740 - My GMAT experience

godot · Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:43 pm Post subject: 740 - My GMAT experience

Hi folks,

I finished with my GMAT today -- the date of Satan, 06/06/06:). Here's
a break up of my scores:

Quantitative: 50 (95 percentile)
Verbal: 40 (90 percentile)
Overall: 740 (98 percentile)

On the whole, I am satisfied with my performance, though I think I
could have done somewhat better in the verbal section. Also, I was aiming
for 750, so I am just a wee bit disappointed at not making that number
(so near, and yet so far!). Still, it could be a lot worse, and I am glad it
is over. I am posting this right now in the hope that others might find
some of this information useful, though it's unlikely I will have anything
really new to add to what you already have.

I have been reading the forum for a while now(though this is my first
post), and found it to be quite interesting and helpful. I had not taken a
Computer Adaptive Test before, so I was somewhat apprehensive when
I first started preparing, and reading the posts here certainly helped
allay some of those fears (of course, it got a lot better once I started
practicing). I also found the sentence correction notes and pointers to
set theory, permuations, combinations etc useful. I got three or four
questions in the quantitative section dealing with set theory and one
question on permutations, so these topics are certainly being tested on
the GMAT now.

The test itself was fairly typical. My impression, though this might be
wrong, was that the quantitative section was a little easier than the GMAT
Prep tests -- I had run out of time in the quantitative sections of both
tests and had to guess on the last three questions. Maybe it was just that
I timed myself better on the actual test, but I did get the sense that it was
just a little bit easier. There were a couple of questions on statistics which
were tricky, and I think that anybody planning on taking the GMAT should
consider working on the following topics seriously:

- Inequalities (a LOT of the DS questions were based on this)
- Statistics
- Basic Number Theory (primes, composites, factors etc)
- Basic Geometry (especially circles -- there was a question in which I
had to really guess even though I had plenty of time, and that doesn't
happen often, given my background)

I guess this is not news to most people here, but I felt that the
quantitative sections in the PowerPrep tests were a lot easier than the
ones in GMAT Prep, and I would seriously recommend paying more
attention to the Quantitative preparation, even if you have a strong
math background. It's not a piece of cake that it once used to be...
Also, while you don't need to know any extra math to do well on the
quantitative section, I think it really helps if you are familiar with some
trignometry and co-ordinate geometry. I had a question which could be
solved using geometry as well as trigonometry, and to me anyway, the
latter was far easier than applyng geometry. Of course, YMMV...

The verbal section was fairly typical as well, and I felt that both the
GMAT Prep tests and PowerPrep tests simulated the actual difficulty level
pretty accurately for the verbal section. There were a few CR questions
in which parts of an argument were in bold and you had to decide on the
relationship of these parts, and at least one CR in which you had to
complete the concluding sentence, but nothing new or unusual. A lot
of questions were in the "which would weaken the argument most?"
category. The SC questions seemed easier to me than those in some of
the practice tests, but SC has been one of my relative strengths, so
again, I am not sure if that's strictly accurate.

For me, being relaxed during the test was crucial, and fortunately, I
was able to pace myself well enough throughout that there was no
reason to panic. I also felt that going in with a confident attitude makes
a huge difference. I went in with the attitude of "This is a piece of cake"
and the mindset that even if I do badly, it is not the end of the world. I
felt that really helped, as I was not nervous at all during my test. In this
respect, I must thank Ursula for her debriefing, for it was there that I
first read about how important this was for doing well, and I must say
I am inclined to agree.

Also, it's imperative that you maintain your focus throughout the
duration of the test. I noticed a swing of 30-50 points in my practice
tests depending on how well I was able to concentrate, and I think it
really makes a difference if you can block out everything else and just
engage all your attention on the task at hand. I thought I was able to
do this on the day of the test and that definitely helped me get a good
score. I also worked on some CR, SC and DS questions in the morning
before taking the test, just to get my brain jumpstarted. That seemed to
help, and I recommend doing it.

As far as preparing for the GMAT is concerned, my strategy was
somewhat different from most people's. I used Kaplan and the Kaplan
800 books for doing most of the basic work. The latter in particular was
quite helpful. I realized pretty early on that I did not need to study too
much on the quantitative section and that I was doing alright with RC,
but SC and CR needed work, so I focused on those parts. I had also
been told that I should not use the OG in the beginning, as a lot of the
test questions were from the OG, so I stayed away from that completely.
In retrospect, that may not have been the smartest thing to do, but
I felt that the Kaplan material was adequate, and looking back, I think
it was. I did focus on the quantitative section, especially DS, when I
started doing the tests, when I realized that I needed more accuracy,
but that was about it.

I tried to follow the recommended strategy of trying to track all
mistakes in my tests, and examining them afterwards to see if they
resulted from careless mistakes or conceptual errors, and that definitely
helped, though I was nowhere near as systematic about it as some of
the people here have been. It's very important that you try to avoid
mistakes that you have made before, and this really helps you do that.
I highly recommend doing that; that's the only sure way to improve your
score.

