Saturday, May 21, 2011

Need More Practice Tests?

If you're like me, practice tests are one of the best ways to prepare for the GMAT. Not only do they simulate the real test but they also pinpoint areas where you need more help. There are numerous sites to get practice tests for the GMAT but one I highly recommend is 800Score.com. It's recommended by Manhattan GMAT Prep as the place to get more tests so that alone makes it good enough for me.

A couple of things to look for when buying practice GMAT tests:
  1. Are the tests CAT tests? More specifically, will you be taking them on your computer or printing them out? I recommend CAT tests that you take on your computer.
  2. Do they include all sections for each test? (Two Essays, Quant Section, Verbal Section)
  3. Do they allow you to see what you missed at the end and give explanations of the right answers? Further, do they allow you to print the questions you've missed?
  4. Do they have a timer? This is crucial. 800Score.com has a Test Pacer that shows you the overall time as well as what question you should be on. This is VERY helpful for learning how to gauge where you are on the test and where you actually should be.
If you can answer all the questions above, I would recommend buying the practice tests for the GMAT.

Final Score...Not What I Expected

Well, I finished my first GMAT and lo and behold, did NOT get the score I wanted. In fact, I scored about 100 points below what I had been scoring on practice tests. Yep, I crashed and burned. But now I've got to pick myself back up and start studying again. This time, I'm going to study...not prepare...but study. It's really the only thing I can do at this point.

With that said, I purchased two more books through Amazon's Kindle store (this way I can study them at work using the Kindle Desktop Reader!!!):

GMAT Club 297
GMAT Arithmetic Questions
30 Day GMAT Success 2nd Edition
       

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Review: GMAT Sentence Correction Test Bank for iPad and iPhone

Rating: 3 out 5 Stars

There are numerous apps for the iPad which have been built to help you in learning more. Since the launch of the iPad, we have seen a huge number of apps to hit the app store that have been designed in order to help us to improve our knowledge, whether it is English or language based or anything else. Now, there is a great app out there that will actually allow you to increase the amount you know about the structure of sentences and the way that the English language works. In terms of iPad apps out there for this kind of thing, this app has to be one of the best and it goes by the name of GMAT Sentence Correction Test Bank.

The idea of the app is that it will really expand your knowledge of writing and how to word sentences. It tackles a lot of issues with sentences such as grammar and much more. There are so many things packed into the app in terms of improving your knowledge on sentences and the way that it allows you to learn is extremely good. The app also allows you to figure things out for yourself to a certain extent, which is great.

Of course, one of the most important things with any iPad app is the design of the app and in a vast amount of cases; a bad design can be the reason that an app is not any use at all. This app is designed extremely well and as it is an app that has been made for educational purposes, there are no strong designs or heavy colors used which is absolutely perfect for the type of app that it is. However, although there are no colorful designs or anything over the top, the designers have still managed to make the app easy to use and they have made the instructions that are on screen extremely clear and easy to read.

When it comes to the features of the app, there are enough for what the app aims to do and there are some great ones that will really help you learn. One of the features is that the app will actually create a quiz for you. This is great as it actually allows you to simulate what actually taking a test question would be like and it really prepares you for the exam. As well as this, the app will really make your studying efficient as there are absolutely no distractions in the app to take away your attention and it is very focused and to the point.

One of the largest advantages to the app is that you will actually be able to use the app almost anywhere you are and at any time. This means that you can study at any time you like.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Kaplan GMAT Math Foundations

Synopsis

The refresher guide for math skills tested on the GMAT.
Kaplan GMAT Math Foundations is the ideal refresher course for the large number of GMAT test takers who have been out of school for more than 10 years, including the more than 10,000 people who apply for highly competitive Executive MBA programs each year. Since more than 70 percent of GMAT students are over the age of 25, a refresher on basic math concepts is crucial.

Kaplan GMAT Math Foundations features:
  • Comprehensive coverage of the arithmetic, algebra, and geometry concepts tested by the GMAT
  • An intensive, back-to-basics, tutor-led approach to math review
  • Hundreds of practice exercises to increase speed and accuracy
Kaplan GMAT Math Foundations is a great study tool for both test takers who dread the Math section and those whose math skills are not their strength. This guide will give test takers the content review and skill building practice they need to feel confident on test day.

Buy it Today at Barnes and Noble

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

GMAT Club Updates Their GMAT ToolKit iPhone App

The GMAT ToolKit, a leading mobile GMAT Prep application developed by GMAT Club, has just been featured by Apple® on its “What’s Hot” list. The iPhone® app is part of an ongoing project by GMAT Club to bring high-quality design and execution into the mobile test prep space. The ToolKit was originally released several months ago and has since undergone 3 updates to include additional features requested by users.

Today, the app is no longer a simple GMAT Timer, but a leading GMAT prep tool that includes:
  • QUESTION SETS - application comes pre-installed with 111 Hard Quant questions and also includes an option to download free additional SC questions from the GMAT Club forum.
  • FORUM - direct access to GMAT Club’s forum using enhanced navigation features.
  • BOOKS - a must-have grader/error/time log for Official GMAC books
  • TIMER - the most sophisticated GMAT Timer specifically designed for GMAT preparation.
  • IDIOMS - an adaptive system to test your knowledge of 240 idioms.
  • VOICES - save prep time by getting recommendations from over 78,000 GMAT Club members.
  • MATH - detailed review of Absolute Value, Triangles, Circles, Coordinate Geometry, Standard Deviation and Probability.
  • RESOURCES - links to the most important topics in the GMAT and MBA community.
  • NEWS - receive 2 GMAT questions daily with our “Question of the Day” tool, use the embedded RSS Reader to manage your own feeds and stay current on the latest GMAT and MBA news.
Just in case this is not impressive enough, new features and improvements are constantly being added which owners of the app will receive for free.

The latest version of the GMAT ToolKit will enable users to easily add custom content and questions to their iPhone or iPod Touch, significantly expanding test preparation options and moving beyond traditional learning styles.

My Recommendation on a Scale of 1-10: 10

I personally think this is the best comprehensive GMAT Prep application in the app store.

-REF

    

Sunday, February 20, 2011

New Math Workbook

On Saturday, after my session with Gerry, I decided I needed a little bit more help with Math so I purchased Kaplan's GMAT Math Workbook, 6th Edition. I mean it says "Higher Score Guaranteed" right there on the cover so it must be good right? I'm such a sucker for new books!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Geometry Resources

As I mentioned in my most recent post, I'm in the middle of a comprehensive Geometry review. Here is one more resource that I'm using from 800Score.com. I reformatted the material to go into a word document which I'm sure you'll thank me for later. I'll add more resources from 800Score.com as I get to them.

800Score.com Geometry Review

Monday, February 14, 2011

Geometry Overview Begins

This past weekend I started a comprehensive overview of Geometry using the following materials:

- Notes from the session on Geometry with my GMAT Tutor Gerry Kramer
- Handouts from the session with Gerry
- The geometry section in the Official Guide for GMAT Review 12th Edition
- The geometry section in Master the GMAT 2010 by Peterson (contact me if you need this in PDF format)

Progress has been slow so far because I've only gotten through the section on Triangles! Oh well, I guess I'll need to study more intently tonight.

-REF

Thursday, February 10, 2011

GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible

About to start reading GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible by PowerScore. I was able to find a copy of it on the web for free but the quality of the pdf file is somewhat lacking.

Link to GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible

Algebra Success in 20 Minutes a Day

Completed the Pretest for this eBook and got 7/50 wrong. My mistakes were stupid errors but I do need to go back and review division of square roots and the quadratic formula. I decided not to go through the entire eBook.

Link to eBook