from 480 to 730 - Q47 V44 - 96th percentile in 8 weeks.

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what's up everyone. frequent lurker, first time poster.

i started studying for the GMAT roughly 6 weeks ago with the Princeton Review free diagnostic. i graduated undergrad in december of 2007 and have not really worked with numbers in a meaningful way since. i majored in history and didn't take a math course my senior year in HS so i was going in about a decade removed from having done math in any sort of an academic way. i am not applying anywhere outrageous so my target score was about a 660.

i scored a 480 on that diagnositc and almost quit right there, but i decided to keep going. i started spending about 2 hours a night after work doing only quant review. i used GMAThacks "total GMAT math" book and went through chapter by chapter. i also used Kaplan GMAT Premier 2013 and went through every quant chapter. for the last two weeks i split time between going through the challenge problems in "total GMAT math" and Manhattan GMAT word problems.

i was, luckily, in a position where i didn't need to study too much for the verbal section.

i took a practice CAT every weekend along the way with one or two exceptions due to travel.

KAPLAN CAT 1 - 600 (i forget the split but V was 37)
GMAT PREP 1 - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT Free CAT - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 1 - 620 (Q37 V38)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 2 - 640 (Q37 V40)

at this point i was 6 days away from the test and pretty well convinced that Q42 was about the best of my abilities. i was able to zero on in rate / work / distance problems to be an issue, as well as combs and perms. i did a lot of work in the Manhattan GMAT word problems book focusing on rates / works, combinations and sets. i also did the Manhattan GMAT flashcards on number properties until i basically had them all memorized. the two days before the test i did very little studying, mostly just going over problems that i had gotten wrong in the Manhattan quant sections.

(i also think that i should add that i purchased the manhattan GMAT pad and pen set about two weeks before the exam. it was good because it set my mind at ease about not using paper and a pen during the exam, but it is something that i would have done in retrospect because the marker and pens are totally manageable and there is plenty of room in one book for the scratchwork that you will do during the quant section).

i took the test today and it felt about normal going through each section. i had a feeling i was doing pretty well during quant because the data-sufficiency questions were getting pretty abstract and difficult. the verbal section felt pretty normal, i was assuming i was going to get about at V40 based on the CATS's i had taken in preparation.

when i hit the submit scores button it popped up with a 730, Q47-V44. i am still kind of in shock because i was really not expecting that score.

the best advice i can give to anyone studying is that you should definitely focus on the fundamentals. number properties, properties of roots and radicals and angular geometry were the most useful for me during the actual exam. i think i also had the perfect alignment of experimental questions in that i am almost positive that a lot of questions that i got wrong in the quant section were experimental, but that is just a hunch.

other than that, just keep at it. despite what you will read on the forums, you can do significantly better on the actual test that you do on your practice CATs so don't give up!

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by neerajeai » Sat Feb 16, 2013 8:18 am
slamfield wrote:what's up everyone. frequent lurker, first time poster.

i started studying for the GMAT roughly 6 weeks ago with the Princeton Review free diagnostic. i graduated undergrad in december of 2007 and have not really worked with numbers in a meaningful way since. i majored in history and didn't take a math course my senior year in HS so i was going in about a decade removed from having done math in any sort of an academic way. i am not applying anywhere outrageous so my target score was about a 660.

i scored a 480 on that diagnositc and almost quit right there, but i decided to keep going. i started spending about 2 hours a night after work doing only quant review. i used GMAThacks "total GMAT math" book and went through chapter by chapter. i also used Kaplan GMAT Premier 2013 and went through every quant chapter. for the last two weeks i split time between going through the challenge problems in "total GMAT math" and Manhattan GMAT word problems.

i was, luckily, in a position where i didn't need to study too much for the verbal section.

i took a practice CAT every weekend along the way with one or two exceptions due to travel.

KAPLAN CAT 1 - 600 (i forget the split but V was 37)
GMAT PREP 1 - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT Free CAT - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 1 - 620 (Q37 V38)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 2 - 640 (Q37 V40)

at this point i was 6 days away from the test and pretty well convinced that Q42 was about the best of my abilities. i was able to zero on in rate / work / distance problems to be an issue, as well as combs and perms. i did a lot of work in the Manhattan GMAT word problems book focusing on rates / works, combinations and sets. i also did the Manhattan GMAT flashcards on number properties until i basically had them all memorized. the two days before the test i did very little studying, mostly just going over problems that i had gotten wrong in the Manhattan quant sections.

