I just Beat The GMAT!

In short, you need:
"¢ The right resources
"¢ The right amount of time
"¢ The right attitude
"¢ To know what fight you're fighting

I was never that great at standardized tests. I just did okay at the SAT. When I first started thinking about going for my MBA about a year ago, I went to a wine tasting event at Del Posto and happened to meet an ACT instructor who said something that set the stage for my 750. He said: "The reason why most people don't get the score they want on the ACT or the GMAT is because they don't really realize what they're being tested on." For a second, I nodded and pretended I knew exactly what he was talking about, then when it was obvious to both of us I didn't have a clue what he was saying, I asked him what he meant. He said: "Most people treat any standardized test like a mid-term or final in school, but these tests measure something completely different. Yes there is some core content you need to know, but these tests really aren't about the content. They measure a set of skills, and if you can train to master those skills, you can ace any standardized test."

I'd be a fool not to ask him what skills, so I did, and what I remember from his response:
-You have to pay attention to the details. You'll get massacred if you miss the details in the question and answers.
-You have to get to know the strategies to attack the patterns.
-You need to check the question and your answer before you move on

My resources
"¢ The 2015 GMAT Official Guide Bundle (the main book, the Quant Review, and the Verbal Review) - Over 1000 real GMAT questions. Not fakes produced by some intern at Kaplan
"¢ The mba.com practice tests (the two free ones, and the CAT pack 1) 4 in total - Real tests with the real scoring system
"¢ The EmpowerGMAT Course - Genius course, gifted instructors. 10/10. It completely meshed with my learning style, and I'd tell anyone that if you're serious about beating the GMAT, then you have to take Empower.
"¢ The Manhattan GMAT tests - The only reason I got these is because there aren't enough official tests, but I needed the practice. My 2 gripes about them: the interface isn't realistic at all, and the hype is true, some of the quant questions are unrealistically technical
"¢ The right training locations - I prepped at the main branch NY library on 42nd street, in an environment that had similar ambient noise as the test center (coughing, the guy next to you with nervous foot tapping, etc.)

The right amount of time
I gave it 3 months, and a little buffer in case I needed it, which I didn't. I had a nice block of time since I'm not applying until August for the round 1 slots. I also stuck to a military grade training plan. 2 hours on weekdays, and 4 hours on Saturdays and Sundays no matter what. I told my friends and family what I was doing and how much this meant to me, and that we can hang out properly when I'm done with the GMAT. I think having everyone's understand helped facilitate the right conditions for success.

The right attitude
Be humble! When you're making mistake after mistake, the last thing you can afford to be is stubborn or cocky. You have to be eager to do things differently as opposed to trying to make your way work (and that's why I think I didn't do as well on the SAT, looking back). If you don't spend at least 1/3 of your prep time hovering over your error log, analyzing and inventorying what sucks about what you're doing, then you're a stubborn fool. There's just no way I could have improved as much as I did over these three months without it. Moreover, you have to find a way to make the GMAT a passion. I managed to get to the point that banging out some GMAT questions felt like a hobby.

Know what fight you're fighting
This gets back to what the ACT instructor told me, and as the EmpowerGMAT course stresses intensely. You have to cultivate the skills that the GMAT actually requires. Not rote memorization or flash cards like a normal test would require. You have to train yourself:
"¢ To be thorough, no skimming
"¢ Pay attention to details
"¢ Take interest in what you're reading, even a tedious passage like that one in the official guide about the plant hormones
"¢ Lead by looking for a tactical approach rather than the obvious approach
"¢ Check that you are answering the exact question that was asked
"¢ Learn to channel your adrenaline rather than trying to make it go away

If you don't do these things, forget about getting a 700.

My Progression
First practice test - GMAT Prep CAT 1: 540
Final practice test - GMAT Prep CAT 4: 730

Final Score: 750 98th Percentile (Quant 50 88th Percentile, Verbal 41 94th Percentile)

Final thoughts
The GMAT seems mysterious and evil, but if you really train to succeed at what it's actually measuring, then you will succeed.

Thankfully now that I'm done, I have resumed my social life, and I insisted on having a celebratory dinner at Del Posto, and definitely with the wine pairing.


My GMAT score report is attached.

Congrats on killing the GMAT!

I would like to be in your position...and I will.

I wanted to ask your thoughts on Empowergmat.

How does it work?

I browsed through the website and did not really understood much, so your feed backs is appreciated.

Thanks,

Santi

Hi Rich -

Thanks for your reply.

Already emailed you around 8pm EST.

Please advise if you did not get it so I can send it again.

Santi

Hey andymal, Congratulations! I don't know what I would do if I got a 750. I hope you're taking a moment to celebrate. A good vacation, or a great bottle of champagne?

