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John.L
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- Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:41 pm
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During my study months, I drew constant encouragement from the posts on this site and now that I have finished the exam with a satisfying 710, I thought I'd talk about my experience. I hope that anyone who is stressing about the GMAT will feel calmer reading this and perhaps gain some insight into what their next step should be.
Here is what I got:
590 (Kaplan) 1st
590 (Kaplan) 2nd
590 (Kaplan) 3rd try
700 (GMATPrep)
710 (REAL GMAT) with a 47Q, 41V
And here is some backstory; I hadn't really planned on going to grad-school and then sometime in spring 2012 I was like "what the heck, I'll just take the test, see what I get and then go from there". So I set off the Barnes & Noble, purchased the first decent looking GMAT Prep book (KAPLAN) I could find and then started studying for it. I planned for an October exam. After several months of on and off study, I took my first Kaplan practice test and got a paltry 590; frustrated, I worked through the practice test and recapped what I had done right and wrong. After studying a bit more on my weak points, I took another practice exam and AGAIN got a 590. I was so furious, I would have been happier with a drop in score, but a flat 590, TWICE!? So I did an overnight recap and took my third practice the next morning and for the THIRD time, got 590; I felt like an IDIOT, I didn't understand why couldn't boost my score, by this point I took a 2 week break and scoured the internet for advice and encouragement. After researching for a bit, I downloaded the Official GMAT Prep and started working through the problems. After a couple weeks of prep and review, I was sitting in Panera taking the official practice exam and got 700! I had such an intense adrenaline rush, if the restaurant wasn't crowded I would have shouted a war cry or something that sort. All the procrastination on my part lead me right past October and into December, well past my goal test date, but I got my test set up for early January.
I woke up test morning, and crammed in 2 more hours of study before heading out. TIP: Definitely DON'T try to last minute study! While I had timed the 1.5 hour drive perfectly, I almost couldn't find parking near my test center and I barely got to the Pearson office in time for my appointment. After signing in, I sat down and started the test. I used earplugs so that I would focus better. The essay was hard for me primarily because I am a slow essay writer, so I cut mine down to a 2 point essay rather than the traditional 3. The Integrated Reasoning was frustrating and I fell behind and had to catch up. The Quantitative section felt hard and I ended up guessing on several. The Verbal section was relaxing for me compared to the math, but there were many questions that left me clueless. At the end I was tense, I had finished every section with only seconds to spare and I knew that I had guessed a lot to catch up on sections. I was expecting a possible 640-660, and I was already upset because I was afraid that I would have to register for another test, which would set me back a few more weeks and another $250. I tentatively clicked the submit score button and a 710 popped up on the screen; I could barely believe it! I just sat starting at the screen and one of the test proctors came in to get me. She looked at the score and said "congratulations, that the best score we've had all day!" I got my score report and left relieved and ready for a good night's sleep!
THOUGHTS/WHAT I LEARNED:
BE WARY OF PREP:
-While there are many factors that influenced my change in score from 590 to 710, with such a big jump I am slightly suspicious that my initial practice tests with Kaplan either were significantly more difficult that the real exam, or that their tests skew scores down. I have read various posts that this might be the case, and while I think Kaplan was helpful, I would definitely suggest starting with the Official GMAT Prep first, before using any other program. One, because it is FREE, and two because my real score most closely resembled my GMATPrep practice score of 700.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING:
-On the Kaplan practice exams, I admit my timing was bad, which may be why the scores were so much lower, rather than the program being off. I failed to finish both the math and the english on my first 2 tries and only on the 3rd practice test did I finish both. I think it is ESSENTIAL for testers to budget their time well. TIP: I do not think there is enough time to finish the GMAT without some guessing, so I'd say if you are dead-sure about an answer, don't double check it unless you have reasonable suspicion that you missed something. Also, if you know you don't know how to do a problem, just guess and move one. I know this is uncomfortable, but you have to do it or else you WILL fall behind.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-I feel like it is true that a good Verbal will boost your score more than a good Quant because my overall percentile closely matched my verbal percentile.
-For Verbal, they test common grammar patterns, so make a point to learn the most common ones. Also, for the reading comprehension, learn to figure out what the test wants you to put rather than what you think; in practice I often had conflicting logic with the passage's real answer and I had to learn to let go of what I thought was the right answer so that I could find what the test wanted.
-You probably could get by with only a month of intense studying and be fine; I am a huge procrastinator and I inconsistently studied and often would go the the gym after work rather than study , which is why I took the test so much later than I wanted. Figure out how much time you need though and add an extra few weeks just incase you struggle more than you expect.
-Remember, the GMAT tests your analytical and logic abilities rather than your math skills and english skills, most problems hinge on a few simple tricks like knowing when to use "THAT" and "WHICH" or remembering to consider negative numbers in the math problems. Think of problems as logic puzzles rather than hard problems.
-If there is one section I wished I had practiced more it was the essay, I really struggled writing a good essay in such a short time and I know more practice would have helped.
