-
thingsandthings
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:02 pm
- Thanked: 1 times
- GMAT Score:720
Hello,
This is my first post here, and I am thrilled that my first post is a report of a surprisingly successful first GMAT, taken today (Dec. 07, 2009). I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and I feel my way of giving credit to this site is by posting my tale. My hope is that my experience, though an unorthodox one, might do some good.
I suppose the beginning is a good place to start. I graduated in May from a top 90 school (easily number 1 in terms of weirdest mascots) with a 3.93 GPA . I graduated with a BA in Sociology and a Certificate in Business Administration (which was the hour equivalent of a minor for arts & sciences students). After moving in with my parents after graduation, I spent the first two and a half months of my summer traveling with my parents, while passively looking for full-time employment. I spent another month going all out looking for a job, but had little success even getting the courtesy of a rejection notice. So, half-way through September, I gave up on the job search and decided to focus solely on the GMAT.
I came across this website and took the most common advice that I saw: I took the first GMATPrep test. I don't remember what my Quant or Verbal scores were (I didn't think to write them down as I didn't think they mattered), but my overall score was a 500. (Side note: in college I developed the habit of learning materials and skills quickly for use on tests, then forgetting them immediately after. That habit absolutely has stuck with me, so I was quite rusty for that first test, especially considering that that was my first GMAT exposure).
From there, I purchased Barron's Guide to the GMAT (15th Edition). I've read that this resource is a waste, but for a first introduction to the test, I found it quite helpful. I did a little more searching and saw that the OG12 and Kaplan GMAT Premier books were pretty well recommended. Those 3 books, the Kaplan Premier online applications, GMATPrep, and this website were the only resources I utilized. Once I finished going through the material in Barron's, I moved on to the Kaplan book. Despite all the typos in that book, I found the review to be a slightly more thorough representation of the material in Barron's, though both books benefited my studying. As far as the Premier online material, here is how I fared:
Diagnostic Quiz: 68
Seafoam Quiz: 68
Salmon Quiz: 74
Purple Quiz: 79
Practice Test 2 (linear): 650 (Q42, V40)
Practice Test 3: 590 (Q36, V33)
Practice Test 4: 600 (Q37, V33)
Practice Test 5: 630 (Q40, V36)
I took Practice Test 5 two weeks ago, a week after retaking GMATPrep 1, and a week before taking GMATPrep 2 for the first time (last Thursday). As you can see from my Kaplan test scores, they were low, and nowhere near my final result. I honestly thought those tests were as hard, if not harder, than the test I took this afternoon. Sometimes there were typos in the questions that caused me confusion on both the verbal and quant sections. Other times, I just didnt understand what the questions were asking me. The verbal questions seemed overly verbose, and the quant sometimes seemed impossible. Suffice to say, I was relieved to read that actual GMAT scores tend to skew higher than Kaplan CAT scores.
As far as my GMATPrep tests, here are the breakdowns for those:
GMATPrep 1 (retake): 680 (Q44, V40)
GMATPrep 2: 660 (Q44, V36)
Suffice to say, that 660 scared me. My original goal was to score a 700 on the test. So, having not even met that goal in practice, I started having doubts. That said, I'm thrilled with and shocked by my 720, but more on that in a moment.
I didn't get into the OG12 until after retaking GMATPrep 1. And to be honest, I was pretty lazy with my use of it. I would answer about 5-10 questions per day from each section (though the last week I stopped looking at the RC questions as I rarely had difficulty with them). So, looking into that book now, there are a lot of unanswered, unused practice questions. I am more than willing to admit that it was a reckless strategy, but I think it paid off as I didn't completely burn myself out. After my underwhelming GMATPrep 2, I spent last Friday and Saturday just reading solutions to questions, working problems backwards. Unorthodox, yes, but that helped me to understand some of the problems I was having with DS, PS, CR, and SC (I have come to find these abbreviations widely accepted on this site, so my apologies for those not in the "know"). Sunday, I caught a movie and watched my Vikings roll over to the Cardinals (I was terrified that this was a sign of bad things to come).
