How I beat the GMAT - 750; 48Q 47V

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How I beat the GMAT - 750; 48Q 47V

by jon82 » Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:53 am
Here is a summary of my GMAT experience and my opinions on how to beat it. Take it for what it's worth:

I am an American Male with a decent academic profile but mediocre past performance on standardized tests. I bought a GMAT book in 2008 with the best intentions to study. However, when I looked through the math questions in the front I could hardly do any of them. It had been so long since I had studied math that I'd forgotten (and was never good in the first place - got a C in my 11th grade pre calc class and never went beyond that). So, I put the book down for about a year. In Sept 2009, I decided that an MBA is truly what I needed to succeed. I read Eric's blog (not this website, but his blog about his studies) and was adequately motivated to study. Seriously study. I never read anything else. I had my motivation and the rest was up to me.

Sept 3rd 2009, I came up with a plan based on Eric's experience: Study my brains out for two months and take the test. My target score: 710.
I bought books and anything with problems that would help me improve my score. I studied 3 hours a day for 77 days. Some days I woke up and couldn't face the books. On these days I would look online at my dream school: Oxford. I went to msn's map site and gave myself a virtual tour of the beautiful campus and a short pep talk: "Do you want to end up at Central Michigan?" No. So, I got back to the books.
I studied mostly math problems, but devoted maybe 20% of my time to areas of weakness on the verbal side. I'm not writing to tell you what I studied or how I studied. That is up to you and your needs. Just study. Don't spend your free time reading this website if you're in study mode. THERE IS NO FREE TIME. Either you want to go to Oxford or you would settle for Central Michigan. There is no middle ground.

Mid October, 2009 - I was fading a bit, so I went online and signed up for a late November test date. Now I had a real deadline and continued my pace. I was stressed out but called my brother and parents every night to vent. I couldn't have done this without their patient listening.

November 20th, 2009 (the day before test day) - I took the day off work and didn't study. I caught a movie at a small theater. It was a comedy. I worked out at the gym. I drove to the test center to make sure I knew how to get there. I looked up brain food and went to the store to buy some fish, blueberries, whole grain pasta, spinach and nuts. I cooked it all together and it tasted like crap. But it was fuel for my brain.

November 21st, 2009 (test day) - I had an 8am test, so I got up at 6:30am (I had been going to bed steadily earlier and earlier in preparation and even told my boss a month prior that I would be coming in earlier that month "to make sure we get stuff handled for our customers in an earlier timezone") and had some more crap tasting fish gruel and coffee (to simulate what I normally consume in the morning).

When the test screen with my score came up I was amazed. First Try. 750. I hope this motivates you, because that is what you really need to accomplish your GMAT goals.

J
Last edited by jon82 on Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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by dmateer25 » Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:55 pm
Congrats on the score jon82! That is an awesome score, but your song needs a little work :D!

Hard work and dedication does pay off! Best of luck to you with your dream to go to Oxford and keep us updated in the b-school forums!

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by hrishi19884 » Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:14 pm
Alls well that ends well! Good Job Jon! All the best for your next assignment!
Hrishi

"As you sow, so shall you reap"

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by money9111 » Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:23 pm
jon82 phenomenal score! You story starts off a lot like mine... I'll be 28 in April, 1280 on SAT's..i too have shut down my life for the next couple of months... my friends still ask me to go out and i'm like "um... do you want me to do poorly so that i'm miserable for the rest of my life? or do you want me to do well, so I'm happy for the rest of my life".. they get the point...

" On these days I would look online at my then dream school: Oxford. I went to msn's map site and gave myself a virtual tour of the beautiful campus and a short pep talk: "Do you want to end up at Central Michigan?" No. So, I got back to the books. " THAT'S GREAT! I'M GOING TO DO THAT...
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by jon82 » Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:06 am
A quick update: I've been accepted to Oxford!

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by harsh.champ » Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:39 am
Congrats for a great score and wow....got into Oxford cool...Can you share your application process experience also??
It takes time and effort to explain, so if my comment helped you please press Thanks button :)



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by jon82 » Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:18 am
Harsh.Champ,

Briefly, I made a couple good decisions and a couple lousy decisions during the application phase:

Good decisions


1) Letters of Recommendation
I had thought about using a US Senator that I had interned for many years ago as a reference. I also thought about using a couple professors who hardly knew me as references (because they attended/ previously taught at prestigious institutions on my target list). But I decided to use my current boss, old boss and a professor who knows me well as my references. This was a slam dunk and I would strongly recommend that future applicants use people who know them well as opposed to the well connected who don't know you.

2) Limited Applications
I only had a few months between the GMAT and Rd 2 deadlines, so after a few days of research I decided to apply to just a few schools. This was instrumental in my success with Oxford, because I was able to write some very good essays that demonstrated my skills and fit.


Bad decisions

1) Timing
I didn't give myself enough time between the GMAT and the Rd 1 and 2 deadlines. If I had taken the test in September instead of November I undoubtedly would have applied to a few more schools like Haas, Sloan, Chicago and Tuck. I also might have had time to visit schools, which I was unable to do.

2) Letters of Recommendation
I didn't give my references much time or clear reasons for my MBA decision, an account of strengths that followed a narrative, and what I want to do afterwards. It seems that they did a good job, but I have since read accounts about how to get references on board and I did not manage this well.

3) Interview
During my interview with Oxford, I made a few blunders including being unprepared for the question "What else do you wish I had asked you" and giving some pretty sloppy elevator pitches on WHY MBA, Strengths, etc. During my UCLA interview, I had a poor answer to the question about other schools I was applying to. Know why you are applying elsewhere, give your brief reasoning, and then talk about why the school you're interviewing with has those characteristics and more.

However, even with a few mis-steps, I am happy with the results and think I did a pretty good job from start to finish.