760 99% OFFICIAL!!! HOW I OUTFOXED THE GMAT

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760 99% OFFICIAL!!! HOW I OUTFOXED THE GMAT

by jaybtg » Sat Oct 25, 2014 7:23 pm
760 99% OFFICIAL!!! HOW I OUTFOXED THE GMAT

I am very proud to say that I can add my name to the list of all the successful Beat The GMAT posters.

I started my studies with the goal to apply to the Top5 US Schools for Rnd 1. With all the recommended tools (Mgmat books & CATs, GMATprep CATS, OG12&13, then later BTG Forum), I began my studies in June.

Over June/July/August/September, my scores went
520, 530, 490 (bad day), 550, 590, 590, 650, 650, 630

I was making progress and getting close to my goal of 700-730. But I was out of time and wanted to work on the apps before deadline, so I took the GMAT in early September:

630 official (Q46/V30) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

That score was so frustrating for me. I wanted to retake, but felt I missed the Rnd 1 deadlines. I got some advice from one of my older brother's friends that it would look better to Harvard with a better score in Rnd 2 app than a so-so score in Rnd 1 app, and I knew I could score better, so I went back to work.

Next up: Veritas CATs and Empowergmat Scorebooster

Over the next 6 weeks (last 6 weeks of October/September), since my old ways did not get me to my dream score, I focused on doing new things - new strategy, new notes, old questions in new ways, new foods, new CAT times, etc. I used an Error Log and wrote a journal of all little tips/suggestions/advice to refer back to.

Now my score went
630, 670, 700(1st time 7-- that was important to see), 720, 710, 730

I felt really good for test day and it was all like I practiced. I just had to remember how I had worked and do it all again.

Official Score: V6/Q50/V44 760!!!!!!!

I sat there a moment and let it soak in. I actually almost cried.

Here are the 7 lessons I learned that made all the difference:

1 - Follow the map!
If you were taking a long journey and wanted to get to a location, why would you waste time trying to figure out how to get there, especially if you did not know exactly where it was? Get a map and follow the directions. For the GMAT, the right map is the right study plan, and the right resources, and for me the destination was 700+. There are lots of different maps obviously, but I found one that worked really well for me.

2 - Reading Comp is not what you think it is.
Don't be afraid of the passages. Always get into them. The most surprising thing I learned in Empowergmat's RC lessons is that there is no other way to read than slowly, and look for the why (thanks Max!). I was trying to rush through the passages before. Learning the right way to deal with RC helps you deal with anything wordy (Quant, IR, CR). I needed to be taught how to pay attention to what matters and what does not.

3 - There are questions on the test that you have to be ready to Dump.
I dumped 2 hard probability questions because that is what I was told to do (follow the map!). Everything else in Quant was much easier after that. I dumped 1 really hard inference question in CR after barely even reading it.

4 - Taking full tests with AWA and IR in the morning really helped me raise my score.

5 - Do not do work in your head (thanks Rich!).
I chanted that every time I started a section on my CATs and on test day.

6 - Wink.
Before you enter the computer lab, make sure to wink at one of the test center workers. Trust me on this ;0 (thanks for that too Rich!).

7 - This is the most important! You have to change habits.
I was stuck because I kept doing the same things. No matter how hard you study, if you don't change what you do, your score won't go up. If your score is stuck, I can tell you that what that means is that you haven't changed what you do as much as you may think. Triage, test it, reading the right way, dumping questions. All of those new habits and more made the difference. Give yourself the time to change, and be really hard on yourself to actually make those changes. Use the Mistake Tracker, or an error log to learn the patterns of your mistakes. Keep a list of the lessons you learn, and try to read that list everyday

Apps
Now thankfully I have plenty of time to work on apps. I've read a lot already, and talked to people, but since I now have my dream GMAT score, I really want to make the apps as strong as possible. If anyone has advice for admissions officers and help, please share.

Thank you to everyone on this website. You have all helped me in ways that you cannot comprehend.

