I just Beat The GMAT!

I stumbled across this site many months ago, and like many other prospective testers, lurked quietly in the background for information and motivation. Although I graduated with honors from a well respected institution in the southwest region, I had my doubts about the GMAT from the very start. I had never scored well in the verbal section of any standardized test and have always relied on my relatively strong quantitative abilities to pick up the slack. However, as evidenced by the hundreds of success stories on this site alone, the GMAT is a beatable test. In all honesty, the only thing standing in the way of reaching your target score is you.

The Post that Started It All
760 (q51 v42) from Uzbekistan, with detailed debrief
Before I began my three month journey, I had already succumbed to my verbal deficiencies and would have been overly ecstatic with anything that eclipsed the 700 mark. However, my entire mindset changed after reading the post referenced above. 760 from Uzbekistan? Uzbekistan? Uz-bek-i-what??? All of my worries immediately evaporated. Despite my weaknesses, I would find a way.

Overall Preparation
First and foremost, every individual is different. You are the one that knows your strengths, weaknesses, what makes your clock tick...I do not. I will ensure you that even if you duplicated my regimen, your success will not be guaranteed. The only "global" advice I have for those future test takers is to be honest with yourself throughout the process. In other words, make sure your level of ambition/expectation is on par with your level of commitment/dedication. There are two primary variables in play here: how much time you are willing to devote and how hard you are willing to work. Sure, natural intelligence plays a role here, but remember the GMAT is not a true intelligence test. Most importantly, your goal should not be to reach some magical plateau but rather to be able to walk out of that test center and tell yourself honestly that you did your best.

Study Materials
I did not feel the need to start my own comprehensive GMAT library but certainly did not hold back from purchasing anything that I thought would be useful. Regarding practice problems, I definitely valued quality over quantity. The infamous set of 1000 Qs? No thanks. Take the time to understand the tested concepts behind each practice problem and to review questions which gave you trouble in the past.

Books (ranked in order of usefulness)
1. Official Guide 12
2. MGMAT Sentence Correction
3. MGMAT Number Properties
4. Power Score Sentence Correction
5. MGMAT Reading Comprehension
6. Kaplan GMAT 2005

I won't go into too much detail here...in all honesty the user reviews from Amazon.com are sufficient. I do strongly recommend the MGMAT Number Properties book, even for those already strong in math. It may not teach you anything new but nevertheless is a great tool to brush up on that high school level math you haven't practiced in years.

The Kaplan book was purchased from a used book store for about three bucks. I probably got my money's worth.

Practice Tests
1. 9 Old Official Paper Tests
The old paper tests can be purchased from MBA.com for a somewhat reasonable price. The quantitative section has gotten considerably harder since shifting to the computerized format and hence these questions are not good indicators of what you will see on test day. However I feel that the verbal section has not changed significantly over the years and even recognized a small portion of these questions in the OG/GMATPrep.

2. 6 MGMAT CATs
Access to the MGMAT CATs are free with the purchase of any of their study guides. In general these tests were fairly tough but were incredibly useful to practice timing and build stamina. I would however take their scoring algorithm with a grain of salt. For the first three tests, I was constantly bombarded with 700-800 level questions in both sections. However, as the question bank became depleted, the last three tests became drastically easier. Regardless, great practice material overall.

3. GMATPrep
As close as it gets to the real thing. You only get two tests so use them wisely. I took the first about eight weeks into my preparation to gauge my overall progress after I had finished all of my books and half of MGMAT CATs. I took the second one two weeks before my test date. Over the last 10 days I took the verbal portion of each test about five times to exhaust the limited verbal question bank.

General Strategy
Duration: 14 weeks, 100+ hours total, all self-prep

During the week I would spend some time after work reading through my guides and/or plugging away at the old paper tests. I often took detailed notes during my study and formulated flash cards in Powerpoint. As my projected test date was still months away, I did not feel the need to commit anything to memory. About two weeks in, I started taking a MGMAT CAT on Saturdays and reviewed all of the questions the following morning. I did however skip the essays (tsk tsk) every time.

For the next month or so, my focus shifted towards completing the official guide and reviewing the stack of notes I had amassed. Slowly but surely, the language of the GMAT became second nature to me. I began to recognize "trap answers" almost instantly. I started to see common patterns in the answer choices. My confidence skyrocketed.

The last week I dedicated strictly for review. I looked back on some old questions I had flagged and skimmed through the sentence correction guides once more. I spent a couple of nights preparing for the AWA and committed my template to memory. Other very successful testers advise relaxing the day before the test. I spent maybe 8 hours reviewing my material. Do whatever works for you.

