I just Beat The GMAT!

Hi Matt,

Practicing CATs are the one resource that a Test Taker has to truly measure his/her abilities, so it's important to treat your CATs with a certain amount of "respect." If you want to gain some real perspective on how you're performing, then it's important to try to make the CAT-taking experience as Test-like as possible. To that end, here are some things you can do to increase the "realism" of the experience:

1) Take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections). This will help you learn about your overall pacing, endurance, and fatigue issues.
2) Take the CAT at the same time of day as your Official GMAT (and on the same day of the week, if possible).
3) Use a desktop computer with a mouse if possible (at a location OTHER than your residence, if possible).
4) Make your two 8-minute breaks as limited as they will be on Test Day. For example, you probably wouldn't have enough time to go smoke, you're not going to be able to microwave any snacks, you won't be able to take phone calls, check email, etc.

After taking a CAT, it's important to take a break before you get back to work. Taking a full CAT is a grueling experience; you want to have a clear head before you go back and review it. Remember to look at EVERYTHING you did, not just the questions that you got incorrect. You're looking to fix the things that went wrong AND improve on the things that went right.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi mattCFA2,

There are a few sources for practice CATs that I would recommend. Beyond the MGMAT CATs and 2 free Official CATs (from www.mba.com), you can purchase additional "blocks" of CATs from mba.com (2 CATs for $40), Veritas (a block of 7 CATs) and Kaplan (a block of 6 CATs that comes with the purchase of the Kaplan Premiere Book).

While taking a practice CAT on a regular basis (every 1-2 weeks) should be a part of everyone's study plan, it's important to understand what a CAT CAN and CAN'T do for you. It CAN give you an estimate of your score and point out your weaknesses. It CAN'T make you a better Test Taker. As such, you should not be planning to take lots of CATs - real improvement comes from doing practice problems and review.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi mattCFA2,

That's fantastic news about your improvement. You ask an interesting question, but the answer depends on a number of variables.

A 710 on the Official GMAT would be a fantastic performance (right around the 90th percentile) and it would be unbelievably unlikely that any Business School would reject you because of that score. There might be scholarships available that would depend on a specific (higher) GMAT score, but that's dependent on the School, Program, your need and possibly other variables.

With a GMAT score in that upper range, you would have to take a really good look at your overall application and how you "package" yourself. Working with an Admissions Expert is something that you might consider (especially if you're applying to a really competitive program). All things being equal, I'd suggest Round 2 over Round 3, but that assumes that every aspect of your application is ready to go. If everything looks good and you have a 710, then you should go for Round 2. The only reason to hold off would be if there was a way to significantly improve your application - scoring 750 instead of a 710 is NOT a significant enough reason to delay.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi BLACKSTONE1

I'm going to elaborate a bit more on the idea that jaybtg put across - review is a BIG part of preparation for the GMAT. Taking notes and using a Mistake Tracker/Error Log is important because it helps you to figure out WHY you're getting questions wrong. It's easy to say "I'm not good at SCs", but that doesn't explain WHY you're not good at SCs. Do you need to learn more grammar rules? Are you making little mistakes? Do you have a pacing problem in the overall Verbal Section, so you don't have enough time for your SCs?

Studying requires a bit of flexibility on the part of every Test Taker. You'll start off with a solid general plan, but you have to be ready to adapt it based on the intermediate results that come during your practice (from your quizzes and your practice CATs).

As to your question about Round 3, there are 'pros' and 'cons' to planning on taking the GMAT twice. Having the option to take the Test again is beneficial, but I would never advise anyone to take the Test if that person didn't feel ready in the first place. Rushing in because of a deadline is a BAD idea. In that same way, rushing in so that you can take it again later is also a bad idea. In that way, you might find it beneficial to schedule your GMAT for approximately 5 weeks before the deadline. When you're about 1.5 weeks out from that date, if you're feeling good about your progress (and your CAT scores are close enough to your goal scores), then you should take the GMAT as scheduled. If anything is "off" though - you don't feel good, your CAT scores aren't strong enough, etc. - then you should pay the $50 fee and push your Test Date back a month.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich