I just Beat The GMAT!

So I wrote the GMAT yesterday, and ended up with a 760 (49Q 44V), and I wanted to share my experience, in case it can be helpful to someone. I'm going to preface this by telling you that I did no prep for the verbal section, so if that's your area of weakness, I may not be able to offer any advice, beyond some general things that are applicable to all sections of the test (and my suspicion that an LSAT guide for Reading Comp and Critical Reasoning might be better than a GMAT guide) and some (hopefully different) test day tips. My post will also include some information on the Economist's GMAT program, so if you're considering that, read on (I didn't find all that many reviews about it before signing up, so I thought I'd share). I've tried to highlight what I'm going to mention in each section and a brief summary of the points after each because this got rather long, and that way you can skip to relevant content.

Preparation/Studying (including OG Guides, Manhattan, Kaplan and the Economist):
I started preparing for the GMAT in about mid June. After a friend highly recommended the Manhattan series, I bought all of the books, and started working my way through the Quant guides. Everything seemed to be going fairly well, and I could get all of their practice questions without much of a problem (I wasn't doing their recommended OG problems at this point though). On July 20 I wrote my first Practice CAT (Manhattan GMAT 1) . I ended up with a 640 (40 Q 37 V). Although I wasn't SUPER impressed with the score, it met my "minimum don't panic score" and I continued studying. Since my quant score was so much lower (percentile wise) than my verbal score I spent the next week seriously reviewing the Manhattan guides and doing almost all the OG problems. I wrote the second Manhattan CAT a week later and ended with a 670 - I wasn't thrilled... my verbal had gone up to 41 without any work, but my quant stayed at 40. At this point I figured I probably needed the extra OG Quant guide, so I picked that up and spent the next week and a half reviewing their math section and doing practice problems. CAT 3 ended with a 680 (41 on both sections). At this point, I was frustrated that my quant just wasn't improving, so I decide to switch methods and try out the Kaplan GMAT Premier Book for 5 days before taking CAT 4. Terrible idea. My Quant score went back down to 40 (overall was 700 with a 45 on Verbal).

So after almost 2 months of studying Quant, I've made absolutely 0 progress, but my Verbal score has gone up to the 99th percentile with absolutely no work (other than looking over the questions I got wrong in that section on my CAT exams). I realized that I needed serious GMAT math help (I say GMAT math, because I've always been a good math student, but GMAT math is just different). To my dismay, I couldn't find a GMAT course that met all three of my criteria: Compressed (I had 3 weeks to go till test day), Affordable (I saw some tutoring services that charge up to $200 per hour) and Quant only focused (I wasn't about to waste precious studying time improving my 99th percentile verbal score).

That's when I finally caved to all the google remarketing ads for the Economist's free trial and signed up. I managed it so that I didn't do any of the verbal stuff and only the quant. After a week, I loved it! I had done about 20% of the math content and I found it really useful, so I decided spending the money on it was definitely worth it. I purchased extended access and spent another week going through the material. With one week left to test day (and 40% of the Economist's Quant material complete), I decided to take my first GMAC OG practice exam. I ended up with a 740 (47 Q 46 Verbal). I was thrilled - finally an improvement in the Quant section! So I spent the next week doing an additional 25% of the Economist's material (for a grand total of 65% Quant complete, 0% verbal material) and wrote the test yesterday (more about test day and score reflection below).

Take aways/prep tool review:
Manhattan Guides: I'm still convinced that these are the best paper/self guided study tools. The content is conveniently broken down into categories that makes studying easier to manage (also, since their CAT's ID each question type, it makes it easier to target your studying, especially if you have one really weak area). Granted I didn't spend any time with their verbal guides, so I can't comment on those.

Kaplan Premiere: I found this absolutely useless. They try to teach you shortcuts without content, and although the GMAT certainly requires you to know a lot of tricks and shortcuts, it doesn't help if you don't have an understanding of the content. I used Kaplan to study for the LSAT years ago, and I loved their program, but for the GMAT I would not recommend it (although, I would HIGHLY recommend getting an LSAT guide for the verbal section if you're having trouble with it - I'm convinced that's why my verbal went so well). Again, I can't comment on the verbal section of their guide - maybe it's better?

Economist GMAT Tutor: I can't recommend this highly enough! The interface is easy to manage, and you get to choose (to some extent) what you're studying/where you're spending your time (i.e. you select the length of each session, if you want to focus on Verbal or Quant or both and if you want to choose your own lessons). Although I did choose my own lessons sometimes, I tried to let their algorithm do it's thing and tailor the content to me, and I found it really helped. They are also very responsive with their Ask a Tutor system and Technical support, and the essay grading is a great added bonus that a lot of prep courses don't offer. Honestly, I can only imagine my score would've improved even more if I had started this course months ago and had the time to complete all of the quant material. And the trial is actually free, with full access to everything you get when you sign up, so you have nothing to lose - go try it! I can honestly say that it took my score from a 700 to a 760 in three weeks!

