hi there,
i took the gmat for the first time yesterday and scored a 650. i was shooting for a 710, but am not totally defeated. i am proud of myself for not panicking (i was extremely concerned that stress would get the better of me, but i managed to stay calm!) and feel that i more or less answered each question to the best of my ability. 41 verbal/ 39 quant. highest practice was 43 verbal/ 42 quant (not at the same time!). started studying in march (took Manhattan GMAT course, which was excellent).
i ran out of time on verbal- i did some rapid guessing towards the end on probably the last 5-6 problems. i know my timing problem is reading comp, which is very odd since i was an english literature major/ungergrad. i think i am so used to close reading that i have a hard time skimming quickly. i also feel that the notetaking strategy i learned in my Manhattan GMAT course may be too time consuming for my already detail-oriented personality type.
but the real issue is the quant. i need to improve it. i am will to put in the work and would like some advice on the following strategy.
OG 11: did all problems 1x and many 2x-3x but didn't keep consistent notes on ones i had most trouble with. should i do them all again? or maybe just the last 100 in DS and PS?
OG Quant (Green): same question. redo all or just last 1/2 of each section?
(i would like to try going through them over and over until the pool of missed questions reaches 0. meaning keep redoing them until i get them right)
am considering using the MGMAT OG tracker this time around. it freaked me out before but i realize now that being that organized with my progress analysis may be extremely beneficial. thoughts?
i got into a bad habit of checking my answer after each OG problem. i will now attempt sets of 40 per night (one type- i.e. DS, PS, CR- per sitting) and only check after completing the set. should i use the MGMAT OG stopwatch? i practiced with a normal stopwatch previously but wonder if there is added value to that system.
finally, i will take 3 more practice exams prior to July 18th. my test is scheduled for 8am and i am not a morning person (this was the only weekend time available and i work full time), so i will practice getting up EARLY and giving myself adequate wake-up time before starting the exam. and no more PAUSING. another unfortunate habit i developed. i have already taken all of my MGMAT CAT exams and am wondering if i should move on to another type of test- official GMAT tests perhaps? should i buy a different type? i know i can continue to take the MGMAT CATs but that some of the questions will be repeats.
this is quite a rambling post. many thanks if you made it to the end and have some advice for me. i know i can do this...i want it- please help me get there!
best,
katherine
p.s.- my profile is a bit more unique so i am hoping that will compensate for my less than stellar test scores if necessary (3.9 GPA at a pretty decent 2nd tier college in new england, strong work experience/upward growth in the marketing department of a luxury company for the past 5 years since undergrad)
i took the gmat for the first time yesterday and scored a 650. i was shooting for a 710, but am not totally defeated. i am proud of myself for not panicking (i was extremely concerned that stress would get the better of me, but i managed to stay calm!) and feel that i more or less answered each question to the best of my ability. 41 verbal/ 39 quant. highest practice was 43 verbal/ 42 quant (not at the same time!). started studying in march (took Manhattan GMAT course, which was excellent).
i ran out of time on verbal- i did some rapid guessing towards the end on probably the last 5-6 problems. i know my timing problem is reading comp, which is very odd since i was an english literature major/ungergrad. i think i am so used to close reading that i have a hard time skimming quickly. i also feel that the notetaking strategy i learned in my Manhattan GMAT course may be too time consuming for my already detail-oriented personality type.
but the real issue is the quant. i need to improve it. i am will to put in the work and would like some advice on the following strategy.
OG 11: did all problems 1x and many 2x-3x but didn't keep consistent notes on ones i had most trouble with. should i do them all again? or maybe just the last 100 in DS and PS?
OG Quant (Green): same question. redo all or just last 1/2 of each section?
(i would like to try going through them over and over until the pool of missed questions reaches 0. meaning keep redoing them until i get them right)
am considering using the MGMAT OG tracker this time around. it freaked me out before but i realize now that being that organized with my progress analysis may be extremely beneficial. thoughts?
i got into a bad habit of checking my answer after each OG problem. i will now attempt sets of 40 per night (one type- i.e. DS, PS, CR- per sitting) and only check after completing the set. should i use the MGMAT OG stopwatch? i practiced with a normal stopwatch previously but wonder if there is added value to that system.
finally, i will take 3 more practice exams prior to July 18th. my test is scheduled for 8am and i am not a morning person (this was the only weekend time available and i work full time), so i will practice getting up EARLY and giving myself adequate wake-up time before starting the exam. and no more PAUSING. another unfortunate habit i developed. i have already taken all of my MGMAT CAT exams and am wondering if i should move on to another type of test- official GMAT tests perhaps? should i buy a different type? i know i can continue to take the MGMAT CATs but that some of the questions will be repeats.
this is quite a rambling post. many thanks if you made it to the end and have some advice for me. i know i can do this...i want it- please help me get there!
best,
katherine
p.s.- my profile is a bit more unique so i am hoping that will compensate for my less than stellar test scores if necessary (3.9 GPA at a pretty decent 2nd tier college in new england, strong work experience/upward growth in the marketing department of a luxury company for the past 5 years since undergrad)