Ever grateful,

Jay

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by [email protected] » Sun Oct 26, 2014 8:45 pm
Hi Jay,

That is fantastic news! With a 760/Q50, you're in the perfect position to apply to any Business School that you choose. If you're planning for the upcoming Round 2 application deadlines, then you have plenty of time to put in the necessary work on your applications. Since it sounds like you might be interested in some of the most competitive programs (Harvard et al.), you might find working with an Admissions Expert to be quite helpful. Before you make any decisions about that process, you should speak with several Experts and hear what they have to say (and what they offer when working with an applicant) - to that end, we have an Expert that we recommend (the link is on our website). You showed that you have a flexible mind and the commitment to your goals to make some tough changes and ultimately succeed. If you keep working hard throughout the rest of this process, I imagine that everything will turn out well (and you might just have a few options when it comes to which Business School you choose to attend). Congratulations again on your success.

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by Ergenekon » Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:58 pm
Congrats)) what is your experience with mgmat cats?

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by Ram1985 » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:02 pm
Thanks Jay for sharing your experience. Really motivating for people like me who are working towards achieving a dream score after having bombarded by GMAT in the previous attempt/s. And, wishing you all the best for the next stage.

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by witheo » Wed Oct 29, 2014 8:35 am
hi Jay,

First of all, i want to congrat yr 760 gmat score. it's really an impressive news and inspires me alot. And it will be very helpful for me if you can share more details about your quant scores and verbal scores for the past few months.

Second of all is an important question: are you non-native speaker? Can you plz share more about your experience with your empower gmat booster course?. my 1st official gmat, i got 590 (q48,v21). I hardly understand half of the RC content due to lacking of vocabulary. do you think i can imporve my verbal in 6 weeks to get lvl 700+ with Empowergmat score booster course? I am currently not working so I sure have time to practice hard


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by jaybtg » Thu Oct 30, 2014 10:00 am
Hi Ergenekon,

My sense with the MGMAT CATs is that they are of high quality, and I would recommend them to anyone, but I agree with what others say. I found the quant questions to be more technical than the real test. That did not bother me though. Learning to handle harder material made dealing with the real GMAT easier. The Veritas CATs were great too.


Hi Ram1985,

Thank you. Trust me, it was nice to finally be on the other side of the GMAT. If you really work to learn new habits like I pointed out in Lesson 7, you'll be there. You have to look inward and be honest about your faults with the GMAT, and be willing to change them. Its way too easy to blame the GMAT right?


Hi witheo,

Sure, I'd be happy to share my progression. My scores on Verbal were flat at around the 55th-65%. It was only on the last 4 CATs that it really started to come together. There was definitely a surge in my verbal scores towards the end of the course once I learned how to properly do RC. What's interesting is that for every verbal point you gain, your overall score can really jump. That seems harder to do with quant.

I was strong with quant, but my scores were sometimes up or down 25% between tests until more recently. What started to make the difference is triage and test it. Those two approaches started to change everything for me. It reduced my stress, and helped me to gather more points.

I thought the Empower GMAT Score Booster course was fantastic, and for the comprehensiveness, it was a good value. Its straight to the point, easy to use, and great for me since I had already been prepping. I've recommended it to 2 work colleagues, and one of my girlfriend's friends. If you're on the fence, take it.

I'm pretty fluent in English, but I see how someone not as fluent might be intimidated by vocabulary in the passages. The Empower RC lessons showed me two things:

1 - Read the passages to understand the point of the author and why the author is writing the passages, but don't get caught up by the details or the vocab. The questions rarely deal with those things, and if they do, you can always check back with the passage.

2- Never skim or rush. The How To Read A Passage lesson shows how proper RC reading should be done.

Good luck to each of you!

Jay

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by Ergenekon » Thu Oct 30, 2014 9:45 pm
Thanks for your answer. But the most interesting part of manhattan tests for me is the SC part of it. I make just one mistake in its SC. How does this section compare to real gmat SC? Thanks for your tips.

