I just Beat The GMAT!

I set out with a pie in the sky goal of scoring a 720, but realistically my goal was a 700. I followed the advice of many on this board and wound up with a 770. This score mirrored my result on GMAT Prep 2, which I saved for the end of my preparation (760 50/41).

I used this board as my only resource to plan my studies. Therefore, I'll echo the recommendations of a majority of the posters here. MGMAT's math workbooks are a must. MGMAT's SC workbook is also a must. CR is my biggest weakness. I bought the Powerscore CR Bible, but still didn't feel like I was getting it. This probably had more to do with my mental block than the book itself. I also got my hands on all of the OGs (10, 11, 11Q Supp, 11V Supp, 12, 12Q Supp, 12V Supp). The OGs are the best value out there. Despite what others say about the difficulty level in the OGs, I found it to be very applicable for 700+ aspirants.

My MGMAT scores started at 680 and wound up at 740. My two GMAT Prep scores were 720 and 760. I also took a few Kaplan exams and scored in the 680-700 range on those.

Also, my strategy on quan was to see as many problems as I could. If I came across a problem I didn't know, I wrote the question on a notepad and the solution on the back of the sheet. When it was all said and done, I had about 5 notebooks of problems I had missed/struggled with. These notebooks proved invaluable in the final weeks of my studies and thats when I saw my quan score jump from the 48 range to 50/51.

I am definitely not a super intelligent guy, so I think my score proves anyone can BTGMAT. I spent just about every lunch break, 2-3 hours after work and about 5-10 hours on the weekends for 5 months straight. For us "average joes", the GMAT can be beaten with hard/consistent work.

Congrats on a great score!!! By the way, can you let us know how did you find verbal section compared to Gmat prep?
All the best for your apps.

riteshbindal wrote:Congrats on a great score!!! By the way, can you let us know how did you find verbal section compared to Gmat prep?
All the best for your apps.

ritesh, Thanks!

Verbal was always a struggle for me. On GMAT Prep, I always had difficulty deciding between two SC/CR choices. I felt the same way on the actual exam. I spent some time reviewing the Powerscore CR Bible, but wasn't getting anywhere so I decided to focus my time on SC. I basically did no RC review except for the mock tests.

GMAT Prep is a very accurate representation of what you will see on test day. My best advice is to respect the exam, but do not overestimate it.

FWIW, I noticed my pace was pretty good on the verbal section, so I went ahead and read each RC passage twice. On my mock tests, I recognized that if I blew a RC passage and missed 3 or 4 questions in a row, it severely impacted my verbal score (36-38 vs 40-44). You want to make sure you understand those RC passages.

Thanks for your valuable advice. Which colleges are you looking for?

Hi!
I have a week left before the D day. I have not comfortable with Quant. Is the level of Quant same as given in GMAT prep? I have read some posts where in people say that the level was much tougher on the actual day.
Moreover , what is the importance of Probability and permutation and combination as I am weak in these areas.

Please suggest some Maths Material . I have 10 days left .

ritesh, I haven't decided where I will apply. I am not applying until Fall of 2011.

mnka, I thought the level was equal and the content was the same. What may make the actual exam more difficult is the material is asked in a way you haven't seen before. When completing practice problems, don't learn the problem. Learn the concept being tested. That strategy will have you well prepared on test day.

Thank You. I will try to practice as much I can.
Congratulations on your fantastic score.

Congratulations! you had quite a breakthrough!

Quants is my weak point and however much I have tried I am just not able to streamline my prep for Quants.
Could you please help?
Regards.
Pallavi.

Great score! congrats Good luck for application.