I spent the last few months doing the Princeton Online course with 5 CATs. I did all lessons and completed all homework, including all OG 11 problems the course picked out for me, based on my progress.
When the course instructed me to at various points in the syllabus, I took the five PR CATs and scored between 620 and 690 on each (avg breakdown of about Q38 V40). I also wrote the two AWAs essays prior all 5 tests to simulate the full test duration.
After the five PR tests, I took GMATPrep 1 (~650) followed by GMATPrep 2 and on that last test finally broke the 700 barrier with a 710 Q42 V45. About six days later I sat for the real test.
On the real GMAT test last Saturday I scored a 620 - Q42 V32. I was very disappointed by my low Verbal score as that tended to be higher than my Quant in the practice tests. While I employed a disciplined timing strategy in my practice tests, timing got the better of me in the real test as I scrambled to plug in answers for the last 4 questions or so in each section. What a bummer, but I'll learn from that and try to do better next time. Lastly, if it matters, I wore earplugs and did not eat a snack during the breaks on the real test - during my practice tests I wore no earplugs and always ate a snack between Q and V sections.
GOAL: On the retake, I would like to increase my score by 80-100 pts (and break 700!).
I do not think all of my study thus far has been a waste. The Princeton Online course was fun, engaging and filled my need for a self-paced program. Now, with familiarity and some grasp of the fundamentals, I am more motivated than ever to give the official GMAT test another shot. I know I can do it. The retake will be better.
MY PLAN: After reading much in this forum and weighing various options, like taking another full course from another vendor and/or buying additional books (I already own OG 11 which was partly used in my PR cours), I have decided to do the following. I am posting my story here as I am open to suggestions, feedback on my plan:
I purchased 5 CATs from Manhattan (thanks for the 10% discount, btw) and am going to focus on working and understanding the difficult OG 11 problems. From my PR course, I have a list of all the difficult OG 11 problems and will use that as my guide. I'll take 1 Manhattan test each weekend and use those to gauge my progress. As for the official retake, I am planning to take it six weeks from now so mid-March.
Let me know if you think my GMAT retake plan sucks or if it sounds realistic.
Cheers.
When the course instructed me to at various points in the syllabus, I took the five PR CATs and scored between 620 and 690 on each (avg breakdown of about Q38 V40). I also wrote the two AWAs essays prior all 5 tests to simulate the full test duration.
After the five PR tests, I took GMATPrep 1 (~650) followed by GMATPrep 2 and on that last test finally broke the 700 barrier with a 710 Q42 V45. About six days later I sat for the real test.
On the real GMAT test last Saturday I scored a 620 - Q42 V32. I was very disappointed by my low Verbal score as that tended to be higher than my Quant in the practice tests. While I employed a disciplined timing strategy in my practice tests, timing got the better of me in the real test as I scrambled to plug in answers for the last 4 questions or so in each section. What a bummer, but I'll learn from that and try to do better next time. Lastly, if it matters, I wore earplugs and did not eat a snack during the breaks on the real test - during my practice tests I wore no earplugs and always ate a snack between Q and V sections.
GOAL: On the retake, I would like to increase my score by 80-100 pts (and break 700!).
I do not think all of my study thus far has been a waste. The Princeton Online course was fun, engaging and filled my need for a self-paced program. Now, with familiarity and some grasp of the fundamentals, I am more motivated than ever to give the official GMAT test another shot. I know I can do it. The retake will be better.
MY PLAN: After reading much in this forum and weighing various options, like taking another full course from another vendor and/or buying additional books (I already own OG 11 which was partly used in my PR cours), I have decided to do the following. I am posting my story here as I am open to suggestions, feedback on my plan:
I purchased 5 CATs from Manhattan (thanks for the 10% discount, btw) and am going to focus on working and understanding the difficult OG 11 problems. From my PR course, I have a list of all the difficult OG 11 problems and will use that as my guide. I'll take 1 Manhattan test each weekend and use those to gauge my progress. As for the official retake, I am planning to take it six weeks from now so mid-March.
Let me know if you think my GMAT retake plan sucks or if it sounds realistic.
Cheers.
Last edited by reag on Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
