So I just found out my AWA was 4.5 and I am definitely not happy about this. I certainly thought I scored better than that, but I guess not. Will this significantly affect my ability to get into top schools? With a 760 and an AWA of 4.5, does anyone think that I should rewrite the GMAT?
I guess this means that people should not follow my AWA suggested strategy. Take it more seriously than I did and practice it at least 4 times.
Or, perhaps I should request a re-score. I think that it is worth the $45 and I think that there is a possibility that my score will increase, not decrease. At the very least I don't think that it could hurt. What do you guys think about this?
I just finished the GMAT (760 - Q49, V44) - Lessons learned
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madeline
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First of all, congrats on the nice score - Canadians rock! (me being Canadian and all, hehe)
I would be happy with a 4.5... this does not carry much weight at all, it simply proves to the schools that you can write adequately. I've heard many times from many people that anything above 4 would suffice, even for the top schools, and 4.5 is definitely on par. Having said that, I do agree that it would be worth it to use the re-scoring service, if you really think that you should've scored more. I'm not sure about retaking... aside from the extra effort required, what if you scored less than 760 but more on essays? I don't know for sure, but I would think that it's the 760 that will count, and hence the essay score that came with the 760.
I also worked for one of the big 4 accounting firms in their consulting arm (let's not mention exactly which one), and I loved how you said you could do 40 questions every morning at work.
I definitely think that with your superb academic skills and work experience, the schools you mentioned are not far off. You also come across as a good writer. AWA score aside, you made some very good points very clearly, the entire time I was reading your post, I felt like that I had tried to convey the same ideas in my post but did a sub-par job compared to yours. So I think that with some effort put into the admission essays, you'll have a good chance.
Good luck!
I would be happy with a 4.5... this does not carry much weight at all, it simply proves to the schools that you can write adequately. I've heard many times from many people that anything above 4 would suffice, even for the top schools, and 4.5 is definitely on par. Having said that, I do agree that it would be worth it to use the re-scoring service, if you really think that you should've scored more. I'm not sure about retaking... aside from the extra effort required, what if you scored less than 760 but more on essays? I don't know for sure, but I would think that it's the 760 that will count, and hence the essay score that came with the 760.
I also worked for one of the big 4 accounting firms in their consulting arm (let's not mention exactly which one), and I loved how you said you could do 40 questions every morning at work.
I definitely think that with your superb academic skills and work experience, the schools you mentioned are not far off. You also come across as a good writer. AWA score aside, you made some very good points very clearly, the entire time I was reading your post, I felt like that I had tried to convey the same ideas in my post but did a sub-par job compared to yours. So I think that with some effort put into the admission essays, you'll have a good chance.Good luck!
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tycoon_316
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
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- Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2008 5:12 pm
hI mgross
Awesome Post dude!!!!!!! i guess there are very few people who would take the time off to convert their thoughts in writing and indeed you truly deserve a 760
It would be great if you can provide me with some of your thgts.
Basically i gave my gmat a few days ago scored a 660 ( 49q 31v)
Well as u can see my achilles heel is the verbal section and more so SC and RC. CR i am more or less comfortable with
Infact i did follow your strategy of practising all sections everyday.. working 20-30 q a day
Somehow RC i was not able to figure out the techniques. I found the RC in OG11 to be pretty simple with questions being ( well use of being is wrong in GMAT, excuse me guys ) not so deceptive . But in actual GMAT i found 1/2 passages very difficult ( one on British History with lengthy options and questions )
What materials do you suggest for RC preperation?
SC is my second problem.
I did study manhattan SC 9 rules and also tried to apply the quant approach of applying the rules and eliminating options.... But in GMAT felt that the questions were twisted such that i could not figure out how the rules apply to those questions
prep i used
OG11,10 - RC & SC
1000 Sc- worked arnd 400 questions
I am plannin to buy the OG verbal review and go at SC again
But do you have any suggestions on how to improve these two areas? Also what other material would you suggest for RC & SC other than og?
I would really appreciate your reply
Thanks
Shankar
Awesome Post dude!!!!!!! i guess there are very few people who would take the time off to convert their thoughts in writing and indeed you truly deserve a 760
It would be great if you can provide me with some of your thgts.
