Hi guys,
I'm done with the GMAT today and scored a 750. It feels great that months of hardwork is behind you and the credit for this success in part goes to these great forums which have been my life support so to speak.
My GMAT journey in a Nutshell:
Currently i work in sales at a pharmaceutical company and that means though the job involves a lot of traveling so maintaining discipline was a challenge. To maintain the momentum, I had to sometimes take my books along so after a long day of meetings, I would be studying in my hotel room.
Post- MBA I intend to work in VC/PE fund and for that the unsaid pre-requisite condition is an MBA from a top 10 school. My interest in VC/PE industry grew when I was working on my last startup which unfortunately didn't do well and had to shut down. Nevertheless, it got me quite excited about this industry and I knew for sure either I'm doing to do something of my own again or I'm going to work at one of the VC/PE funds
I started my prep in October with a diagnostic test in which i scored a 650. I don't remember the exact split but it was fairly balanced.. Given that the average GMAT score at HBS, Stanford GSB is around 730, I set a target of improving by 100 points in 5 months. Yeah 5 months seemed long to prepare for the GMAT given that most people here finish it in 2-3 months but given the nature of my job,i thought that i wouldn't go too hard on myself.
I am a native speaker so i think that some things on verbal came naturally. Having said that, i think that the GMAT Verbal is less of an English test and more a test of your reasoning skills. Anyone can solve all the questions if there were no time limit but since there is time constraint, i think you have to learn smart ways to figure out the answers in the shortest possible time and for that you need to be quite familiar with the content.
Also learning strategies for tackling various question types is important. And I honestly believe that unless you're not overtly gifted, you can't get a good score by not studying at all.
For Verbal, I had purchased ManhattanGMAT Verbal guides and Aristotle Verbal Grail series though i primarily referred to the grail series. The books are very exhaustive in terms of concepts covered and practice. I didn't refer to anything else for Verbal other than this.
For Math, i primarily referred to ManhattanGMAT Quant books. I especially liked their number properties book and overall i found their math books to be much better than their verbal books. I supplemented this with PS & DS Boosters for practice because honestly most OG Math questions are way to easier than the GMAT Math questions
Test day experience:
I had my test center around half an hour from where I live . I reached the test center half an hour early. There must be around 8-10 other test-takers in the afternoon slot. The test center staff was cordial and overall I had a pretty good experience and the test went well with no major hiccups. Here's my feedback on each section. I have highlighted my overall assessment of the actual GMAT with respect of the GMATPREP. I think it'll help the folks here get an idea what the actual GMAT is like.
AWA- The prompt was easy. Used the template by Chineseburned. Finished writing by the 25th minute and revised the essay for the remaining time.
IR- I found the IR questions on the GMAT to be easier than those in the GMATPREPs and much easier those in the MGMAT CATs(EASIER)
Quant- The quant on the GMAT was quite like that in the GMATPREP and much easier than that in the MGMAT CATs(Comparable)
Verbal- The verbal section on the GMAT was a little more difficult than the GMATPREPs. I found the CR questions comparable, and the SC and RC questions to be a little tougher than the GMATPREPs(Slightly tougher)
I think preparation is important but what is also important is how you handle the pressure on the test day. My priorities during the exam were a)Controlling my mind so that I am totally focused on the test and b) pacing so that I don't face time crunch later in the section. I knew that if I am able to take care of these two things, then doing well on the test won't be a herculean task and in this regard, taking practice tests helps a lot.
I'm very relieved now and i think that I am going to work hard at my work for the next few months now so that I'm able to lap up some good recommendations. After all, you need many more things apart from a good GMAT score to get admitted to a top school.
Thank you again. Adios!
750(Q-48,V-44)- One step closer to becoming an MBA/VC!
- rishi raj
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Getting through a marquee VC firm is not easy as there are very few positions and they are very choosy about the type of candidates they hire so i guess you will have to start developing a great network from the day you enter an MBA program.