Leading up to test day: You will read a lot of different pieces of advice about what to do in the week and days leading up to your test date. Some people say don't take a CAT, some say do. Some say don't do any studying the day before, others say do some light reviewing. I did do some light studying (about 2 hours) the day before (reviewing my GMAC exam), but I also spent some time doing something fun to relax. Do what feels good for you. I would recommend a nap though, for reasons you'll see below.

Night before the test: So I had tried to do everything right. I had turned off everything an hour before I wanted to go to bed, I had gone to bed an hour earlier than I wanted to be asleep. Everything was packed and ready to go. And then I couldn't fall asleep. Now this is highly unusual for me. I'm not a nervous test taker, nor an insomniac (I sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow usually). I tried everything. From warm milk and herbal tea, to hypnotic YouTube videos... and nothing. So I have absolutely zero advice as to what to do if this happens, other than I'm super grateful for the nap I took the day before.

Test Day: So I was pretty annoyed with myself for not being able to sleep. I knew I needed to not be groggy for this test, but what can you do? I tried to eat "high energy foods" - I had some coffee (I'm not a coffee drinker, so this required copious amounts of milk and a pump of hazelnut syrup), a spinach, feta and egg wrap (from Starbucks, my total favourite!) and some greek yogurt with blueberries and granola. I also went for a very quick run to try to wake myseful up/clear my head. I tried to just relax after that and did a little bit of warm up for each section. I definitely also listened to my pump up play list.

I arrived at the test centre quite early and they told me they could take me earlier than expected. This was probably good, because I don't think sitting in the waiting room would've done me any good. I got all my snacks ready (And I brought a lot - Almonds, 3 power bars, 2 apples and water) and went on in. At this point I was rather tired - I felt like the ground was shifting beneath me at some points, but figured I might as well keep going.

The actual test: The essay and IR section went pretty smoothly as far as I can tell. Finished with a couple of minutes to spare. The quant section also went really well... until the last question. I had 3 minutes left to answer it, and started frantically working it out and COMPLETELY forgot to look at the timer... until the test timed out. This had never happened to me before (I always just guessed if I had to) and I definitely panicked. I knew that (according to the GMAC) there are "severe penalties for not finishing" - not going to lie, I totally freaked out. Somehow between my apple and my power bar I managed to convince myself that it would be ok. And the verbal section is a blur. I was seeing double at one point and it took everything I had to not just click answers to be able to go home and nap.

I didn't even consider cancelling my score and when I saw the 760, I was definitely ecstatic!

Test Day Tips:
-Bring good snacks, and do your practice tests with those same snacks
-Get used to not having a timer for your breaks - you're not allowed a wrist watch and you have to exit the testing room during breaks - this meant I had no idea how I was doing for timing on my breaks.
-If you finish a section early (other than the Verbal one) don't just rush to the next section. Take that extra minute or two to have a mini break or extend your break. I did this between the essay and the IR and it definitely helped. I also had some extra time left after IR and I sat and watched the clock tick till about 30 seconds, when I put up my hand (that way you don't waste any of your valuable 8 minutes waiting for the administrator to walk over and escort you out).
-Move during your breaks - I jumped on the spot and generally looked like a crazy person (without being disruptive of course), it gets your blood flowing to your brain.

Overall reflection: I am thrilled with my score and not even considering retaking it. I am not going to lie, I am wondering what would've happened if I had just guessed on that last question in the Quant section or if I had gotten enough sleep. I definitely think the lack of sleep affected my performance on the Verbal section (I would've liked to see a 45 or 46 like on my last two practice exams). Lastly, I'm sure I could've improved my Quant score even more by doing the last 35% of the Economist's material, but I just didn't have the time. And hey, I am absolutely not complaining about a 760 - I am definitely of the belief that after a certain point, that extra 10 or 20 point increase in your score doesn't do much to sway the AdComs one way or another.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions! I know how tough this can be and would LOVE to help others in any way I can!

Just wanted give you a big congrats, taniasteyn! You really rocked the GMAT, and I'm glad that the Economist GMAT Tutor helped you. And in case you don't already know -- you will get $50 in Amazon gift cards ($25 from Beat the GMAT and $25 from Economist GMAT Tutor) if you review the program on this site. Congrats again and hope the b-school application process is as smooth as can be!

Wow! Big congrats! 760 is fantastic! I am definitely going to try the Economist GMAT Programme. Quick question, did you make use of a tutor or online classes? Most ppl who get high scores tend to have tutors but it is SO expensive and I don't know if it is actually worthwhile?

Regards,
Melissa

Congrats! That's so awesome. I have a question, how much time did you commit to studying each day? I am curious because I have a tendency to go overboard and I need a reference point. I'm also particularly interested b/c I am also lopsided (96th percentile Verbal, won't even go there Quant).

