Welcome to Beat The GMAT!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007Welcome to Beat The GMAT! On August 16, 2005, I took the GMAT and scored a 720 (96th Percentile). I studied for the GMAT without the assistance of an expensive test prep class over the course of 80 days, keeping a very detailed weblog of my studying. It is my hope that this blog will serve as a study guide for future GMAT test takers and inspire others to study on their own as well. You do not need to purchase expensive test prep services to do well on the GMAT!
How to use this site
I have carefully documented my studies--down to the specific page numbers of texts I reviewed for each day. Using this website, many people have modeled their own study schedule after my own; some have even copied my day-to-day schedule entirely. Feel free to use this website in any capacity that suits your study needs. Also, be sure to explore the links to other resources that I have provided on this website--they have been critical in helping me master the material on the GMAT.
If you have set aside ample time to study for your GMAT (2-4 months), I would recommend that you start reading my blog from the first entry. However, if you are constrained by time (less than a month), skip ahead and emphasize my entries starting from Day 42, where I began my review of the Official Guide to GMAT Review.
Abbreviations
Some of the books I mention in my blog entries have very long titles. Since these titles are tiresome for my fingers to type, you will see the following abbreviations employed in many of my entries:
OG - Official Guide for GMAT Review, 10th Edition
PR - Princeton Review Cracking the GMAT 2004, with CD
Kap - Kaplan GMAT 2005 with CD
Kap800 - Kaplan GMAT 800, 2004-2005
Important Dates in my Study Schedule
To help you navigate my website more easily, here are some important milestones that I reached during my 80 days of studying for the GMAT:
- Introduction
- Explanation of why I started this website
- Day 1: Began review of Princeton Review Cracking the GMAT
- Day 12: Began review of Kaplan GMAT 2005
- Day 23: Began review of Kaplan GRE & GMAT Math Workbook
- Day 33: Began review of the Delta Course
- Day 37: Started making flashcards (should have done this from Day 1)
- Day 42: Began review of Official Guide, Reading Comprehension section
- Day 48: Began review of Official Guide, Data Sufficiency section
- Day 56: Began review of Official Guide, Sentence Correction section
- Day 65: Began review of Official Guide, Critical Reasoning section
- Day 70: Began review of Official Guide, Problem Solving section / Began review of Analytical Writing Assessment
- Day 80: Last day of studies
- Test day details
- Reflections on the entire GMAT study experience
The Beat The GMAT Scholarship!
I have started an annual scholarship for future GMAT test takers. Details can be found here.
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A caveat: the page numbers I list for each entry in this blog are specific to the textbook editions that were available at the time of my studies. Consequently, for people studying with later editions, the page numbers in your newer books may not match with those of my own books. However, it should still be easy to follow my study schedule since I note the source and subject material covered for each day along with the page numbers. Always study with the latest materials!
Best of luck! You can Beat The GMAT like I did!
Eric
Beat The GMAT! http://www.beatthegmat.com
Labels: Strategy