GOOD LUCK, I don't know what else to say!
P.S. I really want to get into DUKE or CORNELL so if anyone has managed to do this I'd love some advice.
Here is what I got:
590 (Kaplan) 1st
590 (Kaplan) 2nd
590 (Kaplan) 3rd try
700 (GMATPrep)
710 (REAL GMAT) with a 47Q, 41V
And here is some backstory; I hadn't really planned on going to grad-school and then sometime in spring 2012 I was like "what the heck, I'll just take the test, see what I get and then go from there". So I set off the Barnes & Noble, purchased the first decent looking GMAT Prep book (KAPLAN) I could find and then started studying for it. I planned for an October exam. After several months of on and off study, I took my first Kaplan practice test and got a paltry 590; frustrated, I worked through the practice test and recapped what I had done right and wrong. After studying a bit more on my weak points, I took another practice exam and AGAIN got a 590. I was so furious, I would have been happier with a drop in score, but a flat 590, TWICE!? So I did an overnight recap and took my third practice the next morning and for the THIRD time, got 590; I felt like an IDIOT, I didn't understand why couldn't boost my score, by this point I took a 2 week break and scoured the internet for advice and encouragement. After researching for a bit, I downloaded the Official GMAT Prep and started working through the problems. After a couple weeks of prep and review, I was sitting in Panera taking the official practice exam and got 700! I had such an intense adrenaline rush, if the restaurant wasn't crowded I would have shouted a war cry or something that sort. All the procrastination on my part lead me right past October and into December, well past my goal test date, but I got my test set up for early January.
I woke up test morning, and crammed in 2 more hours of study before heading out. TIP: Definitely DON'T try to last minute study! While I had timed the 1.5 hour drive perfectly, I almost couldn't find parking near my test center and I barely got to the Pearson office in time for my appointment. After signing in, I sat down and started the test. I used earplugs so that I would focus better. The essay was hard for me primarily because I am a slow essay writer, so I cut mine down to a 2 point essay rather than the traditional 3. The Integrated Reasoning was frustrating and I fell behind and had to catch up. The Quantitative section felt hard and I ended up guessing on several. The Verbal section was relaxing for me compared to the math, but there were many questions that left me clueless. At the end I was tense, I had finished every section with only seconds to spare and I knew that I had guessed a lot to catch up on sections. I was expecting a possible 640-660, and I was already upset because I was afraid that I would have to register for another test, which would set me back a few more weeks and another $250. I tentatively clicked the submit score button and a 710 popped up on the screen; I could barely believe it! I just sat starting at the screen and one of the test proctors came in to get me. She looked at the score and said "congratulations, that the best score we've had all day!" I got my score report and left relieved and ready for a good night's sleep!
THOUGHTS/WHAT I LEARNED:
BE WARY OF PREP:
-While there are many factors that influenced my change in score from 590 to 710, with such a big jump I am slightly suspicious that my initial practice tests with Kaplan either were significantly more difficult that the real exam, or that their tests skew scores down. I have read various posts that this might be the case, and while I think Kaplan was helpful, I would definitely suggest starting with the Official GMAT Prep first, before using any other program. One, because it is FREE, and two because my real score most closely resembled my GMATPrep practice score of 700.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING:
-On the Kaplan practice exams, I admit my timing was bad, which may be why the scores were so much lower, rather than the program being off. I failed to finish both the math and the english on my first 2 tries and only on the 3rd practice test did I finish both. I think it is ESSENTIAL for testers to budget their time well. TIP: I do not think there is enough time to finish the GMAT without some guessing, so I'd say if you are dead-sure about an answer, don't double check it unless you have reasonable suspicion that you missed something. Also, if you know you don't know how to do a problem, just guess and move one. I know this is uncomfortable, but you have to do it or else you WILL fall behind.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-I feel like it is true that a good Verbal will boost your score more than a good Quant because my overall percentile closely matched my verbal percentile.
-For Verbal, they test common grammar patterns, so make a point to learn the most common ones. Also, for the reading comprehension, learn to figure out what the test wants you to put rather than what you think; in practice I often had conflicting logic with the passage's real answer and I had to learn to let go of what I thought was the right answer so that I could find what the test wanted.
-You probably could get by with only a month of intense studying and be fine; I am a huge procrastinator and I inconsistently studied and often would go the the gym after work rather than study , which is why I took the test so much later than I wanted. Figure out how much time you need though and add an extra few weeks just incase you struggle more than you expect.
-Remember, the GMAT tests your analytical and logic abilities rather than your math skills and english skills, most problems hinge on a few simple tricks like knowing when to use "THAT" and "WHICH" or remembering to consider negative numbers in the math problems. Think of problems as logic puzzles rather than hard problems.
-If there is one section I wished I had practiced more it was the essay, I really struggled writing a good essay in such a short time and I know more practice would have helped.
GOOD LUCK, I don't know what else to say!
P.S. I really want to get into DUKE or CORNELL so if anyone has managed to do this I'd love some advice.