Thanks!

Danielle

Hi Melissa,
I did not actually have a tutor. Although the Economist program came with some tutoring hours, I didn't have time to make use of them (since I only had 3 weeks). I only used the adaptive computer tutoring system. I did have 1 essay scored by an Economist tutor (also included in your Economist package) and that was really useful (I ended up getting a 6/6 on my essay).
I would say that the Economist is a very good option if you are having trouble only using the self study guide books (like Manhattan) and don't want to spend so much money on a tutor or online classes. I also found that the online classes were tough to fit into my schedule AND not personalized (i.e. I would have to sit through the Verbal classes too).
Anyway, I'm sure if I can raise my score by 60 points in 3 weeks, you can achieve great results, especially if you have the time to complete more of the Economist course. Like I said, you get 1 week for free. I managed to do quite a bit of the material in that first week and I think if you invest the time in the trial you'll have a good sense if it will work for you.
Let me know if you have any other questions!


Danielle,
That's awesome on the verbal score! That's half the battle. As for the amount of time I tried to study, it varied a little bit. BEFORE I started the Economist course (just using books) I probably studied for about an hour to two hours 5 days a week. And then I would throw in a full practice test here and there of course.... In those last three weeks, not counting my practice tests, I did 36.5 hours (I know this because the Economist tutor tracks it).. so 12 hours a week.. I usually did more on the weekends (particularly Saturdays because I did practice tests on Sundays). Honestly, I would really recommend trying out the Economist tutor (or anything else that gives you a free one week trial for that matter). I had a hard time with just the books and couldn't afford a course or tutor.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions.

Tania

Hi Tania,

I'm having a tough time with the IR section, and almost always have to guess on the last question before it times out. Could you give me tips on how to handle that? Also, I have already attempted the GMAT and scored 680. IR is new to me as I gave my GMAT in 2010. I have a low quant percentile and quant's my weak area. Could you help me with tips to improve on that.
Thanks,

Hi niyatisrivastava,
So I was having a very tough time with the IR as well (according to my Manhattan practice tests at least - literally, I think I scored in the 3rd percentile....) and I stressed quite a bit about this as well. I didn't quite get to the IR Material in the Economist course, but if I had to judge the quality of it by the Quant material, I would guess that it is excellent.

I am absolutely no expert on this because I didn't have the opportunity to do targeted IR prep, but here is what I would recommend:
-The Economist course if you can afford it/have the time. I managed to get 65% through the Quant material (which includes IR) in about 36 hours... so if this is an option for you, I would recommend it.
-Even if you can't afford it, sign up for the free one week trial and maybe use your free Skype strategy session or Ask a Tutor questions to ask their advice?
-Improving your Quant score in general will probably help you on IR. I found it more quant heavy than CR or RC heavy.
-Take the GMAC free practice tests that include IR - I don't know if you have already done this, but I was pleasantly surprised. On the Manhattan IR sections I was doing AWFUL - like I said... 3rd or 4th percentile. But when I took my first GMAC test, I scored 8/8 and managed to get that same score on the real thing.

I'm sorry that I don't have more specific advice on this subject. I know a lot of schools have said that they aren't really evaluating the IR section for the first few years because it is so new, but I understand not wanting to leave it to chance.
Good luck, and let me know if I can help in any other way!

Congrats Ma, hope to do at least as much as you have done.

Hi taniasteyn,
I have to say I felt really identified with your case. I'm currently studying with the Economist course, have my Manhattan GMAT books, Kaplan, and OG. I am not a native english speaker, but have good verbal skills, so I'm mostly worried with the Quant section. But from your story I know I can Beat the Gmat as you did. Thank you for your story, you are such an inspiration and I hope that in a few weeks I can write a post like your with a successful outcome.

Regards,

Hey Candyrocio,
If it makes you feel any better, I'm not a native speaker either, although I have been studying in English for over 10 years! You can definitely do it!
Good luck,
Tania

Hi Tania,

Thank you for sharing your story to us. I did try the trial of Economist for the last 3 days and I found it's very helpful. I take a free test today and my math improves much.

You mentioned about LSAT RC and CR. Would you please give me the full name of the books? My verbal skill is not as good as math so I'm trying to improve it.

Finally, congrats on your scores it's amazing!

Regards,
Vy

...

Hi VyDinh,
I used the Kaplan LSAT Premiere series (back in 2010) so my version is a little older. I think this is the updated version: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/home/book ... 5wodUH0AAA

I really thought it did a great job, particularly with the CR section. Hope that helps!

Thanks, Tania

Thanks so much for the reply, Tania. I have subscribed to the Economist Tutor and the techniques that they teach are so useful - something that isn't taught in GMAT books. I've only done around 20% of the material and I'm taking my official exam on 09 December. Putting in 2 hours a day and 4-5 hours on a Saturday
and on a Sunday. Do you think this sufficient for my timeframe?