770 - in 1.5 months

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770 - in 1.5 months

by prasant » Sat May 19, 2007 6:59 pm
Quant: 50
Verbal: 46

Needless to say, I am thrilled about my score. My prep was based entirely on material that I downloaded online from Beat the GMAT as well as few other places. I did a diagnostic test in the beginning of April and scored a 680 on it. I realized that the majority of the mistakes that I committed were in Sentence Correction and Data Sufficiency.

Verbal:
I used Sahil, Spidey SC notes which did wonders. I think the biggest single leap that I took towards a better score came when I read about the 2/3 split. It simplified things a lot for me. I used the Gmatter software to complete the SC bin from the OG. I rarely made mistakes in CR and RC, so I did not spend much time on those sections. Practice was the key to improving my accuracy in Sentence Correction.

Quantitative:
I have a background in engineering and I always considered math to be one of my strengths. However, I was not used to Data Sufficiency questions. The "AD or BCE" strategy helped minimize my errors in that section. Most of the time that I spent preparing was spent on verbal.

AWA:
I did not practice this one at all. I just hope to get something close to a 5 on it. I ran out of time while analyzing the issue. I felt good about my response to the argument section. In retrospect, I must have written atleast one timed essay prior to test day.

Test Day:
I scheduled my appointment for 12:30 and got to the center at 12. I began my test almost immediately. I have read a few posts in this forum complaining about the scratch pad, but I had no problems with it. I timed the AWA-Argument part perfectly. I ran out of time while analyzing the Issue and that led to a shaky conclusion paragraph. I cant wait to find out what I scored.
I took advantage of all the breaks available. I walked out of the test room, drank some water and relaxed for a few minutes before going back in.

My advice to test takers:
- Identify your weaknesses ASAP. It was not enough for me to realize that I had trouble with SC. I analyzed my mistakes and found the exact format of questions that were confounding me.
- Print out the flash cards available on this site and make sure you know them at the back of your head. I cant tell you how much they helped.
- Have fun while preparing.
- Stay relaxed during the test.
- Figure out what works for you and dont change a thing during the test. In the practice tests, I always finished the math section with 10+ minutes to spare. During the test, I had to fight the urge to change my ways and utilize the full 75 minutes.

Thanks a lot to this forum ... the material here is amazing. I did not buy a single GMAT book. All my preparation was based off of downloads from this place. Dont do what I did ... I got lucky :D

My Scores during Prep:
Gmatprep 1: 740
Gmatprep 2: 740
Retired Test 1: 680
Retired Test 2: 710
Retired Test 3: 740
Retired Test 4: 730
Retired Test 5: 720
Last edited by prasant on Tue Dec 25, 2007 8:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: 770 - in 1.5 months

by beatthegmat » Sat May 19, 2007 10:03 pm
prasant wrote:Quant: 50
Verbal: 46

Needless to say, I am thrilled about my score. My prep was based entirely on material that I downloaded online from Beat the GMAT as well as few other places. I did a diagnostic test in the beginning of April and scored a 680 on it. I realized that the majority of the mistakes that I committed were in Sentence Correction and Data Sufficiency.

Verbal:
I used Sahil, Spidey SC notes which did wonders. I think the biggest single leap that I took towards a better score came when I read about the 2/3 split. It simplified things a lot for me. I used the Gmatter software to complete the SC bin from the OG. I rarely made mistakes in CR and RC, so I did not spend much time on those sections. Practice was the key to improving my accuracy in Sentence Correction.

Quantitative:
I have a background in engineering and I always considered math to be one of my strengths. However, I was not used to Data Sufficiency questions. The "AD or BCE" strategy helped minimize my errors in that section. Most of the time that I spent preparing was spent on verbal.

AWA:
I did not practice this one at all. I just hope to get something close to a 5 on it. I ran out of time while analyzing the issue. I felt good about my response to the argument section. In retrospect, I must have written atleast one timed essay prior to test day.

Test Day:
I scheduled my appointment for 12:30 and got to the center at 12. I began my test almost immediately. I have read a few posts in this forum complaining about the scratch pad, but I had no problems with it. I timed the AWA-Argument part perfectly. I ran out of time while analyzing the Issue and that led to a shaky conclusion paragraph. I cant wait to find out what I scored.
I took advantage of all the breaks available. I walked out of the test room, drank some water and relaxed for a few minutes before going back in. I met this cute girl on one of those breaks and managed to get her # :wink: My confidence level was through the roof before the verbal part.

My advice to test takers:
- Identify your weaknesses ASAP. It was not enough for me to realize that I had trouble with SC. I analyzed my mistakes and found the exact format of questions that were confounding me.
- Print out the flash cards available on this site and make sure you know them at the back of your head. I cant tell you how much they helped.
- Have fun while preparing.
- Stay relaxed during the test.

Thanks a lot to this forum ... the material here is amazing. I did not buy a single GMAT book. All my preparation was based off of downloads from this place. Dont do what I did ... I got lucky :D

My Scores during Prep:
Gmatprep 1: 740
Gmatprep 2: 740
Retired Test 1: 680
Retired Test 2: 710
Retired Test 3: 740
Retired Test 4: 730
Retired Test 5: 720
Fantastic score! I'm amazed that you were able to prepare for the test using ONLY the materials available on this forum. That is really incredible.

