I just Beat The GMAT!

I took my GMAT test last week and scored a 390. I could tell by about the 5th question in qualitative section in that I was not in good shape. I felt like I had walked into the test cold. Almost broke into tears about 3 separate times.

I took a seven week Princeton Review course and was study about 3 nights a week and then about 5 hours on each Saturday & Sunday for about two months. I think I might have relied to much on Princeton's program. The highest score I ever got was 450.

My "happy" score would be 700, but realistically its somewhere in the 600's. Is this realistic? I am pretty sure that they are going to let me retake the Princeton course. But I am open to other suggestions.

Thanks

I think the biggest drawback of the Princeton Review course is the quality of their content. I have gone through most of their scores and was appalled to see how basic their course was. If you think that you need to join a classroom program, I'd advise you to go for the MGMAT course. Enrolling for the MGMAT course in itself is not a guarantee that you will get a good score,but the quality of their course is much superior than that of any other Test Prep company.
Many people do prepare on their own also and participate in the forums here to maintain the momentum . If you think that you don't need classroom program, get the right set of books and just start with your preparation

Hi Maria!

Don't despair - if you're on BTG, you're already on the right track! GMAT is tough, and if you've been out of school for awhile or are not a naturally confident test-taker, it can be even more stressful!

It seems like you just need to beef up your studying two-fold: familiarizing yourself in much more detail with the content (esp. math review & SC errors), and honing your strategy for Verbal (esp. RC and CR). A lot of companies will offer you "their" strategy, but ultimately you'll need to try a few and see what gives you the highest accuracy.

You might also benefit from some one-on-one tutoring since it's more focused, but I'd avoid huge companies like PR. Have you done the mba.com tests yet? They are quite challenging, but in a good way! I also recommend starting an Error Log if you haven't already for the more difficult questions.

Here's an article I wrote for BTG about it recently: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/11/ ... -error-log

Good luck to you!

I am still waiting to hear back on which guarantee I qualifiy for through the Princeton Review, but perhaps if I can get my money back I can enroll in a course through Manhattan. In the mean time wondering if people could give me some suggestions on books.

Below are the books that I am currently using.
*The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition
*Princeton Review: Manual for the GMAT - (One I received through the Princeton Review Class)
*Kaplan Premier Program 2008[/list]


I would like to buy additional books to supplement my studying. Does anyone has any opinions on the following books?
*Manhattan GMAT Set of 8 Strategy Guides
*GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible
*The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review
*The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review, 2nd Edition

Hi Maria,

Sorry to hear about your results. I would second the opinion about taking a Manhattan GMAT course and / or using their materials. They were the primary resource I used when studying for my test. I'm not a representative for MGMAT, but I will say their course does a really good job and the average participant scores a 700.

If you do end up signing up for the actual course, please note that it comes with the 8 strategy guides and all three OG books. Don't end up like me, having purchased one of the OG guides already and basically having two copies of it now.

Also, don't worry too much about freaking out during the test. I definitely had my freak out moments and one of them was on the second question of the test. The test is designed to "break" you. Just try your best to maintain composure and it will improve your score.

Best,
Mark

Hey Maria,

I think the Official Guides are a must. You've already taken a full course, so I can't say I'd recommend MGMAT's course. However, they do have a reputation for producing solid study materials.

You need to diagnose your own weak areas to move forward. Too many students enroll in a class hoping that's the answer. I can recommend Grockit, of course, but I am biased

Non-Grockit resources I'd recommend include:

- OG guides

- any full length CATs (either from Kaplan or MGMAT) - you will want these to practice your pacing - don't take the practice scores too much to heart; they are inaccurate at best

- GMAT powerpreps - You'll want to go over every question in these with a fine tooth comb - make an Error Log!

Good luck to you!
-Vivian