Beat the GMAT 1st Try! [740:::49Q 42V]

Find out how Beat The GMAT members tackled GMAT test prep with positive results. Get tips on GMAT test prep materials, online courses, study tips, and more.
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Beat the GMAT 1st Try! [740:::49Q 42V]

by cameronwu » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:44 am
Long-time lurker / small time contributor of the forum. I'd like to thank all those that posted questions / responses. Without yall, I would have never gotten this score.

Preparation:
Did all the problems in OG12 / browsed and somewhat contributed to the forum.
Worked on sections of data sufficiency and sentence correction the most - IMO, these 2 sections have the most technical nuances of all sections.

First time I took a full test - Today when I beat the GMAT. Never did a full test prior to 5 hrs ago - just worked and worked on problem sets. I don't recommend this, but it works for me. Background: currently in law school.

Thanks again to this forum and its posters.

-Cameron
Source: — I just Beat The GMAT! |

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by gmatmachoman » Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:36 am
Congrats..

Bro why dont u give a debrief abt ur prep??

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by cameronwu » Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:15 pm
Ok, but it's not very detailed or glamorous.

As I stated earlier, I did most all of the OG12 questions, except reading comprehension. I never touch reading comprehension because I feel that a thorough preparation of analytical reasoning is a better use of time than actually doing the RC sections. I myself have never gained any clarity or improved reading skills from doing RC. I feel like the tricky part in RC is actually identifying what the stimulus is asking for, and Analytical Reasoning has always helped me make a logical connection between evidence and conclusions. Anyway, that's just me.

I did all the Problem Solving problems in OG12 and didn't really need much practice with them - I did Texas 5a UIL math / number sense in HS and it's a surprisingly comprehensive background for GMAT Problem solving. To really solidify my knowledge in PS, I did some list of 100 hard GMAT problems.. can't remember the file, but I found it in the forums. Moved on and didn't really touch PS after that. Same goes for the Analytical Reasoning section. Did the OG12 problems and somewhat interacted on the forums. I've taken the LSAT and am in my 2nd year of law school so this section was quite familiar to me. This was all this past summer.

Law school semester started and I didn't touch GMAT forums or OG12 until early January. I crammed data sufficiency and sentence correction as I found those two sections to be the most difficult to consistently get correct scores. Did OG12, read the answer solutions and did some of my own independent grammar research regarding usage of participles and other verb forms or tenses. Do not underestimate the difficulty of the grammar and data sufficiency sections. I'm a rather technical person, but found the difficulty and nuances of these two sections very deep.

I have always been a very speedy test taker and I've never been worried about not being able to finish a test. The first time I took a full GMAT was the morning of the test. I do not recommend this. I studied, but it was mostly isolated in my weak areas. To me, the biggest difference between below 700 and above 700 is higher level data sufficiency and sentence correction questions. It paid off because I felt comfortable in areas that I had previously been weak in without diminishing my performance in the other areas I did not spend time on.

I ate a hot dog (smoked cheesy link) and a 5 hour energy 30 mins before the test. Took the test at 10AM and by the end, I was pleasantly surprised by the results and had to ask the proctor if that score on my paper was for real :D