How NOT to Get Stuck When Studying for the GMAT

The surest way to break a GMAT plateau is to avoid hitting one in the first place. Build the right habits early, on the fundamentals, on avoiding careless errors, on timing, and on your well-being, and you’re far less likely to stall. Here’s how.

If your score is already stuck or slipping, see: Why Is My GMAT Score Not Improving?. For more information about how to prep correctly for the GMAT, visit: How to Study for the GMAT.

You’ve spent hundreds of hours drilling GMAT questions, reading explanations, and watching videos, but your score still isn’t improving. Sound familiar?

When your efforts don’t yield results, it’s easy to turn to gimmicks like reading passages backward or guessing (D) on every third question to save time. (Yes, people actually do these things.)

If your efforts have led to a frustrating score plateau, quick fixes and gimmicks are rarely the solution. Instead, you’ll want to build strong, reliable test-taking skills, just as you’d build strength at the gym or learn to play a musical instrument. Here are some ways to do that.

Don’t Ignore Unsexy GMAT Quant and Verbal Foundations

You probably won’t like this one.

When GMAT students hit a plateau, it’s often because they ignore foundational topics. On Quant, for example, it’s tempting to focus on relatively exotic subjects, such as probability or permutations, which account for only a tiny percentage of GMAT questions.

The unglamorous truth is that arithmetic, algebra, and word translations underpin nearly every GMAT Quant (and Quant-based Data Insights) question. If these foundations are weak, you’ll keep tripping up, even if you obsessively memorize dozens of shortcuts for harder problems.

The same principle applies to the GMAT verbal section: you’ll need to develop a consistent, reliable approach to reading passages. Far too many test-takers ignore verbal questions early in their study process, and they ultimately struggle to consistently dissect passages or understand an author’s argument.

If these admittedly unsexy skills are neglected, you’re far more likely to hit a ceiling in your GMAT studies.

Pay Attention to Sloppy GMAT Errors

It’s easy to brush off small mistakes, like dropping a negative sign or misinterpreting a question, as “careless” errors. But on an adaptive test like the GMAT, these slip-ups can be disastrous: if you miss easy questions, the scoring algorithm may never give you tougher ones, and you’ll have little chance of earning an elite score.

How can you address these silly mistakes? Start by resisting the temptation to review your errors immediately. Instead, wait a day or two, then retry the question, pretending that you’ve never seen it before.

If you nail the second attempt, you probably tripped over your own feet on the first. Focus on understanding the underlying behavior that caused the mistake: did you read too quickly, fail to double-check your work, or get stuck on an inefficient solution path?

Once you understand the patterns in your errors, take concrete steps to change your habits. For instance, if you tend to drop negative signs, build a habit of double-checking signs after each step. Gradually, you’ll develop a checklist that helps prevent score-killing careless mistakes.

Develop a Smart GMAT Time Management Strategy

If your GMAT score has stubbornly refused to improve, your own stubbornness might be the problem.

It’s tempting to spend an eternity on tougher questions, particularly on Quant and Data Insights, under the misguided belief that solving hard questions leads to a high score. But overinvesting in a few questions leads to rushed, careless errors elsewhere in the section, and again, careless errors can crush your GMAT score.

So if you’re hitting a plateau, check whether you habitually spend more than three minutes on individual questions. If that’s a problem, learn to let go when you’re stumped: make your best guess, flag the question in case you have time to review it later, and move on.

Consider Non-Academic Factors to Get “Un-Stuck” on the GMAT

If your GMAT score isn’t budging, the content of the exam might not be your biggest problem.

We frequently meet students who struggle to focus properly because of non-academic factors such as sleep deprivation, skipped meals, burnout, or other issues affecting their overall well-being. For these students, more studying might even do more harm than good.

Similarly, if you’re panicking under test conditions, addressing your test anxiety can be more beneficial than cramming more rules. Techniques such as mindfulness meditation, “pregame” and “reset” routines, or reframing your nervousness can help.

If you’re hitting a plateau on the GMAT, be honest with yourself about your overall health and mindset. If you’re anxious, exhausted, or otherwise struggling to stay fully focused, you might need to adjust your lifestyle before you can break through on the exam. 

Track Everything to Avoid GMAT Plateaus

This might sound obvious, but tracking your progress is crucial to improving your score. Record the specific cause of every error, especially the “silly” ones. Do you notice any recurring patterns, such as spending too much time on certain question types? Also, track external factors. How does your performance change when you study at different times of day or after you get a full night’s sleep?

Recognizing these patterns can help you adjust your routine so that your scores keep moving in the right direction.

Avoid Quick Fixes and GMAT Gimmicks

There are no magic shortcuts to a high GMAT score, and improvements usually happen slowly and steadily over time, just as they do when you’re trying to improve your athletic performance or learn a new instrument.

If you’re feeling stuck on the GMAT, resist the urge to grasp at gimmicks and quick fixes. Instead, focus on the unsexy fundamentals, work on correcting silly mistakes, develop a balanced time management strategy, and take care of your mental and physical well-being. This steady, habit-based approach will give you the best chance of achieving your ideal GMAT score.