Got 720 Today, Q49 V40 and want to share my experience.

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I just took it today and came back with a 720, a score I feel is good enough.

I didn't study long, only 3 weeks, but I was studying full time, which is most of the time when I was awake.

I took MGMAT free CAT on Monday, got 650, GMAT Prep test 1 on Wednesday, got 740, and GMAT Prep on Thursday got 720 Q49 V40, both clean, never took them before. I'd say MGMAT CAT is harder than both the real thing and the prep software, but it was great in that it gives so much information about your performance and timing. The GMAT Prep software is extremely accurate to me.

In the first GMAT Prep test one I got 740, the quantitative part felt harder than the second one and look back include more question I am weak at, I forgot the score but was lower than 49, but I guessed so many verbal questions right in the end, I got last 9 or 10 of them all right, include three SC questions that I had no idea about.

The second I feel the quant part is easier but I didn't guess as well on the verbal and got 720.

The real thing today, I felt really really good on Quant part, and felt pretty bad on Verbal part, but the score came to be exactly the same as Prep test 2.

On timing, the first time I did MGMAT I used extra 15 mins or so on Quant part, then I learned how to save time by give up and guess on questions that I am unlike to solve within 3 mins, unless it's at the end and I have extra time. Today I had 13 mins for last two question, both of which require lots of time and I think I got the last one, not sure about second last one though.

Books I used are Cracking the GMAT 2009 by PR and OG 11th, I ordered Manhattan's SC and RC guide on 6th, but they are still not here as of today...........

Both book IMO are good but too easy.

I know most people here already know the PR is easy, and many people say it's a great book for introduce you to GMAT and I can't agree more.


I also found OG is too easy too, I can do OG's CR question at 1.2 mins/question and get over 95% correct that when I did last 40 CR in OG yesterday. In last three RC in OG which include like 14 questions? took me 20 mins and I got them all correct. Even SC, which is my weakest part, I got close 2/3 right overall and fast peace. I feel GMAT prep software contains questions A LOT closer to the real GMAT level.

Of course, this forum really helped me a lot.

I've read that lots of people, who got really high scores, use the strategy of focus on your weakness. While I feel it's true that if you want really high score like 760+, then yes, you can't have any real weakness. But I used the opposite strategy, which is focus on my strength. The sentence correction was my weakest area, in my Prep test 2 I got total 9 incorrect in verbal, 6 of which are SC questions. But since GMAT is a CAT, if I got bumped down my SC, my RC and CR will bump me back up, and my CR and RC will likely keep my SC questions at a level that even if I were to spend 1 full week out of my three weeks time, I still unlikely to able to answer them with great accuracy. So I rather focused my time on other part to get them right.

So I think if you are aiming around 700, you can have one really big weakness, just make sure you get others right. :twisted:

Last advise, don't use too good hardware when doing prep, a cheap dell keyboard at the test center feels very very different from a keyboard made with Cherry's MX mechanical switch. So does the cheap dell optical mouse on the desk when compare to Death Adder on Exact Mat. The keyboard bothered the hell out of me when I write the first essay, and to a lesser extend the second. The moused cause me to click on the wrong answer once, good I saw it at last moment, right before I was going to click on the "yes".

That's about it, if you read everything above, you probably already know that I am still worried about my AWA score...

In the end, I'd like to thank Beat the Gmat forum and everyone for this great community.

:D :D :D

PS: almost forgot this, I read someone got a marker without ink and complained why we can't get two... I was given two at beginning, although only used one of them, maybe they read it here and decide to change? :roll:

PPS: I didn't take any class, but if I wanted to get a better score and had time, I'd take the Manhattan GMAT class, from their free online lesson 1 and free CAT I can tell taking it would help.
Last edited by Reader on Sat Mar 21, 2009 8:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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by Courtney » Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:05 pm
Congrats Reader! Well done and thanks for the report.

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Reader wrote:I just took it today and came back with a 720, a score I feel is good enough.

I didn't study long, only 3 weeks, but I was studying full time, which is most of the time when I was awake.

