Beat The GMAT!

I got a 92.5% hit rate on my DS problem set today. I have to say that it is extremely satisfying seeing my hit rate increase each day. The other thing that made me really happy is that I've noticed I am solving these questions faster and faster. My average is less than 2 minutes per question now. Moreover, I believe that I'm developing good instincts when it comes to number property questions. ETS has an excellent bad habit of testing the same concepts repeatedly.

Tomorrow should be the last day of my concentrated study of DS. Yay.

SUMMARY OF DAY 54 WORK:
1. Delta Course Bonus Questions, #91-100.
2. OG Reading Comprehension passage, #88-94, pages 348-349.
3. OG Data Sufficiency set, #121-160, pages 248-253.

RECAP OF DAY 54 WORK:
1. Practice has helped me improve speed and accuracy with regard to DS questions. Damn skippy.

Labels: Data Sufficiency, GMAT Math

Today I earned a 90 percent hit rate on a set of 40 DS questions from Offical Guide. This is totally great, but my enthusiasm is a bit muted. I am working backwards in the OG DS section because I've been told that the last 50-100 questions in this section are the toughest and most realistic to the actual GMAT. Consequently, my hit rate is improving, but I have noticed that the questions are getting easier as I creep towards the beginning of the section.

But all in all, the practice has been helpful. I'm starting to pick up on question patterns that are commonly tested. And I think I'm starting to get the hang of number property DS questions.

As a wise man once observed: it's all about practice, bitches.

SUMMARY OF DAY 53 WORK:
1. Delta Course Bonus Problems, #81-90.
2. OG RC Passage, #95-100, pages 350-351.
3. OG Data Sufficiency Set, #161-200, pages 253-257.

RECAP OF DAY 53 INSIGHTS:
1. Practice, practice, practice DS questions using the OG book.

Labels: Data Sufficiency, GMAT Math

I feel like I'm making progress in understanding how Data Sufficiency works.

After going through my normal Delta Course problems and RC passage from OG, I did a practice set of 40 DS problems from OG. I managed to earn a significantly higher hit rate compared to the last OG DS set I did: this time I hit 80% correct. Even more good news was that nearly all of my errors were careless mistakes, which I was able to correct upon second examination.

I am much more systematic in my approach now. Here's what I've done:

1. First, I read the question prompt very carefully, making sure I understand the information being presented. A common error I make is in misreading.
2. Next, I determine the question type--whether it is a "YES/NO" or "Asking for Value" question. WRITE DOWN the question type on your scrap paper. I've discovered that writing down the question type has been the most important factor in improving my DS today. It has kept me on track for determining what kind of sufficiency I am looking for in a problem.
3. Finally, keep the statements separate when solving. Very standard and important advice.

I am pleasantly surprised how well this strategy has worked for me. The only thing I have to work on now, besides improving my hit rate, is moving faster. I am currently very slow with DS, averaging over 2 minutes per problem. Speed and accuracy will come with practice, so I just have to keep at it.

SUMMARY OF DAY 52 WORK:
1. Delta Course BONUS questions, #71-80.
2. Official Guide Reading Comprehension passage, #101-106, pages 352-353.
3. Official Guide Data Sufficiency Set, #201-240, pages 257-261.

RECAP OF DAY 52 WORK:
1. Be as systematic as possible in approaching DS problems.
2. For each DS problem, WRITE DOWN the question type on your scrap paper. Trust me, it helps a lot!

Labels: Data Sufficiency, GMAT Math

Today I took the last CAT test on the Kaplan 2005 CD, CAT #4. I didn't have the roaring finish that I would have liked, but rather I performed just okay.

Score: 590 (37Q, 35V). Translation of this score using GMAT Score Estimator [EDITOR'S NOTE: Doesn't exist anymore]: 737.

I have decided to break from tradition by no longer doing my extensive analysis after taking a full-length practice test. I will still look through my errors and explanations, but I want to devote more time doing practice problems.

Hallelujah, it's Friday.

SUMMARY OF DAY 51 WORK:
1. Kaplan CAT 4 full-length practice test off of Kaplan 2005 CD.

RECAP OF DAY 51 WORK:
1. Kaplan knows how to screw with a person's confidence. It's hard to ignore those scores...

Labels: Practice Tests

I am at a crossroads right now. My GMAT is scheduled for July 19, but I don't feel like I'm at a point right now where I'll be ready to take the test by that date. I had a brief chat with my sister today (a distinguished Kellogg alumnae), and her advice was to just "suck it up" and take the test.

