I finally scrapped thru to get a 710 ! and having crossed the magical 700 mark, I think I finally can
Quick Background: Indian, Male, engineer, (pretty routine). BD guy with 3 years of experience in the Renewables sector
I started my prep in Aug 2013 and took my 1st attempt in Nov 2013. The day before the exam, I slept a happy man knowing that I had done my bit and I would emerge victorious the next day, having put the GMAT chapter behind me.
Nothing in particular went wrong on the actual day... I felt prepared and I thought as I marked the last question that I had made the magical 700 mark. When I clicked to get my score, I saw a 680 (47 Q 36 V)... A lot of test - takers take the exam a 2nd time knowing that they were not ready the first time... that was not the case with me. I had done everything right... I
- "¢ joined a local coaching institute to come up to speed,
"¢ got the right material,
"¢ followed a detailed and healthy study plan,
"¢ made notes, an error log, and fancy excels for analysis,
"¢ did 100's of questions,
"¢ read de - briefs and Quant tricks on this forum,
"¢ took loads of mocks,
"¢ focussed on the softer aspects such as start prepping myself up for the actual exam by changing my lifestyle (food, changing sleep schedule, cutting down on alcohol and social life, etc
I shot emails to a lot of people explaining my case... Picking up the books a 2nd time was one of the hardest things I have had to do.
A couple of months later, as I walk out with my score sheet in my hand, it all feels worth it.
Material
I haven't seen the below combination so frequently here, but I think it works
- "¢ All 8 Manhattan Guides for both Quant and Verbal:
They cover every concept out there. Go through every page (twice for weaker areas). I used the Manhattan CR twice and saw my CR accuracies go from < 30% to 80%+. Manhattan is simply the best and most comprehensive material out there. The 6 tests that come along are invaluable
"¢ e - GMAT for SC
This is the go to thing for SC. Try their free trial and let it work its magic. Teamed up with the Manhattan SC book, the combination is all you need for SC. Their approach for SC is really simple and makes the process extremely methodical.
"¢ Magoosh Premium Plan
Magoosh has some super cool features. The dashboard is pretty neat and the explanations are crisp and concise. The best thing about Magoosh is that they only test fundamentals...they are not as complicated As Manhattan Quant or OG SC, but give you a very clear picture about where you are lacking. You can only get a topic wrong on Magoosh if you have a conceptual error in that topic. It really allows you to drill down on your weakest areas.
"¢ GMAT Question Pack
Proved to be of more use than OG 13. It is some 30$, but an absolute must
"¢ Ron videos
You cannot beat the exam, without going to Ron. Use his videos for your weaker concepts
"¢ OG 13 and OG 2nd Quant and Verbal Review
"¢ GMAT Club Quant and Grammar Book
"¢ Manhattan Pocket App - great for on the go prep
"¢ GMAT Club Quant New project
These are just super duper difficult, and I would only go through explanations by Bunel. They are great practice, if and only if you have exhausted everything else.
