I just Beat The GMAT!

I just found out my scores and am really excited! Thought I should share my experiences with my fellow-forum users who have helped a good bit in my efforts!

I prepared for 14 weeks for the GMAT. I used the following materials:

All OG guides
MGMAT strategy guides
Kaplan GMAT

I took several practice tests, all of which are listed below with my scores and a rough timeline.

1st week: GMAT prep - test 1 (730 Q-49, V-37)
2nd week: MGMAT test 1 (730)
3rd week: MGMAT test 2 (710)
6th week: MGMAT test 3 (730)
7th week: MGMAT test 4 (730)
11th week: GMAT Focusâ„¢ Online Quantitative - Bundle of 3 (scores: 47-51 (5 incorrect),50-51 (0 incorrect),50-51 (1 incorrect))
12th week: MGMAT test 5 (750)
13th week: GMAT prep - test 2 (770 Q-51, V-43)
14th week: GMAT prep - test 2 (retake) (770 Q-51, V-43)

For $65, I do not think GMAT Focusâ„¢ is a great investment. Go for it only if you have exhausted all other materials and really need more practice.

In the GMAT prep tests, I did see some (about 10%) repeat questions and some duplicated from the OGs. So my Prep scores are a bit biased.

I found it hard to finish both quant and verbal sections on the MGMAT tests whereas, I completed the GMAT prep and GMAT focus sections with 5-8 minutes to spare.

[b]Verbal prep:[/b]
As you probably guessed from my user name, I am not a native speaker of English although I am very comfortable conversing in the language. For users like myself, some of the following tips may be useful in preparing for the verbal section.

1. OGs are the best materials to prepare from. I solved each SC question at least twice, leaving a 3-5 week gap between the attempts. I saved my answers and compared them to identify areas in which I made repeated errors. I noticed that my performance improved substantially with preparation. So I spent most of my time I devoted to the verbal section on SCs.

I used MGMAT materials for SC but do not feel very satisfied with them. In my experience GMAT is less strict than they are on rules involving pronouns. MGMAT SC tests were almost predictable because they repeatedly test a particular set of rules. So at one point (closer to my test date), I decided to practice only from the OGs.

2. I found that I never improved substantially in RC despite weeks of preparation. I always got about 10 out of 12 questions correct on all my tests. So I decided not to spend too much time preparing RCs.

3. I liked both MGMAT and Kaplan strategies for CRs. After a lot of practice, I devised the following strategy for CRs. Look for one of the 3 characteristics in a CR question:

- questions involving numbers/percentages/average/ratio: often the answer has something to do with numbers

- questions involving strengthening assumptions: avoid answers that repeat a fact or statement in the argument (in a reworded manner)

- use elimination when you are clueless

[b]Quant prep[/b]
As an engineer, I have had quite a bit of experience doing math. So quant was always a lot easier for me than verbal. I used MGMAT strategy guides to brush up my basics. Particularly, the book Number Properties was indispensable to my preparation.

When I started my preparation in quant, I was very focused on trying to finish every question within 2 minutes. In the process I often panicked and made some silly errors. Then I recognized that, you need 2 minutes/question only on the average. In fact on my GMAT exam (and GMAT prep tests), I often found myself saving up 4-5 minutes at the end of 6-7 questions and then using up 3-4 minutes per question on a couple of tough ones. So remember to use time wisely and not rush through.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send me a message. I hope my experience will be useful to someone!

Good luck![/url][/b]

Hi buddy i read ur msg and its incredible to hear u score 99 percentile !!!
kudos !!!
congrts !!
Hi am Rajesh Arora from Ahmedabad India
I am due to start preparation for GMAT
Kindly guide about how to acess MGMAT Material I already have the Kaplan guides with me
and have the OG s too.
I m currently a working professional in banking sector at a managerial level

kindly guide

Raj..

Hi Raj

I believe you can buy the MGMAT guides in India. You can check with https://www.manhattangmat.com/ on where the books may be purchased. You can buy access to their tests online. The 1st test is free.

Good luck.

ILAKSHMIR - Congrats on a brilliant score. Thanks a lot for your debrief, it would sure help most people someway or other.

@Rajesh - You can get all MGMAT guides from ebay.in. They will be delivered in 3 - 4 days.

congrats on the great score and thanks for sharing!

Great score!! and good debrief too. TIme and again we get to hear that OG materials are the best ones to prepare for SCs, RCs and etc. And GMATPrep tests are the nearest in pattern to actual GMAT exams.

All the best for your Apps phase!!

cheers

Hey Lakshmi,

I am doing well in Quant but my verbal is score is around 35, what did you do to improve your verbal score? Did you memorize all the SC rules that MGMAT SC books had or did you directly practice all the OG problems?

Also, did you use the skull structure that MGMAT proposes for RC ?

-Thanks,
Vamsee