I just Beat The GMAT!

First off, BIG thanks to the BTG community! I cannot begin to describe how wonderful a resource this community has been. My GMAT prep just wouldn't have been the same. Aside from the study tips, sample problems / questions, which are of course extremely helpful, the different posts concerning various GMAT experiences gave me a much better perspective as to how I could overcome my GMAT fears. So again, a BIG thank you to everyone.

I guess I owe you guys a detailed debrief, so here goes:

I started studying in early March. I also scheduled my GMAT in June (today!) having read that 2-3 months preparation is normally the recommended range. I do understand that this may apply differently to different people depending on their study habits and circumstances. I've been out of university for about 7 years, and man it was really hard to start hitting the books again.

I discovered this website and began downloading recommended study plans and flash cards. After going over several posts and the files I downloaded, I realized I needed more formal instruction. You see, I'm one of those students who did just enough to get by. I made that mistake when I was in university and I was not leaving this one to chance. So I signed up for Kaplan's premiere online course (heard of them before). My first diagnostic CAT was a 550. I thought - not bad considering I HATE standardized tests. But taking it for the first time made me realize how grueling the GMAT is.

The Kaplan course starts by emphasizing strategic reading. At first I thought, cool, nice catch phrase - sounds like a Kaplan marketing spiel. Looking back, I now understand why it started out that way. I cannot over emphasize this - you CANNOT beat the GMAT if you do not know how to read strategically and actively. Half of the job is really making sense of the questions and untangling the stimulus.

I liked how the Kaplan course is structured - quant and verbal are spaced just about evenly so you don't get overloaded with information from any one topic. Admittedly, I'm fairly good with English. I probably speak and write it better than my native language (in my country, English is normally the primary medium of instruction). Moreover, my quant scores in college were not at all good (needed to offset those somehow). I'm pretty handy with Excel and I have no issues with straight-forward practical math BUT abstract, more conceptual math like number properties really killed me. Consequently, I thought the group of people who wrote data sufficiency questions were a bunch of sadists. I think a lot of people agree that DS is arguably the hardest component of the GMAT.

I was targeting at least a 700, with a pretty decent quant score, so I knew there was so much work that needed to be done. The Kaplan course has a pretty solid study plan. Given my quant weakness, however, I devoted most of my time on quant problems and DS. All in all, I think it was a pretty good course. Kaplan provided a lot of test-taking tips, a good number of strategies that may or may not work with you (usual suspects: picking numbers and back solving) and a good take on quant and verbal fundamentals across various levels. PRACTICE, however, makes all the difference. It's pretty comprehensive too. I was surprised to see a stress management lesson towards the end and Kaplan breaks the GMAT down really well at the start (explains each component).

I cannot comment on other test prep providers as I wasn't able to use any of their materials. I heard Manhattan is pretty awesome. Anyway, moving on...

I had 3 primary resources for my review: the Kaplan course and the course book that came with it, OG 12 and GMATPrep (good to note that Kaplan also recommends that you balance their material with those of the GMAC's) and of course the BTG website.

I took the GMAT today and I'm really quite pleased with my score: 700 (Q47 / V38). Exactly what I was hoping for! A higher score would have been great - but I'm thrilled just to see that 7.

So here are my key takeaways and observations, during both my study and the actual test:

- Be sure you get enough sleep. As a lot of people point out, it'll be difficult to learn a new concept just days before the real thing. You'd be better off being well-rested and in the right frame of mind come test day.

- Practice CATs are REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT as what BTG emphasized, it's best to balance them with serious study time. Use them to better pace yourself and do not freak out as your scores fluctuate. Normally, however, we all reach a certain range. If you're able to consistently hit your desired range, then chances are you're ready for the GMAT. It's hard to explain, but you just know when you're ready.

- I know we all love to compare CAT scores - trying to figure out some magical formula that will somehow indicate how we'll perform on the real thing. I only used Kaplan and GMATPrep CATs - and of course the GMATPrep material better resembled the real thing. I know much has been said about Kaplan's CD CATs, but their online versions are probably much better already. Instead of trying to figure out that magic formula, just pick a reputable test prep company you're comfortable with and trust that they applied due diligence in calibrating their CATs.

