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me_1234
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
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- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 7:21 pm
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My GMAT journey has been an intense one month ride. This year I decided to apply for my MBA. I made a miscalculation regarding the GMAT and thought I would not need much time to study. I was always the type of person that did not have to study hard in school.
Once I took a practice exam and spoke to a few friends, I realized most people took 3-6 months to study. I wanted a 7 in front of my score in order to apply to top schools. It was then I realized I was trying to squeeze in the GMAT studying in one month while working 12 hour days. Scary!
I bought a bunch of books such as Princeton Premium Guide, Official Guide, and some assorted Manhattan GMAT books. To be honest, I don't think any of these were great. Official Guide is necessary for the practice questions, but most of the explanations are terrible and unclear. The Manhattan GMAT companion guide offer some decent explanations where the Official Guide failed. The Princeton book was probably better for someone starting off with a low score because it read quite elementary.
Disappointed with my books, I turned to tutors. I was shocked that many companies charged over $200/hour. Through more digging I tried three different tutors I found on Craigslist. One was awkward, one was rude, and the last one I stuck with. Jeff Miller from Target Test Prep was awesome and a bit of a psychiatrist for me while I crammed for the test.
In looking back, what worked best for me was one on one tutoring and googling things I didn't know, which led me to this site. This site was greet for digital moral support and free question explanations from experts. It's a good alternative if you cannot afford a tutor.
In the end, I studied everyday and took 4 practice exams. I didn't have a social life for this time period, but my resulting score of 700 was worth it. My advice to those that want a 700 is to work hard, but more importantly have confidence. The night before my exam, I relaxed, had a nice meal at a favorite local restaurant with my boyfriend, and got a good night's rest. I think this relaxation truly helped the day of.
Good luck to all of you and feel free to private message me with any questions.
Once I took a practice exam and spoke to a few friends, I realized most people took 3-6 months to study. I wanted a 7 in front of my score in order to apply to top schools. It was then I realized I was trying to squeeze in the GMAT studying in one month while working 12 hour days. Scary!
I bought a bunch of books such as Princeton Premium Guide, Official Guide, and some assorted Manhattan GMAT books. To be honest, I don't think any of these were great. Official Guide is necessary for the practice questions, but most of the explanations are terrible and unclear. The Manhattan GMAT companion guide offer some decent explanations where the Official Guide failed. The Princeton book was probably better for someone starting off with a low score because it read quite elementary.
Disappointed with my books, I turned to tutors. I was shocked that many companies charged over $200/hour. Through more digging I tried three different tutors I found on Craigslist. One was awkward, one was rude, and the last one I stuck with. Jeff Miller from Target Test Prep was awesome and a bit of a psychiatrist for me while I crammed for the test.
In looking back, what worked best for me was one on one tutoring and googling things I didn't know, which led me to this site. This site was greet for digital moral support and free question explanations from experts. It's a good alternative if you cannot afford a tutor.
In the end, I studied everyday and took 4 practice exams. I didn't have a social life for this time period, but my resulting score of 700 was worth it. My advice to those that want a 700 is to work hard, but more importantly have confidence. The night before my exam, I relaxed, had a nice meal at a favorite local restaurant with my boyfriend, and got a good night's rest. I think this relaxation truly helped the day of.
Good luck to all of you and feel free to private message me with any questions.