Anyway, great debrief. Thanks for sharing your story with the community.
Anyway, great debrief. Thanks for sharing your story with the community.
GMAT/MBA Expert
- Brent@GMATPrepNow
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Great score, Jason25.
The following is advice that every GMAT prepper should read:
Brent
The following is advice that every GMAT prepper should read:
Cheers,Jason25 wrote: I think preparation is important but what is also important is how you handle the pressure on the test day. My priorities during the exam were
a) Controlling my mind so that I am totally focused on the test
b) pacing so that I don't face time crunch later in the section.
I knew that if I am able to take care of these two things, then doing well on the test won't be a herculean task and in this regard, taking practice tests helps a lot.
Brent
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Awesome story. I also want to break into the VC/PE industry post MBA but doing that is not an easy task and those opportunities are usually available to people graduating from the top 5(or top 10 ?) schools. Congrats once again on the great score!
- rishi raj
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What most people don't know that even if you're in top 5 schools, the competition for PE/VC jobs is extremely high and since the structure of these companies is such that they don't need a lot of people, these funds would hire maybe 1 or 2 people in a year and that too there is competition from from entrepreneurs etc. So getting through a PE firm is as difficult as it is getting through Harvard. IMOHBS2014aspirant wrote:Awesome story. I also want to break into the VC/PE industry post MBA but doing that is not an easy task and those opportunities are usually available to people graduating from the top 5(or top 10 ?) schools. Congrats once again on the great score!
Hi,
Could you share a little bit more on your study plan? Did you do any OG at all? I also agree that they tend to be slightly easier than the actual test. If anything, the most representative questions are the last 50 of each Verbal and Quant sections. I havent checked Aristotle or PS & DS Boosters but I definitely will.
Did you finish studying the books first and then practice? or did both simultaneously?
If you had to condense the study plan in 1 month what would you suggest?
Thanks
Could you share a little bit more on your study plan? Did you do any OG at all? I also agree that they tend to be slightly easier than the actual test. If anything, the most representative questions are the last 50 of each Verbal and Quant sections. I havent checked Aristotle or PS & DS Boosters but I definitely will.
Did you finish studying the books first and then practice? or did both simultaneously?
If you had to condense the study plan in 1 month what would you suggest?
Thanks
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My $0.02. Practicing a few questions while doing a concept from the book is the right way to go. I think it really doesn't make sense to finish all the concepts first and then move on to do questions. Concepts and practice should go hand-in-handdalia0853 wrote:Hi,
Could you share a little bit more on your study plan? Did you do any OG at all? I also agree that they tend to be slightly easier than the actual test. If anything, the most representative questions are the last 50 of each Verbal and Quant sections. I havent checked Aristotle or PS & DS Boosters but I definitely will.
Did you finish studying the books first and then practice? or did both simultaneously?
If you had to condense the study plan in 1 month what would you suggest?
Thanks
-
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Congratulations on the great score. I really liked your prep strategy and i think you had a very systematic way of dealing with various areas.
Hello,
5 months of studying were not wasted. You got a great score.
My name is Tanya and I am the Project manager at GoGMAT company. We are preparing students for the GMAT.
We truly believe that you have tremendous experience in GMAT preparation. That is why we really want to invite you as a consultant in our project.
What do you think about that? Our skype is galibier2012.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
5 months of studying were not wasted. You got a great score.
My name is Tanya and I am the Project manager at GoGMAT company. We are preparing students for the GMAT.
We truly believe that you have tremendous experience in GMAT preparation. That is why we really want to invite you as a consultant in our project.
What do you think about that? Our skype is galibier2012.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
-
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Great score Jason. Need your advice. what did you do in the last week of your GMAT ? I've been scoring 740 till the last week but yesterday I took a practice test and got a 690. I'm shocked at my performance!
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I think this much should be sufficient for SC. The focus should be on sticking to a few quality books and learning as much as possible from them.ak2014 wrote:awesome score..Thank you very much for the tips and for suggestions.. What additional stuff can I do for SC- till now i have done SC Grail 3rd edition, Manhattan SC and OG13 and OG12 SC.
