I just Beat The GMAT!

Hi All,

I had taken gmat on 24th of this month and really got beaten up by the test. My score is 600 (48/26) in the 2nd attempt. The 1st attempt score was 590 (48/24). I had actually given up the idea of giving gmat again but saw few debriefs on the forums and realized that most of the people who took their tests during 20-26 June got beaten up. This is only my observation. I just read ykiim's debrief. I would like people to comment on debrief and comment on the strategy to improve on verbal where there is big scope.

Sources used:

1. OG 11 & 12
2. 1000 series for all
3. Manhattan guides (RC/CR/SC)
4. CR Powerscore guide
5. Sets
6. Gmat club tests
7. Gmat verbal guide (blue - 2nd edition)
8. Forum participation
9. Question series generally available on the forums

Practice test scores

1. 6 Manhattan tests (scores between 690-700, with average of 690, M48/V34-36, with repetitions of the Questions)
2. 4 GMAT preps (Scores between 690-730, M48/V36-39, with out repetition of Qs)
3. Gmat club tests (25 Maths, 3 verbal)

Prep strategy

"¢ Initially focused on the content and understanding which helped me improve my CR and RC. I felt SC is an ongoing process of improvement.
"¢ I used to solve 40 Qs of verbal thrice a week with alternate days for reviewing
"¢ Maths was generally a stronger side

Test day experience

AWA
Argument and issue went well because of the various templates available on the forums.

Maths

"¢ PS was comparable to OG but only with last few Qs and was solvable.
"¢ DS was ok and could complete well within time.

English
"¢ RC and CR were comparable to OG and Verbal guide and I think were manageable.
"¢ SC was terribly bad and felt that I am spending more than 2 minutes per SC Q. SC on the gmat prep were such that one could apply rules learned from Manhattan GMAT and crack them. But the SC's that I got were f***ng really bad. Couldn't understand head and tail of them and got really really screwed up in the test.
"¢ I felt because of this bad SC, I lost the test at around 20th Q. I wanted to cancel the score but still wanted to try my luck and hence accepted the score and got screwed up on 24th June 2010. I can see many like me, who got screwed up during the similar time period.

After reading through few debriefs got some courage to put down my thoughts and request all of you and experts to please comment on the verbal strategy to improve my scores to plus 40's. I am also thinking of putting my money into Knewton which gives a guarantee of +50 points. Please also provide some additional sources and strategy on verbal score.

Hi Vaivish,

Do you feel that real GMAT questions were too difficult to solve and were quite different from MGMAT or GMATPrerp? Were you able to solve all verbal questions in time or made some guesses?

Thanks.

I think you are a Jamboree student. since the material which u have mentioned 4 ur prep was provided by them only.

anyways man i would like 2 ask few things:-
1. How long were SC in ur paper. I mean whether of i line or 2 line.?
2. How many ques do u get in Sc which arefull underlined ?
3. How many of them have just underline part on 1 or 2 words?
4.Does u got any passage on science and history?

I am asking so bcz i have my test on 9th july. Hope u will answer my quereies.

Thanks in advance.

vaivish wrote:Hi All,

I had taken gmat on 24th of this month and really got beaten up by the test. My score is 600 (48/26) in the 2nd attempt. The 1st attempt score was 590 (48/24). I had actually given up the idea of giving gmat again but saw few debriefs on the forums and realized that most of the people who took their tests during 20-26 June got beaten up. This is only my observation. I just read ykiim's debrief. I would like people to comment on debrief and comment on the strategy to improve on verbal where there is big scope.

Sources used:

1. OG 11 & 12
2. 1000 series for all
3. Manhattan guides (RC/CR/SC)
4. CR Powerscore guide
5. Sets
6. Gmat club tests
7. Gmat verbal guide (blue - 2nd edition)
8. Forum participation
9. Question series generally available on the forums

Practice test scores

1. 6 Manhattan tests (scores between 690-700, with average of 690, M48/V34-36, with repetitions of the Questions)
2. 4 GMAT preps (Scores between 690-730, M48/V36-39, with out repetition of Qs)
3. Gmat club tests (25 Maths, 3 verbal)

Prep strategy

"¢ Initially focused on the content and understanding which helped me improve my CR and RC. I felt SC is an ongoing process of improvement.
"¢ I used to solve 40 Qs of verbal thrice a week with alternate days for reviewing
"¢ Maths was generally a stronger side

Test day experience

AWA
Argument and issue went well because of the various templates available on the forums.