I'm going to follow her advice--for the most part. In the next few weeks I will tighten my preparation and focus on finishing the Official Guide book. The one thing I am really lacking at this point is a lot of practice. However, if I don't feel more confident about the test by July 11, I am going to reschedule the test for early August. I know, I'm hedging a bit.

Anyway, today I had a nice long afternoon/evening of prep. I did my daily 10 problems from Delta Course followed by an RC passage from OG. Next, I looked at part of the OG Math Review, learned some new math tricks from this website, and reviewed the Data Sufficiency lesson on the Kaplan 2005 CD.

Finally, I got to the important part of the day and did some DS problems from OG. I finished the set of 34 problems I had started doing two days ago, and dammit it was hard. Upon finishing the set I tried resolving all of the problems I had got wrong and then carefully read the explanations for every problem. It wasn't too pretty.

I capped off the day by looking at various errors I have made in past weeks and reviewed my flashcards.

It was a long freakin day. I've got to start hauling ass on OG, doing at least 40 problems per day.

SUMMARY OF DAY 50 WORK:
1. Delta Course Bonus Problems, #61-70.
2. Reading Comprehension passage from Official Guide, #107-112, pages 354-355.
3. OG Math Review, pages 51-60.
4. Lesson on least common multiple (LCM) and greatest common factor (GCF) from this website.
5. Data Sufficiency problems from Official Guide, #261-274, pages 262-264.
6. Reviewed 10 past errors.
7. Reviewed Flashcards.

RECAP OF DAY 50 INSIGHTS:
1. There comes a point in your GMAT study where you have to make a decision to just go for it. I'm there right now.
2. I'm in the home stretch and it's time for me to go crazy on practice. Practice, practice, PRACTICE!

Labels: Strategy

Today I was hosting a friend, so I didn't get much in the way of studying done. But the good news is that I won some cool missions on Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.

I did manage to do my normal 10 Delta Course Bonus problems and I also completed a RC passage/questions from OG. To cap off the day, I skimmed through 10 pages of the OG Math Review as a brush up.

Tomorrow I'm going to be devoted to work. Got to get the discipline back.

SUMMARY OF DAY 49 WORK:
1. Delta Course Bonus Questions, #51-60.
2. OG RC passage and questions, #113-118, pages 356-357.
3. OG Math Review, pages 42-51.

RECAP OF DAY 49 INSIGHTS:
1. As little lapse of discipline goes a long way. I have to get my studying back into gear.

Today I turned my focus on cracking Data Sufficiency questions. It was a very dismal first day.

I began the day doing some non-DS related stuff. I did my usual 10 questions from the Delta Course BONUS set and I practiced 2 RC passages from OG. As I said before, my strategy is to stay practiced on previous material to keep fresh on what I've covered so far in the last few weeks. Next, I did some Kaplan 800 DS problems sets, which were insanely difficult as I had predicted. I got half the questions right from two short problem sets.

After the Kaplan 800, I studied 10 pages of the extensive math review in OG, just to see if there were any new things to learn. And finally, I got to the meat of the my day--my first set of DS questions from OG.

I was originally going to do the last 34 questions in the OG DS section, but I ended up doing #241-260. I couldn't make it all the way through this set because of how time-consuming and frustratingly hard the questions were. I performed much lower than I had expected, with a 45 percent hit rate.

This hit rate is absolutely unacceptable. I will have to raise this rate to at least 85% if I'm serious about reaching my 750+ goal.

Anyway, I'm staying positive for the moment. I'll be on the hunt for some good DS strategies. I'll let you all know what I find.

SUMMARY OF DAY 48 WORK:
1. Delta Course BONUS questions set, #41-50.
2. 2 RC passages from OG, #119-130, pages 358-361.
3. Kaplan 800 DS Practice Sets 1 and 2, pages 343-351.
4. OG Math Review, pages 31-42.
5. Official Guide DS Problems, #241-260, pages 261-262.

RECAP OF DAY 48 INSIGHTS:
1. The end part of the OG DS section is ridiculous. I have to improve my performance dramatically to get the 750+ that I desire.

Labels: Data Sufficiency, GMAT Math

This evening I examined the Kaplan CAT 3 test that I took on Friday. I did my usual analysis using this spreadsheet, while recording my errors on a separate Word document.