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Thank you very much for the effective debrief and especially the analysis of the tests and how do they compare with the actual thing. Have saved quite a few tips from your postJason25 wrote:Hi guys,
I'm done with the GMAT today and scored a 750. It feels great that months of hardwork is behind you and the credit for this success in part goes to these great forums which have been my life support so to speak.
My GMAT journey in a Nutshell:
Currently i work in sales at a pharmaceutical company and that means though the job involves a lot of traveling so maintaining discipline was a challenge. To maintain the momentum, I had to sometimes take my books along so after a long day of meetings, I would be studying in my hotel room.
Post- MBA I intend to work in VC/PE fund and for that the unsaid pre-requisite condition is an MBA from a top 10 school. My interest in VC/PE industry grew when I was working on my last startup which unfortunately didn't do well and had to shut down. Nevertheless, it got me quite excited about this industry and I knew for sure either I'm doing to do something of my own again or I'm going to work at one of the VC/PE funds
I started my prep in October with a diagnostic test in which i scored a 650. I don't remember the exact split but it was fairly balanced.. Given that the average GMAT score at HBS, Stanford GSB is around 730, I set a target of improving by 100 points in 5 months. Yeah 5 months seemed long to prepare for the GMAT given that most people here finish it in 2-3 months but given the nature of my job,i thought that i wouldn't go too hard on myself.
I am a native speaker so i think that some things on verbal came naturally. Having said that, i think that the GMAT Verbal is less of an English test and more a test of your reasoning skills. Anyone can solve all the questions if there were no time limit but since there is time constraint, i think you have to learn smart ways to figure out the answers in the shortest possible time and for that you need to be quite familiar with the content.
Also learning strategies for tackling various question types is important. And I honestly believe that unless you're not overtly gifted, you can't get a good score by not studying at all.
For Verbal, I had purchased ManhattanGMAT Verbal guides and Aristotle Verbal Grail series though i primarily referred to the grail series. The books are very exhaustive in terms of concepts covered and practice. I didn't refer to anything else for Verbal other than this.
For Math, i primarily referred to ManhattanGMAT Quant books. I especially liked their number properties book and overall i found their math books to be much better than their verbal books. I supplemented this with PS & DS Boosters for practice because honestly most OG Math questions are way to easier than the GMAT Math questions
Test day experience:
I had my test center around half an hour from where I live . I reached the test center half an hour early. There must be around 8-10 other test-takers in the afternoon slot. The test center staff was cordial and overall I had a pretty good experience and the test went well with no major hiccups. Here's my feedback on each section. I have highlighted my overall assessment of the actual GMAT with respect of the GMATPREP. I think it'll help the folks here get an idea what the actual GMAT is like.
AWA- The prompt was easy. Used the template by Chineseburned. Finished writing by the 25th minute and revised the essay for the remaining time.
IR- I found the IR questions on the GMAT to be easier than those in the GMATPREPs and much easier those in the MGMAT CATs(EASIER)
Quant- The quant on the GMAT was quite like that in the GMATPREP and much easier than that in the MGMAT CATs(Comparable)
Verbal- The verbal section on the GMAT was a little more difficult than the GMATPREPs. I found the CR questions comparable, and the SC and RC questions to be a little tougher than the GMATPREPs(Slightly tougher)
I think preparation is important but what is also important is how you handle the pressure on the test day. My priorities during the exam were a)Controlling my mind so that I am totally focused on the test and b) pacing so that I don't face time crunch later in the section. I knew that if I am able to take care of these two things, then doing well on the test won't be a herculean task and in this regard, taking practice tests helps a lot.
I'm very relieved now and i think that I am going to work hard at my work for the next few months now so that I'm able to lap up some good recommendations. After all, you need many more things apart from a good GMAT score to get admitted to a top school.
Thank you again. Adios!