I did it! 740 in 6 weeks - work hard and work smart!

Find out how Beat The GMAT members tackled GMAT test prep with positive results. Get tips on GMAT test prep materials, online courses, study tips, and more.
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Hi everyone - I have spent way too much time lurking around the forums and reading everyone's tips, strategies, success and horror stories that I felt I needed to thank everyone for giving me insight! I also wanted to share what I did to prepare for the gmat during the past 6 weeks - it was a very intense and difficult journey to 740 with TONS of disappointment along the way, but I got the score I wanted and now feel like I am competitive to apply for top schools!

Let me start by saying that I am a musician. I work as an instructor of piano at NYU and have been dreaming of transitioning to business so that I can ultimately work in some sort of arts management position or marketing for arts institutions. My point is this - I am not necessarily a "math" person. I took math courses for fun as an undergraduate and did well, but I haven't touched math for about a decade and was expecting to have huge issues with the gmat math.

First diagnostic 1/7: 510 - Kaplan
I was expecting a low score on the diagnostic for the above reason. I took this test untimed though so was confused that I had still done so poorly given the unlimited time. I also skipped IR and essays.

Now I knew I had my work cut out for me. I worked through the Kaplan essentials and Princeton Review Basic book for the entire quant sections, and was feeling better about my knowledge, remembering how to simplify square roots, etc hahah.

First timed CAT 1/18: 670 Manhattan gmat free test 1.

This is where the psychology of the gmat really started to get me. It was obvious that just by increasing my knowledge base in quant and getting familiar with question types (curse you, DS!) that I was improving a lot. But psychology is EVERYTHING on this test, and here is where my road started to get rocky. I got the idea in my head that I could actually break 700, and started to become obsessed, falling in love with the gmat.

I decided to purchase the online MGMAT prep course. I know it is very expensive but I made the decision to invest in the course after using their detailed analysis of my errors and timing in the free CAT. I was able to see exactly what problem types were giving me trouble and that were slowest for me, which saved me the trouble of having to manually keep an "error log" of the questions I had been doing in the Kaplan and PR books. Also, I found the MGMAT quant questions to be much harder than those I had encountered already. I worked through 3 weeks of the syllabus for the online course in one week, studying 4-8 hours a day and getting through at least 4 of the MGMAT quant books. I used the online OG Archer a TON, because it keeps track of exactly what kind of question you get wrong and tells you other questions in the official guides that are similar to the ones you are having trouble with so you don't waste your time. Again, I know this is an expensive program but saving the time computing error logs and finding similar questions to practice on was really really helpful considering that i was already studying like crazy.

Time to test my work ethic out -

2nd CAT 1/21: 610 MGMAT CAT 2

I was DEVASTATED. How had my score dropped by over 50 points after all my hard work? After careful review of my errors, I became aware of something very important on the gmat - since I had acquired the knowledge to be able to answer more questions, I wasn't letting myself "give up" on any of them. I had almost run out of time on the quant section. Lastly, the IR section had seemed incredibly difficult this time through, and this put me in a negative thought spiral going through the rest of the test. I was so worried about the IR mistakes that I was distracted during quant. But I kept working.

Over the next 2 weeks, I worked through another 4 weeks of the MGMAT syllabus. I also did practice problems from Kaplan Advanced 800 book for quant. The key for me now was timing - I was very very strict with myself that if I didn't know how to answer a question in 30 seconds (not solve but know my approach) I HAD to guess. If I didn't have an answer by 2 minutes, I HAD to put one down and move on. This was a very humbling experience for me and helped me learn to admit when I didn't know things. Time for a real GMAT CAT.

GMAT CAT (from GMAT free software) 2/9: 710

This felt SO good. For some reason, the GMAT prep software questions seemed WAY easier than the MGMAT stuff I had been working on. But I think that this actually was a psychological help to me - when I felt, in the middle of the test, like I was doing really well, things were easier, I felt prepared, then my brain was confident and clear headed and able to focus on answering questions better. Being positive while sitting for the test means EVERYTHING.

