I just Beat The GMAT!

I started studying for the GMAT during the last semester of my senior year in college, Fall 2010. I signed up for a course with MGMAT, studied for a month before deciding that I wanted to focus on my classes instead.

I decided to postpone the GMAT till six months after graduation. During those six months, I finished the 9-week MGMAT course, the strategy guides, the three OG books, and Powerscore's CR bible.

MGMAT1-pre-test (with AWA): 460
MGMAT2 (with AWA): 530
MGMAT3 (with AWA): 540
MGMAT4: 490
GMATprep: 420

Real GMAT: 490

After six months, and about $1,500 spend on a 9-week MGMAT course, energy drinks, the GMAT test. Not to mention all the stress and time I put in, I only scored 30 points better than BEFORE even studying. Yeah, it's a bit embarrassing.

This setback / fall will by no means prevent me from reaching my goals. I am planning on hiring a tutor for $50-100 from a third party tutoring site, bc I can't afford the $175 rate with MGMAT (for course students). I'm also considering on getting a few Algebra and Geometry textbooks for extra practice.

I'd like to hit a 600 with 10-20 hours of tutoring, and I'd like to hit a 700+ with 30-40 hours of tutoring. Do these numbers sound reasonable?

I'm a smart guy and a hard worker, and feel that I didn't do enough practice problems/work on my weaknesses.

Hey, I think its possible to get 600 after 15-20 hours of tutoring and a lot of self practice (keeping in mind that you have gone through MGMAT books before)

Check out where you went wrong in first attempt and work on it.
Good luck

Thanks, I shamefully admit that I've gone through all the MGMAT guides, but did in fact skip sections that I didn't understand/was frustrated with/just too tired to try to learn.

At this point, I need a tutor to hold my hand.

There are many people with the same problem. I faced it in the very beginning and I also took classes. But Cans is right, a lot of practice is required. Take classes, because they give you the strategies to be used in different sections and then go for self practice. MGMAT guides, OG12 and 2nd edition verbal and quants, Kaplan Premier 2011 guide

Ashim88 wrote:Thanks, I shamefully admit that I've gone through all the MGMAT guides, but did in fact skip sections that I didn't understand/was frustrated with/just too tired to try to learn.

At this point, I need a tutor to hold my hand.

Don't skip things that you don't understand.
(In that case, you will just keep on learning what you already knew but won't learning something new.)
If you are unable to learn a concept, skip that for a while. Then next day with fresh mind, go through it slowly. Most probably you will get it then. If not, Try again next day with fresh mind.

What is the breakdown in your quant/verbal score? Also as others have mentioned, don't skip whatever you don't understand or frustrate you. Try your best to solve them and identify where you need work/help on. If your weaknesses is on math and you run into concept that are completely foreign to you, I recommend you take some classes to build up your fundamental understanding. I know this could be very time consuming, but I think taking the time to learn a concept is better than taking a prep class just to do well for the GMAT. It could just be me though

My break down has average to about 29Q and 29V, and maxed out at 36Q.

Will begin tutoring with a Harvard MBA starting next month. Willing to spend as much as $3,000, coupled with hard work to get where I need to be.

NEVER GIVE UP.

good luck