I've been studying for the GMATs in earnest for 3 months. I had extended time, so I was at the test center from 7:30AM until 2PM. Time flew by, the proctors were professional and I had my palms scanned about 25 times. The surprise was that I was not permitted to leave the building. Absolutely the last thing I wanted to hear before starting a 6 hour test. I wouldn't describe myself as a heavy smoker, but when I want one, I want it.
I went out for one last smoke before I proceeded to check in and start the essays and got as much fresh air as I could take. I'm pleased to say that the silent environment of the testing center coupled with good preparation has made me one of the lucky few who hit his or her target on the first shot. I used Beatthegmat.com's 60 day self-study guide (without Kaplan - just not a fan of their material) and Manhattan GMAT. I focused on quantitative since I started off with a strong verbal performance on my first practice. I did not do all the OG12 problems. I work full-time and while I value repetition, I also value my sanity. Kudos to those who can do 150 Data Sufficiency questions or 50 reading comp passages and still be hungry for more. I benefit more from reviewing the concepts, which is why MGMAT was such a good fit for me.
For practice tests, I ONLY used the CAT tests provided by GMAC. Yeah, I got like 3-4 repeat questions after the first time. Big deal. That's 3 out of 78. Absolutely no substitute for familiarizing oneself with the format. Even just familiarity with how the screen looks. When you're at the test center in a new building and forbidden from taking anything familiar with you into the test building, it's helpful having at least one thing in the room look familiar. What better than the test?
Last but not least, I needed tutoring. I did 3 testmasters phone sessions and while yes, it's expensive (a good value, but expensive nonetheless), it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a full class and for me, a more efficient use of time. I got the basics on my own with the help of MGMAT and the structure provided by the daily emails from beat the gmat. But I needed a teacher to show me a few tricks AND to tell me that I'm on the right track and will do great. I went from 600 the week before I started with them to getting a 670 and 700 the next week.
My scores:
Baseline: 600 (Q33, V39)
Real Deal: 680 (Q44, V38)
To all the cigarette smokers, contact your individual testing centers about their policy. Pearson-VUE leaves it to the individual center to make that call. Some will let you out of the building. My test center was clearly not one of them. I get the security aspect, but still, not a pleasant surprise!!!
I went out for one last smoke before I proceeded to check in and start the essays and got as much fresh air as I could take. I'm pleased to say that the silent environment of the testing center coupled with good preparation has made me one of the lucky few who hit his or her target on the first shot. I used Beatthegmat.com's 60 day self-study guide (without Kaplan - just not a fan of their material) and Manhattan GMAT. I focused on quantitative since I started off with a strong verbal performance on my first practice. I did not do all the OG12 problems. I work full-time and while I value repetition, I also value my sanity. Kudos to those who can do 150 Data Sufficiency questions or 50 reading comp passages and still be hungry for more. I benefit more from reviewing the concepts, which is why MGMAT was such a good fit for me.
For practice tests, I ONLY used the CAT tests provided by GMAC. Yeah, I got like 3-4 repeat questions after the first time. Big deal. That's 3 out of 78. Absolutely no substitute for familiarizing oneself with the format. Even just familiarity with how the screen looks. When you're at the test center in a new building and forbidden from taking anything familiar with you into the test building, it's helpful having at least one thing in the room look familiar. What better than the test?
Last but not least, I needed tutoring. I did 3 testmasters phone sessions and while yes, it's expensive (a good value, but expensive nonetheless), it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a full class and for me, a more efficient use of time. I got the basics on my own with the help of MGMAT and the structure provided by the daily emails from beat the gmat. But I needed a teacher to show me a few tricks AND to tell me that I'm on the right track and will do great. I went from 600 the week before I started with them to getting a 670 and 700 the next week.
My scores:
Baseline: 600 (Q33, V39)
Real Deal: 680 (Q44, V38)
To all the cigarette smokers, contact your individual testing centers about their policy. Pearson-VUE leaves it to the individual center to make that call. Some will let you out of the building. My test center was clearly not one of them. I get the security aspect, but still, not a pleasant surprise!!!