Sentence Correction
The MGMAT guide is truly excellent. Ron and Stacy (from MGMAT) fill in the all of the details in which the book may fall short. I started my GMAT prep with an utter hatred towards this section. However I have come to appreciate it. I now constantly pick apart my own writing (with the exception of this post) and feel that my application essays will be stronger as a result.

I did not bother to look at the chapter on idioms. The list is so comprehensive it is overwhelming. Cast your GMAT net wisely. There are probably better ways to utilize your time. You will encounter all of the commonly tested idioms by completing the OG.

Reading Comprehension
Ah, my old nemesis dating back to the days of the SAT. I did not read a lot as a child and never quite developed an above average ability. However I think that reading a few articles from the Economist on a somewhat frequent basis will do wonders for you ability. Practice certainly does not hurt either. Lots of practice.

The MGMAT guide was okay. I did not really end up using any of their strategies but thought that it helped relax my initial fears.

Critical Reasoning
Not really sure this classifies as a true "verbal" ability but I certainly will not complain. In my opinion, success on this portion is more strongly correlated with your logical reasoning than with anything else. After a few practice sets, those attractive but out of scope answer choices started to stand out. Once you get to this point, the questions become a cakewalk.

Fortunately I was able to refine my skills through practice alone. I browsed through the LSAT Power Score bible at a bookstore but thought it was too dense for my liking.

Quantitative
The concepts required to ace this section are not difficult at all. However, it is in the application of these concepts in which the GMAT will get you. Although I received the highest possible scores on the SAT math and aced my AP Calculus/Statistics exams, I did not come close to reaching that elusive Q51 on the GMAT. Do not take this section for granted...the GMAT quant is entirely a different beast.

As I mentioned earlier, the MGMAT book on number properties is a must. The MGMAT CATs also kicked me in the rear but fortunately the GMAT will not test you as thoroughly. Although I did not use any of their other books, I would recommend them for those looking for an extra boost.

General Tips
1. I recommend exhausting all non-official problems early on in your studies and using the OG to fine-tune your skills and to weed out any areas of weakness.
2. Do worry about timing but not necessarily right away. Learn the concepts first. However I would try my best to avoid using the "pause" button on any practice CAT.
3. If you feel like you've hit a brick wall then its time for a break. Your body and mind will thank you later.
4. Learn when to give up. You do not need to answer every question correctly to get a great score. However you will not likely get a great score if you fail to answer every question. If you recognize that a certain question is beyond your capabilities, cut your losses and move on.
5. If you tend to panic under stress, find a way to control your emotions. If necessary, take a thirty second time out to compose yourself. There is no need to take this test too seriously. Relax and try to have fun. If you are well prepared, you should have nothing to fear.
6. Your last few weeks of prep should be spent building confidence. Do not do anything that could potentially compromise your mental health. Think positive thoughts.

Practice Test Results
Paper Test 14: 730 (Q50, V42)
Paper Test 25: 720 (Q48, V42)
Paper Test 28: 770 (Q51, V45)
Paper Test 31: 750 (Q49, V44)
Paper Test 37: 760 (Q50, V45)
Paper Test 42: 740 (Q49, V43)
Paper Test 48: 740 (Q50, V42)
Paper Test 52: 770 (Q51, V42)
Paper Test 55: 790 (Q51, V46)

MGMAT CAT 1: 700 (Q44, V41)
MGMAT CAT 2: 680 (Q47, V36)
MGMAT CAT 3: 720 (Q47, V41)

GMATPrep 1: 730 (Q49, V40)

MGMAT CAT 4: 750 (Q49, V44)
MGMAT CAT 5: 740 (Q51, V40)
MGMAT CAT 6: 740 (Q50, V41)

GMATPrep 2: 760 (Q50, V44)

I would take only the GMATPrep test scores seriously. I used the scores of other tests to gauge overall progress.

Test Day
Luckily I was able to secure a good amount of sleep before my 12:00 exam. I spent the morning reviewing my AWA template and a few general reminders I had wrote the night before. After a light breakfast and some brief World Cup highlights, I tucked away all of my study materials and just simply sat back and enjoyed the company of my two dogs for the next 90 minutes. I had never been so calm before a test in my entire life.