Best of luck!
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by rajesh_ctm » Sun May 20, 2007 6:06 am
Congrats! Getting 770 in so less time, and that too with only the downloaded materials, is absolutely great!!!

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by drhomler » Sun May 20, 2007 12:31 pm
Nice work-and I woudl have to agree with you, this forum has a wealth of preparation materials, I have already improved my SC trmendously in less than 2 weeks.

GL with your apps. you should be in a good position with a 770

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by prasant » Sun May 20, 2007 3:42 pm
Thanks guys. I was expecting something around 720. I was ecstatic when I saw the 770 on the screen.
Now I gotta build other areas of my application. How many years of work experience do you think I would need to apply? I am 22 years old and have been working as a consultant for a year.

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by drhomler » Sun May 20, 2007 7:04 pm
Hey quick question in your 1.5 months of studying how many hours a week did you prepare?

In response to your question, I would say you might want at least another year of work experience but I think the average for most schools is closer to 5. But I would imagine it is dependent on the specific school and how well you present your application. I definitely cannot speak from experience, so I would take my opinions lightly.

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by Cybermusings » Mon May 21, 2007 2:38 am
Brilliant performance...You did a terrific job keeping in mind that you just used downloaded material....And kudos for getting the phone number!!! Way to go! :lol:

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by prasant » Mon May 21, 2007 9:03 am
drhomler wrote:Hey quick question in your 1.5 months of studying how many hours a week did you prepare?

In response to your question, I would say you might want at least another year of work experience but I think the average for most schools is closer to 5. But I would imagine it is dependent on the specific school and how well you present your application. I definitely cannot speak from experience, so I would take my opinions lightly.
I was quite lazy in the first couple of weeks - spending at most an hour a day. As the date got closer, I started feeling the pressure and did some practice tests whenever I found time. The last 2 weeks, I spent close to 2-3 hrs a day. The weekend before the test, I studied for abt 20 hrs in the 2 days. I started freaking out abt my prep the night before ... so my roommate took me out for a couple of drinks to ease my nerves.

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by prasant » Mon May 21, 2007 9:14 am
Cybermusings wrote:Brilliant performance...You did a terrific job keeping in mind that you just used downloaded material....And kudos for getting the phone number!!! Way to go! :lol:
I was totally thinking that i would need attempt #2. :lol:

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without OG 11 WOW

by aim-wsc » Tue May 22, 2007 11:10 pm
You are natural!
BIG CONGRATS to you Prasant. You've set a mark that GMAT is beatable without even spending extra $$. :)

So did you use 1000 series docs?
and 700's clubs success stories document?

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Re: without OG 11 WOW

by prasant » Wed May 23, 2007 10:27 pm
aim-wsc wrote:You are natural!
BIG CONGRATS to you Prasant. You've set a mark that GMAT is beatable without even spending extra $$. :)

So did you use 1000 series docs?
and 700's clubs success stories document?
Thanks man. I dont think there is anything that you can learn from books that you cant download online.
I barely used the 1000 series docs although I had them. I did not have the time. I have no idea what the 700's club success stories are.
I am just 1 year removed from undergrad. I believe that worked to my advantage.

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by Cybermusings » Tue May 29, 2007 10:48 pm
With a score like this you must try to woo ISB...I am sure you can charm many schools with a score like this....So where are you working? Dude it would all depend on a plethora of factors - Applications, LOR's, undergrad GPA...

So which are your target schools?

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by rajesh_ctm » Thu May 31, 2007 4:02 pm
Cybermusings wrote:With a score like this you must try to woo ISB...I am sure you can charm many schools with a score like this....So where are you working? Dude it would all depend on a plethora of factors - Applications, LOR's, undergrad GPA...

So which are your target schools?
Those days are gone when you could get an admission just by scoring well in the exam. ISB has same selection process as the US schools and you are judged by the overall application rather than by only GMAT score. So you cannot assume that you can woo the adcom with a high score.
But yes, a high score gives you one less thing to worry about in the application process :-)

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by prasant » Sun Jun 03, 2007 12:39 pm
Cybermusings wrote:With a score like this you must try to woo ISB...I am sure you can charm many schools with a score like this....So where are you working? Dude it would all depend on a plethora of factors - Applications, LOR's, undergrad GPA...

So which are your target schools?
I am working in Los Angeles for a top consulting company. I am planning to move to India and get some work experience with the other side of globalization. I will apply next yr or the year after. I am targeting the top 10 schools in the US.

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by prasant » Sun Jun 03, 2007 12:42 pm
rajesh_ctm wrote: Those days are gone when you could get an admission just by scoring well in the exam. ISB has same selection process as the US schools and you are judged by the overall application rather than by only GMAT score. So you cannot assume that you can woo the adcom with a high score.
But yes, a high score gives you one less thing to worry about in the application process :-)
I am glad those days are behind us. In my opinion, GMAT is just a test and it definitely does not reflect one's managerial abilities.