I think the part where you mentioned what the expert said was very enlightening:

"The reason why most people don't get the score they want on the ACT or the GMAT is because they don't really realize what they're being tested on." For a second, I nodded and pretended I knew exactly what he was talking about, then when it was obvious to both of us I didn't have a clue what he was saying, I asked him what he meant. He said: "Most people treat any standardized test like a mid-term or final in school, but these tests measure something completely different. Yes there is some core content you need to know, but these tests really aren't about the content. They measure a set of skills, and if you can train to master those skills, you can ace any standardized test."

In case you are on vacation, I'd hate to bother you, but I'm really curious if you can give me some specifics about what sort of things you did to improve on the skills of the GMAT?

You also mentioned that you used the gmat official guide. How did you integrate it into your practice?

Thanks for taking the time to share your wealth of knowledge,

Steph

banker_tiago wrote:Congrats on killing the GMAT!

I would like to be in your position...and I will.

I wanted to ask your thoughts on Empowergmat.

How does it work?

I browsed through the website and did not really understood much, so your feed backs is appreciated.

Thanks,

Santi

Hi Santi,

I thought EmpowerGMAT was outstanding. It's an online video course that covers the necessary content, but and also emphasizes the training aspect to the prep process. For me, the course really drove home the concept that you have to train for the GMAT like you would a sport. I thought it was genius. I researched different options before I decided and you can tell in the samples that Empower is different https://www.empowergmat.com/the-course/

I do think that giving it the right amount of time was important though. I don't know if I could have attained such a high score without the proper window. If you have any questions, you can feel free to reach out to me.

stephanieh wrote:Hey andymal, Congratulations! I don't know what I would do if I got a 750. I hope you're taking a moment to celebrate. A good vacation, or a great bottle of champagne?

I think the part where you mentioned what the expert said was very enlightening:

"The reason why most people don't get the score they want on the ACT or the GMAT is because they don't really realize what they're being tested on." For a second, I nodded and pretended I knew exactly what he was talking about, then when it was obvious to both of us I didn't have a clue what he was saying, I asked him what he meant. He said: "Most people treat any standardized test like a mid-term or final in school, but these tests measure something completely different. Yes there is some core content you need to know, but these tests really aren't about the content. They measure a set of skills, and if you can train to master those skills, you can ace any standardized test."

In case you are on vacation, I'd hate to bother you, but I'm really curious if you can give me some specifics about what sort of things you did to improve on the skills of the GMAT?

You also mentioned that you used the gmat official guide. How did you integrate it into your practice?

Thanks for taking the time to share your wealth of knowledge,

Steph

Hi Steph,

I'm glad it helped. The way I looked at the prep process is the same way I look at any new undertaking I do. You can't just focus on the score, you have to get into the process. If all you think about the score, it's really hard to get motivated about prepping, you know? I carried that outlook with me to the testing lab too. I can tell you how I felt when I took the test. I was happy to be there to smack down the GMAT.

I have the same attitude about the application process and business school. Yeah, I'm getting my MBA, but I want to get the most out of the experience in the classes, with the professors, and my cohort members. etc. It's really the only way to look at things for me, and the GMAT was no exception.

As far as the GMAT official guide goes, I didn't really have to think much about how to use it since it was integrated into the EmpowerGMAT course, with the quizzes, pre-CAT warm-ups, etc. That way you can learn much more efficient ways to approach the questions than what's offered in the book's explanations.

Hi Andymal, thanks for the advice. Of all of the beat the GMAT stories I've read here, I found yours to be the most filled with practical advice that resonates with me. Congrats on such a great score. That's cool that you shared your score report too. A score that high almost has to be seen to be believed.

I got a 680 on my first try, and it probably comes down to the difference of a few questions. One of the things that stuck out about your post was how you made use of your error log. I'm curious what sort of things you looked for when you were analyzing your mistakes? In other words, what sort of things did you notice and could make course corrections with to translate into points?

Thanks again!

andymal wrote:In short, you need:
"¢ The right resources
"¢ The right amount of time
"¢ The right attitude
"¢ To know what fight you're fighting

I was never that great at standardized tests. I just did okay at the SAT. When I first started thinking about going for my MBA about a year ago, I went to a wine tasting event at Del Posto and happened to meet an ACT instructor who said something that set the stage for my 750. He said: "The reason why most people don't get the score they want on the ACT or the GMAT is because they don't really realize what they're being tested on." For a second, I nodded and pretended I knew exactly what he was talking about, then when it was obvious to both of us I didn't have a clue what he was saying, I asked him what he meant. He said: "Most people treat any standardized test like a mid-term or final in school, but these tests measure something completely different. Yes there is some core content you need to know, but these tests really aren't about the content. They measure a set of skills, and if you can train to master those skills, you can ace any standardized test."