Maths

"¢ PS was comparable to OG but only with last few Qs and was solvable.
"¢ DS was ok and could complete well within time.

English
"¢ RC and CR were comparable to OG and Verbal guide and I think were manageable.
"¢ SC was terribly bad and felt that I am spending more than 2 minutes per SC Q. SC on the gmat prep were such that one could apply rules learned from Manhattan GMAT and crack them. But the SC's that I got were f***ng really bad. Couldn't understand head and tail of them and got really really screwed up in the test.
"¢ I felt because of this bad SC, I lost the test at around 20th Q. I wanted to cancel the score but still wanted to try my luck and hence accepted the score and got screwed up on 24th June 2010. I can see many like me, who got screwed up during the similar time period.

After reading through few debriefs got some courage to put down my thoughts and request all of you and experts to please comment on the verbal strategy to improve my scores to plus 40's. I am also thinking of putting my money into Knewton which gives a guarantee of +50 points. Please also provide some additional sources and strategy on verbal score.

1. How long were SC in ur paper. I mean whether of i line or 2 line.?
2. How many ques do u get in Sc which arefull underlined ?
3. How many of them have just underline part on 1 or 2 words?
4.Does u got any passage on science and history?


1. SC's were both one and two liners
2. not able to recollect but surely in the range of 14-15.
3. not able to recollect
5. yes one on science and one on history

Am surprised even after a week there is no response on this post. !!!

vaivish - Your prep scores are very much inline with my prep score.So, I wonder if I also land up in the same zone of 600 on actual GMAT.

Did you always write full test including AWA during mock tests ?

Your math seems pretty ok and also the resources you have mentioned are the only ones that I can suggest and even I am also using the same.

I can only suggest you more practice under ideal test conditions. Also, below docs may help you exercise, if not done already, before going for GMAT.
1. 198 Level 700+ questions from GMAT Prep I
2. 300+ GMAT Math questions with Best Solutions

I, instead, would like to ask some suggestion from you as I am only 2-3 weeks away from my test. What do you think I can do to improve my score, given the tough nature of SCs, in this last few weeks.

sumanr84 wrote:vaivish - Your prep scores are very much inline with my prep score.So, I wonder if I also land up in the same zone of 600 on actual GMAT.

Did you always write full test including AWA during mock tests ?

Your math seems pretty ok and also the resources you have mentioned are the only ones that I can suggest and even I am also using the same.

I can only suggest you more practice under ideal test conditions. Also, below docs may help you exercise, if not done already, before going for GMAT.
1. 198 Level 700+ questions from GMAT Prep I
2. 300+ GMAT Math questions with Best Solutions

I, instead, would like to ask some suggestion from you as I am only 2-3 weeks away from my test. What do you think I can do to improve my score, given the tough nature of SCs, in this last few weeks.

@ Sumanr84
Can you plesae provide link for these two resources , which yiu have mentioned....i.e.


1. 198 Level 700+ questions from GMAT Prep I
2. 300+ GMAT Math questions with Best Solutions

Thanks....!

@Vaivish

Dear, On this score you can expect lots of reputed B school.... do not take this score for granted.... explore schools... am sure this score is worth it...

obviously, You can aspire again side by side...

ta

198 Level 700+ questions from GMAT Prep I

https://www.beatthegmat.com/198-level-70 ... 43783.html

Few high scorers used this doc too,
https://www.beatthegmat.com/750-48q-45v- ... 56809.html
https://www.beatthegmat.com/i-just-beat- ... 58923.html

300+ GMAT Math questions with Best Solutions
https://www.beatthegmat.com/download-gma ... 59366.html

They have similar ones for CRs, but I have decided to stay away from it as CRs are real tough and I don't have much time. If you have time you can do CRs as well..

sumanr84 wrote:198 Level 700+ questions from GMAT Prep I

https://www.beatthegmat.com/198-level-70 ... 43783.html

Few high scorers used this doc too,
https://www.beatthegmat.com/750-48q-45v- ... 56809.html
https://www.beatthegmat.com/i-just-beat- ... 58923.html

300+ GMAT Math questions with Best Solutions
https://www.beatthegmat.com/download-gma ... 59366.html

They have similar ones for CRs, but I have decided to stay away from it as CRs are real tough and I don't have much time. If you have time you can do CRs as well..

Thanks Suman...

n

best of luck for yr exam...

CAn you tell which are the colleges you are referring to?