Got a 700 - 51/34/5

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Got a 700 - 51/34/5

by i.dreem » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:40 am
I gave GMAT some time back and got a 700 with 51 in Q and 34 in V.

Key take aways from GMAT experience:

- In most of the cases, it is verbal that pulls the score down. I did Manhattan + OG 10 & 11. In practice tests i even got a 45-46. But still in the actual test i got 34. I think CR is quite manageable. It's SC & RC which together do the damage. I think OG & Manhattan helped to a certain level but then it's upto a person to grasp & apply in the real time.

- Quant had lot of tricky questions. It had some long and confusing word problems. But the key to solve those kind of problems was to remain fully concentrated and not miss anything in the problem statement. Whenever i found that i had time on hand and was ahead of time, i used to resolve the questions. I found 3 mistakes in resolving. And so much so that the original incorrect answer i had found was there as one of the options.

- I used the timing chart shared on this website. Before starting the section i would make the table on the sheets given to us. After 10th question, x mins shud remain, after 20th, y mins and so on. I did this for bothe Quant & Verbal. It helped a lot. I think this was one of the best ways to track time and thanx to this forum that i learned this technique.

- I delayed prep for AWA and really started 4-5 days before the actual test. I think this got me 5.0 in AWA. I feel i shud have started earlier. Shud have given myself a couple of weeks and improved upon to get a 6.0. Don't delay AWA till the last moment.

- One more reason why i got 5.0 in AWA. I was feeling good after writing the first essay and hence started the second essay (Issue) on an overconfident note. I didnt bother to stick to the strategy to brainstorm for a couple of minutes and then start writing. I straight away took a side and started writing. 5 minutes into the essay and it occurred to me that the other side offered more persuasive examples. I switched side in the middle of my essay. Though i completed everything in time but then i got 5.0

I found a friend in erjamit through this forum who actually who lives in next lane :-)

Special thanx to Psychodementia for all his help, guidance and support during and after my prep. Psychodementia , you rock !

For people not so confident in Verbal, i wud recommend https://www.crackverbal.com/ . Though i didnt attend the bootcamp as such but i took guidance (not only verbal but all aspects of GMAT & MBA) from the mentor himself and the ideas have really helped me in tangible ways.

And thanx to all the forum members for sharing so much information and knowledge on this forum.

Happy to help for any queries.

-i.dreem
"Trying to make each day better than yesterday"
Source: — I just Beat The GMAT! |

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by amitdgr » Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:15 am
First of all congratulations to break the 700 barrier (well you reached it :) )

I have a question i.dreem ..... How comparable is the real GMAT to the GMATPrep and OG ??

And ... please share some verbal tips :)

Thanks
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by aj5105 » Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:51 pm
congrats !

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by i.dreem » Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:51 am
thanx amitdgr & aj5105

amitdgr, to answer ur questions, i wud say GMAT Prep & OG are the best material out there for preparation.

GMAT Prep is similar to GMAT real test:
- look & feel is exactly the same
- type & level is also similar. I would say Quant in GMAT Prep software was a lot tougher than the actual test. On actual test Quant was easier. I never scored 51 in quant at home in GMAT prep. But got 51 in the actual test.
- Verbal in GMAT prep was a lot from OG especially CR. Hence, the score i got at home was bit inflated. in actual GMAT verbal was tough.

In the end, i think the score boils down to how good or bad u do in verbal. and that too at the end of ur 4 hr exam. that means, one needs a lot more clarity in Verbal section - clarity in SC and a clear head in RC. + stamina to think clearly at the end of 4 hr exam.

So, do as much as u can in Verbal. Don't give an inch. In the end, it will make a whole world of difference, when u see 700 on the screen or 740. It will change ur world.

-i.dreem
"Trying to make each day better than yesterday"

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by amitdgr » Sun Oct 19, 2008 9:33 pm
i.dreem wrote:thanx amitdgr & aj5105

amitdgr, to answer ur questions, i wud say GMAT Prep & OG are the best material out there for preparation.

GMAT Prep is similar to GMAT real test:
- look & feel is exactly the same
- type & level is also similar. I would say Quant in GMAT Prep software was a lot tougher than the actual test. On actual test Quant was easier. I never scored 51 in quant at home in GMAT prep. But got 51 in the actual test.
- Verbal in GMAT prep was a lot from OG especially CR. Hence, the score i got at home was bit inflated. in actual GMAT verbal was tough.

In the end, i think the score boils down to how good or bad u do in verbal. and that too at the end of ur 4 hr exam. that means, one needs a lot more clarity in Verbal section - clarity in SC and a clear head in RC. + stamina to think clearly at the end of 4 hr exam.

So, do as much as u can in Verbal. Don't give an inch. In the end, it will make a whole world of difference, when u see 700 on the screen or 740. It will change ur world.

-i.dreem
Thanks for your reply i.dreem :)
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