I just Beat The GMAT!

Hallo everybody

Premise #1: I studied on the 3 OGs + Kaplan 800 + McGrawHill Guide 2009

Premise #2: I took MANY MANY simulations...
6 paper MGH tests; always between 2-4 mistakes in Q and 5-9 in V
6 computer MGH tests: Q was hard and V was easy... 700 - 740 - 740 - 760 - 740 - 740
5 computer CATPrep GMAT tests from Cindy Anderson...well, very very hard in V (always 9-16 mistakes) and easy in Q (always 1-2 mistakes)... 670 - 650 - 650 - 670 - 720
1 Kaplan CAT offered test at the Kaplan Center in Paris - 750 SOOOOO EASY (I finished both with 18 minutes of advance...only 1 + 4 mistakes)
2 GMAT official MBA.com 750 & 760...they were quite easy
Premise #3: I took the GMAT the 4th of Dec in ROME, and the administrator, before the test, told us that the official preparation test is normally 60-80 points above the real score on the GMAT....can you imagine the PANIC????? actually it proved to be true

Premise #4: I did not sleep a minute...fuck!! too nervous...I was having nightmares of Ron Purewal appearing over my bed like the Holy Mary of Lourdes...

ARGUMENT: the question was kinda "seen" in the official GMAT prep test...got what I mean? So I had many things to write...
ISSUE: not so nice, but whatever, who cares of AWA?

QUANTITATIVE

Nasty, nasty, nasty and even nastier than nasty...LONG questions which require more than 2 minutes, and, never done before, at least on 4/5 stupid long-time inequailities I picked C or E without even checking...this allowed me to save precious time for difficult word problems....believe me guys, it was very very hard, and I took many simulations!!! No perm/comb questions, but fucking stupid inequalities like "Is X + Y > 0 ?" or "Is X+Y(XY)/X - Y > 0 ? " and so on...nasty nasty nasty

VERBAL

RC were not so hard, SC were difficult but mostly on "word order"...with dangling participles and so on...
Worst was the CR, on the 2 official test I did not miss ANY, but on the real tests CR were much much harder!! No question weaken/strenghten, all question were "which of the following is an assumption" "X must be true unless which of the following is true" and "what is an inference"

However, I took a 730 with 49Q and 40V and I am very happy, though slightly lower than my official tests...BUT the tragedy was with other people with me, many who averaged a 620-650 on the official tests resulted in a very poor 530!!!

Conclusion; my 2 cents...OGs are ok if you want a 650 MAXIMUM!!! if you really want to Beat the GMAT with a 700+ grade, THIS WEBSITE IS THE ONLY RESOURCE with really really difficult questions!!!! You must get ready and perfectly skilled to make inequalities and to make them FAST!!!!

This website is the solution, believe me!! solve these problems, and take 2 minutes to solve them, no more

of course I will be pleased to give you my opinion for any advise you might need...this website has proved so HELPFUL for me that I want to give my contribution...I will periodically check this post!!

Ah, forgot to say.

Italian, 28yo, Graduated from Bocconi University in Finance with 110/110 cum Laude...working since 4 years for a French Corporation.

I speak 4 languages (also French and Spanish) and I have working experiences in Poland, US, France and Italy (of course)

TOEFL, no idea, I just took it last sunday...L - W - R ok, but speaking was a nightmare...I did not even study for the TOEFL...but I hope I got a 100 because I want to got to STANFORD! or Berkeley...but Stanford has the min req of 100 TOEFL while Berkeley is only 68 both are my first choice...

Other applications to:
UCLA
HARVARD
IESE

I hope to be accepted by some of them, and maybe with a scholarship!! You know, it's quite expensive...

Thanks and congrats !

thanks IAMCSTE, I must say that YOURS questions were always among the most useful!

This website has tough questions and MGMAT tests are also tough
with gmat styled timing.

I fully agree...

What is for sure is that, if your target is 650+, the OG is insufficient...