I just Beat The GMAT!

Hey guys...
Took the GMAT this afternoon and scored a decent 710 (Q49, V36) on the first attempt. I gained a lot from this community and wanted to thank the experts, who are ever willing to help all and fellow GMAT-ers, for the questions they posted and the healthy discussions. In the end, I think it was the discussions, the blogs and the success stories that played a major part in my GMAT journey.

Practice test scores:
Manhattan GMAT (free / diagnostic): 580 (Q40, V29)
Veritas (free): 610 (Q40, V35)
Manhattan GMAT 2: 610 (Q40, V34)
Manhattan GMAT 3: 680 (Q46, V34)
GMAT Prep 1: 650 (Q48, V31)
Manhattan GMAT 4: 680 (Q44, V38)
GMAT Prep 2: 700 (Q48, V37) - just the confidence booster I needed 5 days before the test

Few suggestions / tips:
1. Believe in yourself - Confidence is the key to GMAT and you need to tell yourself that you will do good on the test
2. Official Guides - Use official guides and GMAC materials before you start using any other material
3. Don't spend more than 2.5 -3 mins on a problem, just pick an answer choice and move on - need to understand when enough is enough on the test
4. Timing strategy - have a strategy, for studies and the test, that works best for you. First thing I did as I sat on the chair was to write down the time / Q table which helped in keeping me on track.
5. Don't let the previous answers affect you or don't think about them - You can't do anything about the answers that you have already marked, so don't let them affect you. Focus on what's on the screen
6. Be relaxed and take it easy - GMAT is just another test. The more relaxed you are, the better your brain performs. Also, take as much time allocated to you to read the instructions as possible. This will help in calming your nerves. Staying "Calm and composed" is the key
7. Banana and cereal bars or any form of instant energy are of great help during the test
8. Last but not the least - BE POSITIVE and STAY POSITIVE through the course of the preparation and during the test. You have done all the hard work, just stretch yourself through these 3:30 - 4 hrs and you will be gold!

GMAT is a journey, enjoy it and appreciate its beauty (tough quant within 2 mins! and tricky SC in 1:15 mins! - its fun, take it as a challenge)

All the best to the GMAT-ers.
Cheers,
Deepak

Thanks Brent.

Having the right mindset is the key to everything. Success (for some) doesn't come overnight, so one needs to be prepared to grind it out and stay positive all along.

Another important note that I forgot to mention is - Quality is better than Quantity. Do a few problems, but understand them well, understand how to tackle them in different ways rather than saying, 'I got it right and let me move on to the next'. That was one of the key issues in the early part of my studies.

Congrats! Great Score!

Regards. Sonali.

Great feedback for the community! Thanks.

Congrats Deepak !
Your journey is inspiring...
Thanks for sharing... It has boosted my confidence for the GMAT I am taking next month...

Congrats Deepak, I would like to know what strategy you used to tackle RC, I am very poor in RC and most of time I end up getting only 50% correct.

any suggestions, guidance ?

adthedaddy wrote:Congrats Deepak !
Your journey is inspiring...
Thanks for sharing... It has boosted my confidence for the GMAT I am taking next month...

adthedaddy,

Thanks! Wish you the best for the test...

sachinsonu wrote:Congrats Deepak, I would like to know what strategy you used to tackle RC, I am very poor in RC and most of time I end up getting only 50% correct.

any suggestions, guidance ?

sachinsonu,

I tried a few strategies for RC and finally settled onto one with which I was the most comfortable. And that was reading the entire passage. There are quite a few who advocate reading the first para and then skimming through the rest, but I wasn't too comfortable with that and ended up spending a ton of time to locate the answers, going back and forth etc. Also, I read the first question before reading the passage, so I could answer the first question quickly.

One thing that worked for me was my SC speed increased along the way (brought it down from 1:45 - 1:55 to 1:15 - 1:20 avg). That gave me more time to read the passages in its entirety because of which my accuracy went up and time per question went down, so net net ended up around 1:45 - 1:55 per question.

You are at 50% already, so just a small tweak or change in strategy should help in increasing the accuracy. Use the mock tests to analyze the results of change in strategy and see if its working in timed conditions.

And feel free to try out different strategies, the ultimate goal is to have a strategy (and a potential back up as well) that you are most comfortable with, so you tackle the test confidently and handle any curve balls efficiently.

Hope this helps and all the best!

your gmat prep 2 score does not look right. I don't think Q48 & V31 translates to a 700?

ice_rush wrote:your gmat prep 2 score does not look right. I don't think Q48 & V31 translates to a 700?

Ah, that's right...it's Q48, V37

Hey Deepak,

Congrats on achieving this milestone !! Way to Go !!!


I am in the initial phases of my preparation for GMAT.Could you please through some light
on your preparation strategy ?

what was the total timeframe of your preparation ? How many hours per week ?

It would be great if you could share with us the books name/material
that was referred by you in going from a 580 to 710 ?

Also, from where did you take the following tests :-

Manhattan GMAT (free / diagnostic)
Manhattan GMAT 2
Manhattan GMAT 3
Manhattan GMAT 4

nachyketa wrote:Hey Deepak,

Congrats on achieving this milestone !! Way to Go !!!


I am in the initial phases of my preparation for GMAT.Could you please through some light
on your preparation strategy ?

what was the total timeframe of your preparation ? How many hours per week ?

It would be great if you could share with us the books name/material
that was referred by you in going from a 580 to 710 ?

Also, from where did you take the following tests :-

Manhattan GMAT (free / diagnostic)
Manhattan GMAT 2
Manhattan GMAT 3
Manhattan GMAT 4

Thanks Nachyketa.

Prep Material:
OG 12: A must have, focus on the last questions if you aim for >700
Quantitative Review v2: same as above
Manhattan Strategy Guides: If you are self studying, these are a must haves. Again, focus on advanced sections in each guide if aiming for >700
Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible: A great resource for CR
GMAT Question Pack 1(GMAC): A really good resource and I highly recommend this. You can solve questions in timed conditions in a test mode as well as in study mode. I spent a good part of my last 10 days solving questions in this pack
Blogs / articles on this forum, Manhattan GMAT, Kaplan and Veritas Prep: I spent a ton of time reading the blogs / articles / problems on these forums. It's amazing to see different approaches to crack the same question.

Mock Tests:
GMAT Prep (official - 2 tests)
Manhattan GMAT Tests (1 free + 5 additional tests if you buy a strategy guide): Excellent analysis that greatly helped me in identifying a strategy that worked for me. Btw, be prepared to switch / modify strategies for solving questions, timing etc till you are comfortable with one.

Journey:
Seeds of GMAT were sown in Sept of last year but I truly started studying in early Dec after I booked the test date (2/19) - so, roughly 2.5 months. Completed Quant and recommended problem sets in Manhattan GMAT strategy guides by first week in January (hard core studies in last 2 weeks in December). Jan was more stable with 1 - 1:30 hours a day and 4-5 hours over the weekend focused on verbal interspersed with quant problems. Took a week off work prior to the test and focused entirely on GMAT.

Suggestion - As you begin your studies, understand what your strengths are but be open to new ideas, methods. Those will come in handy and will build on your strengths. Use the mock tests to understand the areas of improvement and focus on identifying a strategy that works for you. Also, during your studies, take some time off as and when you feel - just go with the flow. The day before the test, take it easy and don't stress yourself - I played tennis, which is my best stress reliever. And on the day of the test, do solve few problems to get your brain warmed up. Hope this helps...

All the best!

Thanks Deepak

Way to go Deepak!
Yet another source of inspiration!
Thanks for sharing! And all the best for the next phase!