take the highest score and the rest take the latest or the average. So, even if you prospective school averages, a 550 and 750 equals 650, which won't get you dinged in and of itself from ANY business school.

This time though, live by "Perfect Practice Makes Perfect", and see your goal. You've probably been to the same testing center you'll be at next time. You've seen the score come up on the screen. So, when you finish each study session, sit back, close your eyes, and see yourself sitting at that computer and receiving the score you want. Now, believe that it will happen.