Hi Guys!
I know this will pale in comparison to other success stories out there, but hey I still think its quite an achievement moving 70 points up. I just finished taking my 2nd crack at the GMATs and I was glad I got a 690. Though I was aiming for 700 still I think I got a decent score. Here's the breakdown of my scores:
1st attempt: 620
Quants - 36 (43%)
Verbal - 38 (83%)
2nd attempt
Quants - 40 (66%)
Verbal - 44 (89%)
For my debrief, let me take you first to the first time I prepared and took the GMATs. I started reviewing on August 2010 and had my 1st attempt on December 2010. For my preparation I used Kaplan Premier and Kaplan Math Workbook which I got from a rummaged sale. Kaplan had really useful pointers when it comes to test strategies. I found their tips on the verbal good and I've been efficient in using them since.
However, for me Kaplan lacks more in depth explanation of the concepts especially in quantitative. They have difficult material for quants but then if you don't understand it you won't really be able to appreciate it. I also registered for 800score.com for additional practice tests. The test pacer worked well for me but the material is not that good when you compare it against Kaplan or MGMAT. However, the AWA essays are a must try. Even if you don't register for 800score program you still get to do some free essays and their critiques on the sample essays really help. As a tip to would be test takers, for AWA prepare a template so you can save time and focus more on the substance of your essays.
On test day, the nerves were really getting to me. However, when I did the AWA I was starting to feel comfortable. But when I hit quants, I felt the nerves it me up. The use of the noteboard and the erasable pen contributed to much of that. I just wasn't comfortable using them at first. I felt I got the first item in quants wrong and then the next, and the next one still. I panicked and soon choked, so I started guessing on a lot of items. Needless to say, this was the hardest lesson I picked up on my first try. On my next prep I made sure to practice using erasable pen and graphing paper to try and simulate the experience.
My Verbal section was a breeze through. I know I'm really strong when it comes to Verbal and I capitalized on that and focused my efforts there. I didn't want to score so badly on my first take. After my first attempt, I was hoping to get a 650 at least. My heart sank when I saw 620.
Here are the references I used using the first exam:
1) Kaplan Premiere (includes online material)
2) Kaplan Math Workbook
3) Official Guide to GMAT
4) GMAT verbal review
5) GMAT Quantitative review
6) Retired GMAT questions - paper tests
7) 800score.com practice tests
On August 2011 I decided to retake the GMAT exam originally for November but then I moved it to December because I was so busy at work. I first tackled my quantitative still using the Kaplan Math Workbook, Kaplan Premier, OG, and Official Quantitative Workbook. but this time I got hold of MGMATs quant books. The MGMAT quant books were comprehensive and really helped me understand some of the topics I had trouble before.
I also bought MGMAT practice tests, question banks, and OG archer and these tools really helped me a lot. MGMAT's materials are great for practice and the explanations really help me understand the concepts better. At the same time you can track progress through statistics which can help you focus on topics that you often get mistakes.
Unlike my first review, I did not really put much more effort on the 2nd attempt since I found out that I'm still pretty familiar with the other concepts due to my first review and I didn't want to burn myself out. However, I kept track of where I went wrong and planned to simulate the exam environment which in the end helped me to overcome my fears.
On test day, I was a lot more comfortable in taking the exam. On quants I did quite good in the start but some of the difficult questions bogged me down. I still did some guessing on hard questions but I was quite confident it wouldn't be as terrible as the last time. Verbal section now became second nature to me. On the verbal side I was weakest in sentence correction so on my last few days of review I focused on sentence correction.
And the result was a pretty decent 690.
I won't re take the exam just to get 700 or above. I think I'll take my chances. I'm planning to apply to Asian Institute of Management or to National University of Singapore and try to major in finance. Hope you like my debrief. For those that are going to take the GMAT first believe you can conquer, then have a good plan, act on the plan, and then stay calm and pray when you take the exam.
