-
dr82
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 11:33 am
- Location: United States
I took the GMAT this weekend and ended up with a 680 - 47Q (79%) and 36V (78%) for an overall 86%.
Going into the exam, anything 690+ I would've been happy with, anything 670 or lower would be a certain re-take. Sure enough, I ended up right on the fence with a 680. Its hard to beat myself up about scoring in the 86th percentile, but still feel I could've done better, especially on verbal.
I'll give a recap of my studies and insights. I studied for about 3 months total, mainly though the Kaplan Advanced classroom course. It was pricey, but provided some great instruction and resources (endless practice exams, quiz banks, books, lessons, etc). I didnt even come close to getting through it all. The instructor was great - he would answer any questions at any time, meet outside of class, whatever I needed.
I also went through some of the OG, but found most of the quant content too easy, aside from some of the questions at the end of each section.
I kept a log of my study time to help keep me on track and motivated to hit my goals. I ended up with about 170 hours of studying in 3 months, a little short of my 200 goal. It was tough because I work 12+ hour days. I usually tried to get in 2-3 hours on the weeknights and 3-4 hours on the weekends.
Enough background - here are my insights / what I'd do differently. First, I had VERY ingrained habits on the verbal section, and had a tough time adapting to the Kaplan methods for RC and CR. I never really got the whole passage map thing figured out. I shouldve practiced more RC to get better at it. I also think I probably missed too many SC questions. I had the 'basics' nailed (parallelism, verb agreement, modifiers, etc), but probably missed a questions I shouldnt have. I view SC as an area for GREAT potential - you can save valuable time and pick up valuable points by nailing it. Disclaimer - SC was by FAR my worst section when I started studying - it took me a while to get comfortable, but it will come!
As far as Quant - I utilized flashcards which helped. For instance, KNOW all pythagorean triples, basic number properties, ALL exponent rules, etc. This knowledge will save you time and points! I was a great feeling to see a 'complex' geometry problem, but immediately recognizing a 9-40-41 pythagorean triple, then getting the answer in about 20 seconds. Dont stress about combinations/probability - I only saw 2 problems and both were straightforward. (then again I only got a 47Q, so Im sure they get tougher)
I think I nailed the AWA - I felt comfortable with a Kaplan template, and exectued 2 well written (I hope) essays. We'll see I guess. I would suggest doing the AWA (and actually trying) for a fair amount of your practice exams - not only to get familiar with a template, but DO NOT underestimate the mental fatigure this extra hour has on your verbal. Train to give yourself the endurance.
My last piece of advice is to RELAX the day/night before. I took the day off work, played golf, went for a run, even got a massage (embarrassed to admit...ha). Aside from leafing through the Kaplan book for a few minutes and my flashcards once, I didnt really study either. I felt mentally fresh going into the exam, which was huge. TRUST the work you've put in - you wont forget anything overnight!
Sorry this got long. I would like some feedback on whether or not I should retake. I think I can do better, but am also confident the rest of my profile is extremely competive, so who knows. There is no guarantee I'll do better next time, and quite frankly Im sick of studying. Im leaning towards taking my chances with the 680...
If anyone is interested, here are my practice exam scores (in order of when I took them):
GMAT Prep1 (before class started) - 640
Kaplan Diagnostic - 620
Kaplan CAT1 - 600
Kaplan CAT2 - 610
Kaplan CAT3 - 690
Kaplan CAT4 - 680
GMAT Prep1 (didnt remember any questions from before) - 670
Kaplan UPT - 630
GMAT Prep2 - 660
As you can see, I never cracked the magical 700 barrier. Oh well. Life goes on, right?
Best of luck to everyone in your studies!
Going into the exam, anything 690+ I would've been happy with, anything 670 or lower would be a certain re-take. Sure enough, I ended up right on the fence with a 680. Its hard to beat myself up about scoring in the 86th percentile, but still feel I could've done better, especially on verbal.
I'll give a recap of my studies and insights. I studied for about 3 months total, mainly though the Kaplan Advanced classroom course. It was pricey, but provided some great instruction and resources (endless practice exams, quiz banks, books, lessons, etc). I didnt even come close to getting through it all. The instructor was great - he would answer any questions at any time, meet outside of class, whatever I needed.
I also went through some of the OG, but found most of the quant content too easy, aside from some of the questions at the end of each section.
I kept a log of my study time to help keep me on track and motivated to hit my goals. I ended up with about 170 hours of studying in 3 months, a little short of my 200 goal. It was tough because I work 12+ hour days. I usually tried to get in 2-3 hours on the weeknights and 3-4 hours on the weekends.
Enough background - here are my insights / what I'd do differently. First, I had VERY ingrained habits on the verbal section, and had a tough time adapting to the Kaplan methods for RC and CR. I never really got the whole passage map thing figured out. I shouldve practiced more RC to get better at it. I also think I probably missed too many SC questions. I had the 'basics' nailed (parallelism, verb agreement, modifiers, etc), but probably missed a questions I shouldnt have. I view SC as an area for GREAT potential - you can save valuable time and pick up valuable points by nailing it. Disclaimer - SC was by FAR my worst section when I started studying - it took me a while to get comfortable, but it will come!
As far as Quant - I utilized flashcards which helped. For instance, KNOW all pythagorean triples, basic number properties, ALL exponent rules, etc. This knowledge will save you time and points! I was a great feeling to see a 'complex' geometry problem, but immediately recognizing a 9-40-41 pythagorean triple, then getting the answer in about 20 seconds. Dont stress about combinations/probability - I only saw 2 problems and both were straightforward. (then again I only got a 47Q, so Im sure they get tougher)
I think I nailed the AWA - I felt comfortable with a Kaplan template, and exectued 2 well written (I hope) essays. We'll see I guess. I would suggest doing the AWA (and actually trying) for a fair amount of your practice exams - not only to get familiar with a template, but DO NOT underestimate the mental fatigure this extra hour has on your verbal. Train to give yourself the endurance.
My last piece of advice is to RELAX the day/night before. I took the day off work, played golf, went for a run, even got a massage (embarrassed to admit...ha). Aside from leafing through the Kaplan book for a few minutes and my flashcards once, I didnt really study either. I felt mentally fresh going into the exam, which was huge. TRUST the work you've put in - you wont forget anything overnight!
Sorry this got long. I would like some feedback on whether or not I should retake. I think I can do better, but am also confident the rest of my profile is extremely competive, so who knows. There is no guarantee I'll do better next time, and quite frankly Im sick of studying. Im leaning towards taking my chances with the 680...
If anyone is interested, here are my practice exam scores (in order of when I took them):
GMAT Prep1 (before class started) - 640
Kaplan Diagnostic - 620
Kaplan CAT1 - 600
Kaplan CAT2 - 610
Kaplan CAT3 - 690
Kaplan CAT4 - 680
GMAT Prep1 (didnt remember any questions from before) - 670
Kaplan UPT - 630
GMAT Prep2 - 660
As you can see, I never cracked the magical 700 barrier. Oh well. Life goes on, right?
Best of luck to everyone in your studies!
