-
hcueva
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:44 am
- Location: Mexico
- Thanked: 2 times
- GMAT Score:760
Background
-EE from Monterrey, Mexico
-Strategic Planning and Marketing
Materials
I used only MGMAT and OG. I read somewhere that that's all you need, and it was for me. I ordered the full set from MGMAT and went through the books one by one, taking notes and building summaries (I have one Google Doc per MGMAT book). Some of the stuff there is just way too complicated and you'll never see it on the exam, but most of it is extremely useful. MGMAT single-handedly made me improve my score enormously, I couldn't have done it without it.
CATS
MGMAT: Q is ridiculously difficult. Whatever you're getting, assume you're gonna get +5 points more on the real thing. They're very good for practicing timing, however, and also the V section is pretty accurate.
Princeton Review: Stay away from these. The score they gave me was off my about 120 points from my actual level. They're awful.
GMATPrep: Obviously very similar to the real thing, and the best at predicting your score. I took 2 from the current version and 2 from an older version (although questions do repeat, they're very few and I didn't remember what the answer was).
My scores were:
MGMAT1: 710
MGMAT2: 700
MGMAT3: 740
Princeton Review: 650
GMATPrep1: 750
MGMAT4: 720
MGMAT5: 700
GMATPrep2: 760
GMATPrep OLD1: 740
GMATPrep OLD2: 770
Real GMAT: 760 (49Q, 45V)
I took all the tests using MGMAT's laminated book and pencil. It paid off, as I was very used to it on D Day.
AWA
I blindly trusted these templates: https://www.platinumgmat.com/about_gmat/ ... y_template
I ended up with a 5.5... I did my very best... no advice there.
Test day
Apparently, they just closed the test center in Monterrey, and they have no plans of reopening it, so I had to fly to the US to take it (it's cool, except that you need to take your passport with you, as they won't take other Mexican IDs).
Everything went perfect, though. Everyone was nice and I managed even to go out to smoke during the breaks and remained relatively calm.
Miscellaneous
1. MGMAT helped on my CR and SC, but it's of no use with RC. The note-taking thing didn't work for me, so I had to make my own strategy, and it worked better.
2. I didn't practice almost AT ALL the days prior to my exam. The last practice CAT was 1 full week before D Day.
3. Afraid of getting nicotine withdrawal symptoms, I bought a very expensive pack of nicorette chewing gum. It was wasted money, though, since I then realized they don't allow you to chew gum in the test room.
4. Once you score your target score on the GMATPreps, schedule immediately. They're a very good predictor, so just bring yourself to do it and don't look back.
I wanna thank you guys for everything. It's an amazing community and I was continuously inspired by you guys.
Thanks, and good luck to everyone!
-EE from Monterrey, Mexico
-Strategic Planning and Marketing
Materials
I used only MGMAT and OG. I read somewhere that that's all you need, and it was for me. I ordered the full set from MGMAT and went through the books one by one, taking notes and building summaries (I have one Google Doc per MGMAT book). Some of the stuff there is just way too complicated and you'll never see it on the exam, but most of it is extremely useful. MGMAT single-handedly made me improve my score enormously, I couldn't have done it without it.
CATS
MGMAT: Q is ridiculously difficult. Whatever you're getting, assume you're gonna get +5 points more on the real thing. They're very good for practicing timing, however, and also the V section is pretty accurate.
Princeton Review: Stay away from these. The score they gave me was off my about 120 points from my actual level. They're awful.
GMATPrep: Obviously very similar to the real thing, and the best at predicting your score. I took 2 from the current version and 2 from an older version (although questions do repeat, they're very few and I didn't remember what the answer was).
My scores were:
MGMAT1: 710
MGMAT2: 700
MGMAT3: 740
Princeton Review: 650
GMATPrep1: 750
MGMAT4: 720
MGMAT5: 700
GMATPrep2: 760
GMATPrep OLD1: 740
GMATPrep OLD2: 770
Real GMAT: 760 (49Q, 45V)
I took all the tests using MGMAT's laminated book and pencil. It paid off, as I was very used to it on D Day.
AWA
I blindly trusted these templates: https://www.platinumgmat.com/about_gmat/ ... y_template
I ended up with a 5.5... I did my very best... no advice there.
Test day
Apparently, they just closed the test center in Monterrey, and they have no plans of reopening it, so I had to fly to the US to take it (it's cool, except that you need to take your passport with you, as they won't take other Mexican IDs).
Everything went perfect, though. Everyone was nice and I managed even to go out to smoke during the breaks and remained relatively calm.
Miscellaneous
1. MGMAT helped on my CR and SC, but it's of no use with RC. The note-taking thing didn't work for me, so I had to make my own strategy, and it worked better.
2. I didn't practice almost AT ALL the days prior to my exam. The last practice CAT was 1 full week before D Day.
3. Afraid of getting nicotine withdrawal symptoms, I bought a very expensive pack of nicorette chewing gum. It was wasted money, though, since I then realized they don't allow you to chew gum in the test room.
4. Once you score your target score on the GMATPreps, schedule immediately. They're a very good predictor, so just bring yourself to do it and don't look back.
I wanna thank you guys for everything. It's an amazing community and I was continuously inspired by you guys.
Thanks, and good luck to everyone!
Last edited by hcueva on Thu Jan 06, 2011 1:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