I know this will pale in comparison to other success stories out there, but hey I still think its quite an achievement moving 70 points up. I just finished taking my 2nd crack at the GMATs and I was glad I got a 690. Though I was aiming for 700 still I think I got a decent score. Here's the breakdown of my scores:
1st attempt: 620
Quants - 36 (43%)
Verbal - 38 (83%)
2nd attempt
Quants - 40 (66%)
Verbal - 44 (89%)
For my debrief, let me take you first to the first time I prepared and took the GMATs. I started reviewing on August 2010 and had my 1st attempt on December 2010. For my preparation I used Kaplan Premier and Kaplan Math Workbook which I got from a rummaged sale. Kaplan had really useful pointers when it comes to test strategies. I found their tips on the verbal good and I've been efficient in using them since.
However, for me Kaplan lacks more in depth explanation of the concepts especially in quantitative. They have difficult material for quants but then if you don't understand it you won't really be able to appreciate it. I also registered for 800score.com for additional practice tests. The test pacer worked well for me but the material is not that good when you compare it against Kaplan or MGMAT. However, the AWA essays are a must try. Even if you don't register for 800score program you still get to do some free essays and their critiques on the sample essays really help. As a tip to would be test takers, for AWA prepare a template so you can save time and focus more on the substance of your essays.
On test day, the nerves were really getting to me. However, when I did the AWA I was starting to feel comfortable. But when I hit quants, I felt the nerves it me up. The use of the noteboard and the erasable pen contributed to much of that. I just wasn't comfortable using them at first. I felt I got the first item in quants wrong and then the next, and the next one still. I panicked and soon choked, so I started guessing on a lot of items. Needless to say, this was the hardest lesson I picked up on my first try. On my next prep I made sure to practice using erasable pen and graphing paper to try and simulate the experience.
My Verbal section was a breeze through. I know I'm really strong when it comes to Verbal and I capitalized on that and focused my efforts there. I didn't want to score so badly on my first take. After my first attempt, I was hoping to get a 650 at least. My heart sank when I saw 620.
Here are the references I used using the first exam:
1) Kaplan Premiere (includes online material)
2) Kaplan Math Workbook
3) Official Guide to GMAT
4) GMAT verbal review
5) GMAT Quantitative review
6) Retired GMAT questions - paper tests
7) 800score.com practice tests
On August 2011 I decided to retake the GMAT exam originally for November but then I moved it to December because I was so busy at work. I first tackled my quantitative still using the Kaplan Math Workbook, Kaplan Premier, OG, and Official Quantitative Workbook. but this time I got hold of MGMATs quant books. The MGMAT quant books were comprehensive and really helped me understand some of the topics I had trouble before.
I also bought MGMAT practice tests, question banks, and OG archer and these tools really helped me a lot. MGMAT's materials are great for practice and the explanations really help me understand the concepts better. At the same time you can track progress through statistics which can help you focus on topics that you often get mistakes.
Unlike my first review, I did not really put much more effort on the 2nd attempt since I found out that I'm still pretty familiar with the other concepts due to my first review and I didn't want to burn myself out. However, I kept track of where I went wrong and planned to simulate the exam environment which in the end helped me to overcome my fears.
On test day, I was a lot more comfortable in taking the exam. On quants I did quite good in the start but some of the difficult questions bogged me down. I still did some guessing on hard questions but I was quite confident it wouldn't be as terrible as the last time. Verbal section now became second nature to me. On the verbal side I was weakest in sentence correction so on my last few days of review I focused on sentence correction.
And the result was a pretty decent 690.
I won't re take the exam just to get 700 or above. I think I'll take my chances. I'm planning to apply to Asian Institute of Management or to National University of Singapore and try to major in finance. Hope you like my debrief. For those that are going to take the GMAT first believe you can conquer, then have a good plan, act on the plan, and then stay calm and pray when you take the exam.
