Midway Strategies - Suggestions Plz

achilles

I started prep arnd 20 days back, and I plan to take the Test in a month or so...and am aiming 800 (No Kidding).

My main concern in Verbal...Maths is just cakewalk, have gauged my level there.
Till now I've finshed following:
1) OG 10 (Twice - Comprehensively)
2) OG 11 (Found CR a bit different frm OG 10, otherwise was good revision of OG 10...accuracy arnd 95%+, since already had done earlier)
3) Princeton Practice Sets. (Not much of use)
4) Kaplan Practice Sets...(A bit Higher difficulty level)

Besides I've earlier covered all Verbal study material viz. Manhattan, Spidey Notes etc.

Now I m wondering what else to study and practice!...I feel I just need to go a bit more into CR/RC.
Few words plz on how to proceed now?...given that I feel sky is the limit...

beatthegmat · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 8:56 pm Post subject:

Wow, achilles--I really admire your determination to get an 800! I'd be thrilled to see someone in this community achieve this!

Have you had a chance to explore the GMAT Resource Wiki, http://www.beatthegmat.com/wiki/? There are some great resources there for CR and RC prep.

Have you taken any GMATPrep tests? If so, how have you scored? GMATPrep is the most accurate indicator of your actual GMAT performance.

rajesh_ctm · Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject: Sky is the limit

Achilles, people do get 800, though only very few people. If you believe you are capable, you can definitely get it too.
Of course it will take dedication and very focussed preparation. As Eric suggested, take GMATPrep test and see what you get with current level of preparation. Then you will know what your weak points are and which areas are candidates for improvement.

To get the perfect score, you will need to be a master of the topics tested. In quants, you will need to tear each topic apart and devour it. You should be able to look at the tough problems from different angles. For each question in GMAT, there is also an easy way to solve it. Though some problems look very difficult, test makers wouldn't have put it if it can't be solved in minutes. This eye for simplicity in the midst of complexity will need to be developed. This can be developed with a lot practice.

In verbal, you will need to understand what the test makers are looking for. Unlike quants, there are no fixed formulae here. Each question is unique. However much you practice, there is a chance of confusion. In some questions, you might drill down to two options, but the two options will appear both correct. You'll need to understand not only the question itself, but what exactly the test makers are looking for. If you read the explanations of all the questions in the OG11 and OG Verbal, you'll develop an understanding of what the test makers are thinking.
The good news is, that you don't need to get all questions correct to get 800.

Regarding material, I would suggest:
In quants - solve as many problems as possible from as many materials as you can get. Don't restrict yourself to GMAT level questions, but solve tougher questions. Practice, practice and practice till you can look at any complex problem and catch the simplicity behind it. After all, the formulae will be same.
In Verbal - MGMAT material is closest to actual GMAT. Study them to get practice and develop your skills. But there is no other way to read the test makers' mind than reading the "Official" questions and their explanations. Read both OG11 and OG Verbal. Absorb as much as possible from these two books.

In any case, whatever material you study, near the exam (last 10-15 days before exam), you should study only Official questions - OG, OG Verbal, OG Quant and GMATPrep.

Stacey Koprince · Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 12:38 pm Post subject:

It's fantastic to have such a lofty goal! Just want to caution you, too - all of the scores from 760 to 800 are 99th percentile, so the single score of 800 is, at most, 0.2% of test takers. (And possibly even lower, if the 99th percentile scores are not evenly distributed.)

But, hey, might as well go for it! Smile