What's the Best Way to Study for the GMAT? | Deep Questions Podcast with Cal Newport

00:00:00.000 | (upbeat music)

00:00:02.580 | - Okay, good question.

00:00:05.540 | That's semi-fast, that's semi-fast.

00:00:08.120 | Do we have another one?

00:00:09.040 | How are we doing with time?

00:00:10.440 | - Yeah, we have one more question.

00:00:12.700 | This is a question about studying for the GMAT

00:00:15.380 | and then at the tail end, she's also juggling job hunting.

00:00:20.380 | So we'll take a listen to what Lindsay has to say.

00:00:22.780 | - All right.

00:00:23.620 | - This is Lindsay.

00:00:24.740 | I'm a huge fan of your work.

00:00:28.060 | I am wondering if you could speak to two things.

00:00:33.060 | The first is most effective way to study for the GMAT test.

00:00:40.060 | I took it back in 2011.

00:00:48.180 | I have to retake it now that I'm applying to school again

00:00:56.940 | for something else because they have changed the test

00:01:01.540 | and there's so many guides and books

00:01:06.060 | in online courses out there that I don't know,

00:01:10.700 | I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

00:01:13.100 | So if you could speak to that

00:01:15.580 | or like generally standardized higher education.

00:01:20.580 | - Jessica, can we pause here right there?

00:01:22.460 | - Secondly, effective--

00:01:24.820 | - So let me answer her first part

00:01:26.140 | and then we'll get our second part if that works

00:01:27.860 | because GMAT, I have a simple answer

00:01:30.020 | for any of those standardized tests.

00:01:31.820 | Doing sample test under the real time conditions

00:01:36.660 | is by far the actual best practice.

00:01:40.500 | I can do real sample test and get this score

00:01:43.820 | under those conditions, then you will get that score

00:01:45.700 | in the real test.

00:01:46.540 | If you can't, you won't.

00:01:47.940 | The only thing you do is use books.

00:01:50.900 | I don't think you need the online courses.

00:01:52.420 | Get books to learn the techniques they recommend

00:01:56.140 | for each of the different types of sections.

00:01:58.700 | So like, okay, I'm gonna study these type of questions

00:02:01.300 | and look at the techniques.

00:02:02.300 | Now I'm gonna try it under time conditions.

00:02:04.100 | Then I'll go back and deconstruct the answers I got wrong,

00:02:06.660 | figure out how to answer them right,

00:02:08.620 | see if I'm missing any techniques.

00:02:10.060 | Why did I get that wrong?

00:02:11.020 | Was it a mistake or I didn't know how to do it?

00:02:12.700 | And then do it again under time conditions.

00:02:14.820 | And that's it.

00:02:16.100 | I mean, this is how I did, for example, the GRE

00:02:19.580 | when I was applying to graduate school in computer science,

00:02:22.660 | most of these schools cared only about your math section.

00:02:25.540 | I knew you needed a high 700s in the math

00:02:28.300 | to be in contention for any of these schools.

00:02:30.660 | They preferred 800, but I gamed it out and was like,

00:02:33.860 | okay, high 700s would be enough.

00:02:36.180 | And that's all I did.

00:02:37.580 | Like, okay, let me read a book

00:02:39.060 | about the different types of questions

00:02:40.460 | and the techniques they recommend.

00:02:42.620 | Sample test, how'd I do?

00:02:44.620 | Try again, try again.

00:02:45.740 | Okay, I'm in the high 700s.

00:02:46.940 | Go, took the test and we're done.

00:02:48.220 | So that's the way to prepare, nothing else fancy.

00:02:51.740 | Get in real conditions, do the test,

00:02:53.980 | figure out what you got wrong.

00:02:55.660 | Look at one book on techniques,

00:02:57.020 | but it's really a game of practicing.

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What's the Best Way to Study for the GMAT? | Deep Questions Podcast with Cal Newport

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