However, reaching my target score allowed me to get a little lazy. I cut back and started only studying 1-2 hours a day after this for the next week, just to maintain my knowledge. BIG mistake.

CAT 3 2/16: 650 MGMAT CAT

I was so dissapointed after taking this test. For the first time ever, I ran out of time like CRAZY on quant. I had to guess on the last TEN problems!! I had never made such a huge mistake and felt like all my timing work was in vain. Again, I think the fact that I felt I didn't do well on the IR was making my mental "self-talk" very negative. So during the math I wasn't able to focus on "quitting" problems that were too hard for me. I was forcing myself to try to do everything, even though I KNEW this is a huge mistake.

However, I also saw the lowered score as a huge motivating force. I quadrupled my efforts. I only had 10 days left before the actual gmat and desperately wanted to break 700 again. I worked though the last 3 weeks of the MGMAT syllabus and finished roughly 75% of Official guide questions and extra questions on the GMAT free software. I tried to choose strategically here to only do problems I was GOOD at - not things I still felt shaky on. Playing to my strengths means that I would know immediately if I saw a question on the real gmat that I was weak at, I would know immediately to guess, or work for 30 seconds then guess.

Also, I started doing timed sets with benchmarks, so that I would be more comfortable with knowing what it felt like to answer, say, 7-9 questions in 15 minutes, instead of the strict "two minutes per question" rule. I think this was my timing key on the real test.

Gmat day approaches...I was so nervous, I couldn't sleep for 3 days. I was so nauseous I almost threw up at my boyfriend's house the day before. But I went in for the exam telling myself that all I had to do was replicate the higher scores I had been getting, that a 680 or 690 would have been great, and that if I had to take the exam in another month I would do that. I also walked into the test center realizing what an AMAZING exam this is. Not only do you have to learn how to think, you have to learn how to control your psychology and stay strong under pressure and perceived failure.

During the test:

As in my practice tests, I felt I did really poorly on IR and went into quant feeling a bit negative. However, I stuck to my benchmarks on quant and remember feeling really good when I got to a question I knew I was "weak" on, and just clicked something random and NEXTED that POS away from my life, haha. As I neared the end of quant, I hadn't run out of time and finished just with 20 seconds to spare. It felt really good. I did, however, start thinking to myself that the "questions had been getting easier" and that surely I hadn't broken the 700 barrier in quant. During my break, I had a red bull and puffed my electronic cigarette (so healthy, I know). I told myself over and over "stay positive, stay positive, stay positive". Verbal is my goldmine, as long as I wasn't beating myself up over quant. The verbal portion of the test was 10 times harder than ANY practice problems I had ever done. My last Reading Comp passage may as well have been in Russian, it was so complicated. And I actually had to do minor computations to answer one or two of the questions! So bizzare!!

Anyway. The moment of truth. I was so embarassed that I thought my quant score was low, that I briefly considered not sending my scores. But when I clicked "yes" and saw that 740, I literally jumped and made a squeaking noise, waving my hands around. I could NOT believe it!

So it is possible for even a humanities person to break 700. I think the key for me was being aware of how my mental attitude affected my scores. Also, zooming in on problems and areas that you are weak at at first, and then strengthening your strengths, seemed to help me a lot in improving quant. I was only a 45 in Quant, but I am really proud of the hundreds of hours I put in. I respect this test and respect the way it made me learn to think. It always feels so good when hard work pays off and you can learn to stay positive! Good luck to everyone and THANK YOU ALL for your stories that helped me during this past week when I couldn't sleep at all.

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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:32 pm
First off, congrats! Great score!
jpianoh wrote: After careful review of my errors, I became aware of something very important on the gmat - since I had acquired the knowledge to be able to answer more questions, I wasn't letting myself "give up" on any of them.
I think that's one of the biggest issues most people face. It's good that you recognized it fairly early in the process.

Anyway. The moment of truth. I was so embarassed that I thought my quant score was low, that I briefly considered not sending my scores. But when I clicked "yes" and saw that 740, I literally jumped and made a squeaking noise, waving my hands around. I could NOT believe it!
It's amazing how common this is. I, for one, certainly didn't expect to score 780 based on how the questions "felt".
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by jpianoh » Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:02 pm
Thanks so much!

