-
paul.lasserre
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
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- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 8:45 am
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SUMMARRY:
Score: 720 (Q: 49 / V: 39 - Temporary results)
Preparation: approx 150 hours
Mar-Apr-May 12: Approx 50 hours with Grockit.com (videos + complete training program)
June: approx 100 h (week: 3h/day - WE: 5h/day)
CAT: Initial score 580 with Grockit then 620 in May with Kaplan. Then, CAT scores between 620 and 720 (690 and 710 with OGprep the week before the test)
Tools: Grockit.com at the beginning (not expensive, but not as good as Kaplan and Manathan because not enough questions and not always close to what the actual GMAT asks). The big advantage of Grockit is the concept of social network (that I hardly never used!!!)
Books: KAPLAN PREMIER/ OG Supp Quant and Verbal / MANATHAN SC (excellent)/ GMAT OG, 13th edition.
AWA (3-5hours): use of FOL link (thanks a lot chinese burner)
https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-to-get-6- ... 64327.html
IR (5 hours): online official questions. I wish I had practiced more
Verbal(approx 60 hours): Grockit and then mainly SC with Manathan which was very efficient
Quant (approx 80 hours): questions questions and questions to be sure to get a top score like 50 or 51 (which did not happen for the reason below).
DETAILS
I just passed the GMAT for the first time last Sunday. During the test I was quite pessimistic as:
1) I did not manage to read and correct my entire text in AWA because of the lack of time
2) I guessed the 2 last IR questions for the same reason
3) I thought I did not make a good Quant test, whereas It was usually my strong part.
When I started the Quant part, I decided not to run out of time again. As a result, for the first time ever, I completed the test with more than 20 minutes left though I took a lot of time for the last questions... But doing so, I missed some questions at the very beginning:
I think I chose
- the good answer for the first question
- wrong answer for the following hard question
- wrong again I guess on a medium question
- I had an easy question (a idiot calculation) that I answered directly and realized I was wrong while I was validating the wrong answer.
Consequently, I had a dozen of really easy/medium questions that I answered (right I guess) in a few minutes. After 15 minutes, I had almost answered half of the questions (I thought that the timer had a problem...). I took plenty of time for the end of the test and reached the hard part for the last questions only at the very end of the test.
So when I completed that Quant part, I knew that it was not a total success. But the advantage was that I was less exhausted than usual (when tricky questions come and come again attempting to make you run out of time).
I knew during the break that the only way to « save » my test was to be ultra-concentrated on the Verbal to get a good score after this strange experience in Quant.
I tried to do so, reading with attention the texts without dreaming, as I like to do when it is too complicated... Once again, I had an extra time of 10 minutes at the end (20 min for the last 5 questions) so I took my time and tried to avoid any stupid mistake.
When I completed the test, I was very unable to do a prognostic and when I read the final score, I was so surprised, and even a bit disappointed thinking that with a 39 in Verbal I could have reached 730 or 740 with a 50 or 51 in maths, as already done in some tests.
But definitely, so happy. 720 is a great score and allows me to stop working my GMAT and resume a normal life...
My background:
French (scientific studies) with 4 years of work experience, a bad level of English (my text can prove that) as I did not practice for almost 6 years. I have just been working abroad for the last 5 months, which allowed me to improve my English and prepare the GMAT.
GMAT Preparation
As explained above, working abroad in an international staff helped me to fill some gaps in English (my main concern by far).
I worked during 3 months to improve my language skills and started to study for the GMAT with Grockit.com buying the video lessons and training on the thematic questions.
During the last month, I had less work and was able to study in average 3 hours a day during the week and 5 hours a day during the week-end which represents approx. 100 hours of intensive preparation during the last 4 weeks.
For my first test (strange "CAT" on Grockit) 4 months ago, I got a 580... preparing me for painful months : I really did not understand too many words in Quant and Verbal...A nightmare ! Before my month of intensive preparation I took my first real test and scored a 620 (Kaplan free test).
At this time, I started to prepare a busy timetable. I bought these books : KAPLAN PREMIER/ OG Supp Quant and Verbal / MANATHAN SC (excellent). I received the GMAT OG, 13th edition, one week before the test and managed to answer approximately ¼ of all the questions.
I took 7 or 8 CAT: scores between 620 and 720, very irregular, answered half of the official IR questions online and all medium/hard questions of GMATprep.
I did not study the day before my test (just read again some pages of notes I wrote during my training) and had a very bad night of sleep... ☺
My best advice: schedule your GMAT appointment between one and two months once you have the books and TIME. Prepare yourself not to see friends a lot (I authorized myself one social event a week without going to bed too late) and make sure you won't have to do that again... (I really did not want to make my wife live this painful experience back in France...). Do everything without pressure because if you fail for whatever reason, you just loose one month and 250 dollars, which is not dramatic!!!
My specific strategy: Nothing. So do not be afraid like me if you read on this forum that some people are very well organized with efficient methods... It is likely efficient but it depends on the way you like to work...I just scheduled my study timetable as I felt for the last month: Monday : 30 questions of Quant in Kaplan + 2 chapters of SC in Manahan... Friday : One CAT + review... Timetable that I rarely respected...
To conclude, GMAT is a huge job but it makes you proud once it is done...
Thanks a lot for this useful forum and for all of you sharing your knowledge and experience. This is really great. However, I would give also this piece of advice: Try to find the numerous good tips available here well in advance of your test. Indeed, be careful not to spend too much time on forums in the final month with the danger of being stressed for nothing and not to study during this precious time...
Bonne chance and do not hesitate to ask me more details if you need so.
