First of all, thank you BTG community, you've been a great source of help. I've never posted anything, but you've given so much to me I feel like I owe you at least one message.
Background:
I'm a psychology major in my fourth year at a Canadian University (eh!). Unlike the majority of test takers here, I'm aiming for a masters in management with a concentration in consumer behaviour. It's basically a research masters program, unlike the more technically-based MBA.
Tackling the GMAT
Why would I want to do the GMAT 4 days away from Christmas? Probably because I'm a masochistic humbug, or I decided take the GMAT late. If I wanted to get my score in on time, I had to take the GMAT before Christmas. Of course, this meant I only had 70 days to prepare, which is why I chose the BTG 60-day study guide with a 10 day "cushion". I didn't have a lot of time to research the best books to buy or the best courses to take, so I opted for the "easy route". Or at least the route that was pre-made and spoon-feed me instructions on what to study. I'm not really sure what constitutes a "good score" for the master programs I'm applying to (they all recommend above 550 or 600 and I assume research experience is more important), so I was aiming for a 700.
Test Day
I booked my test at 1pm. Yes, it is late, but I'm a student and I don't work well in "early hours" (aka before 12). I also got a hefty brunch in and a good nights sleep. I arrived at the test center early and waited for the other test takers to finish. I finished the AWA confident and opted for the 8 minute break. But when I started the Quantitative section, I felt really nervous. I started spending too long on certain questions and I rushed to make up for time. I missed the last question of the test, and I felt really bad about my performance. I decided against the 8 minute break between the math and verbal because I wanted the GMAT to be over with. I probably should have taken the break to calm down.
The verbal was a bit better and I thought the reading comprehension was easier than my practice material. Still, I paced myself badly and I started rushing to keep up again. Overall I though the test went terribly and I really expected a 500 or something. But lo and behold a 690 popped up
GMAT progress chart
GMAT Prep (1) - 580
GMAT Prep (1) - 590
GMAT Prep (1) - 700
Princeton Review 580
Kaplan GMAT 580
Kaplan GMAT 540
GMAT Prep (2) 650
Kaplan GMAT 550
Gmat Prep (2) 720
I must say the score are really inconsistent, but the important part is to learn from the tests and practice practice practice...
Study Material
GMAC's Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition
Kaplan's GMAT 2010-2011 Premier with CD-ROM
Manhattan GMAT's Sentence Correction GMAT Preparation Guide (4th Edition)
Manhattan GMAT's Critical Reasoning GMAT Preparation Guide (4th Edition)
BTG Flashcards
BTG Practice Questions
60 Study Guide Review
Normally I like a lot of time to prepare for things, so 60 days seemed too short. I was also skeptical about the books. I suspected that companies might hire BTG to create study guides with their books. Of course this isn't a bad business plan, but it does make you wonder if the books are chosen for their quality or their company kick-backs. I researched into the books and found they're generally the recommended bibles to study for the GMAT. As I was studying, I found that Kaplan covered concepts in-depth, while GMAC was great for question examples. After finishing the study guide, I really believe BTG experts enjoy helping students succeed in the GMAT and, as a result, they created a fantastic day-by-day study guide.
Pros
The 60-day study guide is convenient and simple. Everyday I woke up and a BTG email would tell me exactly what to do. The guide also made sure I didn't slack off. Emails came everyday and that really motivated me to stay on top of my work. Finally, the biggest benefit to the guide was how comprehensive it was. The guide covered more or less everything on the GMAT and presented the material based on topics.
Cons
If you fall behind by even one day, you've fallen behind by essentially 4-6 hours of work. When I fell behind, I became really stressed out. Suddenly, my main priority wasn't to LEARN the material, it was to FINISH the questions. This is clearly destructive thinking.
Also, I didn't find the Manhattan books that useful. Yeah they're great for breaking down concepts, but I didn't really follow the note taking methods they recommended. I also didn't find their exercises that helpful either.
BTG Practice Questions
Very useful tool overall. Not only can you track your progress, but you can identify problem areas and tailor a practice to suit your needs. But in my opinion, the best part about the practice questions is the video explanations. They're much more engaging than reading an answer for yourself and I tend to understand the explanation better.
Advice
I've read through a few of these "I just beat the GMAT" stories, and I want to congratulate everyone for a job well done. Of course, there are those who didn't get the score they expected. I just want to say that intelligence is a fairly complex mental construct and all the GMAT does is measure a few facets of it. Therefore, getting a bad score on the GMAT does not mean you fail at life or you're really stupid, it just means that you need to improve your problem areas.
Having said that, the GMAT tests concepts that a malleable. That is, the GMAT doesn't measure your height, which doesn't really change unless your going through puberty. It measures your ability to study, learn and think critically, concepts which can be learnt. This forum is filled with inspirational people who worked hard and got a good score Don't give up, I believe in you!
The most important thing to get out of your studies is to learn from your mistakes. As humans beings we like to push aside our mistakes and focus on our strengths, so it takes a lot of willpower to look back and review your errors. I found it really help to redo incorrect questions until I reached a conclusion before looking at the answer.
Finally, I tried to use the Kaplan CD that came with the book but I received an error that I'm missing an MCI driver. I started the computer in safe mode (press F8 repeatedly while starting up your computer) and the CD works.