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by jaybtg » Fri Nov 07, 2014 4:30 pm
Ergenekon wrote:Thanks for your answer. But the most interesting part of manhattan tests for me is the SC part of it. I make just one mistake in its SC. How does this section compare to real gmat SC? Thanks for your tips.
Hi Ergenekon,

Here was my testing experience with SC - my scores rose closer to the end of my prep and my performance didn't change too much among sources: MGMAT, GMAT Prep, or the Official Guide. I found SC to be consistent across the tests. Why do you ask about the MGMAT SCs? Really, it just sounds to me like you're doing really well with SC. If it were me, I'd want to confirm that kind of performance with another CAT like the mba.com exam pack tests so that I could prove its not random. You should ask the experts though. I always valued reading what Rich, Brent, David, Mitch had to say. Perhaps they could shed some light?

Jay

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by [email protected] » Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:10 pm
Hi Ergenekon and Jaybtg,

Many of the CATs that you might be using during your studies base their SCs on established sources (re: the Official material, including the various OGs). There's not a lot of variety when it comes to GMAT grammar rules, so if you find that you're doing well on the SCs of one particular type of CAT, then you could (or even should) do as well on the SCs of any other type of CAT. Of course, some writers can be a bit "loose" when it comes to style rules, but the big grammar categories (verbs, pronouns, parallelism, etc.) are established.

Ergenekon, have you used any CATs besides the MGMAT CATs? How have you been performing on the Verbal sections of your CATs overall?

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by Ergenekon » Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:23 pm
Rich and Jaybtg thanks for your answers. Rich, I have taken gmatprep's free ones three times. ( third time having a few repeat questions). In my last mgmat cats I made 1 mistake in SC, but in my last gmatprep cat I made 4 mistakes. Also, I scored 40 and 38 in my last 2 mgmat cats, compared to 41 in my last gmatprep cat, which I suspect that can be inflated because I encountered a few repeat questions in CR. In overall I scored 750 in my last gmatprep test, which again I think inflated because of repeat questions.

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by [email protected] » Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:33 pm
Hi Ergenekon,

I generally advise AGAINST re-taking a CAT that you're already taken. By retaking a CAT, you're almost guaranteed to see some questions that you've already answered, which means that you won't have to expend the normal amount of time and energy to answer those questions. It's quite likely that you know the correct answer already to these repeat questions, so your score and pacing will be artificially improved. As you continue to move forward in your studies, you should put an emphasis on taking "new" CATs, so that you can get a legitimate assessment of your skills.

Overall, scoring in the high 30s or low 40s in the Verbal section of ANY CAT is a strong performance. When taking a CAT, you should take the ENTIRE exam, including the Essay and IR sections, so that you can test your endurance and fatigue response. If you can still score at that same high level in the Verbal section, after having worked for roughly 3 hours on the other sections of the Test, then you ARE truly performing at a high level.

When are you planning to take the GMAT?
What have your overall scores been on your practice CATs?

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by Ergenekon » Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:49 pm
I should have taken it till now. It is just I suffer from burnout. So I procrastinate with my studies. But I plan to take at least till the end of this month.
My score breakdowns:
Gmatprep1 (july) Q45 V34 640( till that time I did not time myself in studies, that is why I scored so low in quant)
Gmatprep2 (August) Q48 V31 650 (I think my low score in verbal was due careless mistakes in CR which I was able to answer correctly after the test)
Mgmat1 ( August) Q44 V36 660
Mgmat2 (Spetember)Q43 V35 640
Mgmat3 (october) Q42 V37 650
Mgmat4 ( October) Q45 V40 700
Mgmat5 (october) Q45 V38 690

Low quant score in manhattan tests does not bother me, because I am sure it is a lot difficult than the real one.

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by [email protected] » Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:54 pm
Hi Ergenekon,

If you took the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections), then you're performing at a high level. If you have not yet done so, then I suggest that you purchase the 2 additional GMAC CATs and take one in its ENTIRETY, under conditions that are as close to Test-like as possible. That result should confirm that your skills are strong.

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by Ergenekon » Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:59 pm
Thanks Rich. Last 2 manhattan tests were taken fully.

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by mattCFA2 » Mon Nov 17, 2014 4:37 pm
Hey Rich,
I'm just getting started with Score Booster. You mentioned when taking a CAT, you should take the ENTIRE exam, including the Essay and IR sections, so that you can test your endurance and fatigue response. I'm curious if you have any more advice to make the most out of your practice CATs?
Thanks for your help. You're awesome.

Matt