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Andrei
Just gettin' started!



Joined: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 24

Thanks given: 17
Thanked 1 times in 1 posts

Test Date: 02 Nov 2009
Target GMAT Score: done
GMAT Score: 690
Topic: Did I beat the Gmat? :-)
PostMon Nov 02, 2009 6:45 am Reply with quote
According to the rules of the forum, I think not. According to my target score, yes I did it! Smile
Unofficial score: 690-88% (Q:45, V: 38) - it was my second attempt, first time I scored 650 (Q:48, V:32, AWA:5.5) in January'09. http://www.beatthegmat.com/beaten-by-the-gmat-650-q-48-v-32-awa-5-5-t29322.html

Learning materials:
1st time: Kaplan book 2007, Princeton 2006, OG11, Gmatprep
2nd time: OG11 + OG12, ManhattanGMAT SC and CR, MGMAT tests, Gmatprep

Strategy:
My target was a score in 680-710 band as the median GMAT score of the admitted student of the schools I target is there.

From my first attempt I discovered that my weak spot is the verbal part and after reading a lot of posts in this forum, I decided to purchase the SC and CR books from MGAMT. I read the SC cover to cover, I then took 1 complete test - I found out that the MGMAT tests (6 complete test included for every book purchased) are great for analysing the weak and strong areas.

I decided to re-do most of the OG problems, starting with the hardest, 20 verbal and 20 math per day. I wanted to make about 60 problems on Saturnday and 1 full test on Sunday. I could not keep to the schedule but I did about 400 problems in 4 months and 6 tests, making notes for concept errors.

I scheduled my exam for a Monday morning and I took off the previous Thursday and Friday, when I took each day 1 Gmatpret test and review it. I proposed myself only to relax on Saturnday and Sunday, but I could not resist and took another MGMAT test on Saturnday and review it until evening. Sunday was only gym and tennis and meeting friends, helping a lot to unwind before the test - I played with cars with my little 3y neighbour, having a lot of fun!!

Tests:
1 year ago: Powerprep 600
1 year ago: Kaplan 550 (34,31)
11 months ago: Gmatprep 680 (41,40)
11 months ago: Gmatprep 710 (43,41)
10 months ago: GMAT-1st 650 (48,32)

5 months ago: MGMAT1 580 (36,33)
4 months ago: MGMAT2 650 (43,36)
3 monhts ago: MGMAT3 700 (44,41)
2 months ago: MGMAT4 680 (47,36)
1 month ago: Kaplan 650 (40,38)
1 week ago: Princeton 620 (42,33) ???!
4 days ago: Gmatprep1 700 (48,40)
3 days ago: GMatprep2 720 (48,41)
2 days ago: MGMAT5 690 (47,37)
today: GMAT-2nd 690 (45,38)

Learnings/what I do better now:

It counts A LOT to know where to focus and what to learn. It's crucial to have a proper tool to find weakest areas - and to attack them trong - and to know the strong areas, to maintain them only.
I started to re-do the OG problems (11 & 12) with focus on weak areas (SC-idioms, modifiers, concision, CR-assumptions) and I think it helped to gain 6 points in verbal. Also it matter to keep focus on strong areas (maths, for me) - I lost 3 points in quant but I think is was due to the exam pressure, I think my math skills remained the same of improved a little.

I started with the hardest problems in OG but I agree that is more important to build on certain skills first and then to move on to the hardest problems - in the pressure of the real exam is easy to forget the hardest concepts but if you can solve "automatically" some type of problems is really helping.

I started to learn about 2 years ago but without focus, with some periods off and sometimes I felt burned, really fighting to motivate myself. I think it's better to take first 1-2 diagnostic tests, find where you are, set a realistic target, focus on weak areas and set the test date after maximum 3-6 months.

And ... have a good sleep before the exam! Take 1-2 off the study and relax. Smile

Now...let's start the application game! Smile

Last edited by Andrei on Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:39 am; edited 1 time in total
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NikolayZ
Really wants to Beat The GMAT!



Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Posts: 124

Thanks given: 3
Thanked 16 times in 14 posts
PostMon Nov 02, 2009 7:27 am Reply with quote
Hey Andrei!
Gratz on the score! As far as i know it is not essential to be a 700s monster Very Happy to get admitted to a nice university.
Where are you from, by the way ? Very Happy
p.s. was the actual thing somehow similar to the OG12 ?
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Andrei
Just gettin' started!



Joined: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 24

Thanks given: 17
Thanked 1 times in 1 posts

Test Date: 02 Nov 2009
Target GMAT Score: done
GMAT Score: 690
PostTue Nov 03, 2009 12:48 pm Reply with quote
Hey Nikolay,
Thanks, I hope so. I'm from Romania.

The problems in the test were indeed similar with the ones from OG11-12, the final 1/3 part. I think at the beginning I was doing ok, as I got harder and harder problems (combinatorics, algebra, geometry) but later on I felt the time pressure and started to make more mistakes - I remember the last problem was sooo easy that I thought : "God, I bombed the quant!".

The verbal part was also similar to the OG regarding the SC and CR, but RC fragments I think were shorter than the ones in OG or MGMAT tests.
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