Total = 730
Q 49 V 40
You can find de-brief of the first attempt - https://www.beatthegmat.com/down-for-the ... 70378.html
Edit:
After the disappointing 640, the first thing I did was take a complete break from GMAT. This was a 10 day vacation trip out of the country. I did not open my laptop, caught up on socializing and really just relaxed without thinking about GMAT, work and family.
I got back home refreshed and I was determined to give it one more shot. I realized the biggest mistake was that I spent way too much time preparing for Quant. I am an Engineer by degree but my mental math skills were always above average, to say the least.
So yeah, I remember I used to find all these funky problems on probability and combinations on the forums and spent precious energy trying to solve them. These are not worth the headache and time.
Seriously - stop fretting over these type of problems. I only saw 1 of each in both my attempts.
Your time is spent better in VERBAL, more specifically SC and RC.
In my prep for the 2nd attempt I probably spent 75% time on verbal.
Let me break it down:
SC - OG and Official packs are more than enough. I did not go through MGMAT SC again.
RC - I think these are the easiest points to pick up. I practiced from the Official Pack in a timed manner. It really helps to distinguish the question types and then approach the answer. Thanks Rich!
CR - There's only so much you can prepare for this bit. At least this is what I feel. I did not give it too much attention. I did not even bother reading the Powerscore Bible again.
The best advice I got before going in to the re-attempt was TRIAGE. Recognize and DUMP questions that are not worth a lot. Again credit to Rich!
Exam Day -
Quant - I believe I got an unusually high number of Geometry DS questions. I saw some tricky median-average questions and one Combination question. I felt shaky during the exam as I thought I might be slipping. Finished the section with 6 minutes to spare.
Verbal - RC passages were relatively easier. Keep in mind, I changed my strategy this time. I did not read each and every sentence. I skimmed over the first 2 sentences of each para and I could right away figure out the jargon that did not need my attention. Please note - You have to find your own approach. One size does not fit all.
For SC, I do believe the questions in my reattempt were much more direct. I dont know if that is luck or just that I was better prepared. I practiced a lot from the official packs. Please Please please take the time to read the explanations, even if you are right.
Finished with 4 minutes to spare.
Before ending the Verbal section, I thought of how I had done. Honestly, I felt like I was in the 680-700 range. I said a prayer and went ahead with the dreaded last few clicks and voila - 730 appeared! I got up and started punching the air! Wohoo!
I sat down and stared in to the screen again just to make sure I wasnt hallucinating.
So there you have it. I have spent a good amount of time preparing for this exam, which I highly respect. Please be sure of why you want to do this exam and realize it might affect your social life.
But with the right approach and execution - you will feel that it was all worth it!!
Sources used (in no specific order)
OG 13 - MUST
CR Bible Powerscore - One time Read
MGMAT SC - MUST
Veritas Test Papers - Really good source but RC passages are too interesting.
Empower GMAT - Reinforced my skills. I used this only for a month.
Official GMAT Question Pack - MUST
Official GMAT test pack - MUST
Beatthegmat forums - MUST
If I were to do it all over again, I would first do the OG - thoroughly. This is the best source. Then, I would look for the online/supplement sources.
Mock CATs
Veritas CATs were taken before the 1st attempt.
Veritas 1 - 700
Veritas 2 - 680
Veritas 3 - 720
Veritas 4 - 710
Veritas 5 - 730
GMAT Cats
GMATprep3 - 720
Gmatprep4 - 740
I would like to thank all the experts and friends here (in no particular order) - Mitch, Brent, Rich, Ron, David, Mike, melguy, vinay, sana, manpreet.... This forum really helped me stay focused and determined.
Feel free to ask any questions. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