As I said, nothing beats the GMATPrep CATs. The Kaplan CATs are good for practice, with more multiple steps problems and verbose passages. But as some may have already pointed out, the GMAC questions may be shorter, but they are much trickier and more challenging given subtle nuances that are harder to pick up and identify. Fortunately, you somehow get used to how questions are phrased with a lot of practice (I swear one CR question in the real thing looked like it came straight from a GMATPrep CAT). So here are my practice CAT scores:

Note: I think Kaplan did a good job re-calibrating their online CATs and basic to intermediate questions do try to mirror the real thing / Sorry I don't have the splits but for some reason, I do remember that my quant scores (in terms of percentile / Kaplan doesn't show the raw scores) are higher on the GMAC CATs, but my verbal is also lower. The totals were pretty close though - weird!

Kaplan Diagnostic CAT: 550
Kaplan CAT 1: 620 (building endurance already made a substantial difference)
Kaplan CAT 2: 620
Kaplan CAT 3: 650
Kaplan CAT 4: 600 (absorbed a lot of material and tried them out)
GMATPrep CAT 1: 650 (less pacing issues)
GMATPrep CAT 2: 660
Kaplan CAT 5: 670
GMATPrep CAT 1: 700 (retake: some repeat questions especially on verbal)
GMATPrep CAT 2: 690 (retake: repeat questions)
Kaplan CAT 6: 690
Kaplan CAT 7: 700
Kaplan CAT 8: 700
GMATPrep CAT 1: 750 (retake: repeat questions / Q49 / V44 - just took note of the splits, silly me)

Real GMAT: 700 (Q47 / V38) - ecstatic!

- Make sure you arrive early at the test center. I took the bus and there was a huge traffic jam at an interchange that was totally unexpected. Thank God I left the house early. I was also able to take my exam ahead of my scheduled time - a good 30-45 minutes earlier.

- What's the deal with the erasable pads??? Okay, I knew erasable pad and pen have since replaced paper and pencil, but man are they bad! Maybe others have a better experience than me? Sometimes, the pen just won't write given a certain angle and I have to tilt it a certain way to get it going. And then it starts blotting all over the place and I have to re-write what I wrote. Talk about stressful. The erasable pad I used is basically laminate plastic, and it's paired with an ink pen (not the ballpoint kind). I suggest you try getting used to this.

- I was the second guy in the testing room and the first guy was really quiet so that was great. Then, two guys, probably in their 30s, went in and they were both quiet at first. But one of the guys who just came in, the one sitting next to me, kept tapping his pen on the table. The test center didn't really offer any earplugs so I never bothered asking if they had them. In hindsight, maybe I should have asked before I went in the room.

- AWAs were pretty straightforward.

- For some reason, the quant portion in my actual test seemed slightly easier than the prep CATs'. Maybe it's the luck of the draw? I got a fair bit of DS questions and tricky PS questions - but a good number involved topics I'm comfortable with. Again, these are variables you simply cannot control but somehow impact your test result. All you can do is hope for the best. After all, and I think I read this somewhere, the GMAT's biggest weakness is it doesn't know yours.

- The verbal portion was much different. Maybe it was fatigue, the pressure, knowing I did okay in the quant section, I couldn't really tell, but I started out well and my performance just deteriorated towards the end. Maybe I should have drank an energy drink. But halfway through the verbal section, it just became so hard to distinguish the right answer from the wrong ones. The differences in the answers, whether it be SC or CR, became really, really subtle. Suddenly, the Kaplan CATs didn't look so long anymore. Some of the CR questions just looked too long. I don't know, maybe I was just excited and nervous because I knew I was a few mouse clicks away from a score that finally counted. Out of the 15 CATs I took, this was only the third time that I had to rush portions of the verbal section (the other two being earlier CATs); I was quickly reading questions and strategically guessing as I had 10 minutes left when I got to question number 35, which meant I had only a minute and change per question.

I should have maximized my break after quant and psyched myself up. By rushing back, I think I further reinforced the idea that I just want this to be over and done with.

Still, I'm very happy with my score. It's very much in line with my most recent range of scores (both GMATPrep and Kaplan).

Finally, don't fret if you feel like you're losing motivation or hitting a performance plateau. That's expected considering it normally takes months to prepare. Visit this site not only for tips or answer keys - the forums are extremely helpful. There were days when I just felt like sulking and burning my OG 12. Knowing that other people are going through the same things you are definitely helps.

So good luck to everyone! Keep practicing! Thanks again, BTG!!!

JEFF