Hi there,
Today, I took my first GMAT and scored a 700 (Q45 V 40)! Overall, I am very happy with my score. The column has been tremendously helpful in my GMAT preparation so I would like to contribute some of my hindsights with the actual test-taking.
1) I know everyone says this, but this really is the most important message about GMAT: you must manage your time well. I spent way too much time on the earlier math questions and had to guess quite a few at the end. I really think that I would have gotten perhaps another 20-30 points if I actually listen and practice this piece of tip. So, don't be silly like me.
While time always runs short for me on math, I always finish early on verbal by at least 30 minutes. Now, I have practiced verbal with my regular pace and with a super slow turtle pace attempting to use all my 75 minutes. Which one do you think works better for me? If you guessed regular pace, you are right. I think when I work very slowly, I tend to second guess myself and actually do worse. My two cents for verbal is to practice and find a comfortable pace that works for you and stick to it on the test.
2) Can't do a problem? Not the end of the world. Take an educated guess and move on. The bottomlines here are that you need to keep a clear head and be comfortable in guessing. During my first 20 questions, I found myself thinking about previous problems, which distracted me greatly. If you have this tendency too, constantly remind yourself to focus on current problem!
3) Do not make a scene under any circumstance while others are taking their tests. Do not try to skip in front of anyone who is waiting to be signed in after his break. It is just bad karma. When I took my test today, one particular individual cut in front of me and threw a loud, hissy fit because she exceeded her break time. You are your own time keeper. I advise not taking breaks longer than 5 minutes just in case there is a long line to be signed in.
4) Now the most encouraging part-- my final GMAT score is about 25% higher than my gmatprep score. I really thought I was going to get a 640, with the time running out and all the guessing in math. Consequently, I really don't think most of us can accurately gauge our own performances during the tests. So don't give up during the test even if it feels like you aren't getting as many questions as you want correctly! On a side note, I also find the gmatprep verbal score (always 40 or 41) to be extremely predictable of actual performance (40).
Well, this is a bit long, but I hope you find some information helpful!
Today, I took my first GMAT and scored a 700 (Q45 V 40)! Overall, I am very happy with my score. The column has been tremendously helpful in my GMAT preparation so I would like to contribute some of my hindsights with the actual test-taking.
1) I know everyone says this, but this really is the most important message about GMAT: you must manage your time well. I spent way too much time on the earlier math questions and had to guess quite a few at the end. I really think that I would have gotten perhaps another 20-30 points if I actually listen and practice this piece of tip. So, don't be silly like me.
While time always runs short for me on math, I always finish early on verbal by at least 30 minutes. Now, I have practiced verbal with my regular pace and with a super slow turtle pace attempting to use all my 75 minutes. Which one do you think works better for me? If you guessed regular pace, you are right. I think when I work very slowly, I tend to second guess myself and actually do worse. My two cents for verbal is to practice and find a comfortable pace that works for you and stick to it on the test.
2) Can't do a problem? Not the end of the world. Take an educated guess and move on. The bottomlines here are that you need to keep a clear head and be comfortable in guessing. During my first 20 questions, I found myself thinking about previous problems, which distracted me greatly. If you have this tendency too, constantly remind yourself to focus on current problem!
3) Do not make a scene under any circumstance while others are taking their tests. Do not try to skip in front of anyone who is waiting to be signed in after his break. It is just bad karma. When I took my test today, one particular individual cut in front of me and threw a loud, hissy fit because she exceeded her break time. You are your own time keeper. I advise not taking breaks longer than 5 minutes just in case there is a long line to be signed in.
4) Now the most encouraging part-- my final GMAT score is about 25% higher than my gmatprep score. I really thought I was going to get a 640, with the time running out and all the guessing in math. Consequently, I really don't think most of us can accurately gauge our own performances during the tests. So don't give up during the test even if it feels like you aren't getting as many questions as you want correctly! On a side note, I also find the gmatprep verbal score (always 40 or 41) to be extremely predictable of actual performance (40).
Well, this is a bit long, but I hope you find some information helpful!
