I just Beat The GMAT!

This is my first and probably last post here. Thanks to everyone in this forum especially for the solutions to the GMATPrep questions. Briefly my experience with various study materials and sample tests:

Profile:
36y.o. marketing background, not a native speaker, 14 years after graduation

Overall study time:
6 weeks

Books:
- OG + both Verbal ad Quant Reviews - the latter seems too easy, most of the questions on my exam seemed as difficult as the last 20 of the review
- Kaplan Premier GMAT and the CD - quant part is OK, although does not prepare for some question types, verbal - EXTREMELY difficult at times, much harder than GMAT texts. I still have dreadful memories of getting 3 out of 3 and 4 out of 4 wrong in some RC questions. Overall - not bad, especially in the RC and CR, plus nice backsolving and number-picking strategies
- Manhattan Number Properties and Word Translations - extremely valuable. Helped me figure out combinatorics (big THANKS for the word anagrams) and probabilities as well as factors. Actually I took a couple of trial GMAT exams for fun 14 years ago right after graduation and I honestly do not remember having combinatorics back then. The math seems much tougher now. I guess getting all Manhattan Quant books right away would have been a wiser choice.

Test scores: I did 1 or 2 tests every weekend

GMATprep 1: 710 (Q48V38)
Veritas free test: 670 (Q47V39)
Kaplan free test: 720 (Q46V43)
Kaplan CD test 1: 670 (Q46V43)
MGMAT free test: 700 (Q43V41)
Kaplan CD test 2: 630 - the horror! (Q39V36)
Kaplan CD test 3: 670 (Q41V38)
GMATprep 2: 770 - the relief (Q49V48)
MGMAT online test 2: 720 (Q47V41)

Actual (unofficial) GMAT score: 750 (Q49V44)

In retrospect Kaplan tests are very hard in the Verbal part and a nice exercise but completely off as a final score. Actually comparing the first 3 Kaplan tests I toook with each test I had fewer errors and a lower score in both parts.
GMATPrep is very accurate and MGMAT a bit low.

A word of advice - priming oneself is a powerful strategy. Aiming at a specific score, imagining that you got it, pretending you're keenly interested in the dullest of RC subjects - this all pays out handsomely.

That's more or less it, hope the score outweighs my mediocre undergraduate record. Going for Global EMBA with the kind support of my current employer. Just in case - will be glad to answer questions if any.

Congratulations!! Awesome score!!

Congratulations for such a decent score. You rock.

Would you please answer the following questions?

1. What was your strategy in cracking RC? Which book do you suggest to read for RC?

2. What rule have you followed to crack cr? What was the type of CR? I mean inference, assumption, weaken, support?

3. Is SC more difficult than those of GMATPREP?

Thanks.

wow.great score
all the best for ur apps

gmat_perfect wrote:Congratulations for such a decent score. You rock.

Would you please answer the following questions?

1. What was your strategy in cracking RC? Which book do you suggest to read for RC?

2. What rule have you followed to crack cr? What was the type of CR? I mean inference, assumption, weaken, support?

3. Is SC more difficult than those of GMATPREP?

Thanks.

Thanks everyone,
1. Initially I was trying to read actively and remember, then I followed Kaplan advice to try analyzing by paragraphs. And I started taking brief notes summing up each paragraph. Although I practically never consulted my notes, the very excercise or trying to compress the information in a couple of bullet-points helped me both remember and get the bird-eye view about structure and author's intent. For me this worked fine but I always had plenty of time and finished 5-6 minutes ahead of time in the verbal part unlike quant. Anyway after struggling with the Kaplan RC texts, some of which I printed out for fun and in order to show to my colleagues, GMATprep and real exam texts seemed almost enjoyable to read.
2. Pretty much the usual strategy of reading the question, then the stimulus, then trying to pre-formulate what a right answer might look like. CR has always been my strength so I was not concerned at all with it.
3. SC was always the toughest part for me, so my answer would be - I don't know. I just do not have that feeling for the language and I've made mistakes in most trivial questions. And I just do not have the patience to sit down with a grammar book. So I pretty much tried to focus on paralellism and correct verb tenses not trying at all with the idioms. And during the actual exam I had a couple of questions on which I crossed out all the answer options as surely wrong...

Congrats, we got the same score - even the verbal/quant breakdown was the same. What's even more interesting is that I also have a marketing background.

Good luck with apps.