I arrived at the Pearson VUE around 40 minutes early. I had my notes in the car with me but never looked at them....I knew I was ready. Fortunately the proctors allowed me to get started right away. The essays were okay and fairly easy to digest. However soon after, things began to unravel. I had decided to take the optional 8 minute break, but when the quantitative section resumed I had less than 73 minutes remaining! I am not certain how this happened as my actual break could not have been any longer than 5 minutes. Regardless, my heart began to race as I stumbled through the first question. Although it was not conceptually difficult, I kept making errors and could not match any of the answer choices. Finally after what seemed to be the quickest three minutes of my life, I got it right and moved on. However, the same thing happened again for the following question. I was in utter shock as I could not match any of the answer choices. How could this be happening? Math is my strength! After two frustrating minutes I decided to guess and move on. Two questions in and I had less than 68 minutes remaining. Time to panic? Nope. I closed my eyes. Took several deep breaths. Play time is over. Time to focus.

I powered through the next ten questions. Luckily halfway through I was back on pace and was able to relax for the rest of the section. Generally the questions were of similar difficulty to the upper level questions from GMATPrep. However I did receive several easy questions throughout the test. Ridiculously easy. Do not let these throw off your confidence. Rather take each one as a personal blessing and as a means to bank more time.

I decided to forgo the second break and started the verbal section right away. Maybe my nerves finally caught up to me but I felt that the questions started to get really difficult right away. During each of my practice tests I always felt that I was performing poorly. This was certainly no different. However I tried my best to keep a positive attitude. Whenever I came across a problem with vague answer choices, I convinced myself it was a poorly written "test" question that would not count towards my score. Forty-one questions later I clicked on the NEXT button for the last time. I smiled. I'm done. It's over. I can resume my life again.

Despite my hiccup at the beginning of the quant section, I felt okay about my performance. I was certainly not at my best that day but was proud of myself regardless. The whole GMAT experience was quite a journey. Three hard months of self-prep. One potential disaster encountered, one potential disaster averted. I knew that I had done good enough. Perhaps not the score at the high end of my range, but good enough. I would not test again. Well, maybe...

Quantitative: 50 (93%)
Verbal: 44 (97%)
Total 770 (99%)

Complete shock. I will not test again!

The Aftermath
Remember, the GMAT is just one of many obstacles you will encounter during the application process. Yes it is important. No it is not life or death. Try to have fun with it.

In the end, I might have just gotten lucky or I might have just been good that day. I guess I will never know. Although I am still a bit shell-shocked, there is no reason for me to believe that the end result was a fluke. I put in the time, work and effort. Why shouldn't I have done well? There is no reason you cannot either. Believe in yourself.

Congrats on the wonderful score. Thanks for the detailed writeup and all the best for your apps.

hi hbc,

Thanks for the post....very detailed and illustrative....

so would i be correct in infering from your post that MGMAT tests (more so their quant) is a tad tougher than the real thing?

Cheers

hbc85 wrote:I stumbled across this site many months ago, and like many other prospective testers, lurked quietly in the background for information and motivation. Although I graduated with honors from a well respected institution in the southwest region, I had my doubts about the GMAT from the very start. I had never scored well in the verbal section of any standardized test and have always relied on my relatively strong quantitative abilities to pick up the slack. However, as evidenced by the hundreds of success stories on this site alone, the GMAT is a beatable test. In all honesty, the only thing standing in the way of reaching your target score is you.

The Post that Started It All
760 (q51 v42) from Uzbekistan, with detailed debrief
Before I began my three month journey, I had already succumbed to my verbal deficiencies and would have been overly ecstatic with anything that eclipsed the 700 mark. However, my entire mindset changed after reading the post referenced above. 760 from Uzbekistan? Uzbekistan? Uz-bek-i-what??? All of my worries immediately evaporated. Despite my weaknesses, I would find a way.

Overall Preparation
First and foremost, every individual is different. You are the one that knows your strengths, weaknesses, what makes your clock tick...I do not. I will ensure you that even if you duplicated my regimen, your success will not be guaranteed. The only "global" advice I have for those future test takers is to be honest with yourself throughout the process. In other words, make sure your level of ambition/expectation is on par with your level of commitment/dedication. There are two primary variables in play here: how much time you are willing to devote and how hard you are willing to work. Sure, natural intelligence plays a role here, but remember the GMAT is not a true intelligence test. Most importantly, your goal should not be to reach some magical plateau but rather to be able to walk out of that test center and tell yourself honestly that you did your best.

Study Materials
I did not feel the need to start my own comprehensive GMAT library but certainly did not hold back from purchasing anything that I thought would be useful. Regarding practice problems, I definitely valued quality over quantity. The infamous set of 1000 Qs? No thanks. Take the time to understand the tested concepts behind each practice problem and to review questions which gave you trouble in the past.