I'd be a fool not to ask him what skills, so I did, and what I remember from his response:
-You have to pay attention to the details. You'll get massacred if you miss the details in the question and answers.
-You have to get to know the strategies to attack the patterns.
-You need to check the question and your answer before you move on

My resources
"¢ The 2015 GMAT Official Guide Bundle (the main book, the Quant Review, and the Verbal Review) - Over 1000 real GMAT questions. Not fakes produced by some intern at Kaplan
"¢ The mba.com practice tests (the two free ones, and the CAT pack 1) 4 in total - Real tests with the real scoring system
"¢ The EmpowerGMAT Course - Genius course, gifted instructors. 10/10. It completely meshed with my learning style, and I'd tell anyone that if you're serious about beating the GMAT, then you have to take Empower.
"¢ The Manhattan GMAT tests - The only reason I got these is because there aren't enough official tests, but I needed the practice. My 2 gripes about them: the interface isn't realistic at all, and the hype is true, some of the quant questions are unrealistically technical
"¢ The right training locations - I prepped at the main branch NY library on 42nd street, in an environment that had similar ambient noise as the test center (coughing, the guy next to you with nervous foot tapping, etc.)

The right amount of time
I gave it 3 months, and a little buffer in case I needed it, which I didn't. I had a nice block of time since I'm not applying until August for the round 1 slots. I also stuck to a military grade training plan. 2 hours on weekdays, and 4 hours on Saturdays and Sundays no matter what. I told my friends and family what I was doing and how much this meant to me, and that we can hang out properly when I'm done with the GMAT. I think having everyone's understand helped facilitate the right conditions for success.

The right attitude
Be humble! When you're making mistake after mistake, the last thing you can afford to be is stubborn or cocky. You have to be eager to do things differently as opposed to trying to make your way work (and that's why I think I didn't do as well on the SAT, looking back). If you don't spend at least 1/3 of your prep time hovering over your error log, analyzing and inventorying what sucks about what you're doing, then you're a stubborn fool. There's just no way I could have improved as much as I did over these three months without it. Moreover, you have to find a way to make the GMAT a passion. I managed to get to the point that banging out some GMAT questions felt like a hobby.

Know what fight you're fighting
This gets back to what the ACT instructor told me, and as the EmpowerGMAT course stresses intensely. You have to cultivate the skills that the GMAT actually requires. Not rote memorization or flash cards like a normal test would require. You have to train yourself:
"¢ To be thorough, no skimming
"¢ Pay attention to details
"¢ Take interest in what you're reading, even a tedious passage like that one in the official guide about the plant hormones
"¢ Lead by looking for a tactical approach rather than the obvious approach
"¢ Check that you are answering the exact question that was asked
"¢ Learn to channel your adrenaline rather than trying to make it go away

If you don't do these things, forget about getting a 700.

My Progression
First practice test - GMAT Prep CAT 1: 540
Final practice test - GMAT Prep CAT 4: 730

Final Score: 750 98th Percentile (Quant 50 88th Percentile, Verbal 41 94th Percentile)

Final thoughts
The GMAT seems mysterious and evil, but if you really train to succeed at what it's actually measuring, then you will succeed.

Thankfully now that I'm done, I have resumed my social life, and I insisted on having a celebratory dinner at Del Posto, and definitely with the wine pairing.


My GMAT score report is attached.

What do mean by this "Not fakes produced by some intern at Kaplan"
I m asking this since i have been following kaplan books and their tests for a long time.

Wow, you nailed it, both in your preparation and in this succinct post. Sweeeet.

Mechmeera wrote:
What do mean by this "Not fakes produced by some intern at Kaplan"
I m asking this since i have been following kaplan books and their tests for a long time.

Hi Mechmeera,

What I'm saying is that you can't overstate the importance of the official material. All other questions are just copies or interpretations of real questions. All the of the official guides, and any other official questions are the only true GMAT questions.

I greatly appreciate sharing your journey. As someone new to the GMAT this is very helpful. I wrote down the "3 things to know" that the instructor taught you. This will be used in shaping my approach. I also will check out the NY library on 42nd street as a study spot.

Congrats.

Agreed 100%. The way you broke down the 3 things the ACT instructor said is perspective altering. If only that instructor wrote articles here! Maybe we can find out who he is and get Beat the GMAT to feature him.

Thanks for sharing!

Many Congratulations for such a good score!!! Thanks for sharing your GMAT experience and advices! Good luck on your journey!

Greta score! Well done! Bets of luck for the applications