510 to 660 to 700 (Q48 V 38)

Oh, I have been waiting to write this post!

A little about me - mid 20s female with undergraduate degree in environmental science from a small liberal arts college. I currently work in development at an educational non-profit. In other words, I have never taken a business or economics class, and before today, I have never been a good test taker (my SAT scores were so low, I applied to a college that didn't even require them!).

My GMAT adventure:
I began studying November 2010. I signed up to take a Princeton Review course in November/December and devoted my entire Christmas holiday to studying as much as I possible could. My first practice test was a 510, and I couldn't seem to break out of the 500s for the entire duration of my Princeton Review class. My teacher recommended that I need to take a ton of tests (I was having trouble with timing) and that I diligently review every wrong answer.

So over my Christmas holiday, I took about 7 GMAT practice tests (I generally skipped the writing section). It was after taking this many tests that I finally got my score into the 600s. When I took my first real GMAT test the first week in January, I scored a 660 (Q 45 V 35). I was ecstatic to achieve such a competitive score (there was a period there when I didn't think I could break 600), but I realized I was close to that 700 goal. I was emotionally drained from all that studying (and work was too chaotic), so I put the books aside and forgot about the GMAT until April.

I did two things in my second round of studying that were really helpful. First, I took an online class with Princeton Review (you can do this for free if you take a class). I didn't follow the homework syllabus at all, but used the class to listen to a teacher and to ask a TON of questions. Second, I went through every problem in the OG12 book. I started with my favorite section (problem solving) and then began going through the rest of the book. I would do between 15-20 questions a night, slowly chipping away. Once I did every question in the book, I went back through and attempted every problem I had gotten wrong a second time. For problems I still got wrong, I pulled all resources available to understand the problem completely. If I ever got discouraged, I went back and tried some easier problems.

All in all, I took a TON of online tests. I found I scored the lowest with Princeton Review but I thought the Manhattan GMAT tests were more difficult (ironically, the Manhattan GMAT tests were the only practice tests where I broke 700). I liked taking the GMATPrep tests because they looked so similar, but I never got above a 640. I also took a Newton test and a Kaplan test, but very early in my studying. In regards to other material, I really stuck with the OG12 through and through; I also purchased ManhattanGMAT tests online (pack of 5) and took all of those twice. I had a lot of books passed down to me from friends (Kaplan Advanced Prep, Princeton Review Manual, Manhattan GMAT sentence correction, Veritas Prep advanced math), but I found myself feeling spread out a little to thin. Stick with one book and study it cover to cover.

Some other things I learned along the way:
1. They make you take your watch off during the test. This was a problem for me, since I had practiced with my watch. Don't do that!
2. Don't forget to take deep breaths and do some stretching/jumps during your breaks (I did mine when no one was looking).
3. Smile and thank every person that works in your testing center. This was great for me. It made me feel more relaxed, the testing people liked me, and we were all jumping for joy together when I walked out with my 700.
4. When you reach the point where you feel fired up to take the GMAT, you're ready. After my 660, I wanted nothing to do with the GMAT. But this past month of studying took me to a whole new level... I was actually excited to understand problems. I finally figured out "the game" of the GMAT.

Hope this helps! If I can achieve 700, then anyone can. Just put in the time and don't give up.

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