(i also think that i should add that i purchased the manhattan GMAT pad and pen set about two weeks before the exam. it was good because it set my mind at ease about not using paper and a pen during the exam, but it is something that i would have done in retrospect because the marker and pens are totally manageable and there is plenty of room in one book for the scratchwork that you will do during the quant section).

i took the test today and it felt about normal going through each section. i had a feeling i was doing pretty well during quant because the data-sufficiency questions were getting pretty abstract and difficult. the verbal section felt pretty normal, i was assuming i was going to get about at V40 based on the CATS's i had taken in preparation.

when i hit the submit scores button it popped up with a 730, Q47-V44. i am still kind of in shock because i was really not expecting that score.

the best advice i can give to anyone studying is that you should definitely focus on the fundamentals. number properties, properties of roots and radicals and angular geometry were the most useful for me during the actual exam. i think i also had the perfect alignment of experimental questions in that i am almost positive that a lot of questions that i got wrong in the quant section were experimental, but that is just a hunch.

other than that, just keep at it. despite what you will read on the forums, you can do significantly better on the actual test that you do on your practice CATs so don't give up!
Great Score. Congratulations!
Can you elaborate a little more on your Verbal prep, i.e. approach, materials for RC, CR and SC.

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by Jim@StratusPrep » Sat Feb 16, 2013 11:04 am
Awesome achievement! Congrats!
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by slamfield » Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:08 pm
neerajeai wrote:
slamfield wrote:what's up everyone. frequent lurker, first time poster.

i started studying for the GMAT roughly 6 weeks ago with the Princeton Review free diagnostic. i graduated undergrad in december of 2007 and have not really worked with numbers in a meaningful way since. i majored in history and didn't take a math course my senior year in HS so i was going in about a decade removed from having done math in any sort of an academic way. i am not applying anywhere outrageous so my target score was about a 660.

i scored a 480 on that diagnositc and almost quit right there, but i decided to keep going. i started spending about 2 hours a night after work doing only quant review. i used GMAThacks "total GMAT math" book and went through chapter by chapter. i also used Kaplan GMAT Premier 2013 and went through every quant chapter. for the last two weeks i split time between going through the challenge problems in "total GMAT math" and Manhattan GMAT word problems.

i was, luckily, in a position where i didn't need to study too much for the verbal section.

i took a practice CAT every weekend along the way with one or two exceptions due to travel.

KAPLAN CAT 1 - 600 (i forget the split but V was 37)
GMAT PREP 1 - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT Free CAT - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 1 - 620 (Q37 V38)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 2 - 640 (Q37 V40)

at this point i was 6 days away from the test and pretty well convinced that Q42 was about the best of my abilities. i was able to zero on in rate / work / distance problems to be an issue, as well as combs and perms. i did a lot of work in the Manhattan GMAT word problems book focusing on rates / works, combinations and sets. i also did the Manhattan GMAT flashcards on number properties until i basically had them all memorized. the two days before the test i did very little studying, mostly just going over problems that i had gotten wrong in the Manhattan quant sections.

(i also think that i should add that i purchased the manhattan GMAT pad and pen set about two weeks before the exam. it was good because it set my mind at ease about not using paper and a pen during the exam, but it is something that i would have done in retrospect because the marker and pens are totally manageable and there is plenty of room in one book for the scratchwork that you will do during the quant section).

i took the test today and it felt about normal going through each section. i had a feeling i was doing pretty well during quant because the data-sufficiency questions were getting pretty abstract and difficult. the verbal section felt pretty normal, i was assuming i was going to get about at V40 based on the CATS's i had taken in preparation.

when i hit the submit scores button it popped up with a 730, Q47-V44. i am still kind of in shock because i was really not expecting that score.

the best advice i can give to anyone studying is that you should definitely focus on the fundamentals. number properties, properties of roots and radicals and angular geometry were the most useful for me during the actual exam. i think i also had the perfect alignment of experimental questions in that i am almost positive that a lot of questions that i got wrong in the quant section were experimental, but that is just a hunch.

