-
navenjohnson
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 11:18 pm
- Thanked: 1 times
- GMAT Score:730
Hey folks, I've been lurking around the forums for quite a while, but haven't really posted much. I just thought that I would post my story to hopefully help out other folks.
My test preparation was a total of 3 months. I utilized the following books:
1)OG 12
2)GMATFix Solutions Guide
3)MGMAT Number Properties
4)OG - Verbal Supplement
5)MGMAT SC
6)Powerscore CR Bible
Mock Tests:
Date Source Total Q V
1 Jun: GMATPrep 670 43 39
20 June: GMATPrep 710 47 41
6 Aug: GMATPrep 750 49 44
13 Aug: Manhattan 710 45 41
4 Sep: GMATPrep 760 48 48
7 Sep: GMATPrep 770 50 47
With regards to practice tests, I recommend starting out with a GMATPrep test to get an initial baseline. Wait until the midpoint of your study time-line to take the next practice tests and then the 2 weeks leading up to the exam take 3-5 GMATPrep tests.
My basic recommendation for preparation is getting a solid theoretical foundation under your belt first; Manhattan has some great books, especially the sentence correction and number properties books. After this, start doing practice problems from the OG and REVIEW YOUR PROBLEMS. I cannot emphasize how important this is. I found the GMATFix OG solutions guide to be quite handy, especially for strategies on how to solve problems quickly. Also, use the forums as much as possible. I got some great tips on how to approach problems from some of the experts on these forums.
Exam Day:
My test was on a Saturday. I took my last practice exam on Wednesday and used Thursday for review. Friday I tried to relax as much as possible, I took the opportunity to look over some of the AWA templates since I hadn't given that portion much attention.
My test was at 8AM. I showed up at the test center at 720 and paced around for a little bit. The proctor showed up at 730 and let me in. I took care of all the initial in-processing requirements and went into the exam room. Luckily, the place had earplugs which drowned out all of the ambient noise.
I got started with the AWA portion which went by quickly. I used the remaining time to draw up a verbal answer matrix so I wouldn't have to waste time during the verbal portion. I took my break while leaving the earplugs in because I was so worried about going over the allotted time. I went straight out to the restroom and drank some water. The testing center wouldn't allow us to eat in the lobby, so we had to step out in the hallway to eat. I didn't want to waste time with this, so I went straight back in and started quant. I only spent ~4 minutes on break.
Quant started off with an extremely strange question I had never seen before. After taking a minute to think about it, I figured it out and went about solving it. I was on a role for the next 10 questions, until I ran into an extremely difficult sequence problem. I spent about 5 minutes on it, but after realizing how much time had gone by I made an educated guess and pressed. The next 10-15 questions were some very difficult questions with an unusual number of advanced geometry problems. By the time quant had finished up, I felt pretty good about it. The quant was definitely more difficult than most of the GMATPrep tests I had taken.
I took another break and splashed some water on my face. I knew that I would have to kill the verbal section to get out of this with a score I would be satisfied with. I made a commitment to myself at the beginning of this process that I would only take this test once and here was my chance to stick to this plan.
I went back in and got on with the verbal. The first was a very difficult SC, but after some thought I was able to get it done. I have always been strong with the verbal part of the test, so I felt quite confident throughout. I will say this, the verbal section of the actual GMAT is more difficult than GMATPrep. The reason is that the more difficult problems hinge on subtlety. There were several problems that required you to make sure you read every word of the prompt correctly. In all of my practice tests, I had between 15-20 minutes of extra time left by the end of the verbal. Because I committed to being absolutely sure about my answers before I pressed submit, it ended the test with 1.5 minutes left.
I clicked through the next couple of screens and got to the report scores page. I knew that I had scored somewhere in the 700s, but I wasn't sure exactly where. I told myself in the last couple of days before the test that I was shooting for 730+, but after reading some horror stories on these boards, I was concerned about ending up with something completely unexpected. I took a deep breath and pressed submit. 730! Q 45 and V 45! I was ecstatic that I reached my target. After the last couple of practice tests I had taken I was hoping for a 760, but I am completely satisfied with my score and I realize it is on par with all of the schools I am interested in. I was especially happy to score in the 99 percentile on verbal. While my quant score was below what I had been scoring on the practice tests, I really feel like I did well on it.
