The Pre-Game Talk

Here's some advice that you'll want to follow as you use our Game Plans to prepare for your test. Avoid it at your own peril!

1. Always time yourself. Whenever you're doing problems make sure the clock is running. When you start out, don't hold yourself to rigid guidelines but rather get a feel for how much time it's taking you. As you progress though, start to set time limits for yourself when you do sets of questions. This is especially important when working on problems out of the Official Guide. Don't think that you need to do all the recommended questions at once but try to allow the following amounts of time per question.
   1. Problem Solving - 2 minutes per question
   2. Data Sufficiency - 2 minutes per question
   3. Reading Comprehension - 2 minutes per question (This includes the passage. For example, you would have 14 minutes total to do a passage with 7 questions.)
   4. Critical Reasoning - 2 1/2 minutes per question
   5. Sentence Correction - 1 1/2 minutes per question
2. Always review the questions after you've finished. You typically only learn about 50% when doing the question. You learn the other 50% when you review the explanation. If you don't bother to review the questions, you're missing half the benefit. Make it a habit to review both the questions you got wrong and the questions you got right. Reviewing questions you answered correctly is important because there might be a more effective way of doing them.
3. Take the entire test at one time. Part of the reason you're taking the tests is to build up your stamina and if you decide to take the tests a "little bit at a time," you'll be missing out on a big chance to improve. Find a quiet place where you'll be undisturbed for at least four hours and go at it!
4. If you're taking the GMATPrep tests, take them first. Because those tests and the Official Guide all have the same question pool, do the one of the GMATPrep tests first and the Official Guide questions afterwards.
5. Don't give up! Even if you can't make it through your entire Game Plan, not all is lost. You'll still improve substantially just by making it part way through the Plans. However, if you don't think you'll have enough time to do the entire plan right from the start, take an easier plan. You can always do stuff from the tougher plans if you have time at the end.
6. Give us feedback as to how the Plans worked for you and how much you improved your score. We are constantly evaluating these plans to make sure they are the most effective way to prepare!

Thanks for visiting GMATTutor.com and good luck in your studies!

• The Ten-Hour Plan
• The Fifty-Hour Plan
• The Hundred-Hour Plan
• The Three Hundred-Hour Plan