"¢ GMAT Club and BTG de - briefs, explanations, and info
- "¢ Manhattan mocks - Quant is super difficult, but they are amazing practice. I would not focus too much on performance in Quant, simply because the actual questions are not as lengthy on the actual exam
"¢ Magoosh Tests - the premium plan has a feature that allows you to take tests. They are great tool
"¢ All 4 GMAT Preps (repeat each)
1st attempt
- "¢ ETS Powerpre: 660
"¢ Score 800 Test 1: 520 (didn't bother with it after that)
"¢ Veritas Free Test: 680
"¢ Manhattan Tests 1, 2, 3, 4: 660 - 670 - 680 - 690
"¢ GMAT Prep 1: 720 (Repeat 770)
"¢ GMAT Prep 2: 730
"¢ Actual Score: 680
- "¢ Manhattan Tests 1, 2, 3, 4 repeat: 700 - 700 - 700 - 700
"¢ Manhattan Test 5 and 6: 750 - 750
"¢ Magoosh Test: 720
"¢ Loads of accuracy drills with 37 Q and 41 V questions
"¢ GMAT Prep 2 (repeat): 740
"¢ GMAT Prep 3: 720
"¢ GMAT Prep 4: 740
"¢ Actual Score: 710
- "¢ De - brief by Sidvish https://gmatclub.com/forum/660-to-740-q4 ... 63451.html
"¢ De - brief by Ted Cornell on BTG https://www.beatthegmat.com/from-610-to- ... 32578.html
"¢ De - brief by Oxygen on BTG https://www.beatthegmat.com/well-defined ... 71985.html
"¢ De - brief by rhtnr - https://gmatclub.com/forum/640-to-730-in ... -291950241
"¢ Advice by BB on retaking after touching 700 - https://gmatclub.com/forum/700-q49-v36-e ... 69287.html
"¢ Handling GMAT Stress https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/beating-gmat-stress/
"¢ How to analyse a problem - https://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm
"¢ Breaking the 700 barrier https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... 0-barrier/
"¢ Ron's advice on important of Reviewing - https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-660-q51 ... tml#696548
"¢ Sign up for e- GMAT updates to get some of the best advice out there by test takers
"¢ Skill of Self confidence - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HYZv6HzAs
After a lot of introspection, I realised a couple of mistakes that I had made the first time (The points below are my own + what I got from others)
"¢ The quality of study is more important than the quantity:
The GMAT is an aptitude test and unlike a normal term paper does not depend on how many questions you practise or how many books you read. You might study for a year and make no improvements in your score... Solve 5 questions a day, but do them correctly and you will soon be tearing down your own records. Creating the right approach process to solving is important, but developing an even more exhaustive review methodology is even more critical. Every question that you 'approach incorrectly' and that 'you do not review and pick apart' is a question wasted. This Manhattan post https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/ has all the info you need on how to review... Tailor the recommendations to suit yourself, if needbe
"¢ Focussing on your weaknesses is the only way to make progress in your score.
Your stagnation / drop occurs only because of these weaker areas. RC was my strongest, while CR was my weakest (less than 30% accuracies). It was a uphill task, but there was no other way to it
"¢ Develop good processes.
You need to be emotionless and need to function like a robot on exam day. Find an approach for each question type that works for you, and repeat, repeat, and repeat it a little more. This is more important in Verbal. Build an 'approach process' and stick to it. Sign up for e-GMAT sessions... they articulate the importance of processes really well. If you deviate from this process while solving a question, treat it as incorrect.
"¢ Verbal is the key to a 700+ and you need to treat it with caution and respect.
I crossed 700 only because I did well on my Verbal (could have touched a 760 if I did not let the ball drop on Quant)... you might max your Quant score, but will still lie below 700 if you do not bring your verbal up. SC, RC, and CR all test only a limited number of things and are all about your process. You might love Quant and might hate reading long RC's, but if you want to apply to your dream school you need to find a way to fall in love with that long boring monstrous RC. Following processes can be a big help. Turn to e- GMAT for Verbal - nobody understands it as well as they do
"¢ Timing & Guessing:
This is something that I did not pay attention to the 1st time and something that made a huge difference the 2nd time. As counter intuitive as it sounds, a high score requires you to guess. You are allowed to get the super hard Number Properties and CR questions incorrect, what you are not allowed is falling behind on time. There is a specific reason why we have only 75 minutes. As an Indian engineer, I would try to power my way through Quant. During untimed practice I could get nearly every question out there correct and it is this very type of thinking that would cajole me into spending more time on each question than necessary. On the actual exam, attempting the right questions and letting go of the difficult questions is very important. It is difficult and takes practice. You cannot practice untimed and then expect to be within time on the mocks and on the exam. Even during your practice, make sure that you time the whole thing. Guess and move on if you are not able to solve a question in 2 min...Cut your losses. It is very easy to let time slip away, do not let the clock fool you. Manhattan and Magoosh's articles on timing have everything you need. I read an amazing example somewhere - 'Treat the GMAT as a cricket match. Trying to hit every ball for a 6 will most likely get you out really early. Let go of the super hard deliveries and knock the easier loose ones out of the park'.