other than that, just keep at it. despite what you will read on the forums, you can do significantly better on the actual test that you do on your practice CATs so don't give up!
Great Score. Congratulations!
Can you elaborate a little more on your Verbal prep, i.e. approach, materials for RC, CR and SC.

to be perfectly honest i didn't really study for the verbal section. i was shooting for a 660 and started off with a V score that made that within reach from the start, so i only focused on quant. i am applying to MS programs for Information Systems and Business Analytics, so i wanted to demonstrate quant abilities on the GMAT since i don't work with numbers day to day. i would always finish the verbal section on my CAT practice exams with A LOT of time left, so on the actual GMAT i took my time and made sure that i didn't make any assumptions that weren't in the text on CR and and made sure that everything agreed and was parallel for SC questions.

sorry if that isn't much help. i have heard good things about the Manhattan GMAT sentence correction guide, but i have never actually used it.


good luck!

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by bharti06 » Sun Feb 17, 2013 5:36 am
slamfield wrote:what's up everyone. frequent lurker, first time poster.

i started studying for the GMAT roughly 6 weeks ago with the Princeton Review free diagnostic. i graduated undergrad in december of 2007 and have not really worked with numbers in a meaningful way since. i majored in history and didn't take a math course my senior year in HS so i was going in about a decade removed from having done math in any sort of an academic way. i am not applying anywhere outrageous so my target score was about a 660.

i scored a 480 on that diagnositc and almost quit right there, but i decided to keep going. i started spending about 2 hours a night after work doing only quant review. i used GMAThacks "total GMAT math" book and went through chapter by chapter. i also used Kaplan GMAT Premier 2013 and went through every quant chapter. for the last two weeks i split time between going through the challenge problems in "total GMAT math" and Manhattan GMAT word problems.

i was, luckily, in a position where i didn't need to study too much for the verbal section.

i took a practice CAT every weekend along the way with one or two exceptions due to travel.

KAPLAN CAT 1 - 600 (i forget the split but V was 37)
GMAT PREP 1 - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT Free CAT - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 1 - 620 (Q37 V38)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 2 - 640 (Q37 V40)

at this point i was 6 days away from the test and pretty well convinced that Q42 was about the best of my abilities. i was able to zero on in rate / work / distance problems to be an issue, as well as combs and perms. i did a lot of work in the Manhattan GMAT word problems book focusing on rates / works, combinations and sets. i also did the Manhattan GMAT flashcards on number properties until i basically had them all memorized. the two days before the test i did very little studying, mostly just going over problems that i had gotten wrong in the Manhattan quant sections.

(i also think that i should add that i purchased the manhattan GMAT pad and pen set about two weeks before the exam. it was good because it set my mind at ease about not using paper and a pen during the exam, but it is something that i would have done in retrospect because the marker and pens are totally manageable and there is plenty of room in one book for the scratchwork that you will do during the quant section).

i took the test today and it felt about normal going through each section. i had a feeling i was doing pretty well during quant because the data-sufficiency questions were getting pretty abstract and difficult. the verbal section felt pretty normal, i was assuming i was going to get about at V40 based on the CATS's i had taken in preparation.

when i hit the submit scores button it popped up with a 730, Q47-V44. i am still kind of in shock because i was really not expecting that score.

the best advice i can give to anyone studying is that you should definitely focus on the fundamentals. number properties, properties of roots and radicals and angular geometry were the most useful for me during the actual exam. i think i also had the perfect alignment of experimental questions in that i am almost positive that a lot of questions that i got wrong in the quant section were experimental, but that is just a hunch.

other than that, just keep at it. despite what you will read on the forums, you can do significantly better on the actual test that you do on your practice CATs so don't give up!

@slamfield -

Many congratulations for the amazing score....
Could you suggest which one is better to learn/practice quants - GMAT Hacks Total GMAT Math or Manhattan Quant books? as you seem to have used both. Thanks.

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by Carmesan » Tue Feb 19, 2013 1:37 pm
Thank you for this article. The others where people are starting out with 680 and go to 799 just never related to me. And then this came along! I scored similarly on my first practice. Now I'm working with Manhattan GMAT books and following the similar study routine of regular study sessions per day and taking a practice test at the end of the week.

