Beat The GMAT!

On August 17, 2009, Beat The GMAT re-launched as a GMAT/MBA learning portal. The site now features free expert GMAT/MBA articles, prep resources, scholarships, and a very active discussion community.

I invite you to visit the new Beat The GMAT—and please tell your friends! :)

http://www.beatthegmat.com

Good luck!

Eric Bahn, Founder of Beat The GMAT

Welcome to Beat The GMAT! On August 16, 2005, I took the GMAT and scored a 720 (96th Percentile). I studied for the GMAT without the assistance of an expensive test prep class over the course of 80 days, keeping a very detailed weblog of my studying. It is my hope that this blog will serve as a study guide for future GMAT test takers and inspire others to study on their own as well. You do not need to purchase expensive test prep services to do well on the GMAT!

How to use this site

I have carefully documented my studies--down to the specific page numbers of texts I reviewed for each day. Using this website, many people have modeled their own study schedule after my own; some have even copied my day-to-day schedule entirely. Feel free to use this website in any capacity that suits your study needs. Also, be sure to explore the links to other resources that I have provided on this website--they have been critical in helping me master the material on the GMAT.

If you have set aside ample time to study for your GMAT (2-4 months), I would recommend that you start reading my blog from the first entry. However, if you are constrained by time (less than a month), skip ahead and emphasize my entries starting from Day 42, where I began my review of the Official Guide to GMAT Review.

Abbreviations

Some of the books I mention in my blog entries have very long titles. Since these titles are tiresome for my fingers to type, you will see the following abbreviations employed in many of my entries:

OG - Official Guide for GMAT Review, 10th Edition
PR - Princeton Review Cracking the GMAT 2004, with CD
Kap - Kaplan GMAT 2005 with CD
Kap800 - Kaplan GMAT 800, 2004-2005

Important Dates in my Study Schedule

To help you navigate my website more easily, here are some important milestones that I reached during my 80 days of studying for the GMAT:

- Introduction

- Explanation of why I started this website

- Day 1: Began review of Princeton Review Cracking the GMAT

- Day 12: Began review of Kaplan GMAT 2005

- Day 23: Began review of Kaplan GRE & GMAT Math Workbook

- Day 33: Began review of the Delta Course

- Day 37: Started making flashcards (should have done this from Day 1)

- Day 42: Began review of Official Guide, Reading Comprehension section

- Day 48: Began review of Official Guide, Data Sufficiency section

- Day 56: Began review of Official Guide, Sentence Correction section

- Day 65: Began review of Official Guide, Critical Reasoning section

- Day 70: Began review of Official Guide, Problem Solving section / Began review of Analytical Writing Assessment

- Day 80: Last day of studies

- Test day details

- Reflections on the entire GMAT study experience

The Beat The GMAT Scholarship!

I have started an annual scholarship for future GMAT test takers. Details can be found here.

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A caveat: the page numbers I list for each entry in this blog are specific to the textbook editions that were available at the time of my studies. Consequently, for people studying with later editions, the page numbers in your newer books may not match with those of my own books. However, it should still be easy to follow my study schedule since I note the source and subject material covered for each day along with the page numbers. Always study with the latest materials!

Best of luck! You can Beat The GMAT like I did!

Eric
Beat The GMAT! http://www.beatthegmat.com

Labels: Strategy

The Beat The GMAT! Forum (http://www.beatthegmat.com) is now almost two months old--and it's growing fast!

I've worked very hard over the last few months to line up some amazing partners to serve as experts on the forum. They include:

- Stacy Blackman - Stacy is one of the most respected MBA Admissions consultants in the business; she has been featured on the cover of Fortune Magazine. Stacy provides MBA admissions advice to Beat The GMAT members in her "Ask Stacy Blackman" section.

- Manhattan GMAT - One of the best known names in GMAT prep. Kevin Fitzgerald, Director of Marketing and Student Relations at Manhattan GMAT, provides weekly articles to the forum and serves as a regular contributor.

Visit the Beat The GMAT! Forum today (http://www.beatthegmat.com) and ask these experts for advice about the GMAT and MBA admissions. They are here to serve you--for free!

Labels: Projects

Five finalists for the 2006 Beat The GMAT! Scholarship have been selected. Click here to read the applicant essays and to vote for whom you think deserves to win. The community will ultimately decide who deserves the scholarships: the two finalists who receive the most votes will be announced as the winners.

Voting ends May 20, 2006. Thanks, and best of luck to the finalists!

Labels: Projects

The new Beat The GMAT! discussion forum has gone live. Please visit http://www.beatthegmat.com/ to check it out.

Learn how you can earn $20 by simply using the forum!

Labels: Projects

The essay topic for the Beat The GMAT! Scholarship is now available. Please click here for more details and instructions. Remember--the deadline to submit your essay is April 30, 2006. Best of luck!

Labels: Projects

I am pleased to announce that I have raised enough money through advertisements and donations to provide scholarships for two deserving people this year. I will buy all the GMAT preparation materials for two scholarship recipients—a package of 8 books, valued at nearly $150:

- Official Guide for GMAT Review
- Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review
- Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review
- Cracking The GMAT with DVD
- Kaplan GMAT with CD
- Kaplan GMAT 800
- Kaplan GRE & GMAT Math Workbook
- Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction GMAT Preparation Guide

These materials will provide excellent preparation for any person vying for a top GMAT score.

It’s very easy to apply: In the next few weeks I will release an essay topic. Each applicant will e-mail his/her essay response to me (in less than 300 words), and from the applicant pool I will pick 5 finalists. I will post the essay responses for the five finalists online, and two scholarship winners will be determined via an online voting poll. Ultimately, I will not decide who deserves the scholarships—YOU WILL DECIDE THE WINNERS with your vote. Applicants must be U.S. residents (sorry, I can’t afford to ship internationally this year).

Here’s a timetable for this year’s Beat The GMAT! Scholarship:

- April 10, 2006 - Essay topic released
- April 30, 2006 - Deadline to e-mail essay response to me
- May 7, 2006 - Five finalists revealed and online poll to vote for winners created
- May 20, 2006 - Poll ends and 2 scholarship winners announced!

I urge all people planning to take the GMAT to apply for this scholarship. It’s an easy way to get some free books!

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In other news, I am happy to report that the Beat The GMAT! Discussion Forum is in the final stages of development and should launch in the next few weeks. IMPORTANT NOTE: the discussion forum will occupy the www.beatthegmat.com URL. If you wish to visit this blog in the future, please go to beatthegmat.blogspot.com.

I urge you all to please help me in making the Beat The GMAT! Discussion Forum a robust online community. As an incentive, I will be awarding a $20 gift certificate to the top forum contributor each month, for the rest of 2006.

Labels: Projects

Expect some big changes with Beat The GMAT! this year. I'm in the process of creating a free GMAT discussion forum. I hope that one day the Beat The GMAT! Forum will be one of the best GMAT communities on the Internet. Stay tuned--I plan to launch in a few months...

Labels: Projects