I thought I would just take it at the end of the year because it is online and you get the scores immediately. I actually planned to wait until the day before the deadline to take it and then submit it.
Then my mom told me I should go ahead and take the GMAT once and then if I wanted to do it again, to resubmit it. That's when I found out that there was a 30-day-waiting period to take it again if you are not happy with your scores.
I found that out about 3 days before the last opportunity I would have to take it more than once. I signed up at the very last minute that I could have to still have 30 days to take it again if I needed to.
I had no time to study. I hadn't looked at a single book or test and didn't even know what the questions looked like. I signed up for it 3 days before I had to take it, so I spent 3 days cramming for it.
In the end, I was happy with my score - so much so that I didn't end up retaking it. Here's how I did it!
I did a lot of studying and practice problems online, and I also used books. These are all great resources.The GMAT website offers practice problems and tests that can help you pinpoint your weaknesses. In fact, it has a program you can download to take the test. This is very useful.
One really good resource is Beat The GMAT. I also looked at several blogs.
Knowing I could have another chance took a lot of the pressure off me. I knew that this was not my only shot.
The biggest thing for me was time but I kept in mind that taking the GMAT is not a one-off. I knew that if I was not happy with my scores the first time, I could take 30 days to prepare and then try again.So I would say in addition to doing as many problems and practicing on your weaknesses as much as possible, just clearing your mind and staying relaxed during the test is probably the most important thing.
