I just Beat The GMAT!

I just had my GMAT today. Even though my score is not that bad 730 (V 40, Q 49) I feel like I could have done way better.

I was extremely stressed out. I lost my keys 2 hour before the exam and on my way to the test center I was calling tons of people, giving them instructions where to look for them. I had trouble finding the test center and I was almost late for my appointment. I also got really discouraged after the quant section - I was feeling pretty bad about having to guess at the end. Therefore, I practically did not care about the verbal section - I felt like I had already screwed up.

What really bugs me is that under normal circumstances I could have done a better job. Do you think I should retake it? I will be applying for financial aid at schools such as IE and ESADE and I have no clue whether I stand a chance with a score below 750.

I totally think that you're at a good place with your score. It's a no brainer! Can I at least say, "Congrats"? Awesome score... how did you do it?... care to debrief???

You are right, you really should take the test again!...

Oh, and please do not forget to ask GMAC to transfer your 730 to my name.

Best regards,

BlindVision, sure, this webpage was really helpful to me, so I definitely owe you guys something in return.

What worked for most probably will not work for other people. I am a very last-minute person and I knew I wouldn’t sit down and study unless I was registered for the test. So I registered on Feb 11th and I basically had a good month to really get used to the format and content of the exam.

Materials:
I used the Official Guide, and borrowed the GMAT Verbal and Quantitative handbooks from the library. Also covered Kaplan GMAT 800 (the questions there had little to do with the real GMAT questions), and the other Kaplan book, that comes with a CD and 4 practice tests (same thing, the tests are good to practice on the computer but very much unlike the real exam. Don’t get frustrated if you do not score high, don’t lose your morale). I did the two GMATPrep tests on Tue and Wed before the exam (which was on Friday).

How I studied:
I did many things wrong for the quant and verbal sections. I covered the 3 official books in no time and was not really going back to analyze my mistakes well. I had no study plan. I was procrastinating. I did not start preparing for the essays until probably a 3 or 4 days before the actual test.

What I did right was to sit down, search the net, and find this webpage. Probably a week before the exam I came across the flash cards here. I was revising them in the bus on my way to the test center. That’s how important I think they were. I also read the success stories cited under resources.
https://beatthegmat.blocked/2005/08 ... ience.html
https://www.urch.com/forums/just-finishe ... #post41054
https://www.urch.com/forums/just-finishe ... post152529
This gave me some real direction and I decided to use Ursula’s study template (in excel) and cover the questions in the OG again, instead of proceeding to Barron’s or Peterson’s. This was a very good move, because I was finally able to analyze what areas within the math and verbal section needed further attention.

For the essays, I read many of the examples listed here that scored 6 or 5, sat down and wrote a list with possible essay templates and fancy words and expressions I wanted to use. This was very important for me because I was consistently going over time with the 4 Issue practice essays I wrote. You don’t have time to think about structure and expressions when writing the real AWAs. You should focus all your efforts on the content. Therefore, it is important to make sure the structure comes to you naturally.

I did not really prepare for the analysis of an argument essay. I was doing well in terms of ideas, so I just attempted to time myself two or three times. That was my practice. For the Issue essay I sat down two days before, and quickly went over the 150 topics. I was brainstorming for ideas but not spending more than 2 minutes on a single topic. I did that in order to familiarize myself with what may be coming, so that there can be no surprises. I made a list of ~20 titles that seemed a bit harder, and spent some more time brainstorming for them. My advice is – always practice with topics you find hard.

The test day.
As I described it was a complete disaster for me. My most important piece of advice would be to FOCUS. Never get discouraged. There is only you, the timer on the computer, and the questions. Take one question at a time. Think your answers through. Don’t panic if you need to guess to make sure you’ll be able to answer all your questions in the designated time frame. Getting worried basically screwed me up. I was always, ALWAYS! very quick with the practice tests. I always had 5-6 spare minutes at the end of the math section, and probably around 10-15 at the end of the verbal section. I never had to just guess without even reading the question to be on time. That’s what I had to do on my math section, and I was so discouraged that I did not even care about the verbal section. My thoughts were all over the place, I got behind on time. So whatever you do – FOCUS! Treat the separate sections as separate tests. No matter how badly you thought you did on one of them, NEVER let that affect your subsequent performance. Treat every section as a way to boost your score. Also, if you are doing well it will get harder. Be prepared for that. My quant section seemed a bit more intense than any of the practice test did before.

Good luck to you all. Don’t forget confidence is a very important factor for success.

5.5 on the Essays. I guess my tactic was not that disastrous after all.

ykp - i went through pretty much the same thing myself today! Scored 720 and still in 2 minds whether to retake like you said. But then again, there's no way to be certain of a better score. Plus, the record will show that you've taken two attempts. I'm hoping that this GMAT score doesn't come in the way of securing financial aid.

I'll post my detailed experience in the separate post which I have started, but in a nutshell, Quant was very tough and I scored the least today amongst all my practice tests. By the time I got to the end of the 4 hours, I couldn't care - just wanted to get out of the center!

All the best in your applications process! Which schools are you considering?

rishiphadke, I think you are right. 720 or 730 already puts you in the 95/96th percentile. With a decent application, GPA, and recommendations getting into a good school should not be that hard. Most schools are not giving out full financial aid packages anyhow, and a good profile should be just about enough for partial aid.

I am considering the Master of Management programs at ESADE, IE, ESCP, and Erasmus. All European.
What about you? Good luck to you, too.

I do not have idea why so many people in this forum with scores higher than 700 or even 720 and 730 complaining about it. What are they thinking? They believe that are going to get an 800 or what?

jfranco23 wrote:I do not have idea why so many people in this forum with scores higher than 700 or even 720 and 730 complaining about it. What are they thinking? They believe that are going to get an 800 or what?

You rock jfranco23

jfranco23 wrote:I do not have idea why so many people in this forum with scores higher than 700 or even 720 and 730 complaining about it. What are they thinking? They believe that are going to get an 800 or what?

I totally agree with you...

I am not complaining guys. I just asked your opinion given the specific circumstances. (Specific pertaining to financial aid concerns and exam day drama). I am perfectly aware of the fact 730 is an OK score. What I did not know was whether is is good enough given my goals.

jfranco23 "they" probably believe they can do better than they did. What is so surprising about not being satisfied with a result that you know does not reflect your abilities?

I guess that you have great abilities if you are eager for more, but if you are pretending to get a greater piece of financial aid with a 780 than with a 730, you are totally lost, I know someone, who got a 780 with only 3 weeks of study, he applied to Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Stanford and Chicago, and he was not accepted in any of the 5 schools. Why? Because the admission process to an MBA is more than the GMAT.

thanks jfranco - that example should help put things into perspective for people like 'us'!

I think that jfranco's point is that some people think their GMAT score represents the only decision factor when applying to a business school.

The GMAT does not measure your social, emotional or, beside English, linguistic intelligence. These other "factors" that are part of your curriculum are as important and probably have more impact than a GMAT score.

Congrat for your score ykp, I am sure you are worrying for nothing!

Cheers.

Are you in a GMAT contests or actually planning to go to a business school ? Business schools teach students to deal with ambiguity. You have limited time, limited resources and you are asked to make a decision.

Now are you a Business person ? Ask this question to yourself first whether you take the "test" or not.

Should you re-take the test again ?

Do you really want to go to a Business School ? I have never seen a business school application form that only asks for GMAT score but when I read posts like yours, I start to rethink..maybe there some schools out there and just asking for WHAT YOU GOT in GMAT and give you a sit in their program.

Good luck,