In summary, I am very happy to be done with this process. I hope that this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I would love to hear any feedback you all might have. Cheers.
My test preparation was a total of 3 months. I utilized the following books:
1)OG 12
2)GMATFix Solutions Guide
3)MGMAT Number Properties
4)OG - Verbal Supplement
5)MGMAT SC
6)Powerscore CR Bible
Mock Tests:
Date Source Total Q V
1 Jun: GMATPrep 670 43 39
20 June: GMATPrep 710 47 41
6 Aug: GMATPrep 750 49 44
13 Aug: Manhattan 710 45 41
4 Sep: GMATPrep 760 48 48
7 Sep: GMATPrep 770 50 47
With regards to practice tests, I recommend starting out with a GMATPrep test to get an initial baseline. Wait until the midpoint of your study time-line to take the next practice tests and then the 2 weeks leading up to the exam take 3-5 GMATPrep tests.
My basic recommendation for preparation is getting a solid theoretical foundation under your belt first; Manhattan has some great books, especially the sentence correction and number properties books. After this, start doing practice problems from the OG and REVIEW YOUR PROBLEMS. I cannot emphasize how important this is. I found the GMATFix OG solutions guide to be quite handy, especially for strategies on how to solve problems quickly. Also, use the forums as much as possible. I got some great tips on how to approach problems from some of the experts on these forums.
Exam Day:
My test was on a Saturday. I took my last practice exam on Wednesday and used Thursday for review. Friday I tried to relax as much as possible, I took the opportunity to look over some of the AWA templates since I hadn't given that portion much attention.
My test was at 8AM. I showed up at the test center at 720 and paced around for a little bit. The proctor showed up at 730 and let me in. I took care of all the initial in-processing requirements and went into the exam room. Luckily, the place had earplugs which drowned out all of the ambient noise.
I got started with the AWA portion which went by quickly. I used the remaining time to draw up a verbal answer matrix so I wouldn't have to waste time during the verbal portion. I took my break while leaving the earplugs in because I was so worried about going over the allotted time. I went straight out to the restroom and drank some water. The testing center wouldn't allow us to eat in the lobby, so we had to step out in the hallway to eat. I didn't want to waste time with this, so I went straight back in and started quant. I only spent ~4 minutes on break.
Quant started off with an extremely strange question I had never seen before. After taking a minute to think about it, I figured it out and went about solving it. I was on a role for the next 10 questions, until I ran into an extremely difficult sequence problem. I spent about 5 minutes on it, but after realizing how much time had gone by I made an educated guess and pressed. The next 10-15 questions were some very difficult questions with an unusual number of advanced geometry problems. By the time quant had finished up, I felt pretty good about it. The quant was definitely more difficult than most of the GMATPrep tests I had taken.
I took another break and splashed some water on my face. I knew that I would have to kill the verbal section to get out of this with a score I would be satisfied with. I made a commitment to myself at the beginning of this process that I would only take this test once and here was my chance to stick to this plan.
I went back in and got on with the verbal. The first was a very difficult SC, but after some thought I was able to get it done. I have always been strong with the verbal part of the test, so I felt quite confident throughout. I will say this, the verbal section of the actual GMAT is more difficult than GMATPrep. The reason is that the more difficult problems hinge on subtlety. There were several problems that required you to make sure you read every word of the prompt correctly. In all of my practice tests, I had between 15-20 minutes of extra time left by the end of the verbal. Because I committed to being absolutely sure about my answers before I pressed submit, it ended the test with 1.5 minutes left.
I clicked through the next couple of screens and got to the report scores page. I knew that I had scored somewhere in the 700s, but I wasn't sure exactly where. I told myself in the last couple of days before the test that I was shooting for 730+, but after reading some horror stories on these boards, I was concerned about ending up with something completely unexpected. I took a deep breath and pressed submit. 730! Q 45 and V 45! I was ecstatic that I reached my target. After the last couple of practice tests I had taken I was hoping for a 760, but I am completely satisfied with my score and I realize it is on par with all of the schools I am interested in. I was especially happy to score in the 99 percentile on verbal. While my quant score was below what I had been scoring on the practice tests, I really feel like I did well on it.
In summary, I am very happy to be done with this process. I hope that this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I would love to hear any feedback you all might have. Cheers.
