I took the GMAT back in December 09, and I wanted to share my input on the test, and also seek some advice.
PREP: I took the Manhattan GMAT prep course. So with that, I used the Official Guide Books for practice material and used the Manhattan GMAT books to study the material. Regarding my opinions of the course, I can honestly say I wouldn't have achieved my score without the help of the class. For me, where this class really shined was in the verbal section of the course. The course really taught me to realize that SC and CR questions were not subjective at all, and that with practice you will be able to easily recognize what makes certain answer choices wrong and what makes a right answer choice. With regards to math, I will say I gained some knowledge through the course but not a lot. I was pretty familiar with all the mathematical concepts on the GMAT; the difficulty with quantitative IMO is recognizing which concepts to apply to a problem you encounter. In addition, I also used the CR Bible. I will say that it is slightly better than the Manhattan GMAT CR book, since it does cover CR more thoroughly.
I also took 5 Manhattan GMAT CAT exams and one GMAT prep CAT exam:
MGMAT1: 680. *NOTE taken b4 first class of MGMAT
MGMAT2: 710
MGMAT3: 700
MGMAT4: 710
MGMAT5: 730
GMAT PREP: 740
Test Day:
Writing: Pretty much standard. I won't waste your time with this. got a 5.5
Math: This is where I started to show trouble. I was nervous going into the test, so I can honestly say that it did affect my performance somewhat. The first and last problem I guessed on; then after walking out during my break, i knew instantly how to do them and that really ticked me off. There were also around 3-4 problem types that I had never encountered b4 on any of my test prep books, so I had to resort to guessing. Whether these were experimental or not, who knos? Overall, I felt the problems were easier than MGMAT CAT exams but harder than the GMAT Prep CAT exams.
Verbal: To me, this was much easier than the MGMAT or GMAT Prep exams. I usually have some trouble with reading comp, but I plowed through it rather easily. The same goes for SC and CR problems.
Advice: The most important advice I can give to anyone is to remain calm and confident during the test. I was nervous for math, and i felt it cost. I was calm for verbal and felt it was cake. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you're nervous, you wont be able to apply that knowledge when you need it. Also, take your practice CAT exams seriously, as if you were actually taking the test. Doing practice problems on paper from a book is a totally different atmosphere from doing a test on the computer. With regards to books, MGMAT books are excellent for learning the material, perhaps the best out there. I would perhaps substitute the MGMAT CR book for the CR bible though. Use Official Guide books to do practice problems. I tried out Kaplan books as well, but I felt it was trash tbh, and didn't give an accurate representation of actual GMAT problems.
In Summary: So, overall I got a 710 with Quant 46 and Verbal 41. As you can see from my CAT exams, it does fall on sort of the lower end of my practice scores. I am a bit worried and disappointed on my quantitative score as I feel I could have gotten a 47 or 48 if i wasn't so nervous during this part. Also, I have heard that MBA's care more about quantitative than verbal score. With my goal being to get into a top 20 school (ideally Stanford or Haas), is it worth retaking the test to slightly increase my quantitative score, even if my verbal remains the same? I'd really appreciate advice on this area. If you have any further questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
PREP: I took the Manhattan GMAT prep course. So with that, I used the Official Guide Books for practice material and used the Manhattan GMAT books to study the material. Regarding my opinions of the course, I can honestly say I wouldn't have achieved my score without the help of the class. For me, where this class really shined was in the verbal section of the course. The course really taught me to realize that SC and CR questions were not subjective at all, and that with practice you will be able to easily recognize what makes certain answer choices wrong and what makes a right answer choice. With regards to math, I will say I gained some knowledge through the course but not a lot. I was pretty familiar with all the mathematical concepts on the GMAT; the difficulty with quantitative IMO is recognizing which concepts to apply to a problem you encounter. In addition, I also used the CR Bible. I will say that it is slightly better than the Manhattan GMAT CR book, since it does cover CR more thoroughly.
I also took 5 Manhattan GMAT CAT exams and one GMAT prep CAT exam:
MGMAT1: 680. *NOTE taken b4 first class of MGMAT
MGMAT2: 710
MGMAT3: 700
MGMAT4: 710
MGMAT5: 730
GMAT PREP: 740
Test Day:
Writing: Pretty much standard. I won't waste your time with this. got a 5.5
Math: This is where I started to show trouble. I was nervous going into the test, so I can honestly say that it did affect my performance somewhat. The first and last problem I guessed on; then after walking out during my break, i knew instantly how to do them and that really ticked me off. There were also around 3-4 problem types that I had never encountered b4 on any of my test prep books, so I had to resort to guessing. Whether these were experimental or not, who knos? Overall, I felt the problems were easier than MGMAT CAT exams but harder than the GMAT Prep CAT exams.
Verbal: To me, this was much easier than the MGMAT or GMAT Prep exams. I usually have some trouble with reading comp, but I plowed through it rather easily. The same goes for SC and CR problems.
Advice: The most important advice I can give to anyone is to remain calm and confident during the test. I was nervous for math, and i felt it cost. I was calm for verbal and felt it was cake. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you're nervous, you wont be able to apply that knowledge when you need it. Also, take your practice CAT exams seriously, as if you were actually taking the test. Doing practice problems on paper from a book is a totally different atmosphere from doing a test on the computer. With regards to books, MGMAT books are excellent for learning the material, perhaps the best out there. I would perhaps substitute the MGMAT CR book for the CR bible though. Use Official Guide books to do practice problems. I tried out Kaplan books as well, but I felt it was trash tbh, and didn't give an accurate representation of actual GMAT problems.
In Summary: So, overall I got a 710 with Quant 46 and Verbal 41. As you can see from my CAT exams, it does fall on sort of the lower end of my practice scores. I am a bit worried and disappointed on my quantitative score as I feel I could have gotten a 47 or 48 if i wasn't so nervous during this part. Also, I have heard that MBA's care more about quantitative than verbal score. With my goal being to get into a top 20 school (ideally Stanford or Haas), is it worth retaking the test to slightly increase my quantitative score, even if my verbal remains the same? I'd really appreciate advice on this area. If you have any further questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
