Hi All
I took my GMAT today and got a score of 710 (Q49, V37 - 92nd percentile); thought it might be worthwhile to share my experience with this community.
First of all, I am really happy with my score (even though Verbals pulled me down a bit), because I did it with minimal preparation:
"¢ Spent about 75 hrs in total, over a period of 2.5 months (couldn't spend more time due to my job's demanding nature)
"¢ More than 80% of that time spent on studying Math
"¢ Used only the following study materials (all of which I got from friends): OG GMAT Review 11th Edition, Jeff Sackmann's GMAT Math Bible 2008, Manhattan GMAT SC Guide 2005 and the 800Score AWA Guide
"¢ Skimmed through the contents of a few websites, including this forum
"¢ Did a fair bit of practice questions on PS, DS and SC but took just 3 practice tests - Knewton's free CAT (600), GMATPrep 1 (660) & 2 (700)
"¢ Prepared for AWA only on the last 2 days (felt it was enough)
I was not inclined to spend more time on Verbals, since I believed that the skills required to tackle Verbals are assimilated through reading habits and exposure to good English over a period of time; they can't be improved significantly by pouring over study materials. However, I did go through some stuff for SC, which I had identified as one of my weak points from the practice tests. I went with a gut feel that I would do well in Verbals, but a bit more practice would have definitely helped my cause.
My approach to GMAT was pretty simple: practice well till you are confident enough and keep reviewing mistakes to identify your weak points and the quantum of improvement over previous practice sessions. My accuracy and time management skills increased significantly with practice; this gave me a lot of confidence to face the actual test. Initially I was preparing only on weekends with hardly any practice, but as the D-day neared, I continued working on practice questions to keep the momentum going. I feel this is an important aspect in getting a good score. Moreover, I relaxed well yesterday, got enough sleep and woke up with a fresh mind to attack the test today.
Of the study materials I used, the GMAT Math Bible was immensely useful, with simple yet practical techniques to get a good hold on all aspects of Math - from basic number properties to probability. I also wish to acknowledge the fact that this site helped me a lot with general advice, test taking strategies and practice questions, along with tips n tricks to ace the Quants section and a list of idioms to handle SC. Thanks for all the stuff here, and keep going!
Finally, a word of hope to every aspiring GMAT candidate: If I could get a 710 with the above preparation, then you can do a lot better with a more focussed approach and sustained effort. Go ahead and beat the GMAT!
I took my GMAT today and got a score of 710 (Q49, V37 - 92nd percentile); thought it might be worthwhile to share my experience with this community.
First of all, I am really happy with my score (even though Verbals pulled me down a bit), because I did it with minimal preparation:
"¢ Spent about 75 hrs in total, over a period of 2.5 months (couldn't spend more time due to my job's demanding nature)
"¢ More than 80% of that time spent on studying Math
"¢ Used only the following study materials (all of which I got from friends): OG GMAT Review 11th Edition, Jeff Sackmann's GMAT Math Bible 2008, Manhattan GMAT SC Guide 2005 and the 800Score AWA Guide
"¢ Skimmed through the contents of a few websites, including this forum
"¢ Did a fair bit of practice questions on PS, DS and SC but took just 3 practice tests - Knewton's free CAT (600), GMATPrep 1 (660) & 2 (700)
"¢ Prepared for AWA only on the last 2 days (felt it was enough)
I was not inclined to spend more time on Verbals, since I believed that the skills required to tackle Verbals are assimilated through reading habits and exposure to good English over a period of time; they can't be improved significantly by pouring over study materials. However, I did go through some stuff for SC, which I had identified as one of my weak points from the practice tests. I went with a gut feel that I would do well in Verbals, but a bit more practice would have definitely helped my cause.
My approach to GMAT was pretty simple: practice well till you are confident enough and keep reviewing mistakes to identify your weak points and the quantum of improvement over previous practice sessions. My accuracy and time management skills increased significantly with practice; this gave me a lot of confidence to face the actual test. Initially I was preparing only on weekends with hardly any practice, but as the D-day neared, I continued working on practice questions to keep the momentum going. I feel this is an important aspect in getting a good score. Moreover, I relaxed well yesterday, got enough sleep and woke up with a fresh mind to attack the test today.
Of the study materials I used, the GMAT Math Bible was immensely useful, with simple yet practical techniques to get a good hold on all aspects of Math - from basic number properties to probability. I also wish to acknowledge the fact that this site helped me a lot with general advice, test taking strategies and practice questions, along with tips n tricks to ace the Quants section and a list of idioms to handle SC. Thanks for all the stuff here, and keep going!
Finally, a word of hope to every aspiring GMAT candidate: If I could get a 710 with the above preparation, then you can do a lot better with a more focussed approach and sustained effort. Go ahead and beat the GMAT!
