I just Beat The GMAT!

This is one of my first posts (and possibly my last). I just got a 740 on the GMAT and left the test center stunned.

A little background on me: I'm about to become a senior at UIUC and made a rash decision to try to get into a MS-Accounting program. So I'd fallen behind on classes and took a bunch of summer classes and so I didn't have that much time to prep for the GMAT. At the same time, I'm a full time student so I'm still very accustomed to the learning process. If I had to put a number on how much I studied I would wager around 100-120 hours.

My practice tests:
GMAT Prep: 640
MGMAT1: 620
MGMAT2: 670
MGMAT3: 680
GMAT Prep 2: 650

Looking at these scores, you're probably wondering how the hell I pulled off a 740. If you find out, let me know. My goal was obviously to break the 700 barrier, but I was so busy with other things that I just didn't have enough time to devote. Two weeks out, I had to start picking and choosing what to study. My verbal was strong, so I ignored that completely and spent any time studying on quant. I was scoring in the 50-70 percentiles for nearly all my practice tests. I went over the first half of the PS and DS problems and also did the last ~30 for each section too. I also spent a lot of time going over the questions I missed during my practice test. I didn't touch the IR section or AWA until the night before.

I obtained copies of MGMAT books, but didn't really use any of them except the number properties book. The reading was, in my opinion, dry, but helpful. I also exploited the forums on this site whenever I needed a concept/question explained. This site is really a great resource!

The test:
I thought some of the IR questions were vague (that's what I get for going in blind, though). When I'd finished quant, my confidence was obliterated. I guessed on the first question, and about 15 questions in I got a VERY easy algebra problem. During my break I did pushups in the bathroom (luckily no one walked in...awkward...) to get the blood flowing for verbal. I had to make up for my quant performance. Verbal was much easier and a lot more straightforward (I'm a native speaker). both the 48Q and 44V were the highest I'd scored on the respective sections.

That's all I can think to add. There wasn't a whole lot to my study process. Spend some time reviewing the questions you missed on the practice tests you take. I'll answer any questions if you have them.

unbelievable experience dude !! Congratulations !!

Who cares why/how... Congrats! Great score!

Reading stories like this makes up for all of the ones that scare me when people are scoring in the 700s on practice tests and then bomb the real thing. Thank you!

Hi,
Congrats for getting such a wonderful score!. I am having difficulty in Reading comprehension section, I am just get 20 to 30 % correctly each time I answer RC section, could you please guide me on this.

regds
sachin

anktshah wrote:you're probably wondering how the hell I pulled off a 740. If you find out, let me know.

Lolss... good one.. but seriously, this is one of the most modest posts I have read till date... and who cares how you scored so high... just focus on your applications now...!!
All the best dude..!!

Congrats! That's awesome!!
Good luck ahead.

This post can be a ray of hope for everyone who's depressed about their Practice Tests' scores.

Don't lose hope!

Can you please share how many no of questions in IR section? coz this was introduced very recently and no bluepr available....

thanks

This is truly inspiring. Congrats buddy!!!

Sachinsonu,

Sorry, but being a native speaker I don't really have any advice for this part of the test. I typically read the entire passage carefully and made sure to understand everything. Then I read the questions and rarely had to refer back to the passage unless it asked me to explain a specific word or something like that. That was my strategy, I'm not sure how well it will work for you though :/

Bhanupriya,

You can definitely find information on the IR section on this website or even just by googling it. I read an article saying that MBA admissions committees wouldn't be putting very much weight into it this year because they have no precedent upon which to base it on. I wouldn't stress about it too much. Definitely do more preparation than I did though! Familiarize yourself with the question types and become comfortable with the interface (for example, there is a calculator you get to use in this section).

Sorry for the late responses, I just remembered to look for responses now! Also thanks for the support everyone! Get it

Hey congrats,thats a great score!!
What kind of questions did u encounter during the exam,especially in quant.Which topics u feel one should stress more on in quant?
Do u think the level of difficulty was the same as that of gmatprep exam?

Thanks,
Shreeraj