Basically i gave my gmat a few days ago scored a 660 ( 49q 31v)
Well as u can see my achilles heel is the verbal section and more so SC and RC. CR i am more or less comfortable with
Infact i did follow your strategy of practising all sections everyday.. working 20-30 q a day
Somehow RC i was not able to figure out the techniques. I found the RC in OG11 to be pretty simple with questions being ( well use of being is wrong in GMAT, excuse me guys ) not so deceptive . But in actual GMAT i found 1/2 passages very difficult ( one on British History with lengthy options and questions )
What materials do you suggest for RC preperation?
SC is my second problem.
I did study manhattan SC 9 rules and also tried to apply the quant approach of applying the rules and eliminating options.... But in GMAT felt that the questions were twisted such that i could not figure out how the rules apply to those questions
prep i used
OG11,10 - RC & SC
1000 Sc- worked arnd 400 questions
I am plannin to buy the OG verbal review and go at SC again
But do you have any suggestions on how to improve these two areas? Also what other material would you suggest for RC & SC other than og?
I would really appreciate your reply
Thanks
Shankar
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mgross
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Hi Madeline,
Firstly, you are right, Canadians do rock! With respect to my 4.5, you are right in that I've heard it will not carry much weight; I am no longer too worried about it and probably won't even get it re-scored (although I would be much happier with a 5). Based on what I've heard, I am definitely not considering re-writing the GMAT.
I also really appreciate the positive feedback about my writing style. I hope that I am able to convey messages in the same way and get the same type of feedback from admissions committees when I apply.
Firstly, you are right, Canadians do rock! With respect to my 4.5, you are right in that I've heard it will not carry much weight; I am no longer too worried about it and probably won't even get it re-scored (although I would be much happier with a 5). Based on what I've heard, I am definitely not considering re-writing the GMAT.
I also really appreciate the positive feedback about my writing style. I hope that I am able to convey messages in the same way and get the same type of feedback from admissions committees when I apply.
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mgross
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
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- Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 5:15 pm
- Thanked: 6 times
- GMAT Score:760
Hi tycoon_316,
Firstly, you are absolutely correct in your self-assessment. Your Quant is great and therefore, I believe you have the potential to get a 720 and above.
I do agree with you that on the actual GMAT, I did receive a very hard RC passage. It was short, but extremely tough to follow. It was one paragraph with maybe 3 sentences. One of the sentences was more than half the passage - very, very confusing. I am by no means going to pretend to be an expert on RC, however, I did improve immensely towards the end of my studying. At some point, it kind of just clicked and I knew what to look for when reading a passage and what traps to avoid on the questions. With respect to study materials, use OG and Verbal OG for Reading Comprehension.
In terms of RC strategy, all I can recommend is what worked for me. Please note that books and other people completely disagree with what I'm about to say. My strategy is to read the passage once quite thoroughly - reread parts when you don't understand something. However, I suggest not taking a lot of notes - this wastes way too much time. Make sure you understand why the author is writing and the main idea of the passage. You do not need to memorize details - just know where they are in the passage. For each question, go back to the passage and re-read the relevant paragraphs once, twice, even three times. Then, go with a "non-strong" answer. Avoid words of certainty like all, always, and definite. Those are usually traps and can be eliminated as answers quite easily. I learned this with practice, not from a book. In studying, do a ton of RC, but don't give yourself a time limit. Practice without the stress of the clock and learn why some answers are wrong, and why some are right. Up your percentage of correct RC answers without a clock, and then figure out how to do better when you are timed. They key is to do a lot of problems, but do them critically and try not to make the same types of mistakes. Also, whenever you read the solutions, read why each answer choice was wrong. Patterns will reveal themselves and will start to notice them when evaluating an answer choice.