It is easier said than done to learn how to "give up" on problems. I had practiced this a lot but during CATs was still too proud and stubborn to implement the strategy of just quitting and moving on. But now I see it as a valuable life skill! Save time and energy and know your weaknesses, something I want to do in all my life.

Thanks again.

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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:19 pm
Stubbornness is a permanent condition I'm afraid, and I know it well :D

It's all about opportunity cost. Sure, I can take take an extra 2 minutes and maaaaaybe get this one right (unlikely; at the 2 minute mark, either you know what's going on or you don't), or I can use those 2 minutes to get the following 2 or 3 questions right.
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by dddanny2006 » Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:46 pm
Hey there,

Congrats on that score.Yours is a very inspiring debrief.I have 2 months left for my exam and I dont even know if Im capable of getting that 700+ score.Well,to be honest I doubt it.Are you a very smart person,a high iq'd test taker?Are Manhattan's Quant guides enough to score high in Quant?Is it the same case for verbal too?Im pretty average,can average people notch the 700+ score?Looking forward to hearing from you

Congrats!! once again.
jpianoh wrote:Hi everyone - I have spent way too much time lurking around the forums and reading everyone's tips, strategies, success and horror stories that I felt I needed to thank everyone for giving me insight! I also wanted to share what I did to prepare for the gmat during the past 6 weeks - it was a very intense and difficult journey to 740 with TONS of disappointment along the way, but I got the score I wanted and now feel like I am competitive to apply for top schools!

Let me start by saying that I am a musician. I work as an instructor of piano at NYU and have been dreaming of transitioning to business so that I can ultimately work in some sort of arts management position or marketing for arts institutions. My point is this - I am not necessarily a "math" person. I took math courses for fun as an undergraduate and did well, but I haven't touched math for about a decade and was expecting to have huge issues with the gmat math.

First diagnostic 1/7: 510 - Kaplan
I was expecting a low score on the diagnostic for the above reason. I took this test untimed though so was confused that I had still done so poorly given the unlimited time. I also skipped IR and essays.

Now I knew I had my work cut out for me. I worked through the Kaplan essentials and Princeton Review Basic book for the entire quant sections, and was feeling better about my knowledge, remembering how to simplify square roots, etc hahah.

First timed CAT 1/18: 670 Manhattan gmat free test 1.

This is where the psychology of the gmat really started to get me. It was obvious that just by increasing my knowledge base in quant and getting familiar with question types (curse you, DS!) that I was improving a lot. But psychology is EVERYTHING on this test, and here is where my road started to get rocky. I got the idea in my head that I could actually break 700, and started to become obsessed, falling in love with the gmat.

I decided to purchase the online MGMAT prep course. I know it is very expensive but I made the decision to invest in the course after using their detailed analysis of my errors and timing in the free CAT. I was able to see exactly what problem types were giving me trouble and that were slowest for me, which saved me the trouble of having to manually keep an "error log" of the questions I had been doing in the Kaplan and PR books. Also, I found the MGMAT quant questions to be much harder than those I had encountered already. I worked through 3 weeks of the syllabus for the online course in one week, studying 4-8 hours a day and getting through at least 4 of the MGMAT quant books. I used the online OG Archer a TON, because it keeps track of exactly what kind of question you get wrong and tells you other questions in the official guides that are similar to the ones you are having trouble with so you don't waste your time. Again, I know this is an expensive program but saving the time computing error logs and finding similar questions to practice on was really really helpful considering that i was already studying like crazy.

Time to test my work ethic out -

2nd CAT 1/21: 610 MGMAT CAT 2

I was DEVASTATED. How had my score dropped by over 50 points after all my hard work? After careful review of my errors, I became aware of something very important on the gmat - since I had acquired the knowledge to be able to answer more questions, I wasn't letting myself "give up" on any of them. I had almost run out of time on the quant section. Lastly, the IR section had seemed incredibly difficult this time through, and this put me in a negative thought spiral going through the rest of the test. I was so worried about the IR mistakes that I was distracted during quant. But I kept working.

