GMAT Strategy

Hi all,

Here's my progress so far:

May 1/10 - Jun 30/10 - spent 2 months studying from MGMAT strat guides, approx. 20 hrs/wk
Jul 6/10 - Wrote my 1st CAT (GMATPrep #1) - Scored 540 (39Q, 26V)
Jul - Aug/10 (1 month) - Purchased entire set of Veritas books, worked through about 2/3's of the set. Sought the help of a new private tutor for Quant.

Aug 16/10 - Wrote 2nd CAT (MGMAT CAT #1) - Scored 700 (44Q, 40V)

Both CATs were written in exam-situations with AWA's as well.

Needless to say, I was quite stunned to see my score today, given how just a month ago I scored a 540 on the GMATPrep. I do honestly feel much stronger in Verbal than before (since then I've reviewed the MGMAT SC book, worked through the Veritas SC I, CR I, and half of RC books), and my Quant has definitely improved as well. But is it possible that my abilities have truly improved this much over just a month of time? How representative would my MGMAT score be? And should I attribute my substantial increase in score to the lower accuracy of the MGMAT CAT, or to my own capabilities? I guess I'm just very skeptical with how much I actually improved (and having read so many posts on here from people who've scored very high on the MGMAT CATs but very low on the actual GMAT raises my suspicions). I know the GMATPrep is the best indicator but I want to save it for my final week of study.

I've booked my exam for Sept 17/10, which gives me a month left to study. I plan on working through the remainder of my Veritas books, going through the OG fully, and writing the rest of the MGMAT CATs and GMAT Prep. I'm not working right now so I'm going to be studying on a pretty full-time basis these next few weeks. My goal is a 700+, and if today's MGMAT CAT is any reliable indication, hopefully this next month will be enough study time for me to reach my goal on the real thing

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I would attribute it to your own abilities. I have scored about 30-40 points lower on MGMAT than GMAT Prep. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the MGMAT math gets harder and harder with each of their CATS I take! While I got a 49 on my last GMAT Prep quant, I couldn't even finish my last MGMAT quant section on time!

InkyBinky wrote:I would attribute it to your own abilities. I have scored about 30-40 points lower on MGMAT than GMAT Prep. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the MGMAT math gets harder and harder with each of their CATS I take! While I got a 49 on my last GMAT Prep quant, I couldn't even finish my last MGMAT quant section on time!

Same thing happened to me. My first MGMAT CAT, I score 45 in Quant, 2 weeks later it dropped to 42. Similar drop seen in Verbal. I somehow don't trust MGMAT CATS as much anymore, cuz after 2 weeks of studying, how can your score drop in both?? And I knew while attempting the 2nd CAT that I won;t get a good score, since it seems a lot harder. Not sure why they are designed to be that difficult that it takes the student's morale down.

People usually say that MGMAT CATS are a bit harder as the math requires more time. So, if your score changed that drastically, it has to do with YOU rather than the MGMAT Cat or GMATPREP. Maybe some other factors played a role in your low score on GMAT PREP!

By the way, I am writing mine on Sept 17 too . If you are from the Toronto area, then I will see you there