Background:
I'm a psychology major in my fourth year at a Canadian University (eh!). Unlike the majority of test takers here, I'm aiming for a masters in management with a concentration in consumer behaviour. It's basically a research masters program, unlike the more technically-based MBA.
Tackling the GMAT
Why would I want to do the GMAT 4 days away from Christmas? Probably because I'm a masochistic humbug, or I decided take the GMAT late. If I wanted to get my score in on time, I had to take the GMAT before Christmas. Of course, this meant I only had 70 days to prepare, which is why I chose the BTG 60-day study guide with a 10 day "cushion". I didn't have a lot of time to research the best books to buy or the best courses to take, so I opted for the "easy route". Or at least the route that was pre-made and spoon-feed me instructions on what to study. I'm not really sure what constitutes a "good score" for the master programs I'm applying to (they all recommend above 550 or 600 and I assume research experience is more important), so I was aiming for a 700.
Test Day
I booked my test at 1pm. Yes, it is late, but I'm a student and I don't work well in "early hours" (aka before 12). I also got a hefty brunch in and a good nights sleep. I arrived at the test center early and waited for the other test takers to finish. I finished the AWA confident and opted for the 8 minute break. But when I started the Quantitative section, I felt really nervous. I started spending too long on certain questions and I rushed to make up for time. I missed the last question of the test, and I felt really bad about my performance. I decided against the 8 minute break between the math and verbal because I wanted the GMAT to be over with. I probably should have taken the break to calm down.
The verbal was a bit better and I thought the reading comprehension was easier than my practice material. Still, I paced myself badly and I started rushing to keep up again. Overall I though the test went terribly and I really expected a 500 or something. But lo and behold a 690 popped up
GMAT progress chart
GMAT Prep (1) - 580
GMAT Prep (1) - 590
GMAT Prep (1) - 700
Princeton Review 580
Kaplan GMAT 580
Kaplan GMAT 540
GMAT Prep (2) 650
Kaplan GMAT 550
Gmat Prep (2) 720
I must say the score are really inconsistent, but the important part is to learn from the tests and practice practice practice...
Study Material
GMAC's Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition
Kaplan's GMAT 2010-2011 Premier with CD-ROM
Manhattan GMAT's Sentence Correction GMAT Preparation Guide (4th Edition)
Manhattan GMAT's Critical Reasoning GMAT Preparation Guide (4th Edition)
BTG Flashcards
BTG Practice Questions
60 Study Guide Review
Normally I like a lot of time to prepare for things, so 60 days seemed too short. I was also skeptical about the books. I suspected that companies might hire BTG to create study guides with their books. Of course this isn't a bad business plan, but it does make you wonder if the books are chosen for their quality or their company kick-backs. I researched into the books and found they're generally the recommended bibles to study for the GMAT. As I was studying, I found that Kaplan covered concepts in-depth, while GMAC was great for question examples. After finishing the study guide, I really believe BTG experts enjoy helping students succeed in the GMAT and, as a result, they created a fantastic day-by-day study guide.
Pros
The 60-day study guide is convenient and simple. Everyday I woke up and a BTG email would tell me exactly what to do. The guide also made sure I didn't slack off. Emails came everyday and that really motivated me to stay on top of my work. Finally, the biggest benefit to the guide was how comprehensive it was. The guide covered more or less everything on the GMAT and presented the material based on topics.
Cons
If you fall behind by even one day, you've fallen behind by essentially 4-6 hours of work. When I fell behind, I became really stressed out. Suddenly, my main priority wasn't to LEARN the material, it was to FINISH the questions. This is clearly destructive thinking.
Also, I didn't find the Manhattan books that useful. Yeah they're great for breaking down concepts, but I didn't really follow the note taking methods they recommended. I also didn't find their exercises that helpful either.
BTG Practice Questions
Very useful tool overall. Not only can you track your progress, but you can identify problem areas and tailor a practice to suit your needs. But in my opinion, the best part about the practice questions is the video explanations. They're much more engaging than reading an answer for yourself and I tend to understand the explanation better.
Advice
I've read through a few of these "I just beat the GMAT" stories, and I want to congratulate everyone for a job well done. Of course, there are those who didn't get the score they expected. I just want to say that intelligence is a fairly complex mental construct and all the GMAT does is measure a few facets of it. Therefore, getting a bad score on the GMAT does not mean you fail at life or you're really stupid, it just means that you need to improve your problem areas.
Having said that, the GMAT tests concepts that a malleable. That is, the GMAT doesn't measure your height, which doesn't really change unless your going through puberty. It measures your ability to study, learn and think critically, concepts which can be learnt. This forum is filled with inspirational people who worked hard and got a good score
Don't give up, I believe in you!The most important thing to get out of your studies is to learn from your mistakes. As humans beings we like to push aside our mistakes and focus on our strengths, so it takes a lot of willpower to look back and review your errors. I found it really help to redo incorrect questions until I reached a conclusion before looking at the answer.
Finally, I tried to use the Kaplan CD that came with the book but I received an error that I'm missing an MCI driver. I started the computer in safe mode (press F8 repeatedly while starting up your computer) and the CD works.