I was pleased to discover that I was able to solve nearly all the math problems I got wrong upon my second look at the problems. I also noticed that most of my careless errors in math and verbal were made from my misreading the question. I believe that such carelessness can be completely eliminated if I take more time per question. In practically all of the practice tests I have taken thus far, I usually end each section with five minutes or more to spare. ENDING SECTIONS WITH A FEW MINUTES TO SPARE IS A BAD SIGN. Doing so indicates that you are not efficiently allocating your maximum time and attention to the problems on the test--you are moving too fast. Had I moved slightly slower and read the questions more thoroughly, I would have performed better.

To all the test prep folk out there, work on pacing yourselves so that you consistently have LESS than five minutes left at the end of each section. Be sure to read and digest all of the questions carefully.

SUMMARY OF DAY 47 WORK:
1. Analysis of Kaplan CAT 3 Practice Test using this spreadsheet.

RECAP OF DAY 47 INSIGHTS:
1. Finishing with time to spare on each section is bad! If this is the case for you, pace yourself more slowly to ensure you understand the problems well.

Labels: Practice Tests

This afternoon I went to the library to take my eighth full-length practice test: Kaplan CAT 3, off of the Kaplan 2005 CD.

It went fairly smoothly--I was feeling pretty confident throughout the test, but since I have started working on Official Guide it has become obnoxiously apparent to me how badly written Kaplan problems are. The wording on several questions confused me, but I was usually able to narrow down to at least two answer choices.

Anyway, the result: 620 (38Q, 36V)

Not too bad for a Kaplan test. The only thing that bothered me today is that I got kicked out of the library before I could finish my verbal section. Stupid bastard librarians don't like working past 5:00 PM on a Friday. I guess I can't blame them.

Time to start drinking.

SUMMARY OF DAY 46 WORK:
1. Kaplan CAT 3 Practice Test, off of Kaplan 2005 CD.

RECAP OF DAY 46 INSIGHTS:
1. Once you start working on Official Guide, you really get irritated by how poorly written Kaplan questions are.

Labels: Practice Tests

Today I finished my intensive study of RC. I now feel pretty confident in this area and will start attacking another aspect of the GMAT in the next day of study.

I started with some math exercises from the Delta Course Bonus Questions set, doing my ten problem warm up. Next, I tackled three science passages from Kaplan 800. Tough as usual, but manageable.

After Kaplan 800 I did 45 RC problems off of OG. Once again, these passages and questions seemed so easy compared to the crappy imitation problems from Kaplan or Princeton Review. I got 44/45 questions correct, which is approximately a 98% hit rate. I rounded off my day by reviewing ten errors in past GMAT material and reviewing my flashcards.

The next GMAT area I wish to master is data sufficiency. I believe my success on the GMAT hinges on my doing well in DS, since this area has traditionally been bringing down my practice scores.

SUMMARY OF DAY 45 WORK:
1. Delta Course Bonus Questions, #31-40.
2. Kaplan 800 - 3 Science Reading Comprehension Passages, pages 111-131.
3. Official Guide Reading Comprehension, #131-174, pages 362-375.
4. Reviewed 10 past errors.
5. Reviewed Flashcards.

RECAP of DAY 45 INSIGHTS:
1. My intensive RC study has paid off. I hope that intensive study of other subject areas will be as successful.

Labels: GMAT Verbal, Reading Comprehension

Wow, what an eventful past week. All I have to say is that if you are thinking about moving, don't. It can turn into a drawn-out logistical nightmare.

It was a relief to be back to the books today. I started out with my usual routine, doing 10 problems from the Delta Course BONUS Questions. Next I tackled two RC passages from the Kaplan 800 book: one social science passage and one technical science passage. They weren't too difficult, to my surprise. Finally, I got to OG, and did 38 questions from the textbook. My hit rate was about 90%, which is slightly lower than what I'd like to see (ideally, I'd like to be hitting 95%+).

I feel like I am really starting to get the hang of reading comprehension questions. I've found that four strategies have really helped me:

(1) Immediately write down the topic and scope after reading the first paragraph of a given passage. Doing so will help you think about questions relating to the main point or main purpose.

(2) Try to go into an RC passage with an attitude that you are excited to learn about the information it contains. It takes some practice, but this strategy helps you maintain your focus while you read.

(3) Read linearly. That is, try not to read sentences or parts of passages over and over again. Doing so wil slow you down dramatically and actually confuse you because the ideas in the passage are not being read in logical order.

(4) Do not skim, but read quickly. This is a personal strategy. I find that I digest information better when I don't gloss over too much detail.

These are strategies that work especially well for me, but I advise all you GMAT test prep folks out there to try it for yourself. Experiment!