Books (ranked in order of usefulness)
1. Official Guide 12
2. MGMAT Sentence Correction
3. MGMAT Number Properties
4. Power Score Sentence Correction
5. MGMAT Reading Comprehension
6. Kaplan GMAT 2005

I won't go into too much detail here...in all honesty the user reviews from Amazon.com are sufficient. I do strongly recommend the MGMAT Number Properties book, even for those already strong in math. It may not teach you anything new but nevertheless is a great tool to brush up on that high school level math you haven't practiced in years.

The Kaplan book was purchased from a used book store for about three bucks. I probably got my money's worth.

Practice Tests
1. 9 Old Official Paper Tests
The old paper tests can be purchased from MBA.com for a somewhat reasonable price. The quantitative section has gotten considerably harder since shifting to the computerized format and hence these questions are not good indicators of what you will see on test day. However I feel that the verbal section has not changed significantly over the years and even recognized a small portion of these questions in the OG/GMATPrep.

2. 6 MGMAT CATs
Access to the MGMAT CATs are free with the purchase of any of their study guides. In general these tests were fairly tough but were incredibly useful to practice timing and build stamina. I would however take their scoring algorithm with a grain of salt. For the first three tests, I was constantly bombarded with 700-800 level questions in both sections. However, as the question bank became depleted, the last three tests became drastically easier. Regardless, great practice material overall.

3. GMATPrep
As close as it gets to the real thing. You only get two tests so use them wisely. I took the first about eight weeks into my preparation to gauge my overall progress after I had finished all of my books and half of MGMAT CATs. I took the second one two weeks before my test date. Over the last 10 days I took the verbal portion of each test about five times to exhaust the limited verbal question bank.

General Strategy
Duration: 14 weeks, 100+ hours total, all self-prep

During the week I would spend some time after work reading through my guides and/or plugging away at the old paper tests. I often took detailed notes during my study and formulated flash cards in Powerpoint. As my projected test date was still months away, I did not feel the need to commit anything to memory. About two weeks in, I started taking a MGMAT CAT on Saturdays and reviewed all of the questions the following morning. I did however skip the essays (tsk tsk) every time.

For the next month or so, my focus shifted towards completing the official guide and reviewing the stack of notes I had amassed. Slowly but surely, the language of the GMAT became second nature to me. I began to recognize "trap answers" almost instantly. I started to see common patterns in the answer choices. My confidence skyrocketed.

The last week I dedicated strictly for review. I looked back on some old questions I had flagged and skimmed through the sentence correction guides once more. I spent a couple of nights preparing for the AWA and committed my template to memory. Other very successful testers advise relaxing the day before the test. I spent maybe 8 hours reviewing my material. Do whatever works for you.

Sentence Correction
The MGMAT guide is truly excellent. Ron and Stacy (from MGMAT) fill in the all of the details in which the book may fall short. I started my GMAT prep with an utter hatred towards this section. However I have come to appreciate it. I now constantly pick apart my own writing (with the exception of this post) and feel that my application essays will be stronger as a result.

I did not bother to look at the chapter on idioms. The list is so comprehensive it is overwhelming. Cast your GMAT net wisely. There are probably better ways to utilize your time. You will encounter all of the commonly tested idioms by completing the OG.

Reading Comprehension
Ah, my old nemesis dating back to the days of the SAT. I did not read a lot as a child and never quite developed an above average ability. However I think that reading a few articles from the Economist on a somewhat frequent basis will do wonders for you ability. Practice certainly does not hurt either. Lots of practice.

The MGMAT guide was okay. I did not really end up using any of their strategies but thought that it helped relax my initial fears.

Critical Reasoning
Not really sure this classifies as a true "verbal" ability but I certainly will not complain. In my opinion, success on this portion is more strongly correlated with your logical reasoning than with anything else. After a few practice sets, those attractive but out of scope answer choices started to stand out. Once you get to this point, the questions become a cakewalk.

Fortunately I was able to refine my skills through practice alone. I browsed through the LSAT Power Score bible at a bookstore but thought it was too dense for my liking.

Quantitative
The concepts required to ace this section are not difficult at all. However, it is in the application of these concepts in which the GMAT will get you. Although I received the highest possible scores on the SAT math and aced my AP Calculus/Statistics exams, I did not come close to reaching that elusive Q51 on the GMAT. Do not take this section for granted...the GMAT quant is entirely a different beast.

As I mentioned earlier, the MGMAT book on number properties is a must. The MGMAT CATs also kicked me in the rear but fortunately the GMAT will not test you as thoroughly. Although I did not use any of their other books, I would recommend them for those looking for an extra boost.

