First of all, I must say: "thank-you" to the beat the gmat community. Without this forum, I would not have been as successful. I believe if someone is smart enough to find this forum, then they're smart enough to beat the gmat!
Admittedly, my target score was 720. So I didn't beat, or even meet expectations. But hey, a 690 isn't to shabby either. Plus, given that my first GMAT score this Nov. was a 610, I was estactic to improve my total score by 80 points in a month.
Background
I'm 31 years old with an undergratuate degree in mathematics. But, I've been out of school for over five years so my math was rusty to say the least.
Study Materials
Princeton Review: Used it to ease myself into the GMAT waters. Would recommend the guide for some strategies but ignore the "first 10 ?'s being the most important" nonsense--spending more time on the first 10 ?'s is a great way to burn precious time.
OG11: Must have. Best resource without a doubt for questions and I also found most of the answer explanations helpful too.
OG Purple/Green: If you need to run through more problems, then these two guides are worth the money--otherwise just stick to OG11.
Manhattan SC: Never finished it. Sentence correction was(still is) my weakest area in verbal. Bought the guide because of the raves and simply could not find the study time to work though it.
Powerscore SC Bible: Never finished it too. Fantastic waste of money on my part. Bought the thing after getting my first GMAT score. Lesson learned: don't through money at a problem.
Study Program
Like most on these forums, my plan was to: identify my weaknesses through an initial assesment, study my tail off for ~2hrs day and 4hrs+ on the weekends, and take the GMATTestPrep exams multiple times. Even though I was able to only log about an hr/day and 4-5 total on the weekends, I believe the above formula is very good and will bring many people great results.
Also, like many others have said, study smart not hard. Don't blaze through questions aimlessly. Work problems that make you uncomfortable and if you get the answer wrong--try it again before checking the explanation. Numerous times in the PS section I found myself saying "doh!" after giving a problem a second look.
Lastly, make sure you introduce time to your study sessions. My pacing greatly improved in practice and in testing conditions. I still never had enough time on the quant section of the test, but oh well.
Practice Tests
GMATTestPrep1: 480(youch!! after a couple weeks of PR and OG G/P)
GMATTestPrep1: 610
Powerprep1: 590(really didn't like the format...or the score)
GMATTestPrep1: 630
GMATTestPrep2: 650
GMATFocus: 39 - 47
Final Thoughts
Be honest with yourself. Set realistic goals. Realize you don't have to score 720+. Although important, a high GMAT score alone wont let you sail into your dream B-school.
Pour yourself into studying if you're serious. Procrastinating during the week leaves room for excuses in the end--don't be one of the people.
Finally, visit this site often for advice and best of luck on the exam!
Admittedly, my target score was 720. So I didn't beat, or even meet expectations. But hey, a 690 isn't to shabby either. Plus, given that my first GMAT score this Nov. was a 610, I was estactic to improve my total score by 80 points in a month.
Background
I'm 31 years old with an undergratuate degree in mathematics. But, I've been out of school for over five years so my math was rusty to say the least.
Study Materials
Princeton Review: Used it to ease myself into the GMAT waters. Would recommend the guide for some strategies but ignore the "first 10 ?'s being the most important" nonsense--spending more time on the first 10 ?'s is a great way to burn precious time.
OG11: Must have. Best resource without a doubt for questions and I also found most of the answer explanations helpful too.
OG Purple/Green: If you need to run through more problems, then these two guides are worth the money--otherwise just stick to OG11.
Manhattan SC: Never finished it. Sentence correction was(still is) my weakest area in verbal. Bought the guide because of the raves and simply could not find the study time to work though it.
Powerscore SC Bible: Never finished it too. Fantastic waste of money on my part. Bought the thing after getting my first GMAT score. Lesson learned: don't through money at a problem.
Study Program
Like most on these forums, my plan was to: identify my weaknesses through an initial assesment, study my tail off for ~2hrs day and 4hrs+ on the weekends, and take the GMATTestPrep exams multiple times. Even though I was able to only log about an hr/day and 4-5 total on the weekends, I believe the above formula is very good and will bring many people great results.
Also, like many others have said, study smart not hard. Don't blaze through questions aimlessly. Work problems that make you uncomfortable and if you get the answer wrong--try it again before checking the explanation. Numerous times in the PS section I found myself saying "doh!" after giving a problem a second look.
Lastly, make sure you introduce time to your study sessions. My pacing greatly improved in practice and in testing conditions. I still never had enough time on the quant section of the test, but oh well.
Practice Tests
GMATTestPrep1: 480(youch!! after a couple weeks of PR and OG G/P)
GMATTestPrep1: 610
Powerprep1: 590(really didn't like the format...or the score)
GMATTestPrep1: 630
GMATTestPrep2: 650
GMATFocus: 39 - 47
Final Thoughts
Be honest with yourself. Set realistic goals. Realize you don't have to score 720+. Although important, a high GMAT score alone wont let you sail into your dream B-school.
Pour yourself into studying if you're serious. Procrastinating during the week leaves room for excuses in the end--don't be one of the people.
Finally, visit this site often for advice and best of luck on the exam!