Finally, just for reference, here are my scores for the various tests (in
the order in which I took them):

Kaplan Diagnostic: 650
Kaplan CAT 1,2,3: 660-700 (don't remember the exact numbers)
Kaplan CAT 4: Did not take it
PowerPrep1: 770
PowerPrep2: 730
GMATPrep1: 750
GMATPrep2: 720

Also, on the day before the GMAT, I took one of the GMATPrep tests
again as I had heard that the questions can be fairly different from the
first time around. That was indeed the case; I think only 10-20% of the
questions were common. I scored a 760 on that test. At this time, I felt
reasonably confident I could tackle anything the GMAT guys threw my
way.

Finally, I don't think it matters what you do the day before, so long
as you are relaxed and confident on the day of the test. I was at work
till late afternoon on the day before, and came home, studied, took a
full length test, studied some more and went off to sleep at 2 am (my
test was at 12:30 pm the next day), and I was fine. YMMV....

That's it; I can't think of anything else. Thanks to all of you who have
contributed to these forums. Great job! Keep it up! Cheers,

Manu

PS: If you haven't guessed it from my handle, I am a big theater fan:).

beatthegmat · Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:32 pm Post subject:

Congrats, Manu!

Thanks for sharing your experience with that awesome post. I wish you the best of luck in your upcoming MBA admissions--be sure to ask Stacy Blackman for advice!

vrider · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:56 pm Post subject:

Congratulations Manu!

You mentioned PowerPrep, where did you get it? I know GMAT Prep is ETS' own test software but this is the first I am hearing of PowerPrep.

Thanks

Cybermusings · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:12 am Post subject:

Seems Satan has taken you under his wing...It worked wonders for you Wink

...I have realised one thing...It's better to channelise your energy into the application process, rather than obssess with minor details such as +/- 10 on the GMAT....740 is an amazing score and when woven into a cohesive story, it would bolster your chances of admission.....You just have to see how it fits into the larger scheme of things...

BTW which schools have you shortlisted? Also, are you applying in the First Round or Second Round?

aim-wsc · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:55 pm Post subject:

guys it's a year old thread.
Smile

so our dear thread starter might not be visiting the forums these days.
he might also have successfuly admited to one of great b-schools last year!!

@vrider

earlier ''POWER PREP'' was official CAT s/w... now it's ''GMAT prep''
try sites like megashare, esnip or rapidshare to get power prep.

vrider · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 12:02 am Post subject:

Thanks, I found it. I also have some old paper tests with different number of questions, sections etc. Is it worth taking any of those?

aim-wsc · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 12:22 am Post subject:

vrider · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:19 am Post subject:

I am confused now. I downloaded POWERPREP and it was an executable file for online tests.
The old paper tests I have a just software copies of old GMAT. Are you suggesting that I should take them or the POWERPREP?

beatthegmat · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 1:58 pm Post subject:

vrider · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:27 pm Post subject:

This is from the README file:

**************************************************
GMAT® POWERPREP® 3.0 README.TXT FILE
Educational Testing Service, ETS and POWERPREP are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service.
GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council.

Its an executable and runs only at 640x480 resolution.

I also have paper tests like the one attached. So I am not sure how they compare, which one is older and so on.

aim-wsc · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 1:21 am Post subject:

go on.
have them all. (if you have enough time to prepare)
dont worry. It's official material. you can trust it.

still if you want to find not which one is latest.
heres them in descending order

GMAT PREP s/w
POWER PREP s/w
PAPER BASED TEST doc

still they've lot of mix that you can see in other official guides. so dont bother too much. at the same time, remember GMAT prep s/w is most reliable thing in GMAT world.

godot · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 1:05 pm Post subject: Update

Hi folks,

I still occasionally check back on the forums to read about people's GMAT experiences, so it was a bit of a surprise to see some responses to my thread. Anyway, in case you are interested, I did not end up applying yet to any of the schools, mostly because I am not convinced in my mind yet that it's my thing. My job is fairly technical, and I enjoy that aspect of it. Coupled with US immigration issues and my recent marriage, I decided to just hold off on things for a bit.. Anyway, it might happen still once life settles down somewhat. The good thing is that I can just go ahead and apply then without having to worry about the GMAT!

So to answer aim-wsc's issue, no I am not yet in a good B-school. If I do apply, I will definitely be reading the forum! Cheers,

--Manu

guys it's a year old thread.
Smile

so our dear thread starter might not be visiting the forums these days.
he might also have successfuly admited to one of great b-schools last year!!

@vrider

earlier ''POWER PREP'' was official CAT s/w... now it's ''GMAT prep''
try sites like megashare, esnip or rapidshare to get power prep.

aim-wsc · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 8:08 pm Post subject:

oh! thanks for the update!

you know what, when this thread come alive I checked it and said in my mind ''hey this sign, I've seen before... was of some old member... and then i checked it carefully to know that It's a year old thread.
Wink

you're right that you've one big thing out of your way that is GMAT.

padfoot · Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 11:15 pm Post subject:

Congrat

humeixia · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:36 am Post subject:

congratulations