Over the next 2 weeks, I worked through another 4 weeks of the MGMAT syllabus. I also did practice problems from Kaplan Advanced 800 book for quant. The key for me now was timing - I was very very strict with myself that if I didn't know how to answer a question in 30 seconds (not solve but know my approach) I HAD to guess. If I didn't have an answer by 2 minutes, I HAD to put one down and move on. This was a very humbling experience for me and helped me learn to admit when I didn't know things. Time for a real GMAT CAT.

GMAT CAT (from GMAT free software) 2/9: 710

This felt SO good. For some reason, the GMAT prep software questions seemed WAY easier than the MGMAT stuff I had been working on. But I think that this actually was a psychological help to me - when I felt, in the middle of the test, like I was doing really well, things were easier, I felt prepared, then my brain was confident and clear headed and able to focus on answering questions better. Being positive while sitting for the test means EVERYTHING.

However, reaching my target score allowed me to get a little lazy. I cut back and started only studying 1-2 hours a day after this for the next week, just to maintain my knowledge. BIG mistake.

CAT 3 2/16: 650 MGMAT CAT

I was so dissapointed after taking this test. For the first time ever, I ran out of time like CRAZY on quant. I had to guess on the last TEN problems!! I had never made such a huge mistake and felt like all my timing work was in vain. Again, I think the fact that I felt I didn't do well on the IR was making my mental "self-talk" very negative. So during the math I wasn't able to focus on "quitting" problems that were too hard for me. I was forcing myself to try to do everything, even though I KNEW this is a huge mistake.

However, I also saw the lowered score as a huge motivating force. I quadrupled my efforts. I only had 10 days left before the actual gmat and desperately wanted to break 700 again. I worked though the last 3 weeks of the MGMAT syllabus and finished roughly 75% of Official guide questions and extra questions on the GMAT free software. I tried to choose strategically here to only do problems I was GOOD at - not things I still felt shaky on. Playing to my strengths means that I would know immediately if I saw a question on the real gmat that I was weak at, I would know immediately to guess, or work for 30 seconds then guess.

Also, I started doing timed sets with benchmarks, so that I would be more comfortable with knowing what it felt like to answer, say, 7-9 questions in 15 minutes, instead of the strict "two minutes per question" rule. I think this was my timing key on the real test.

Gmat day approaches...I was so nervous, I couldn't sleep for 3 days. I was so nauseous I almost threw up at my boyfriend's house the day before. But I went in for the exam telling myself that all I had to do was replicate the higher scores I had been getting, that a 680 or 690 would have been great, and that if I had to take the exam in another month I would do that. I also walked into the test center realizing what an AMAZING exam this is. Not only do you have to learn how to think, you have to learn how to control your psychology and stay strong under pressure and perceived failure.

During the test:

As in my practice tests, I felt I did really poorly on IR and went into quant feeling a bit negative. However, I stuck to my benchmarks on quant and remember feeling really good when I got to a question I knew I was "weak" on, and just clicked something random and NEXTED that POS away from my life, haha. As I neared the end of quant, I hadn't run out of time and finished just with 20 seconds to spare. It felt really good. I did, however, start thinking to myself that the "questions had been getting easier" and that surely I hadn't broken the 700 barrier in quant. During my break, I had a red bull and puffed my electronic cigarette (so healthy, I know). I told myself over and over "stay positive, stay positive, stay positive". Verbal is my goldmine, as long as I wasn't beating myself up over quant. The verbal portion of the test was 10 times harder than ANY practice problems I had ever done. My last Reading Comp passage may as well have been in Russian, it was so complicated. And I actually had to do minor computations to answer one or two of the questions! So bizzare!!

Anyway. The moment of truth. I was so embarassed that I thought my quant score was low, that I briefly considered not sending my scores. But when I clicked "yes" and saw that 740, I literally jumped and made a squeaking noise, waving my hands around. I could NOT believe it!

