Beat The GMAT a GMAT & MBA community

I'd promised myself that I wouldn't cry or make a fuss no matter the result. I really had no difficulty keeping that promise: my 770 (50q, 47v) just left me... catatonic, so to speak. The score is good enough not to require a retake, bu it's not that 8-0-0.... I have no better word to describe my GMAT score than... adequate, a term sometimes used by my boyfriend to tease me.

I don't really know how to start... I'm trying to pick my words in such a way that I don't come off as arrogant or vein... It's just that... I'm one of those people who have their own standards for what they do, and usually that standard is perfection. I rarely see people like myself: most teacher's pets and straight A students believe that a perfect score should be the norm for everyone and view people with lower scores that they're happy about as insane. It's not the case for me: I've learned that most of us use different scales for success. I'm truly happy for my friends when they get a 5 out of 10, if that was what they were aiming for. Moreover, I understand.

But for me... I'd call it a disease, cause I know it's not healthy to aim for the stars all the time. It turns minor problems into catastrophes, and small disappointments into nerve-wrecking experiences.

Well, anywayz.... After my "disclaimer", here comes the real GMAT-related part.

Here's a bit of background for you. I'm probably not in any over-represented group (or at least I think so - please correct me if I'm wrong). I'm currently 20, female, living in Romania. I already have about 10 months of work experience, even though I haven't even finished my second year of college (majoring in finance-banking, current GPA 4.0). I decided to take the GMAT now, since I have more free time and quant is still a big part of my life. Most people would argue that I'm too young for an MBA and I tend to agree: I'm almost positive that I'm not applying this year...

Since this has already been an awfully long introduction, let me structure my "de-long" in chapters:
1. Origins and strategy
2. Books and other resources
3. D-day's here
4. What next?
5. Last notes


1. Origins and strategy
I first found out about the GMAT sometime in late October 2008. I was researching graduate programs when I came across this school I'd never heard of. The only thing that led me to it was the trail of a certain Frederick Mishkin, one of my favorite finance-related authors and probably one of the smartest people out there. Fred (my full-of-love nickname for him) re-started teaching at Columbia Business School after spending some time with the Fed. I was mesmerized in just under three hours of researching about the school. Ever since then, CBS has been the crown jewel for me. I know it's not very likely that they'd want me there, but I'm still going to try.

I saw that I needed to take this test, the GMAT, in order to get in there. "Okay, if I must"... I first started researching for books/strategy in late December and ordered my books sometime close to the first of January. On the very first of January, I registered as a member of BTG. I've been posting constantly ever since.

My first CAT score was 700, first test of GMATprep. I knew I had a solid quant background, so verbal would be the tougher cookie for me. This is why I devoted my entire time to verbal. I particularly found a very useful post (it's on the old forum - I can't find it right now) from this guy who scored 790. He suggested starting with your weaker points: practice your weakest section for a week or two, then start on your second weakest, but not without devoting some of your time to the previous section. For instance, say CR is your weakest part, then second comes RC. You practice CR exclusively for one or two weeks, then start with RC. But in the two weeks devoted to RC, you will also "squeeze in" some CR questions, just to keep your skills fresh.

I largely followed his instructions: they seemed pretty reasonable for verbal. As for quant... I really didn't do anything about this one. The only time I spent with quant was answering questions on this forum. I've also done my best in explaining the questions as clearly as possible. This is hugely important, because if you can present a problem so that it's clearly understood even by non-natives, you're on the right track. This is why I want to thank each and every one of you who posted questions in the quant section: you've been my tutors. It's not to say that I don't appreciate the input from Ian, Stuart, Brent, logitech, cramya and many others, but they wouldn't have offered tips or tricks "unprovoked" (I don't know why, but the image of dogs in a cage comes to my mind; please don't kill me guys).


2. Books and other resources
Official Guide
I bought the three OG's, but I didn't touch the green one. All I can say is this: if you believe that your prep is OK even if you don't practice with the OG, you're in need for some counseling. I can truly and wholeheartedly say they're the best resource out there, together with the GMATprep software. This is not only because they contain retired questions, but also because, IMHO, no other prep company (except maybe for Powerscore in CR) matches the quality of these questions. If you've only just started prep, you might not be able to tell between a good and a bad question, but I guarantee that after working a while, you WILL see the difference. The only complaint I have is about their strategy/tips: they're seriously subpar. You'll need an extra book for tips and reliable strategies.

Kaplan Premier and Kaplan 800
I personally liked Kaplan. I am aware of the fact that some people feel it's not quite GMAT-styled, but their questions seem to be reasonably formulated and their strategy tips are also quite useful. I likes Kaplan even better after I got my first 800 in a CAT, but I guess that's a different story. I've said it once and I'll say it again: Kaplan tests are not necessarily more difficult than the real thing, it's just that they tend to focus on more academic aspects of problems, i.e. they give you a straightforward math problem. The real thing had quite a few annoying word problems, but we'll roll with it.... IMHO, Kaplan and OG complement each other nicely: the first has the strategies, the second has the practice questions.

Barron's whatever program
It's a waste of money. Please, if you feel tempted to buy this book, just give ME the money. I guarantee you're better off: CD's crap, barely 10 practice questions per section, poorly written.... Just DON'T.