Thanks again for sharing your story. I am speaking the same outcome into my existence!

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by lalanpuffz » Tue Feb 19, 2013 4:17 pm
Which flash cards did you use? Where did you get them from?

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by tinphan » Tue Feb 19, 2013 5:59 pm
Congrats, Great achievement.

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by adthedaddy » Wed Feb 20, 2013 9:57 am
Congrats Slamfield !!!
You are an inspiration.
Can you let me know a few universities offering MS programs in Business Analytics & Information Systems.
Wish you all the best for your MS program :-)
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary" - Steve Jobs

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by slamfield » Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:43 pm
adthedaddy wrote:Congrats Slamfield !!!
You are an inspiration.
Can you let me know a few universities offering MS programs in Business Analytics & Information Systems.
Wish you all the best for your MS program :-)
My target school is the University of Texas in Austin. They have an MS specifically in business analytics and also an MBA track that has a focus in business analytics. My safety is University of Texas - Dallas where I am applying for a dual degree (MBA / MS in IT Management with a focus in Business Intelligence) and my stretch schools are CMU - Tepper which has an MBA track with a focus in analytics and also NYU - Stern which has a center for business analytics.

Drexel, NC State, and Northwestern were all on my list at some point as well. CMU also has an information systems masters degree offered through the Heinz College, but my programming / quant background is too weak to be able to handle the amount of programming involved right off the bat.

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by slamfield » Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:00 pm
bharti06 wrote:
slamfield wrote:what's up everyone. frequent lurker, first time poster.

i started studying for the GMAT roughly 6 weeks ago with the Princeton Review free diagnostic. i graduated undergrad in december of 2007 and have not really worked with numbers in a meaningful way since. i majored in history and didn't take a math course my senior year in HS so i was going in about a decade removed from having done math in any sort of an academic way. i am not applying anywhere outrageous so my target score was about a 660.

i scored a 480 on that diagnositc and almost quit right there, but i decided to keep going. i started spending about 2 hours a night after work doing only quant review. i used GMAThacks "total GMAT math" book and went through chapter by chapter. i also used Kaplan GMAT Premier 2013 and went through every quant chapter. for the last two weeks i split time between going through the challenge problems in "total GMAT math" and Manhattan GMAT word problems.

i was, luckily, in a position where i didn't need to study too much for the verbal section.

i took a practice CAT every weekend along the way with one or two exceptions due to travel.

KAPLAN CAT 1 - 600 (i forget the split but V was 37)
GMAT PREP 1 - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT Free CAT - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 1 - 620 (Q37 V38)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 2 - 640 (Q37 V40)

at this point i was 6 days away from the test and pretty well convinced that Q42 was about the best of my abilities. i was able to zero on in rate / work / distance problems to be an issue, as well as combs and perms. i did a lot of work in the Manhattan GMAT word problems book focusing on rates / works, combinations and sets. i also did the Manhattan GMAT flashcards on number properties until i basically had them all memorized. the two days before the test i did very little studying, mostly just going over problems that i had gotten wrong in the Manhattan quant sections.

(i also think that i should add that i purchased the manhattan GMAT pad and pen set about two weeks before the exam. it was good because it set my mind at ease about not using paper and a pen during the exam, but it is something that i would have done in retrospect because the marker and pens are totally manageable and there is plenty of room in one book for the scratchwork that you will do during the quant section).

i took the test today and it felt about normal going through each section. i had a feeling i was doing pretty well during quant because the data-sufficiency questions were getting pretty abstract and difficult. the verbal section felt pretty normal, i was assuming i was going to get about at V40 based on the CATS's i had taken in preparation.

when i hit the submit scores button it popped up with a 730, Q47-V44. i am still kind of in shock because i was really not expecting that score.

the best advice i can give to anyone studying is that you should definitely focus on the fundamentals. number properties, properties of roots and radicals and angular geometry were the most useful for me during the actual exam. i think i also had the perfect alignment of experimental questions in that i am almost positive that a lot of questions that i got wrong in the quant section were experimental, but that is just a hunch.

other than that, just keep at it. despite what you will read on the forums, you can do significantly better on the actual test that you do on your practice CATs so don't give up!