So it is possible for even a humanities person to break 700. I think the key for me was being aware of how my mental attitude affected my scores. Also, zooming in on problems and areas that you are weak at at first, and then strengthening your strengths, seemed to help me a lot in improving quant. I was only a 45 in Quant, but I am really proud of the hundreds of hours I put in. I respect this test and respect the way it made me learn to think. It always feels so good when hard work pays off and you can learn to stay positive! Good luck to everyone and THANK YOU ALL for your stories that helped me during this past week when I couldn't sleep at all.

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by dddanny2006 » Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:46 pm
Hey there,

Congrats on that score.Yours is a very inspiring debrief.I have 2 months left for my exam and I dont even know if Im capable of getting that 700+ score.Well,to be honest I doubt it.Are you a very smart person,a high iq'd test taker?Are Manhattan's Quant guides enough to score high in Quant?Is it the same case for verbal too?Im pretty average,can average people notch the 700+ score?Looking forward to hearing from you

Congrats!! once again.
jpianoh wrote:Hi everyone - I have spent way too much time lurking around the forums and reading everyone's tips, strategies, success and horror stories that I felt I needed to thank everyone for giving me insight! I also wanted to share what I did to prepare for the gmat during the past 6 weeks - it was a very intense and difficult journey to 740 with TONS of disappointment along the way, but I got the score I wanted and now feel like I am competitive to apply for top schools!

Let me start by saying that I am a musician. I work as an instructor of piano at NYU and have been dreaming of transitioning to business so that I can ultimately work in some sort of arts management position or marketing for arts institutions. My point is this - I am not necessarily a "math" person. I took math courses for fun as an undergraduate and did well, but I haven't touched math for about a decade and was expecting to have huge issues with the gmat math.

First diagnostic 1/7: 510 - Kaplan
I was expecting a low score on the diagnostic for the above reason. I took this test untimed though so was confused that I had still done so poorly given the unlimited time. I also skipped IR and essays.

Now I knew I had my work cut out for me. I worked through the Kaplan essentials and Princeton Review Basic book for the entire quant sections, and was feeling better about my knowledge, remembering how to simplify square roots, etc hahah.

First timed CAT 1/18: 670 Manhattan gmat free test 1.

This is where the psychology of the gmat really started to get me. It was obvious that just by increasing my knowledge base in quant and getting familiar with question types (curse you, DS!) that I was improving a lot. But psychology is EVERYTHING on this test, and here is where my road started to get rocky. I got the idea in my head that I could actually break 700, and started to become obsessed, falling in love with the gmat.

I decided to purchase the online MGMAT prep course. I know it is very expensive but I made the decision to invest in the course after using their detailed analysis of my errors and timing in the free CAT. I was able to see exactly what problem types were giving me trouble and that were slowest for me, which saved me the trouble of having to manually keep an "error log" of the questions I had been doing in the Kaplan and PR books. Also, I found the MGMAT quant questions to be much harder than those I had encountered already. I worked through 3 weeks of the syllabus for the online course in one week, studying 4-8 hours a day and getting through at least 4 of the MGMAT quant books. I used the online OG Archer a TON, because it keeps track of exactly what kind of question you get wrong and tells you other questions in the official guides that are similar to the ones you are having trouble with so you don't waste your time. Again, I know this is an expensive program but saving the time computing error logs and finding similar questions to practice on was really really helpful considering that i was already studying like crazy.

Time to test my work ethic out -

2nd CAT 1/21: 610 MGMAT CAT 2

I was DEVASTATED. How had my score dropped by over 50 points after all my hard work? After careful review of my errors, I became aware of something very important on the gmat - since I had acquired the knowledge to be able to answer more questions, I wasn't letting myself "give up" on any of them. I had almost run out of time on the quant section. Lastly, the IR section had seemed incredibly difficult this time through, and this put me in a negative thought spiral going through the rest of the test. I was so worried about the IR mistakes that I was distracted during quant. But I kept working.

Over the next 2 weeks, I worked through another 4 weeks of the MGMAT syllabus. I also did practice problems from Kaplan Advanced 800 book for quant. The key for me now was timing - I was very very strict with myself that if I didn't know how to answer a question in 30 seconds (not solve but know my approach) I HAD to guess. If I didn't have an answer by 2 minutes, I HAD to put one down and move on. This was a very humbling experience for me and helped me learn to admit when I didn't know things. Time for a real GMAT CAT.