With respect to SC, which was also my weakest area, I think I have come up with a decent strategy (at least one that worked for me). It does depend on whether you are an English speaker or not. If you are not (or English is not your first language), I do not think my strategy will work. Basically, Manhattan SC 2007 is a great book, but it is very difficult to consider all its information on each SC question. So, I came up with my top 3 things to look for: (1) Subject-verb agreement, (2) Pronoun-antecedent agreement, (3) Sentence parallelism. I would find sentences that are correct according to those categories, and if I was left with a couple of options (typically due to verb tense), I would ask myself, "Which one sounds right?" As an English speaker, your ear is typically able to pick up the correct verb tense and whether a sentence is sufficiently concise. If you are a non-English speaker, I would suggest reading the Manhattan SC book at least 5 times. I would focus on memorizing all the rules and learning how to form the best sentence. This will take a ton of work, but in the end, I think it is the only way for a non-English speaker to learn all the rules.
All-in-all, for RC, I would suggest practice, practice, practice. For SC, choose the key Manhattan rules, then "'listen" for the sentence that sounds best (unless you are a non-English speaker). Definitely buy Verbal OG and note that the problems at the end of the book are the hardest.
All the best in your studying, and please do not hesitate to ask more questions.
-mgross
Firstly, you are absolutely correct in your self-assessment. Your Quant is great and therefore, I believe you have the potential to get a 720 and above.
I do agree with you that on the actual GMAT, I did receive a very hard RC passage. It was short, but extremely tough to follow. It was one paragraph with maybe 3 sentences. One of the sentences was more than half the passage - very, very confusing. I am by no means going to pretend to be an expert on RC, however, I did improve immensely towards the end of my studying. At some point, it kind of just clicked and I knew what to look for when reading a passage and what traps to avoid on the questions. With respect to study materials, use OG and Verbal OG for Reading Comprehension.
In terms of RC strategy, all I can recommend is what worked for me. Please note that books and other people completely disagree with what I'm about to say. My strategy is to read the passage once quite thoroughly - reread parts when you don't understand something. However, I suggest not taking a lot of notes - this wastes way too much time. Make sure you understand why the author is writing and the main idea of the passage. You do not need to memorize details - just know where they are in the passage. For each question, go back to the passage and re-read the relevant paragraphs once, twice, even three times. Then, go with a "non-strong" answer. Avoid words of certainty like all, always, and definite. Those are usually traps and can be eliminated as answers quite easily. I learned this with practice, not from a book. In studying, do a ton of RC, but don't give yourself a time limit. Practice without the stress of the clock and learn why some answers are wrong, and why some are right. Up your percentage of correct RC answers without a clock, and then figure out how to do better when you are timed. They key is to do a lot of problems, but do them critically and try not to make the same types of mistakes. Also, whenever you read the solutions, read why each answer choice was wrong. Patterns will reveal themselves and will start to notice them when evaluating an answer choice.
With respect to SC, which was also my weakest area, I think I have come up with a decent strategy (at least one that worked for me). It does depend on whether you are an English speaker or not. If you are not (or English is not your first language), I do not think my strategy will work. Basically, Manhattan SC 2007 is a great book, but it is very difficult to consider all its information on each SC question. So, I came up with my top 3 things to look for: (1) Subject-verb agreement, (2) Pronoun-antecedent agreement, (3) Sentence parallelism. I would find sentences that are correct according to those categories, and if I was left with a couple of options (typically due to verb tense), I would ask myself, "Which one sounds right?" As an English speaker, your ear is typically able to pick up the correct verb tense and whether a sentence is sufficiently concise. If you are a non-English speaker, I would suggest reading the Manhattan SC book at least 5 times. I would focus on memorizing all the rules and learning how to form the best sentence. This will take a ton of work, but in the end, I think it is the only way for a non-English speaker to learn all the rules.
All-in-all, for RC, I would suggest practice, practice, practice. For SC, choose the key Manhattan rules, then "'listen" for the sentence that sounds best (unless you are a non-English speaker). Definitely buy Verbal OG and note that the problems at the end of the book are the hardest.
All the best in your studying, and please do not hesitate to ask more questions.
-mgross
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tycoon_316
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
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- Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2008 5:12 pm
Hi mgros
Thanks a lot for sharing your strateges.... Infact i really like your rc strategy... i hope to implement it this week and see if it works...
again thanks and keep sharing
ciao
Thanks a lot for sharing your strateges.... Infact i really like your rc strategy... i hope to implement it this week and see if it works...
again thanks and keep sharing
ciao
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emrahercan
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I came across with so many debrief but yours is definitely one of the most REAL among others . By the way, you should get the patent for your "timing technique". Brilliant thinking!