@slamfield -

Many congratulations for the amazing score....
Could you suggest which one is better to learn/practice quants - GMAT Hacks Total GMAT Math or Manhattan Quant books? as you seem to have used both. Thanks.

in my humble opinion the GMAT hacks total GMAT math book should be all anyone needs to get a sufficiently good quant score.

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by slamfield » Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:04 pm
Carmesan wrote:Thank you for this article. The others where people are starting out with 680 and go to 799 just never related to me. And then this came along! I scored similarly on my first practice. Now I'm working with Manhattan GMAT books and following the similar study routine of regular study sessions per day and taking a practice test at the end of the week.

Thanks again for sharing your story. I am speaking the same outcome into my existence!
i am really glad that you got something good out of my story! i felt like the vast majority of posts that i read in this and other forums were from people targeting top 5 schools who viewed anything under 700 as a complete failure.

i wanted to share because i think it is valuable for people studying to see that it is possible to get a GMAT score that would be acceptable anywhere even if you are a history major with absolutely zero quant background like me.

keep studying and you will succeed.

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by bharti06 » Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:19 am
slamfield wrote:
bharti06 wrote:
slamfield wrote:what's up everyone. frequent lurker, first time poster.

i started studying for the GMAT roughly 6 weeks ago with the Princeton Review free diagnostic. i graduated undergrad in december of 2007 and have not really worked with numbers in a meaningful way since. i majored in history and didn't take a math course my senior year in HS so i was going in about a decade removed from having done math in any sort of an academic way. i am not applying anywhere outrageous so my target score was about a 660.

i scored a 480 on that diagnositc and almost quit right there, but i decided to keep going. i started spending about 2 hours a night after work doing only quant review. i used GMAThacks "total GMAT math" book and went through chapter by chapter. i also used Kaplan GMAT Premier 2013 and went through every quant chapter. for the last two weeks i split time between going through the challenge problems in "total GMAT math" and Manhattan GMAT word problems.

i was, luckily, in a position where i didn't need to study too much for the verbal section.

i took a practice CAT every weekend along the way with one or two exceptions due to travel.

KAPLAN CAT 1 - 600 (i forget the split but V was 37)
GMAT PREP 1 - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT Free CAT - 640 (Q42 V37)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 1 - 620 (Q37 V38)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 2 - 640 (Q37 V40)

at this point i was 6 days away from the test and pretty well convinced that Q42 was about the best of my abilities. i was able to zero on in rate / work / distance problems to be an issue, as well as combs and perms. i did a lot of work in the Manhattan GMAT word problems book focusing on rates / works, combinations and sets. i also did the Manhattan GMAT flashcards on number properties until i basically had them all memorized. the two days before the test i did very little studying, mostly just going over problems that i had gotten wrong in the Manhattan quant sections.

(i also think that i should add that i purchased the manhattan GMAT pad and pen set about two weeks before the exam. it was good because it set my mind at ease about not using paper and a pen during the exam, but it is something that i would have done in retrospect because the marker and pens are totally manageable and there is plenty of room in one book for the scratchwork that you will do during the quant section).

i took the test today and it felt about normal going through each section. i had a feeling i was doing pretty well during quant because the data-sufficiency questions were getting pretty abstract and difficult. the verbal section felt pretty normal, i was assuming i was going to get about at V40 based on the CATS's i had taken in preparation.

when i hit the submit scores button it popped up with a 730, Q47-V44. i am still kind of in shock because i was really not expecting that score.

the best advice i can give to anyone studying is that you should definitely focus on the fundamentals. number properties, properties of roots and radicals and angular geometry were the most useful for me during the actual exam. i think i also had the perfect alignment of experimental questions in that i am almost positive that a lot of questions that i got wrong in the quant section were experimental, but that is just a hunch.

other than that, just keep at it. despite what you will read on the forums, you can do significantly better on the actual test that you do on your practice CATs so don't give up!

@slamfield -

Many congratulations for the amazing score....
Could you suggest which one is better to learn/practice quants - GMAT Hacks Total GMAT Math or Manhattan Quant books? as you seem to have used both. Thanks.

in my humble opinion the GMAT hacks total GMAT math book should be all anyone needs to get a sufficiently good quant score.

Thank you for your reply...