GMAT CAT (from GMAT free software) 2/9: 710

This felt SO good. For some reason, the GMAT prep software questions seemed WAY easier than the MGMAT stuff I had been working on. But I think that this actually was a psychological help to me - when I felt, in the middle of the test, like I was doing really well, things were easier, I felt prepared, then my brain was confident and clear headed and able to focus on answering questions better. Being positive while sitting for the test means EVERYTHING.

However, reaching my target score allowed me to get a little lazy. I cut back and started only studying 1-2 hours a day after this for the next week, just to maintain my knowledge. BIG mistake.

CAT 3 2/16: 650 MGMAT CAT

I was so dissapointed after taking this test. For the first time ever, I ran out of time like CRAZY on quant. I had to guess on the last TEN problems!! I had never made such a huge mistake and felt like all my timing work was in vain. Again, I think the fact that I felt I didn't do well on the IR was making my mental "self-talk" very negative. So during the math I wasn't able to focus on "quitting" problems that were too hard for me. I was forcing myself to try to do everything, even though I KNEW this is a huge mistake.

However, I also saw the lowered score as a huge motivating force. I quadrupled my efforts. I only had 10 days left before the actual gmat and desperately wanted to break 700 again. I worked though the last 3 weeks of the MGMAT syllabus and finished roughly 75% of Official guide questions and extra questions on the GMAT free software. I tried to choose strategically here to only do problems I was GOOD at - not things I still felt shaky on. Playing to my strengths means that I would know immediately if I saw a question on the real gmat that I was weak at, I would know immediately to guess, or work for 30 seconds then guess.

Also, I started doing timed sets with benchmarks, so that I would be more comfortable with knowing what it felt like to answer, say, 7-9 questions in 15 minutes, instead of the strict "two minutes per question" rule. I think this was my timing key on the real test.

Gmat day approaches...I was so nervous, I couldn't sleep for 3 days. I was so nauseous I almost threw up at my boyfriend's house the day before. But I went in for the exam telling myself that all I had to do was replicate the higher scores I had been getting, that a 680 or 690 would have been great, and that if I had to take the exam in another month I would do that. I also walked into the test center realizing what an AMAZING exam this is. Not only do you have to learn how to think, you have to learn how to control your psychology and stay strong under pressure and perceived failure.

During the test:

As in my practice tests, I felt I did really poorly on IR and went into quant feeling a bit negative. However, I stuck to my benchmarks on quant and remember feeling really good when I got to a question I knew I was "weak" on, and just clicked something random and NEXTED that POS away from my life, haha. As I neared the end of quant, I hadn't run out of time and finished just with 20 seconds to spare. It felt really good. I did, however, start thinking to myself that the "questions had been getting easier" and that surely I hadn't broken the 700 barrier in quant. During my break, I had a red bull and puffed my electronic cigarette (so healthy, I know). I told myself over and over "stay positive, stay positive, stay positive". Verbal is my goldmine, as long as I wasn't beating myself up over quant. The verbal portion of the test was 10 times harder than ANY practice problems I had ever done. My last Reading Comp passage may as well have been in Russian, it was so complicated. And I actually had to do minor computations to answer one or two of the questions! So bizzare!!

Anyway. The moment of truth. I was so embarassed that I thought my quant score was low, that I briefly considered not sending my scores. But when I clicked "yes" and saw that 740, I literally jumped and made a squeaking noise, waving my hands around. I could NOT believe it!

So it is possible for even a humanities person to break 700. I think the key for me was being aware of how my mental attitude affected my scores. Also, zooming in on problems and areas that you are weak at at first, and then strengthening your strengths, seemed to help me a lot in improving quant. I was only a 45 in Quant, but I am really proud of the hundreds of hours I put in. I respect this test and respect the way it made me learn to think. It always feels so good when hard work pays off and you can learn to stay positive! Good luck to everyone and THANK YOU ALL for your stories that helped me during this past week when I couldn't sleep at all.