Cheers,
Paul
Score: 720 (Q: 49 / V: 39 - Temporary results)
Preparation: approx 150 hours
Mar-Apr-May 12: Approx 50 hours with Grockit.com (videos + complete training program)
June: approx 100 h (week: 3h/day - WE: 5h/day)
CAT: Initial score 580 with Grockit then 620 in May with Kaplan. Then, CAT scores between 620 and 720 (690 and 710 with OGprep the week before the test)
Tools: Grockit.com at the beginning (not expensive, but not as good as Kaplan and Manathan because not enough questions and not always close to what the actual GMAT asks). The big advantage of Grockit is the concept of social network (that I hardly never used!!!)
Books: KAPLAN PREMIER/ OG Supp Quant and Verbal / MANATHAN SC (excellent)/ GMAT OG, 13th edition.
AWA (3-5hours): use of FOL link (thanks a lot chinese burner)
https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-to-get-6- ... 64327.html
IR (5 hours): online official questions. I wish I had practiced more
Verbal(approx 60 hours): Grockit and then mainly SC with Manathan which was very efficient
Quant (approx 80 hours): questions questions and questions to be sure to get a top score like 50 or 51 (which did not happen for the reason below).
DETAILS
I just passed the GMAT for the first time last Sunday. During the test I was quite pessimistic as:
1) I did not manage to read and correct my entire text in AWA because of the lack of time
2) I guessed the 2 last IR questions for the same reason
3) I thought I did not make a good Quant test, whereas It was usually my strong part.
When I started the Quant part, I decided not to run out of time again. As a result, for the first time ever, I completed the test with more than 20 minutes left though I took a lot of time for the last questions... But doing so, I missed some questions at the very beginning:
I think I chose
- the good answer for the first question
- wrong answer for the following hard question
- wrong again I guess on a medium question
- I had an easy question (a idiot calculation) that I answered directly and realized I was wrong while I was validating the wrong answer.
Consequently, I had a dozen of really easy/medium questions that I answered (right I guess) in a few minutes. After 15 minutes, I had almost answered half of the questions (I thought that the timer had a problem...). I took plenty of time for the end of the test and reached the hard part for the last questions only at the very end of the test.
So when I completed that Quant part, I knew that it was not a total success. But the advantage was that I was less exhausted than usual (when tricky questions come and come again attempting to make you run out of time).
I knew during the break that the only way to « save » my test was to be ultra-concentrated on the Verbal to get a good score after this strange experience in Quant.
I tried to do so, reading with attention the texts without dreaming, as I like to do when it is too complicated... Once again, I had an extra time of 10 minutes at the end (20 min for the last 5 questions) so I took my time and tried to avoid any stupid mistake.
When I completed the test, I was very unable to do a prognostic and when I read the final score, I was so surprised, and even a bit disappointed thinking that with a 39 in Verbal I could have reached 730 or 740 with a 50 or 51 in maths, as already done in some tests.
But definitely, so happy. 720 is a great score and allows me to stop working my GMAT and resume a normal life...
My background:
French (scientific studies) with 4 years of work experience, a bad level of English (my text can prove that) as I did not practice for almost 6 years. I have just been working abroad for the last 5 months, which allowed me to improve my English and prepare the GMAT.
GMAT Preparation
As explained above, working abroad in an international staff helped me to fill some gaps in English (my main concern by far).
I worked during 3 months to improve my language skills and started to study for the GMAT with Grockit.com buying the video lessons and training on the thematic questions.
During the last month, I had less work and was able to study in average 3 hours a day during the week and 5 hours a day during the week-end which represents approx. 100 hours of intensive preparation during the last 4 weeks.
For my first test (strange "CAT" on Grockit) 4 months ago, I got a 580... preparing me for painful months : I really did not understand too many words in Quant and Verbal...A nightmare ! Before my month of intensive preparation I took my first real test and scored a 620 (Kaplan free test).
At this time, I started to prepare a busy timetable. I bought these books : KAPLAN PREMIER/ OG Supp Quant and Verbal / MANATHAN SC (excellent). I received the GMAT OG, 13th edition, one week before the test and managed to answer approximately ¼ of all the questions.
I took 7 or 8 CAT: scores between 620 and 720, very irregular, answered half of the official IR questions online and all medium/hard questions of GMATprep.
I did not study the day before my test (just read again some pages of notes I wrote during my training) and had a very bad night of sleep... ☺
My best advice: schedule your GMAT appointment between one and two months once you have the books and TIME. Prepare yourself not to see friends a lot (I authorized myself one social event a week without going to bed too late) and make sure you won't have to do that again... (I really did not want to make my wife live this painful experience back in France...). Do everything without pressure because if you fail for whatever reason, you just loose one month and 250 dollars, which is not dramatic!!!
My specific strategy: Nothing. So do not be afraid like me if you read on this forum that some people are very well organized with efficient methods... It is likely efficient but it depends on the way you like to work...I just scheduled my study timetable as I felt for the last month: Monday : 30 questions of Quant in Kaplan + 2 chapters of SC in Manahan... Friday : One CAT + review... Timetable that I rarely respected...
To conclude, GMAT is a huge job but it makes you proud once it is done...
Thanks a lot for this useful forum and for all of you sharing your knowledge and experience. This is really great. However, I would give also this piece of advice: Try to find the numerous good tips available here well in advance of your test. Indeed, be careful not to spend too much time on forums in the final month with the danger of being stressed for nothing and not to study during this precious time...
Bonne chance and do not hesitate to ask me more details if you need so.
Cheers,
Paul
I have been studying since January but I wasn't studying effectively or efficiently. Now I am studying more efficiently. Thanks again for the debrief. 