Powerscore CR Bible
If you're having trouble with CR and RC, this is the book to buy. It's one of the best written books out there: I personally loved it and found that their questions are the most similar to official questions. Not only does this book provide clear-cut strategies for CR and RC, but it also made me aware of what GMAT really is: it's not a crappy test. It's a delicately designed gem! After finishing the Powerscore book, it's finally clear to me why Harvard, Stanford or my precious CBS use this test as an admissions criterion: a lot of hard work and talent goes into the making of just ONE question. The multiple facets... The different skills tested... It's just amazing! It really opened my eyes and I literally was filled with respect. The only objection I have about this book is that it had only about 50 or so practice questions. However, I'm willing to overlook this, since their quality is unmatched.

Side note: RC and CR are quite similar, IMHO. The main differences between the two are that RC uses longer passages and that CR relies on slightly more complex questions. Read the book and you'll see!


3. D-day's here
I'm not usually nervous before exams, and this was no exception. You've probably heard this one before, but DON'T study the day before. You'll get confused at best! Just relax and do your thing... I'm pretty sure that the GMAT is not the first major test in your life and this is why I believe you should stick to your superstitions and such. For instance, my superstition revolves around spending some quality time with teh boyfriend before test day. If your superstition involves nailing things to your head, then go ahead and do it: it will increase your confidence and you'll feel more relaxed.

So I spent yesterday relaxing: watching House, slaying Persephone on my PSP, OD'ing on chocolate mousse and generally just ignoring any bad vibe. I also got a good night's sleep: that's crucial for your performance, but don't stress it if you're having a bad night. It's not the first and it's probably not the last in your life! Nor is this test the most important thing in the universe! Unlike marriage, for instance, no one's going to judge you if you do it 5 times!

The test center in Bucharest is located in Nowhere Central, but I still managed to get there on time. Started a bit earlier than scheduled, but it's all for the best, I guess: I got to go home earlier. AWA was... I dunno... I haven't really studied the subject, to be honest. I just read some instructions from Kaplan and that was about it.

Then came the real thing: I remember that the first 5-6 quant questions were pretty easy. By the 15th question, I already had a 10 minute lead, so I was feeling pretty confident. Then I got into some trouble: something like the next 10 questions were not necessarily difficult, but certainly tricky, and particularly some annoying word problems. The rest of the test just... stayed in place, I guess. I got a mixture of easy vs. relatively tricky questions.

Verbal was also decent, and I remember getting nervous because the questions weren't as difficult as I thought they'd be. This was particularly nasty at the very end: my last RC passage was about women's rights, a fairly easy passage, but I had trouble concentrating, since I felt that not getting a single science passage was a sign I wasn't doing it right. Turns out I got one of the highest verbal scores to date. I'm actually pretty pleased of my verbal: 47 is truly OK.


4. What next?
Heck knows. I sure as hell don't. After a pretty sweet semester at school, I discovered I had a passion for applied maths (financial modeling, to be more exact - and NO, it's not about Ben Bernake in a swimsuit!) and maybe I'll ditch an MBA for a more academic degree. I'm also interested in teaching: it was this forum (thank you, Eric!) that really hit a chord with me: I really feel great when someone says they liked my explanation and that it made them understand. It's probably the same feeling when you help a baby walk on his own...

I also know I miss the US. I spent the summer of 2008 in "Fredrock", MD and fell in love with the friendly, hard-working albeit clumsy Americans. This was a summer work and travel program: I worked three months as a bartender in one place and as a hostess at the Macaroni Grill in Frederick, MD, the greatest place there is for food, fun and friends...

And it's amazing how it all just fits into place: my first job was as a legal assistant revolved around legal jargon in both English and Romanian and administrative duties; my second job as a server/hostess enabled me to understand the "workings" of a restaurant kitchen and to learn to speak better Spanish; my third job as a member of the administrative team of a mall required me to deal with legal papers in three languages (English, French and Romanian) AND various problems in the food court!! And to top it off, I'm spending next semester in Portugal, and since I already know some Spanish, Portuguese won't be that difficult. So if you EVER hear someone say that South American soap operas are useless, tell them you know this Romanian girl who learned two foreign languages by watching them....

My dream for this summer would be to come back to the US and tutor GMAT-level mathematics and even verbal. I'd love that: it would be a great experience. So, any HR managers around there looking for a 20-year-old Romanian tutor for the summer?.... Thought so.... Anyway, what do you guys think? You've seen my posts - would I make a good teacher?


5. Last notes

Personalize your strategy. Whatever you do, don't forget to translate good advice from this forum into your own world. If a GMAT expert says you should eat some grass because it's good for your GMAT score, you don't really need to listen to him. If you're a bigger fan of tree bark, then go ahead and help yourself! Remember, strategies that work for one person can prove disastrous for another.

Keep an optimistic view of things. It's heart-healthy. And don't forget: getting a low score (no matter your standards) is not the end of the world. You can always retake.

Don't be ashamed to ask to community for help. That's why we're here: supporting one another. No matter your problem, just spit it out and maybe an someone here can help you.

The most important thing I've learned so far: LOVE THE GMAT. If you hate the test, if you think it's destroying your life, you're on the wrong path, buddy. While there are good chances you'll hit your target score, the experience will be so grueling, so nerve-wrecking you'll be worn out by the end. I think it was Stuart who claimed he is a testaholic. I can fully relate: I loved the GMAT and it sort of "responded" to my feelings. We had some great times together!
I truly enjoyed answering quant questions and I also enjoyed reading various RC/CR passages.


I'll be around for questions/suggestions.... Hugs,

Dana