I took MGMAT free CAT on Monday, got 650, GMAT Prep test 1 on Wednesday, got 740, and GMAT Prep on Thursday got 720 Q49 V40, both clean, never took them before. I'd say MGMAT CAT is harder than both the real thing and the prep software, but it was great in that it gives so much information about your performance and timing. The GMAT Prep software is extremely accurate to me.

In the first GMAT Prep test one I got 740, the quantitative part felt harder than the second one and look back include more question I am weak at, I forgot the score but was lower than 49, but I guessed so many verbal questions right in the end, I got last 9 or 10 of them all right, include three SC questions that I had no idea about.

The second I feel the quant part is easier but I didn't guess as well on the verbal and got 720.

The real thing today, I felt really really good on Quant part, and felt pretty bad on Verbal part, but the score came to be exactly the same as Prep test 2.

On timing, the first time I did MGMAT I used extra 15 mins or so on Quant part, then I learned how to save time by give up and guess on questions that I am unlike to solve within 3 mins, unless it's at the end and I have extra time. Today I had 13 mins for last two question, both of which require lots of time and I think I got the last one, not sure about second last one though.

Books I used are Cracking the GMAT 2009 by PR and OG 11th, I ordered Manhattan's SC and RC guide on 6th, but they are still not here as of today...........

Both book IMO are good but too easy.

I know most people here already know the PR is easy, and many people say it's a great book for introduce you to GMAT and I can't agree more.


I also found OG is too easy too, I can do OG's CR question at 1.2 mins/question and get over 95% correct that when I did last 40 CR in OG yesterday. In last three RC in OG which include like 14 questions? took me 20 mins and I got them all correct. Even SC, which is my weakest part, I got close 2/3 right overall and fast peace. I feel GMAT prep software contains questions A LOT closer to the real GMAT level.

Of course, this forum really helped me a lot.

I've read that lots of people, who got really high scores, use the strategy of focus on your weakness. While I feel it's true that if you want really high score like 760+, then yes, you can't have any real weakness. But I used the opposite strategy, which is focus on my strength. The sentence correction was my weakest area, in my Prep test 2 I got total 9 incorrect in verbal, 6 of which are SC questions. But since GMAT is a CAT, if I got bumped down my SC, my RC and CR will bump me back up, and my CR and RC will likely keep my SC questions at a level that even if I were to spend 1 full week out of my three weeks time, I still unlikely to able to answer them with great accuracy. So I rather focused my time on other part to get them right.

So I think if you are aiming around 700, you can have one really big weakness, just make sure you get others right. :twisted:

Last advise, don't use too good hardware when doing prep, a cheap dell keyboard at the test center feels very very different from a keyboard made with Cherry's MX mechanical switch. So does the cheap dell optical mouse on the desk when compare to D€@th Adder on Exact Mat. The keyboard bothered the hell out of me when I write the first essay, and to a lesser extend the second. The moused cause me to click on the wrong answer once, good I saw it at last moment, right before I was going to click on the "yes".

That's about it, if you read everything above, you probably already know that I am still worried about my AWA score...

In the end, I'd like to thank Beat the Gmat forum and everyone for this great community.

:D :D :D

PS: almost forgot this, I read someone got a marker without ink and complained why we can't get two... I was given two at beginning, although only used one of them, maybe they read it here and decide to change? :roll:

PPS: I didn't take any class, but if I wanted to get a better score and had time, I'd take the Manhattan GMAT class, from their free online lesson 1 and free CAT I can tell taking it would help.
Congrats,
PN. :D
You don't win the Silver, You lose the GOLD.

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by NethraN » Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:04 am
Great score. Congrats!!!

Wish you luck with you admission process.
Nethra

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by pJackson79 » Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:18 am
Thanks for posting your experience and congratulations. Your practice test scores really varied a lot, but I guess the timing issue would help explain that.
Last advise, don't use too good hardware when doing prep, a cheap dell keyboard at the test center feels very very different from a keyboard made with Cherry's MX mechanical switch. So does the cheap dell optical mouse on the desk when compare to D€@th Adder on Exact Mat. The keyboard bothered the hell out of me when I write the first essay, and to a lesser extend the second. The moused cause me to click on the wrong answer once, good I saw it at last moment, right before I was going to click on the "yes".

I had never thought of this, so thanks for sharing. My major fear would be someone who is noisy/coughing/etc.