THE GMAT

Call me nerdy, but this is my favorite part of the process. The test is challenging, but the answers and score are concrete. No need for self-assessment or reaching deep into your bschool motivations; all you will ever want out of this step is a (high) three digit number.

In fact, the GMAT is your first opportunity to put a big fat gleaming star on your profile (which could potentially detract some attention away from your bad gpa, limited work history, or felonies--all things which you now cannot change). And it's only a test. There are countless preparatory materials for it--not to mention tons of helpful, FREE online resources. And if you are fortunate to have test-loving friends like myself, you've also got free tutors. There's no reason why you can't do well. So get started!

My thoughts/advice on the GMAT:

Schedule it.
As my roommate has nagged over and over, "if you don't schedule the test, there is no sense of urgency." You could end up putting it off forever. Think about why you don't want to schedule it--worried you won't be ready? Well you won't be ready unless you study, and chances are, you won't study that hard until you schedule it! You don't have to schedule it for tomorrow, or next month, or in the next three months, but it helps to have a solid D-Day. You want it to be in the back of your head at all times. You need that reason to turn down social events to stay home and study. And guess what? Your friends are probably tired of hearing your bullshit about how you're going to go back to school, so prove them wrong and get serious about it. :)

Study.
Yes, obviously--but I think it's good to have this planned out. I set a schedule that I managed to stick to for the most part. But all I did was chug straight through the books and questions, without timing myself, and without really thinking about what I needed to work on. This was a big mistake on my part! Okay, so there is SOME self-assessment involved. Take the time to look back at what you suck at, and delve deep! Not just "verbal" or "sentence correction" but SPECIFICALLY what type of sentence correction questions? Why do you get them wrong? Figure it out and conquer it!

Use the Official Guide.
I made another major mistake in not using the guide (or at least flipping through it) sooner. I drudged through Kaplan and Kaplan 800 (which in its own right, is a good book) first without looking at the only book that used REAL ex-questions. I chose not to study REAL gmat questions until halfway through my timeline! Big mistake there--plus, relying on Kaplan and Kaplan tests was discouraging. While I wouldn't say Kaplan is "harder," I'd say overall the experience of testing with Kaplan questions is not as straightfoward as the O.G./GMAC tests or the real GMAT. My scores were all over the place and I occasionally would get scores in the 500's. The two official GMAC sample tests I took produced the same 700+ score, and were reflective of my final, real GMAT score (Which was even higher--woohoo).

Take a class. Or not.
My roommate (applied a year prior) took a Kaplan class and regretted it. It seemed that most people in the class hadn't been in school for several (I think 7+) years and had little to no quantitative skills. Can't say that's reflective of all classes, or all Kaplan classes, but that was his experience. He advised me not to sign up, so I didn't, and we ended up scoring within 10 points of each other. I do believe that you can learn it all on your own, but a class provides that "kick in the butt" some of us need to keep a regular study schedule going. Figure out if it's right for you--just don't wait on it.

Calm down.
My own panic probably cost me 10-20 points on the exam. That's what I'd like to think, anyway. I distinctly recall answering question #3 on the math section incorrectly--and agonizing over it during the remainder of the quant. I realized a second after I made my answer final that I'd missed something! While that would make anyone a little frazzled, I must admit to being quite panicked about the test weeks before I took it! DEFINITELY find your own way to relax and do not drive yourself crazy over the "what ifs" --because by now you should have studied hard and well and could only do awesome. DO NOT study up until the test; take at least the day before off. Cramming is useless--the GMAT doesn't really gauge your verbal & quantitative know-how as much as it does your under-pressure test-taking abilities!

Pick a theme song.
This is vital. Or okay, maybe a theme song isn't for everyone...but plan something positive to do after your test and focus on how great you'll feel doing it!

Celebrate!
You've conquered one of the scarier hurdles in this arduous process. Round up the dear people in your life who will never quite understand what you just went through and have a drink, on them! Or a fabulous steak dinner. Or a shopping spree. :) Just don't think about bschool for a good few days!