660 to 710, 4 attempts, admitted to HBS!

As promised, here is my post regarding my GMAT experience(s).

First and foremost, I'm a 29 y/o, US Marine Pilot transitioning to the civilian sector.

My GMAT trials and tribulations lasted from March 2011 to Aug 2012, so first lesson learned the hard way: get in GMAT mode, get done, then get out! I was one of those that said, I'll take the GMAT cold with little to no prep, to see where I stand THEN start my GMAT prep. That's a flawed strategy.

At the very least, the strategy will cost you $250 for taking a test with no prep. Well $250 minus what it would cost you for some good practice tests! With GMAT prep tests being as accurate as they are, there is no reason to adopt this strategy, even if your company will pay for one GMAT test, as mine did. After attempt #2 (yes I was in denial), I finally used the MANHATTAN GMAT prep tests. The sad part is, I had access to them for most of the 18 month GMAT trial because I bought one $30 Manhattan Prep book (I later bought most of the set), and one book comes with 6 practice tests, each with great post-test analysis and breakdown.

I took the GMAT on

Mar 2011 660
Dec 2011 690
May 2012 660
Aug 2012 710 (47 Q / 41 V / 8.5 IR / 6.0 AWA) Don't have the other splits with me on vacation!

Anyway, so after that first test, I got a decent feel for how fast the test actually is, and where I was week...Data Suffic, Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction.

ATTEMPT TWO: I then used the Manhattan books too drill those specific sections, but I still wasn't disciplined. I hadn't picked a GMAT date so I was working with an open-ended TEST DAY SCHEDULE, lesson learned! Assess your GMAT strengths and weaknesses, how long you can dedicate to studying everyday, and determine how long you need to prep. Then book a test date!

With this test, I improved where I needed but not by the margin of improvement I would've liked! So the debate started whether I'd take it again, and I meandered with half-hearted GMAT prep with no TEST DATE booked.

ATTEMPT THREE: Life (a wedding, training deployments, etc) continued and I eventually decided to take the GMAT one LAST time. I continued to work on my weaknesses and maintain my "strengths", if I may be so bold. I thought it was important to break 700, as I've been out of school awhile and wanted to leave no doubt that I could handle the work. I am an aerospace engineering major serving in the military so a lot of the quant and business education will be very new to me.

I actually used my Manhattan GMAT prep tests for this preparation and felt good as I was consistently scoring 700-720. Well, the clock just hammered me. I violated the fundamental rules of self-timing / guessing and got behind in each section. I scored a disappointing 660!

I was crushed. I really needed to be done with this "GMAT thing" so that I could dedicate more of my time and, more importantly, energy to writing essays and managing my Letters of Rec. Within a week or two after the test, I knew I had to retake the GMAT.

ATTEMPT FOUR: I stuck with the MANHATTAN products because they worked for me. I liked the writing style, their approach to problems, their pace. I found a great free resource on their site called THURSDAYs WITH ROB, that helped to break up the quiet monotony of self-study. I took several more practice tests. I was scoring between 720-740 now. And after three attempts, I just plain saw most of the different types of problems the GMAT would throw at me. My confidence was renewed.

I took the test and for the most part stuck to the timing constraints. I still was somewhat rushed towards the end, which led to some anxiety when it was time to see my score. This attempt didn't really FEEL any better than my 690 test. The score page reported a 710 (92 %tile). not the 730 I had hoped for, but we broke 700. And after 4 attempts and over $1000 spent on tests and books, I was ready to move on. Round 1 deadlines were in 6 weeks!

I hope this helps. Its not as specific as other debriefs that I've read. I believe that in the end, you really must know thy self. Self assessment and awareness are important qualities to demonstrate during the entire application process, and in no small way, through life. I wasn't sure what my 4 scattered GMAT attempts would say to the ADCOMs. And to be honest, I still haven't had a chance to ask my HBS interviewer how those measured into my application assessment.

But what I hope it says is that I can do the work required to graduate. And that I will be persisent in achieving my goals. I hope is says that I really want to meet the metrics necessary to go to a top b-school and that I can contribute to my classmates and my school.

Cheers!

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