710 93% (Q42 66%/ V44 93%)

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710 93% (Q42 66%/ V44 93%)

by hendrik78 » Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:18 am
Just got back from the test-centre... My aim was to score 700+, so I am very happy with my 710 score. Perhaps I ended up scoring somewhat on the weak side in quantitative, but to be honest I think that a 710 score is high enough to be considered at any business school and the remainder of the application process will rest more on the essays/references etc than on a 10-20 points higher score. I am therefore happy with the result!

I started my preparation around 7 weeks ago. Initially, I took the GMATPrep to see where I stand. The result: 540 (Q in high 20s and V in high 30s). It was a true reflection of my career to date... I have been out of school for 11 years and neither my university course (Management Studies) nor my work (Equity & Fixed Income Fund Manager) required any serious maths. I therefore needed to brush up on the basics.

As a first step, I bought the Kaplan Math Workbook and slowly worked through it over the course of 2-3 weeks. It was very useful for someone who, like me, couldnt even remember the order of operatons :). When I finished the book, I retook the first GMATPrep and scored a much more ageeable 680 (Q43 / V40). I also bought the GMAT focus pack and got an expected score range of 37-45 for the Q part. I looked for where my weaknesses lay and identified pure formula based math, number properties, algebra and SC as areas to work on to take my score to 700+.

Next, I bought the whole 8-book series from Manhattan GMAT and worked through the entire Number Properties and Algebra books, after which I did another GMAT focus scoring an expected Q score range of 40-47. I decided that from this point onward my best chance at raising my score further would be to study sentence correction, this being my only "weakness" in verbal. I worked through the whole Manhattan SC book.

By the time I finished the SC book, I decided to take my GMAT earlier than expected, on June 11th instead of late June in order to give myself a second shot in case something goes wrong the first time round (application deadline at my chosen Business School is in July). My GMAT was now only a week away, so I worked through the last 100 problem solving questions in the official quantitative guide and did another 50 or so SC in the official verbal guide. Then, two days before the actual exam, I did the GMATPrep II and scored a fantastic 750 (Q48 / V46)... a much needed boost in confidence.

The following day I worked through the Kaplan 800 maths section and then prepared mentally for the final exam. I dont have that much to say about test day, other than that the "clinic" test centre environment, constant fingerprinting, timed 10 minute breaks.. etc... were strange enough to put additional pressure on me. Throughout the test, I felt I was doing pretty badly, starting right with the essays and ending with the verbal part. But if I learned one thing it is that feeling doesnt mean much with the GMAT test... anything can happen. When I scored 750 on GMATPrep II I actually thought I was on the route to a 650 or so ;) I found the Q part slightly harder than GMATPrep (but not much) and on verbal I definately hit some real hard questions in CR where several answers seemed plausible. The RC texts were pretty decent... on RC you really have to try to convince yourself that you are interested in reading about what you have in front of you... at least that's what works for me.

Overall, here my progression:

GMATPrep I 540 (Q high 20s, V high 30s)
Kaplan Math Workbook
GMATPrep I 680 (Q43 / V40)
GMAT Focus I: Q 37 - 45
Manhattan Number Properties, Manhattan Algebra
GMAT Focus II: Q 40 - 47
Manhattan Sentence Correction
GMATPrep II: 750 (Q48 / V46)
Kaplan 800 (Maths Part)

Real GMAT: 710 (93% percentile) Q 42 / V44

Material wise, as said before, I used Kaplan Math Workbook, Manhattan Books, Official Guide +Verbal + Quantitative and Kaplan 800. Apart from the Official Guide, the Manhattan Books are in my opinion the best books out there and I would strongly recommend them to anyone, although admittedly the Kaplan MAths Workout was very helpful for me to brush up on the basics. However, I know that I could score in the 740-760 range 2-3 weeks from now only using the Manhattan Books. I found it particularly helpful that they link to real questions from the official guide, something that makes you work through the official guide gradually as you complete each section in their books. Great stuff!

I wish you all the best of luck and hope you all achieve the scores you desire. I improved from 540 to 710 in just 7 weeks or so... it is possible, you just got to work with the right material and the right intensity. Huge thanks to all those who shared their experience with others in the forums - whilst I havnt been active, your advice was essential for picking the right books and the right study approach! See you in business school :twisted:

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by gmataspirant » Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:35 am
Hendrik,

Congratulations !!!! on your success. How did your prepare for CR. Could you share some of your learning tips for CR.

Thanks
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by ptgbeauregard » Wed Jun 11, 2008 2:19 pm
Congrats, that is awesome! I take the test on Monday (6/16), so I hope for the same success.
It must have been love...but it's over now!
780 (49Q, 50V)

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by mbawonder » Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:56 pm
I had the SAME EXACT verbal and quant scores but my gmat was a 700 NO a 710...can anyone explain this discrpeancy?

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by kindofbluenote » Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:24 pm
mbawonder wrote:I had the SAME EXACT verbal and quant scores but my gmat was a 700 NO a 710...can anyone explain this discrpeancy?
Interestingly, I scored slightly higher (43Q 44V) but also received a 710. I think that there's many aspects to the scoring algorithm that us mortals will never comprehend... :wink:
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