So after the OG stuff, I decided to add a new flavor to my routine--I went back and reviewed 10 problems that I got wrong in my past GMAT material. I hope to consistently review my errors every day until test day. And finally, I finished off the day reviewing my flashcards--yes, I have been holding to my promise to keep reviewing these notes every day.

It was a productive day. I hope I can keep this pace up, but my new apartment has a Playstation 2, and I fear my being sucked in by it. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is such a great game.

SUMMARY OF DAY 44 WORK:
1. Delta Course BONUS Questions, #21-30.
2. Kaplan 800 RC Passages, pages 95-110.
3. 5 RC passages (38 questions) from OG, pages 376-385.
4. Reviewed 10 errors from PowerPrep CAT 1 test (from way back in the day).
5. Reviewed Flashcards.

RECAP OF DAY 44 INSIGHTS:
1. Develop a personal style for attacking RCs.

Labels: GMAT Verbal, Reading Comprehension

I will be graduating from my master's program and moving out of my current apartment this weekend. Thus, I'm taking these activities as an excuse to hold off my GMAT studying until next week. Blogging should resume on Wednesday, June 15.

I began my study today by going over 10 more practice problems in the BONUS QUESTIONS section of the Delta Course website. As I mentioned yesterday, I want to stay fresh on my probability skills.

After that I read the second chapter on Reading Comprehension in the Princeton Review Verbal Workout. It's not an impressive textbook, so don't buy it. I merely skimmed what they had to say, and they didn't mention anything that you couldn't find in PR Cracking the GMAT.

I followed up this reading with a bunch of practice problems. I did two practice passages on GMAT 800 and performed with 100% accuracy. Next I did 40 RC questions off of the Official Guide and performed with 92.5% accuracy. Needless to say, I'm starting to feel very confident about my RC skills.

Once again, don't feel frustrated if you perform poorly in RC off of Kaplan's practice tests or practice problems--KAPLAN DOES A SHITTY JOB of writing questions. The questions on the real GMAT are clearer and easier to work with.

SUMMARY OF DAY 43 WORK:
1. Delta Course BONUS QUESTIONS set, #11-20.
2. Princeton Review Verbal Workout - Reading Comprehension, Chapter 5: pages. 87-103.
3. GMAT 800 Practice RC Passages, pages 80-94.
4. OG RC Practice Problems, #213-252, pages 386-399.
5. Reviewed Flashcards.

DAY 43 INSIGHTS:
1. Doing OG gives me a huge confidence boost when it comes to reading comprehension.

Labels: GMAT Verbal, Reading Comprehension

I forgot to mention yesterday that I performed some statistical analysis of my practice test scores that I've taken to date. First, I calculated my hit rate (in percent) for the problem solving, data sufficiency, critical reading, sentence correction, and reading comprehension questions on each of my tests. [EDITOR'S NOTE: I later determined that focusing on hit rates for practice sets is unproductive--they really don't reveal that much regarding your study progress. Practice tests are better indicators of your progress.] Next, I calculated the standard deviation of each of these categories so that I could determine degrees of variance.

Thus, the order in which I will attack specific GMAT subjects for the next several weeks has been determined by these results. I have found that my reading comprehension skills suffer from the lowest hit rate and highest variance. I will attack this subject first so that I will have the the most time reviewing it before test day.

With all that said, I covered a lot of material today. I first did 10 Delta Course math problems off of the BONUS QUESTIONS section on the Delta Course website. I wanted to stay fresh on my probability knowledge. Next, I skimmed Chapter 3 in the Princeton Review Verbal Workout (which I found for free). It didn't really teach me much. After that, I looked at the reading comprehension section in GMAT 800, read the strategy section, and did the first set of RC passages/questions. GMAT 800 is INSANELY difficult. And I can't emphasize INSANE enough. But somehow, I managed to get all the questions right on the first set. It was luck, believe me.

Finally, I got started on the Bible of GMAT prep, THE OFFICIAL GUIDE! It's a relief to finally be at this stage. I did the last 33 problems of the reading comprehension section and managed to get every question right! I have to say that the RC questions on OG are dramatically easier and better written than what I have seen on Kaplan and PR. It's really night and day.

Why did I do the last 33 problems of this section today? I've read that it's good to go through OG starting from the end of each section because the material there is more recent and more accurate to what you will probably see on the real deal. Also, the PowerPrep software tends to draw from the earlier questions on each section. If you don't want to bias your PowerPrep practice test scores while working on OG, this strategy of working back to front is useful.

