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rd_hi
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:34 pm
- Location: Singapore
- Thanked: 1 times
- GMAT Score:720
I took my GMAT on 9th in Singapore. Been busy at work since then. Hence, couldn't post this earlier. My score:
720 - 95%
V: 40 - 89%
Q: 49 - 88%
AWA: 5.5 - 80%
I studied for about a month before taking my GMAT. It was an uphill task because I was not able to put in as much time as I wanted to (I am working full time). The material I used for my preparation:
OG 11th Edition
Manhattan SC Guide
Kaplan 800
I bought the OG 11th edition and gave the diagnostic test. It was a disappointing start. I was getting lot of verbal questions wrong and was spending too much time solving the quant problems. The time issue on the quant section was frustrating as I have a background in engineering and I was always comfortable with maths. But I knew it was due to lack of practice, a problem which could be easily overcome.
It took me few days to pick up the book again. I started with the quant problems on the OG. I was solving sets of 40 problems in timed sessions. Working in such timed sessions, I was able to complete the problem set with plenty of time to spare. However, I still needed to improve my accuracy as I was making lot of careless mistakes. I used to re-solve the problems I had gotten wrong before carefully analyzing the explanations to the questions. All along, I kept notes of my weak areas.
After finishing the quant problems on the OG I read through the Manhattan SC guide. I knew I needed to spend more time on verbal as I am a non-native English speaker. I then proceeded to the verbal problems on the OG. I again followed the same strategy of solving problems in sets of 40 in timed sessions. While I was doing the verbal, I also occasionally kept solving some quant problems from Kaplan 800 to avoid losing my practice. So by the time I finished the OG verbal, I was also done with half of the quant problems on Kaplan 800.
I completed the Kaplan 800 quant before taking my first prep test. In the last week of my preparation, I did few problems from the verbal section of Kaplan 800 apart from the practice tests. I went back and solved OG problems from the sections I was weak in. Also, I revised the review notes from OG a day before my exam.
Scores on my practice tests:
GMATPrep 1 - 700 Q49 V36 (no AWA)
GMATPrep 2 - 700 Q49 V36 (no AWA)
Kaplan - 690 Q45 V42 (no AWA)
ETS Powerprep - 740 Q50 V40 (wrote the AWA essays for the first time)
Exam Day:
My exam was scheduled for the evening. I made sure I got sound sleep the previous night, as I didn't want to give my exam in a groggy state. Well, the exam began after all the verification procedures were completed. The AWA questions were ok, though I struggled to find enough points for my Issue topic.
In the quant section problem solving was fine but DS seemed tougher than what I had been practicing. It was taking me longer than usual to solve the DS problems but I managed to complete the section with 5 minutes to spare.
In the verbal section, most of the problems were of the similar level as of those in OG. By the time I reached towards end of the Verbal section, I was really impatient to finish the exam and be done with it. I completed the verbal section with about 15 minutes to spare.
I was happy with my score of 720, though I had wished for a slightly higher score.
Few tips for future GMAT takers:
1. Schedule your GMAT when you begin your study: Your study will be more organized and focused if you have a target date in front of you.
2. Keep the duration of your studies short: You tend to lose the focus and momentum with time. You don't need to prepare for a year to ace the GMAT.
3. OG is the bible: OG has everything that GMAT intends to test. Do the OG as thoroughly as possible.
Thanks for bearing with me (if you are still reading
, sorry for the long post).
I would like to thank everyone on this forum. Reading others' success stories on the forum has been a great source of inspiration for me.
Cheers
rd
720 - 95%
V: 40 - 89%
Q: 49 - 88%
AWA: 5.5 - 80%
I studied for about a month before taking my GMAT. It was an uphill task because I was not able to put in as much time as I wanted to (I am working full time). The material I used for my preparation:
OG 11th Edition
Manhattan SC Guide
Kaplan 800
I bought the OG 11th edition and gave the diagnostic test. It was a disappointing start. I was getting lot of verbal questions wrong and was spending too much time solving the quant problems. The time issue on the quant section was frustrating as I have a background in engineering and I was always comfortable with maths. But I knew it was due to lack of practice, a problem which could be easily overcome.
It took me few days to pick up the book again. I started with the quant problems on the OG. I was solving sets of 40 problems in timed sessions. Working in such timed sessions, I was able to complete the problem set with plenty of time to spare. However, I still needed to improve my accuracy as I was making lot of careless mistakes. I used to re-solve the problems I had gotten wrong before carefully analyzing the explanations to the questions. All along, I kept notes of my weak areas.
After finishing the quant problems on the OG I read through the Manhattan SC guide. I knew I needed to spend more time on verbal as I am a non-native English speaker. I then proceeded to the verbal problems on the OG. I again followed the same strategy of solving problems in sets of 40 in timed sessions. While I was doing the verbal, I also occasionally kept solving some quant problems from Kaplan 800 to avoid losing my practice. So by the time I finished the OG verbal, I was also done with half of the quant problems on Kaplan 800.
I completed the Kaplan 800 quant before taking my first prep test. In the last week of my preparation, I did few problems from the verbal section of Kaplan 800 apart from the practice tests. I went back and solved OG problems from the sections I was weak in. Also, I revised the review notes from OG a day before my exam.
Scores on my practice tests:
GMATPrep 1 - 700 Q49 V36 (no AWA)
GMATPrep 2 - 700 Q49 V36 (no AWA)
Kaplan - 690 Q45 V42 (no AWA)
ETS Powerprep - 740 Q50 V40 (wrote the AWA essays for the first time)
Exam Day:
My exam was scheduled for the evening. I made sure I got sound sleep the previous night, as I didn't want to give my exam in a groggy state. Well, the exam began after all the verification procedures were completed. The AWA questions were ok, though I struggled to find enough points for my Issue topic.
In the quant section problem solving was fine but DS seemed tougher than what I had been practicing. It was taking me longer than usual to solve the DS problems but I managed to complete the section with 5 minutes to spare.
In the verbal section, most of the problems were of the similar level as of those in OG. By the time I reached towards end of the Verbal section, I was really impatient to finish the exam and be done with it. I completed the verbal section with about 15 minutes to spare.
I was happy with my score of 720, though I had wished for a slightly higher score.
Few tips for future GMAT takers:
1. Schedule your GMAT when you begin your study: Your study will be more organized and focused if you have a target date in front of you.
2. Keep the duration of your studies short: You tend to lose the focus and momentum with time. You don't need to prepare for a year to ace the GMAT.
3. OG is the bible: OG has everything that GMAT intends to test. Do the OG as thoroughly as possible.
Thanks for bearing with me (if you are still reading
, sorry for the long post).I would like to thank everyone on this forum. Reading others' success stories on the forum has been a great source of inspiration for me.
Cheers
rd