I suppose this brings me to today. I showed up early to my testing facility; they signed me in quickly and got me started on my test about 20 minutes early. I've read some horror stories on this site about the testing facility being under-prepared with their testing materials, so I made sure everything was in working order before I started. The essays came up and I breezed through them. I wrote lots of essays in college and had little concern for the AWA in my prepwork. It was a huge relief that the essays were not mentally taxing at all. I took this as a good sign for the rest of the test. I took only about half of my 8 minute break, during which time I downed a can of Red Bull that I stashed in my locker. Then came the quant section. I'll be honest, I think I just had a really lucky guessing day. I felt completely over-matched by the quant section. I felt totally helpless after the first 4-6 questions. When I could, I eliminated answers and made the best possible guess that I could. In all truthfulness, there were probably 4 questions that I blindly answered. But, I answered everything in time. I was pretty down after this. Again, I took only about half of my break and downed another Red Bull. Then the verbal section happened. I felt that this went swimmingly. I immediately got into a good groove, and quickly regained my confidence. Had this not happened, I likely would not have reported my score. I finished the verbal with about a minute to go, and then hesitated for maybe 5 seconds on the report screen. I was more curious to find out how badly I had done than I was confident. Then my 720 popped up, and I just collapsed in my chair. While an underwhelming score to some, that 720 is sublime for me, especially considering that I had no statistical evidence to support my expectation of even a 700. Today was just a day where it paid off to be lucky, rather than good.
So, now, I'll give you a brief summation of my preparation efforts and philosophy. To be perfectly frank, I flew by the seat of my pants. I did my best to internalize the key concepts for all the sections as I read about them. I have a strong memory for things that I mess up (as I mess up quite frequently in all aspects of life), so that kept me on the lookout for traps in questions. In regards to this website, I took a lot of the posited advice to heart, but rarely utilized it. I didn't keep track of my missed questions, I downloaded the flash cards but only glanced at them once or twice, I didn't use Manhattan's prep material, and I barely used the OG12. In all honesty, I am probably a terrible example for future visitors of this site. Where this site helped me the most, though, was in developing my confidence. Starting with that first 500, I thought a 700 could be an insurmountable score. But reading about even greater climbs gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities. I wasn't the smartest in my preparation, but it seems my dedication of time paid off (even if my score hinged on some lucky guesses). So, I suppose thanks are in order to you, Beat The GMAT.
Now, though, comes the hard part: deciding where to go to school (though getting a job and, thus, work experience, of which I have very little, will prove even harder). I'm going to take my time with the decision, and will likely continue to use this site as I ponder my options. I hope this wasn't too long and that maybe it will benefit someone. At the very least, you've all now received your well-earned thank you.
This is my first post here, and I am thrilled that my first post is a report of a surprisingly successful first GMAT, taken today (Dec. 07, 2009). I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and I feel my way of giving credit to this site is by posting my tale. My hope is that my experience, though an unorthodox one, might do some good.
I suppose the beginning is a good place to start. I graduated in May from a top 90 school (easily number 1 in terms of weirdest mascots) with a 3.93 GPA . I graduated with a BA in Sociology and a Certificate in Business Administration (which was the hour equivalent of a minor for arts & sciences students). After moving in with my parents after graduation, I spent the first two and a half months of my summer traveling with my parents, while passively looking for full-time employment. I spent another month going all out looking for a job, but had little success even getting the courtesy of a rejection notice. So, half-way through September, I gave up on the job search and decided to focus solely on the GMAT.
I came across this website and took the most common advice that I saw: I took the first GMATPrep test. I don't remember what my Quant or Verbal scores were (I didn't think to write them down as I didn't think they mattered), but my overall score was a 500. (Side note: in college I developed the habit of learning materials and skills quickly for use on tests, then forgetting them immediately after. That habit absolutely has stuck with me, so I was quite rusty for that first test, especially considering that that was my first GMAT exposure).
From there, I purchased Barron's Guide to the GMAT (15th Edition). I've read that this resource is a waste, but for a first introduction to the test, I found it quite helpful. I did a little more searching and saw that the OG12 and Kaplan GMAT Premier books were pretty well recommended. Those 3 books, the Kaplan Premier online applications, GMATPrep, and this website were the only resources I utilized. Once I finished going through the material in Barron's, I moved on to the Kaplan book. Despite all the typos in that book, I found the review to be a slightly more thorough representation of the material in Barron's, though both books benefited my studying. As far as the Premier online material, here is how I fared:
Diagnostic Quiz: 68
Seafoam Quiz: 68
Salmon Quiz: 74
Purple Quiz: 79
Practice Test 2 (linear): 650 (Q42, V40)
Practice Test 3: 590 (Q36, V33)
Practice Test 4: 600 (Q37, V33)
Practice Test 5: 630 (Q40, V36)
I took Practice Test 5 two weeks ago, a week after retaking GMATPrep 1, and a week before taking GMATPrep 2 for the first time (last Thursday). As you can see from my Kaplan test scores, they were low, and nowhere near my final result. I honestly thought those tests were as hard, if not harder, than the test I took this afternoon. Sometimes there were typos in the questions that caused me confusion on both the verbal and quant sections. Other times, I just didnt understand what the questions were asking me. The verbal questions seemed overly verbose, and the quant sometimes seemed impossible. Suffice to say, I was relieved to read that actual GMAT scores tend to skew higher than Kaplan CAT scores.