Damn, I said a lot. If you made it all the way through, thanks for your patience. Now it's time to review some flashcards and pack (I'm moving this weekend).

SUMMARY OF DAY 42 WORK:
1. Delta Course BONUS questions, #1-10.
2. Princeton Review Verbal Workout, Chapter 3, pages 35-49.
3. Kaplan GMAT 800, pages 69-79, strategy and first passage.
4. Official Guide, Reading Comprehension Section, pages 400-415, #253-285.
5. Review of Flashcards.

RECAP OF DAY 42 INSIGHTS:
1. Work through Official Guide back to front on each section.
2. Official Guide RC questions are MUCH easier than Kaplan's and PR's.

Labels: GMAT Verbal, Reading Comprehension

I finally finished making flashcards on all the material I have studied to date. It was about as enjoyable as stabbing myself in the leg with sharp pencils. But at least it is done.

I now have about 170 flashcards on important concepts and strategies for the GMAT. As I mentioned before, I plan on reviewing them EVERY day until test day. Like a lot of people, repitition is the best way for me to memorize things.

I expect to add more flashcards to my current pile as I move through more interesting material in the future. Tomorrow I'll start tackling Kaplan 800 and OG--at least I hope so.

SUMMARY OF DAY 41 WORK:
1. Created flashcards on my notes from the Kaplan Math Workbook, Powerprep Software, and Delta Course.

RECAP OF DAY 41 INSIGHTS:
1. I'm glad that shit is done.

Labels: Strategy

I really hate doing the weekly analysis that follows my weekly full-length practice GMATs. It is a huge pain in the ass recording all of my answer choices onto this spreadsheet AND recording all the problems I got wrong (with explanations) onto a separate Word document. It is time consuming as hell (usually takes 3-4 hours) and is as boring as Star Wars Episodes I and II.

But I do it anyway because (1) I'm slightly masochistic and (2) reviewing your errors is almost as important as doing constant practice. To all GMAT folks out there, stay disciplined and study your mistakes exhaustively.

I haven't observed any super notable benefit to my methods yet, but I know the payoff is coming.

SUMMARY OF DAY 40 WORK:
1. Analysis of Kaplan Practice CAT 2 using this spreadsheet.

RECAP OF DAY 40 INSIGHTS:
1. The analysis is a bitch, but it must be done. Every week.

Labels: Practice Tests

Today I took a practice GMAT off of the Kaplan 2005 CD.

The result: 590 (38Q, 33V)

At this point you may be asking: Eric, why do you still have a smile on your handsomely contoured face? Aren't you at all upset by your performance today? My goodness, you are sexy.

First of all, thanks for the compliments--but sorry ladies and gentlemen, I'm taken. Second, I am not upset at all. In fact, I still believe I am right on track for getting a 750+ on the real GMAT. I said this before, but for those of you who are unfamiliar with Kaplan, the scores from these tests are dramatically skewed downward. Don't let Kaplan's numbers get to you because they are trying to trick you into buying their full classroom course! Sneaky shit, I know. [EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a myth--I've never seen data to substantiate this business strategy by Kaplan, but at the time I believed the rumors.]

I have researched extensively on many GMAT prep folk who have scored 750+ on the real thing, and I have noticed that many (if not most) dip below 600 while practicing with Kaplan. Furthermore, I am consoled by the fact that when I enter my score into the GMAT Score Estimator [EDITOR'S NOTE: This website doesn't exist anymore unfortunately.], my actual GMAT score is estimated to be around 740, based off my 590 performance on Kaplan. Not bad at all...

So it's all good.

SUMMARY OF DAY 39 WORK:
1. Kaplan Practice GMAT CAT 2, off of Kaplan 2005 CD.

RECAP OF DAY 39 INSIGHTS:
1. Never freak out about your Kaplan score.

Labels: Practice Tests

I spent the afternoon and evening making flashcards of my notes from the Kaplan 2005 book. Like I said before, it's tedious stuff. But I'm glad I'm forcing myself to review this old material. I'm guessing that I will need one more day to finish off the rest of my cards.

I've got to turn off AIM during my study time. Today I wasted a good hour and a half chatting with friends. These little distractions are starting to wear down on my discipline--gotta stay focused!

SUMMARY OF DAY 38 WORK:
1. Flashcards of Kaplan 2005 notes.

RECAP OF DAY 38 INSIGHTS:
1. AIM is the Devil. Turn it off when you study!

Labels: Strategy