Top Strategies for Getting a Perfect 800 GMAT Score

Scoring a perfect 800 on GMAT is considered to be an almost unachievable task. However, it is not impossible. There have been many students in the past who have managed to pull off this feat, and all it took them was a proper study plan that they executed properly.

How much you should study and how you should do it, depends on your starting and target scores and how much time you have to study; however, this article should give you a good sense of how to structure your study.  For maximum gains, you will use multiple GMAT resources, but be deliberate about how to use them so as to maximize your efficiency.

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Pre-requisites for GMAT 800 Score

• Register for the exam. Unless you do it, you are never going to get serious.
• Get the official GMAT material (and stick to this material for 70% prep). This includes: GMAT Official Guide, GMAT Official Guide Verbal Review, GMAT Official Guide Quantitative Review, GMAT Advanced Questions, GMAT Official Practice Questions 1 and 2, GMAT Official Practice Exams, GMAT Official IR Practice, and GMAT Official AWA Practice.

GMAT 800: Before you start your journey

The GMAT prep software has two mock tests. Take the first one, before you start. Do not study for this test. If you absolutely must, look through a tenth-grade book on Math for an hour, not more.

Sit down for four hours, and take the test.

Don't know what to write in the AWA? Leave it blank. Don't know how to do something? Take your best shot. Don't take long breaks.

By the end of the test, you will be completely exhausted, but it will give a score reflecting what you would have gotten had you given the GMAT right then. So, what does this tell you? It tells you where you stand, and how much you need to cover.

Next, take the Diagnostic Test. It segregates questions based on a type and tells you where you stand in each kind of question (RC, DS, SC, CR, etc.). You will know your strengths and your weaknesses by category, and that is a tremendous advantage. If you are already good at something, then you do not need to waste time working on it. Rather, work on improving your weak areas.

If you get a score between 550-650, you will want to start with a foundational overview. Then you can move onto comprehensive strategy guides and challenging questions.

If you are between 650-700, you can afford to skip the foundational overview and work on the comprehensive strategy guides and challenging questions.

If you're already above 700, just focus on the 700-800 level questions, and on the specific areas you need help with.

GMAT 800: Actual preparation

• The first step is to understand the GMAT pattern and syllabus
• The next step is to find the right set of GMAT books and resources
• Make sure to prepare short notes while you are going through these resources. Keep revising these notes. A part of your weekend must be invested into revision of these notes
• Focus on the things that you score average or just above average on the Diagnostic Test. Start with the Manhattan books and GMAT OG. Do 20 questions at a time, and make sure to keep a timer (2 min per question in Quant, 1:45 in Verbal). This will help you time your pace during exams.
• Once you are done with the preliminary reading of Manhattan books and GMAT OG, you can start with advanced books while revising the previously done topics at the same time.
• Give a full-length mock test every week. Later on you can increase it up to 2-3 full-length mocks per week. It is absolutely essential for you to appear for full-length mocks.
• Even if you make mistakes, take that as an opportunity to learn. When you make a mistake, especially in verbal, read the explanation thoroughly and try to remember the reasoning behind it. Read the explanation right after you choose the wrong option. That way, you will be able to correct your thought process because you may forget why you chose that particular answer after solving the block or after some time.

GMAT 800: After finishing the preparation

About 3 days before the actual exam, take the official GMAT mock. Mainly, so that you can figure out if you are still lacking in certain areas. If you had timed yourself religiously while preparing, you should not have problems managing time. The score you get will be fairly accurate, so if you do well, you can relax till the exam.

Read the notes you made while studying the day before the exam. Do look through the things you got wrong on your second mock but other than that, you should be all set.

GMAT 800: Additional tips

• Make sure you do not miss any ‘easy’ or ‘medium’ questions. You cannot score high if you miss these. Most aspiring perfect scorers focus all their time on the most complex and confusing questions they can find. It is advisable to only focus on these once you've mastered the easy and medium questions.
• Practice as many questions as you can, and more specifically, find free CAT practice tests to take. The type of questions you see in CAT isn’t very different than the GMAT ones. Additionally, all the practice will help you learn to pace yourself, which is vital. You need to realize that not finishing questions because you've run out of time will penalize you double and there's no going back to check questions if you finish early, so pacing is everything.
• Come up with a schedule and be disciplined about it. Make a list of what days you plan to study and block out 'x' hours for those days and just make sure that you stick to the schedule that you have laid out for yourself.
• Make sure to get plenty of rest, not just the night before, but throughout the study process.

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