As far as my GMATPrep tests, here are the breakdowns for those:
GMATPrep 1 (retake): 680 (Q44, V40)
GMATPrep 2: 660 (Q44, V36)
Suffice to say, that 660 scared me. My original goal was to score a 700 on the test. So, having not even met that goal in practice, I started having doubts. That said, I'm thrilled with and shocked by my 720, but more on that in a moment.
I didn't get into the OG12 until after retaking GMATPrep 1. And to be honest, I was pretty lazy with my use of it. I would answer about 5-10 questions per day from each section (though the last week I stopped looking at the RC questions as I rarely had difficulty with them). So, looking into that book now, there are a lot of unanswered, unused practice questions. I am more than willing to admit that it was a reckless strategy, but I think it paid off as I didn't completely burn myself out. After my underwhelming GMATPrep 2, I spent last Friday and Saturday just reading solutions to questions, working problems backwards. Unorthodox, yes, but that helped me to understand some of the problems I was having with DS, PS, CR, and SC (I have come to find these abbreviations widely accepted on this site, so my apologies for those not in the "know"). Sunday, I caught a movie and watched my Vikings roll over to the Cardinals (I was terrified that this was a sign of bad things to come).
I suppose this brings me to today. I showed up early to my testing facility; they signed me in quickly and got me started on my test about 20 minutes early. I've read some horror stories on this site about the testing facility being under-prepared with their testing materials, so I made sure everything was in working order before I started. The essays came up and I breezed through them. I wrote lots of essays in college and had little concern for the AWA in my prepwork. It was a huge relief that the essays were not mentally taxing at all. I took this as a good sign for the rest of the test. I took only about half of my 8 minute break, during which time I downed a can of Red Bull that I stashed in my locker. Then came the quant section. I'll be honest, I think I just had a really lucky guessing day. I felt completely over-matched by the quant section. I felt totally helpless after the first 4-6 questions. When I could, I eliminated answers and made the best possible guess that I could. In all truthfulness, there were probably 4 questions that I blindly answered. But, I answered everything in time. I was pretty down after this. Again, I took only about half of my break and downed another Red Bull. Then the verbal section happened. I felt that this went swimmingly. I immediately got into a good groove, and quickly regained my confidence. Had this not happened, I likely would not have reported my score. I finished the verbal with about a minute to go, and then hesitated for maybe 5 seconds on the report screen. I was more curious to find out how badly I had done than I was confident. Then my 720 popped up, and I just collapsed in my chair. While an underwhelming score to some, that 720 is sublime for me, especially considering that I had no statistical evidence to support my expectation of even a 700. Today was just a day where it paid off to be lucky, rather than good.
So, now, I'll give you a brief summation of my preparation efforts and philosophy. To be perfectly frank, I flew by the seat of my pants. I did my best to internalize the key concepts for all the sections as I read about them. I have a strong memory for things that I mess up (as I mess up quite frequently in all aspects of life), so that kept me on the lookout for traps in questions. In regards to this website, I took a lot of the posited advice to heart, but rarely utilized it. I didn't keep track of my missed questions, I downloaded the flash cards but only glanced at them once or twice, I didn't use Manhattan's prep material, and I barely used the OG12. In all honesty, I am probably a terrible example for future visitors of this site. Where this site helped me the most, though, was in developing my confidence. Starting with that first 500, I thought a 700 could be an insurmountable score. But reading about even greater climbs gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities. I wasn't the smartest in my preparation, but it seems my dedication of time paid off (even if my score hinged on some lucky guesses). So, I suppose thanks are in order to you, Beat The GMAT.
Now, though, comes the hard part: deciding where to go to school (though getting a job and, thus, work experience, of which I have very little, will prove even harder). I'm going to take my time with the decision, and will likely continue to use this site as I ponder my options. I hope this wasn't too long and that maybe it will benefit someone. At the very least, you've all now received your well-earned thank you.