Good luck with your applications!
Cheers,
Gmat Delight
Good luck with your applications!
Cheers,
Gmat Delight
GMAT DELIGHT
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emrahercan
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
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mgross,
760 speaks for itself! Don't worry about the AWA - I just had a 1-on-1 conversation with UCLA Adcom and he told me that AWA is just a check up to see if somebody actually wrote their essays. So in your case - you are fine bro! Just dont apply with Essays that could be rated 4.5!
760 speaks for itself! Don't worry about the AWA - I just had a 1-on-1 conversation with UCLA Adcom and he told me that AWA is just a check up to see if somebody actually wrote their essays. So in your case - you are fine bro! Just dont apply with Essays that could be rated 4.5!
GMAT DELIGHT
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asv711
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
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- Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:49 am
- Location: Bandra, Mumbai
Hi mgross,
Brilliant score!!
I was toggling with the idea of giving GMAT since quite sometime, but just a week back i took an Oct end date. So, i have two months with me to prepare. In the diagnostic test which i gave, i did pretty well in QA (49) but sufferred badly in verbal (34) and the main reason being RC and SC.
I did do some intensive SC study for 3 days and gave the Kaplan SC tests, in which i have seemed to do better, but RC still remains a problem. The major problem with RC for me is study material. I have done the OG and found it to be relatively simpler than the online tests or may be the online reading pattern does the harm.
Is it possible for you to tell me more RC resouces available on the net. It would be great if i can get them without paying an extra fee since i have already invested quite a bit in material. What about the 1000 RC document? Can you upload it here?
Thanks a ton for your help.
Cheers,
ASV
Brilliant score!!
I was toggling with the idea of giving GMAT since quite sometime, but just a week back i took an Oct end date. So, i have two months with me to prepare. In the diagnostic test which i gave, i did pretty well in QA (49) but sufferred badly in verbal (34) and the main reason being RC and SC.
I did do some intensive SC study for 3 days and gave the Kaplan SC tests, in which i have seemed to do better, but RC still remains a problem. The major problem with RC for me is study material. I have done the OG and found it to be relatively simpler than the online tests or may be the online reading pattern does the harm.
Is it possible for you to tell me more RC resouces available on the net. It would be great if i can get them without paying an extra fee since i have already invested quite a bit in material. What about the 1000 RC document? Can you upload it here?
Thanks a ton for your help.
Cheers,
ASV
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dilipbobby
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
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HI i have OG quant review with me it has 170 proble solving questions and around 120 data sufficiency questions. , is it the same quant book from which u studied, i jst wrote the test 2 days back so i realy want to improve in quant within 30 days please help me , and if the quant book is different then how much does it cost, please reply ASAP
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mgross
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
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- Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 5:15 pm
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- GMAT Score:760
Hi ASV,asv711 wrote:Hi mgross,
Brilliant score!!
I was toggling with the idea of giving GMAT since quite sometime, but just a week back i took an Oct end date. So, i have two months with me to prepare. In the diagnostic test which i gave, i did pretty well in QA (49) but sufferred badly in verbal (34) and the main reason being RC and SC.
I did do some intensive SC study for 3 days and gave the Kaplan SC tests, in which i have seemed to do better, but RC still remains a problem. The major problem with RC for me is study material. I have done the OG and found it to be relatively simpler than the online tests or may be the online reading pattern does the harm.
Is it possible for you to tell me more RC resouces available on the net. It would be great if i can get them without paying an extra fee since i have already invested quite a bit in material. What about the 1000 RC document? Can you upload it here?
Thanks a ton for your help.
Cheers,
ASV
Unfortunately, I do not know what the 1000 RC document is. With respect to studying, I did feel as though OG is good practice for the RC sections on the tests. I did receive a tough RC passage on the real GMAT, but that could have been due to the fact that I had been doing well on the verbal section. If you have completed OG, I suggest that you buy OG verbal. Other than that, I am really not sure where to look. Keep practicing, and try a little when you are not timed. If you are doing well in OG RC, I suspect you will do well in GMAT Prep tests and the real GMAT.