General Tips
1. I recommend exhausting all non-official problems early on in your studies and using the OG to fine-tune your skills and to weed out any areas of weakness.
2. Do worry about timing but not necessarily right away. Learn the concepts first. However I would try my best to avoid using the "pause" button on any practice CAT.
3. If you feel like you've hit a brick wall then its time for a break. Your body and mind will thank you later.
4. Learn when to give up. You do not need to answer every question correctly to get a great score. However you will not likely get a great score if you fail to answer every question. If you recognize that a certain question is beyond your capabilities, cut your losses and move on.
5. If you tend to panic under stress, find a way to control your emotions. If necessary, take a thirty second time out to compose yourself. There is no need to take this test too seriously. Relax and try to have fun. If you are well prepared, you should have nothing to fear.
6. Your last few weeks of prep should be spent building confidence. Do not do anything that could potentially compromise your mental health. Think positive thoughts.

Practice Test Results
Paper Test 14: 730 (Q50, V42)
Paper Test 25: 720 (Q48, V42)
Paper Test 28: 770 (Q51, V45)
Paper Test 31: 750 (Q49, V44)
Paper Test 37: 760 (Q50, V45)
Paper Test 42: 740 (Q49, V43)
Paper Test 48: 740 (Q50, V42)
Paper Test 52: 770 (Q51, V42)
Paper Test 55: 790 (Q51, V46)

MGMAT CAT 1: 700 (Q44, V41)
MGMAT CAT 2: 680 (Q47, V36)
MGMAT CAT 3: 720 (Q47, V41)

GMATPrep 1: 730 (Q49, V40)

MGMAT CAT 4: 750 (Q49, V44)
MGMAT CAT 5: 740 (Q51, V40)
MGMAT CAT 6: 740 (Q50, V41)

GMATPrep 2: 760 (Q50, V44)

I would take only the GMATPrep test scores seriously. I used the scores of other tests to gauge overall progress.

Test Day
Luckily I was able to secure a good amount of sleep before my 12:00 exam. I spent the morning reviewing my AWA template and a few general reminders I had wrote the night before. After a light breakfast and some brief World Cup highlights, I tucked away all of my study materials and just simply sat back and enjoyed the company of my two dogs for the next 90 minutes. I had never been so calm before a test in my entire life.

I arrived at the Pearson VUE around 40 minutes early. I had my notes in the car with me but never looked at them....I knew I was ready. Fortunately the proctors allowed me to get started right away. The essays were okay and fairly easy to digest. However soon after, things began to unravel. I had decided to take the optional 8 minute break, but when the quantitative section resumed I had less than 73 minutes remaining! I am not certain how this happened as my actual break could not have been any longer than 5 minutes. Regardless, my heart began to race as I stumbled through the first question. Although it was not conceptually difficult, I kept making errors and could not match any of the answer choices. Finally after what seemed to be the quickest three minutes of my life, I got it right and moved on. However, the same thing happened again for the following question. I was in utter shock as I could not match any of the answer choices. How could this be happening? Math is my strength! After two frustrating minutes I decided to guess and move on. Two questions in and I had less than 68 minutes remaining. Time to panic? Nope. I closed my eyes. Took several deep breaths. Play time is over. Time to focus.

I powered through the next ten questions. Luckily halfway through I was back on pace and was able to relax for the rest of the section. Generally the questions were of similar difficulty to the upper level questions from GMATPrep. However I did receive several easy questions throughout the test. Ridiculously easy. Do not let these throw off your confidence. Rather take each one as a personal blessing and as a means to bank more time.

I decided to forgo the second break and started the verbal section right away. Maybe my nerves finally caught up to me but I felt that the questions started to get really difficult right away. During each of my practice tests I always felt that I was performing poorly. This was certainly no different. However I tried my best to keep a positive attitude. Whenever I came across a problem with vague answer choices, I convinced myself it was a poorly written "test" question that would not count towards my score. Forty-one questions later I clicked on the NEXT button for the last time. I smiled. I'm done. It's over. I can resume my life again.

Despite my hiccup at the beginning of the quant section, I felt okay about my performance. I was certainly not at my best that day but was proud of myself regardless. The whole GMAT experience was quite a journey. Three hard months of self-prep. One potential disaster encountered, one potential disaster averted. I knew that I had done good enough. Perhaps not the score at the high end of my range, but good enough. I would not test again. Well, maybe...

Quantitative: 50 (93%)
Verbal: 44 (97%)
Total 770 (99%)

Complete shock. I will not test again!

The Aftermath
Remember, the GMAT is just one of many obstacles you will encounter during the application process. Yes it is important. No it is not life or death. Try to have fun with it.