"¢ Understand what the exam is testing:
The GMAT is less of a Quant test and more of a 'person test'. It is used by schools to assess whether you will be able to handle the business curriculum or not... The focus is more on how you think as a person
- o How do you handle emotions under pressure?
o How clearly and methodically do you think?
o How well do you strategize (- timing strategies, guessing strategies, etc.)
o How motivated are you - (it is never easy juggling work and studying for an exam, while cutting down on movies and beer)
"¢ Tame your anxiety levels
This is the area where I struggled the most. Letting go is a difficult task. More than often, we know when we get a question incorrect... and our mental wiring is such that we dwell upon it. Doing this on exam day is going to definitely lower your score. Guaranteed! Some of the highest scorers are those who do not let the questions get to them. Failing to control your paranoia is a hidden reason for underperforming on the actual exam. I would kill quant on my mocks because nothing was at stake... but I froze up both times during the actual exam. I am not a natural test taker and handling nerves has been an issue. My Quant came down to a 47 from a consistent 50 only because I could not handle my nerves well. Some more training on this aspect and I am confident a 760 would be within reach.
"¢ Do what it takes
For some people chilling more with friends and catching 2 movies a week works... for some people cutting down on social life works... There is no right or wrong as long as you get that score. I got a lot of shit for the kind of changes I had to make, but none of it mattered once I got my score... Where does GMAT figure in on your list of priorities - the choice is yours
"¢ Some Don'ts
- o Do not try to study from everything out there. I did not bother going through Kaplan, Princeton Review, Score 800 tests, or the thousands of other sources out there... too much will harm more than anything
o Do not assume that you will be diligent throughout... Make a daily study plan and stick to it. Take out the thinking from the doing
o Do not cut down on sleep and your health... You need sleep to solidify your learning's
o Do not focus on time based study, rather focus on quality milestone based study
o Do not study every day. You do not want to burn yourself out
o Do not study without fixed approaches and review methodologies in mind.
o Do not underestimate the mental aspect of the exam
o Do not give too much importance to explanations from random people on the forum (especially Verbal). Stick to the experts... you do not want to pick up rules that do not exist
US universities do not do things the way we do it here in India. There is no 'decreasing merit order'. The guy / girl with the highest score is not guaranteed an admission and likewise a lower score does not mean that you are no good. US universities recognize the fact that you as a complete person are more important than your GMAT score and accordingly interpret the score (I can vouch for this personally - I had applied a couple of years earlier for MS programs with a not so great GRE score of a 1300, and still managed to got thru some really competitive programs at places like Carnegie Mellon and Dartmouth. I only got in because other aspects of my application were also given importance). Set your score on the basis of your target school. A 750 will not guarantee you an admit - countless people make this mistake. This forum has countless stories of people who did not get in despite their crazy stratospheric GMAT scores.
The exam is a mental marathon and you need to train mentally as much as conceptually. My intelligence level has not changed drastically, just that the 2nd time with more mental preparation, stamina building, and better strategies I was able to touch my target score. Your mental frame of mind and test readiness will make the most difference, beyond a point.
For most (except the super smart ones), studying for this exam is an extremely humbling process, one that is extremely demanding and taxing. While it will bug the hell out of you, it also offers numerous lessons that will take you a long way if you learn from them. As I walked out with a 710 and sat down in this little lawn outside the test center, simply ecstatic to have crossed my 700 mark, the little Indian voice inside my head told me to "Go for it a 3rd time. You nailed Verbal and froze up on Quant. A little bit more prep and a Q 50 V 41 V could be in my pocket"... I just smiled and pushed that voice aside, knowing that I had crossed the hurdle and the gains to be made by giving a 3rd attempt would be marginal. The GMAT monkey was finally off my back and as I made plans to unwind that evening, I think I smiled at every stranger I passed by... I could un-pause my life and move on to reclaiming those weekends and to more meaningful things in life. Tonight's gonna be a good night !
Hope this helps.
Would love to help out with questions, if any
Onwards
