550 (around Q42, V23) â€“ 720 (Q 47, V 42)

So, a few years back I took the GMAT and made two major mistakes that resulted in a low score (550). I contribute this to two main things.
"¢ I assumed I would do better on the actual test because of adrenaline (although I did get a 700 on one of the practice tests (Manhattan GMAT), that was an anomaly)
"¢ I never practiced the AWAs

The 550 (around Q42, V23) was..not ideal of course. So I put off studying for a while. Then, after a couple year break, I thought about studying a lot and did an hour of studying here and there. Then finally this month, with a lot of time off of work, I decided to just tackle the GMAT and studied like mad.

I've provided major items that helped me to do better. I could go on and on about the specifics, but there are many other posts that already do this.

Here's what I did right (IMO):
"¢ Took a day off every week from EVERYTHING - work and GMAT included.
o I chose Sunday but you can choose any day. I know it sounds crazy, but a repose from the daily grind can really improve the effectiveness of your study time - https://yhoo.it/uffkor
"¢ Had study structure
o For me it was paying for a course (Master GMAT).
"¢ Trusted (after a long fight) the recommended methods to solving GMAT problems.
o I wanted a great score, so I wanted to be able to solve every question with 100% certainty. However, the GMAT is timed and the tricks supplied help to cut down time and get more questions right.

Here's what would have helped:
"¢ Tracking my errors better
o The course I took was great for pinpointing weaknesses, but questions from courses are different than those on the actual GMAT. On the MBA.com practice test I reviewed the week of the real GMAT, I noticed that about 90% of the missed quantitative questions were data sufficiency questions and 100% of the verbal questions I missed were sentence correction questions.
o Some time focusing on these two weak spots from retired official GMAT questions would have done miracles for my score, but with a couple days to go I didn't have much time.
"¢ More thoroughly going through the Official Guide
o The questions are the same even in reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction. Seriously!!
"¢ Not picking GMAT hobbies
o Most people have a section of the GMAT they enjoy more than others, but studying only what you're good at or enjoy is not the best way to a top score. It's no wonder that I didn't finish the SC section or the data sufficiency section in the official books (see tracking errors for more details)
"¢ Picking your ideal time of day for the test
o I'm a morning person and a 3:15-7:15 pm test appointment was not an ideal choice. Schedule your GMAT early enough that you have a choice of time.

Other thoughts: If you have paid for a course and are doing well on those tests, don't fully trust those scores. On the last course practice test, I got a 730-770 (Q 50-51, V 41-47). My score here was inflated for two reasons. One, I had learned to master the course, not the actual GMAT. Two, I took the test with a drink in hand while munching on snacks (not realistic).

Practice the AWAs. The first time around the GMAT I never practiced the AWA section. I did not factor in that my brain would be fatigued and reading passages and so on would be absolute gibberish to me during the last part of the test. If you practice the AWAs on your practice tests, you not only get more accurate scores, but you also learn to write the essays with less brain power. Less brain power expended at the first of the test can mean a continued stride towards the end of the test (think of Marathon tactics...the test is a marathon).

Hopefully this information helps others improve their test scores. The posts on Beat the GMAT have been very helpful (especially those from Stuart Kovinsky). Thank you all. I'll continue to use this site through the entire application process. BTG rocks!

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