In the end, I might have just gotten lucky or I might have just been good that day. I guess I will never know. Although I am still a bit shell-shocked, there is no reason for me to believe that the end result was a fluke. I put in the time, work and effort. Why shouldn't I have done well? There is no reason you cannot either. Believe in yourself.

gmatmillenium wrote: so would i be correct in infering from your post that MGMAT tests (more so their quant) is a tad tougher than the real thing?

Yes, from my own experiences the MGMAT quant section is much harder than the real thing. I also felt that their verbal questions were a bit off, but the discrepancy here was not as large.

It is darn near impossible to emulate the real exam. GMATPrep is close, but I feel that the GMAT has evolved slightly since the software was last released. Best of luck!

Thanks hbc....I surmise you mean that even the verbal was tougher and not simpler

hbc85 wrote:

gmatmillenium wrote: so would i be correct in infering from your post that MGMAT tests (more so their quant) is a tad tougher than the real thing?

Yes, from my own experiences the MGMAT quant section is much harder than the real thing. I also felt that their verbal questions were a bit off, but the discrepancy here was not as large.

It is darn near impossible to emulate the real exam. GMATPrep is close, but I feel that the GMAT has evolved slightly since the software was last released. Best of luck!

hbc....another quick one....in the interest of stamina sustenance, I wish to crack another 2 practice tests before my d day just 2 days ahead. I hv all but run out of MGMAT....have you tried knewton - if yes, would you recommend?....I do not want to risk a test which shakes my confidence abruptly on either side.

hbc85 wrote:I stumbled across this site many months ago, and like many other prospective testers, lurked quietly in the background for information and motivation. Although I graduated with honors from a well respected institution in the southwest region, I had my doubts about the GMAT from the very start. I had never scored well in the verbal section of any standardized test and have always relied on my relatively strong quantitative abilities to pick up the slack. However, as evidenced by the hundreds of success stories on this site alone, the GMAT is a beatable test. In all honesty, the only thing standing in the way of reaching your target score is you.

The Post that Started It All
760 (q51 v42) from Uzbekistan, with detailed debrief
Before I began my three month journey, I had already succumbed to my verbal deficiencies and would have been overly ecstatic with anything that eclipsed the 700 mark. However, my entire mindset changed after reading the post referenced above. 760 from Uzbekistan? Uzbekistan? Uz-bek-i-what??? All of my worries immediately evaporated. Despite my weaknesses, I would find a way.

Overall Preparation
First and foremost, every individual is different. You are the one that knows your strengths, weaknesses, what makes your clock tick...I do not. I will ensure you that even if you duplicated my regimen, your success will not be guaranteed. The only "global" advice I have for those future test takers is to be honest with yourself throughout the process. In other words, make sure your level of ambition/expectation is on par with your level of commitment/dedication. There are two primary variables in play here: how much time you are willing to devote and how hard you are willing to work. Sure, natural intelligence plays a role here, but remember the GMAT is not a true intelligence test. Most importantly, your goal should not be to reach some magical plateau but rather to be able to walk out of that test center and tell yourself honestly that you did your best.

Study Materials
I did not feel the need to start my own comprehensive GMAT library but certainly did not hold back from purchasing anything that I thought would be useful. Regarding practice problems, I definitely valued quality over quantity. The infamous set of 1000 Qs? No thanks. Take the time to understand the tested concepts behind each practice problem and to review questions which gave you trouble in the past.

Books (ranked in order of usefulness)
1. Official Guide 12
2. MGMAT Sentence Correction
3. MGMAT Number Properties
4. Power Score Sentence Correction
5. MGMAT Reading Comprehension
6. Kaplan GMAT 2005

I won't go into too much detail here...in all honesty the user reviews from Amazon.com are sufficient. I do strongly recommend the MGMAT Number Properties book, even for those already strong in math. It may not teach you anything new but nevertheless is a great tool to brush up on that high school level math you haven't practiced in years.

The Kaplan book was purchased from a used book store for about three bucks. I probably got my money's worth.

Practice Tests
1. 9 Old Official Paper Tests
The old paper tests can be purchased from MBA.com for a somewhat reasonable price. The quantitative section has gotten considerably harder since shifting to the computerized format and hence these questions are not good indicators of what you will see on test day. However I feel that the verbal section has not changed significantly over the years and even recognized a small portion of these questions in the OG/GMATPrep.

2. 6 MGMAT CATs
Access to the MGMAT CATs are free with the purchase of any of their study guides. In general these tests were fairly tough but were incredibly useful to practice timing and build stamina. I would however take their scoring algorithm with a grain of salt. For the first three tests, I was constantly bombarded with 700-800 level questions in both sections. However, as the question bank became depleted, the last three tests became drastically easier. Regardless, great practice material overall.

3. GMATPrep
As close as it gets to the real thing. You only get two tests so use them wisely. I took the first about eight weeks into my preparation to gauge my overall progress after I had finished all of my books and half of MGMAT CATs. I took the second one two weeks before my test date. Over the last 10 days I took the verbal portion of each test about five times to exhaust the limited verbal question bank.

General Strategy
Duration: 14 weeks, 100+ hours total, all self-prep

During the week I would spend some time after work reading through my guides and/or plugging away at the old paper tests. I often took detailed notes during my study and formulated flash cards in Powerpoint. As my projected test date was still months away, I did not feel the need to commit anything to memory. About two weeks in, I started taking a MGMAT CAT on Saturdays and reviewed all of the questions the following morning. I did however skip the essays (tsk tsk) every time.

For the next month or so, my focus shifted towards completing the official guide and reviewing the stack of notes I had amassed. Slowly but surely, the language of the GMAT became second nature to me. I began to recognize "trap answers" almost instantly. I started to see common patterns in the answer choices. My confidence skyrocketed.

The last week I dedicated strictly for review. I looked back on some old questions I had flagged and skimmed through the sentence correction guides once more. I spent a couple of nights preparing for the AWA and committed my template to memory. Other very successful testers advise relaxing the day before the test. I spent maybe 8 hours reviewing my material. Do whatever works for you.

Sentence Correction
The MGMAT guide is truly excellent. Ron and Stacy (from MGMAT) fill in the all of the details in which the book may fall short. I started my GMAT prep with an utter hatred towards this section. However I have come to appreciate it. I now constantly pick apart my own writing (with the exception of this post) and feel that my application essays will be stronger as a result.

I did not bother to look at the chapter on idioms. The list is so comprehensive it is overwhelming. Cast your GMAT net wisely. There are probably better ways to utilize your time. You will encounter all of the commonly tested idioms by completing the OG.

Reading Comprehension
Ah, my old nemesis dating back to the days of the SAT. I did not read a lot as a child and never quite developed an above average ability. However I think that reading a few articles from the Economist on a somewhat frequent basis will do wonders for you ability. Practice certainly does not hurt either. Lots of practice.

The MGMAT guide was okay. I did not really end up using any of their strategies but thought that it helped relax my initial fears.

Critical Reasoning
Not really sure this classifies as a true "verbal" ability but I certainly will not complain. In my opinion, success on this portion is more strongly correlated with your logical reasoning than with anything else. After a few practice sets, those attractive but out of scope answer choices started to stand out. Once you get to this point, the questions become a cakewalk.

Fortunately I was able to refine my skills through practice alone. I browsed through the LSAT Power Score bible at a bookstore but thought it was too dense for my liking.

Quantitative
The concepts required to ace this section are not difficult at all. However, it is in the application of these concepts in which the GMAT will get you. Although I received the highest possible scores on the SAT math and aced my AP Calculus/Statistics exams, I did not come close to reaching that elusive Q51 on the GMAT. Do not take this section for granted...the GMAT quant is entirely a different beast.

As I mentioned earlier, the MGMAT book on number properties is a must. The MGMAT CATs also kicked me in the rear but fortunately the GMAT will not test you as thoroughly. Although I did not use any of their other books, I would recommend them for those looking for an extra boost.

General Tips
1. I recommend exhausting all non-official problems early on in your studies and using the OG to fine-tune your skills and to weed out any areas of weakness.
2. Do worry about timing but not necessarily right away. Learn the concepts first. However I would try my best to avoid using the "pause" button on any practice CAT.
3. If you feel like you've hit a brick wall then its time for a break. Your body and mind will thank you later.
4. Learn when to give up. You do not need to answer every question correctly to get a great score. However you will not likely get a great score if you fail to answer every question. If you recognize that a certain question is beyond your capabilities, cut your losses and move on.
5. If you tend to panic under stress, find a way to control your emotions. If necessary, take a thirty second time out to compose yourself. There is no need to take this test too seriously. Relax and try to have fun. If you are well prepared, you should have nothing to fear.
6. Your last few weeks of prep should be spent building confidence. Do not do anything that could potentially compromise your mental health. Think positive thoughts.

Practice Test Results
Paper Test 14: 730 (Q50, V42)
Paper Test 25: 720 (Q48, V42)
Paper Test 28: 770 (Q51, V45)
Paper Test 31: 750 (Q49, V44)
Paper Test 37: 760 (Q50, V45)
Paper Test 42: 740 (Q49, V43)
Paper Test 48: 740 (Q50, V42)
Paper Test 52: 770 (Q51, V42)
Paper Test 55: 790 (Q51, V46)

MGMAT CAT 1: 700 (Q44, V41)
MGMAT CAT 2: 680 (Q47, V36)
MGMAT CAT 3: 720 (Q47, V41)

GMATPrep 1: 730 (Q49, V40)

MGMAT CAT 4: 750 (Q49, V44)
MGMAT CAT 5: 740 (Q51, V40)
MGMAT CAT 6: 740 (Q50, V41)

GMATPrep 2: 760 (Q50, V44)

I would take only the GMATPrep test scores seriously. I used the scores of other tests to gauge overall progress.

Test Day
Luckily I was able to secure a good amount of sleep before my 12:00 exam. I spent the morning reviewing my AWA template and a few general reminders I had wrote the night before. After a light breakfast and some brief World Cup highlights, I tucked away all of my study materials and just simply sat back and enjoyed the company of my two dogs for the next 90 minutes. I had never been so calm before a test in my entire life.

I arrived at the Pearson VUE around 40 minutes early. I had my notes in the car with me but never looked at them....I knew I was ready. Fortunately the proctors allowed me to get started right away. The essays were okay and fairly easy to digest. However soon after, things began to unravel. I had decided to take the optional 8 minute break, but when the quantitative section resumed I had less than 73 minutes remaining! I am not certain how this happened as my actual break could not have been any longer than 5 minutes. Regardless, my heart began to race as I stumbled through the first question. Although it was not conceptually difficult, I kept making errors and could not match any of the answer choices. Finally after what seemed to be the quickest three minutes of my life, I got it right and moved on. However, the same thing happened again for the following question. I was in utter shock as I could not match any of the answer choices. How could this be happening? Math is my strength! After two frustrating minutes I decided to guess and move on. Two questions in and I had less than 68 minutes remaining. Time to panic? Nope. I closed my eyes. Took several deep breaths. Play time is over. Time to focus.

I powered through the next ten questions. Luckily halfway through I was back on pace and was able to relax for the rest of the section. Generally the questions were of similar difficulty to the upper level questions from GMATPrep. However I did receive several easy questions throughout the test. Ridiculously easy. Do not let these throw off your confidence. Rather take each one as a personal blessing and as a means to bank more time.

I decided to forgo the second break and started the verbal section right away. Maybe my nerves finally caught up to me but I felt that the questions started to get really difficult right away. During each of my practice tests I always felt that I was performing poorly. This was certainly no different. However I tried my best to keep a positive attitude. Whenever I came across a problem with vague answer choices, I convinced myself it was a poorly written "test" question that would not count towards my score. Forty-one questions later I clicked on the NEXT button for the last time. I smiled. I'm done. It's over. I can resume my life again.

Despite my hiccup at the beginning of the quant section, I felt okay about my performance. I was certainly not at my best that day but was proud of myself regardless. The whole GMAT experience was quite a journey. Three hard months of self-prep. One potential disaster encountered, one potential disaster averted. I knew that I had done good enough. Perhaps not the score at the high end of my range, but good enough. I would not test again. Well, maybe...

Quantitative: 50 (93%)
Verbal: 44 (97%)
Total 770 (99%)

Complete shock. I will not test again!

The Aftermath
Remember, the GMAT is just one of many obstacles you will encounter during the application process. Yes it is important. No it is not life or death. Try to have fun with it.

In the end, I might have just gotten lucky or I might have just been good that day. I guess I will never know. Although I am still a bit shell-shocked, there is no reason for me to believe that the end result was a fluke. I put in the time, work and effort. Why shouldn't I have done well? There is no reason you cannot either. Believe in yourself.

Awesome debrief and an awesome score

Thanks and Congraz

Congratulations!!! Ceratinly a dream score to achieve!!
Thanks for your de-brief.

gmatmillenium wrote:hbc....another quick one....in the interest of stamina sustenance, I wish to crack another 2 practice tests before my d day just 2 days ahead. I hv all but run out of MGMAT....have you tried knewton - if yes, would you recommend?....I do not want to risk a test which shakes my confidence abruptly on either side.

I did try Knewton a few days before. Questions were okay but completely ignore the score...I got only 700 although I missed very few questions.

Have you taken GMATPrep multiple times already? If not you will likely encounter new questions.

gmatmillenium wrote:Thanks hbc....I surmise you mean that even the verbal was tougher and not simpler

Correct, I thought MGMAT was tougher.

WOW!

Great score man! And good debrief! I am very glad that my debrief helped you.

Regards, Eldor