I'm going to keep this fairly distilled; hopefully, it is of help to others who have struggled with this test.
GMAT Scores:
Test Date Verb Quant Total AWA
25AUG10 44/97% 38/48% 680/85% 4.5/38%
07OCT10 C C C C
08NOV10 42/95% 35/38% 640/74% 5.5/77%
18APR10 37/81% 35/38% 600/63% 6.0/91%
29SEP11 38/83% 38/48% 630/73% 5.5/77%
03DEC11 39/87% 48/80% 710/92% TBD
I've never been gifted at anything, rather my success has always come from hard work. This test, however, proved to be an unexpected challenge. Over the past year, it seemed the harder I worked the worse I did.
Study
5 weeks prior to first test - Veritas "on demand" (felt I needed in person tutoring after starting)
3 weeks prior to first test - Veritas 1 week prep course in NYC
2 weeks prior to first test - worked all of the problems in Official GMAT (Yellow/Orange book)
- felt good going into test, although I did not feel confident in prob/comb problems or the AWA
- AWA felt bad, math felt good up until I got a Combinatorics problem (spent too much time on it which set me off pace-guessed on last 8)
Had to return to work full time, and took time off from GMAT to focus on apps.
2 weeks prior to test #2 - reworked all of the veritas problems / worked study guide (again)
- felt better about difficult problems going in; however, after the first problem went bad it continued to spiral down from there . . . by the end of the quant section I knew I had bombed, and clicked through verbal so that I could cans test
Had to return to work full time, continued to work on apps.
2 weeks prior to the test #3
- Veritas tutor sessions (planned for four 90 min sessions, cancelled after 2 bc I wasn't getting anything from it)
- worked all of the problems in the Purple Official Guide
- felt good going in, but after struggling with the first problem it continued to spiral down
2 weeks prior to test #4
- sat in on the Veritas 1 week intensive course (again)
- tried to focus on mastering the basic mathematical elements
- continued to review Official Guides and use Veritas Books
1 week prior to test #4
- continued to work through problems in all books
- felt okay going into test, but again, i just couldn't seem to get to the higher level problems on the test
6 weeks prior to test #5
- Started working through several different books (GMAT Math Hacks, GMAT Math Fundamentals, Official Guides)
- tried to focus on ensuring I had a solid foundation and knew the numbers cold (fractions/decimal equivalents)
4 weeks prior to test #5 (had to post pone test by a month to due death of friends)
2 weeks prior to new test #5
- tried to use a math tutor, but bc they were not familiar with the gmat it did not work out
- worked through Official Guide (purple) . . . very thorough, trying to make sure that the quality = quantity
1 week prior to test #5
- felt great going in, knew all of the numbers and official problems cold
- during the test, felt the same issues arising . . . couldn't seem to move past the easy questions to the higher level questions
4 weeks prior to test #6
- found a math tutor who was familiar with the GMAT
- worked Official Guide (Green-supplement)
- took several practice tests, and focused on the approach to solving a problem as much as I focused on the actual content of the problem
** i took several practice tests both CAT and paper prior to each GMAT I took
I'm not proud of the fact that it took me 6 times to get the score I wanted. I wish I was smarter; however, throughout this process I kept telling myself that my continual efforts were not in vain, but rather that the finish line was just a little further ahead than initially anticipated. I'm certain that there is a more effective way to study for this test, so you should not look to my experience as a guide for prep. My only universal take away is that if you want to succeed at something, keep trying. Eventually you will attain your goal.
Some personal take-aways from studying
- build a solid foundation of the basics before you try to move on to difficult problems
- While I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, I'm able to visualize and grasp higher level problems fairly easily. The problem I would run encounter is that under time constraints, my foundation would crack, often leaving me unable to obtain the correct answer, even if I knew the higher level logic that was being tested.
- with a solid foundation in the basic concepts you can be smooth and confident as you work through problems
- treat every problem like it is test day
- each individual will have his or her own approach, define your approach and use it every time you solve a problem
- i'm not sure where I read it, but it absolutely resonated with me . . . save time by deciding the proper strategy, not by rushing calculations
- my biggest problem was that I would immediately start to write down information as soon as i started reading a problem instead of taking a second to grasp the meta picture of the problem
- be deliberate in your study, if you get something wrong, mark it and review it. If you get it wrong again, break the problem down even further and put it away for part of your final review.
- plan to know everything two weeks prior to your test date, use the next two weeks to practice your approach to problems and your employment of knowledge
I hope this helps a little bit. I know how frustrating it can be to work hard at something and not have it go your way. Just remember that the finish line is just a little further ahead and your efforts will culminate in eventual success.
Cheers
pat
GMAT Scores:
Test Date Verb Quant Total AWA
25AUG10 44/97% 38/48% 680/85% 4.5/38%
07OCT10 C C C C
08NOV10 42/95% 35/38% 640/74% 5.5/77%
18APR10 37/81% 35/38% 600/63% 6.0/91%
29SEP11 38/83% 38/48% 630/73% 5.5/77%
03DEC11 39/87% 48/80% 710/92% TBD
I've never been gifted at anything, rather my success has always come from hard work. This test, however, proved to be an unexpected challenge. Over the past year, it seemed the harder I worked the worse I did.
Study
5 weeks prior to first test - Veritas "on demand" (felt I needed in person tutoring after starting)
3 weeks prior to first test - Veritas 1 week prep course in NYC
2 weeks prior to first test - worked all of the problems in Official GMAT (Yellow/Orange book)
- felt good going into test, although I did not feel confident in prob/comb problems or the AWA
- AWA felt bad, math felt good up until I got a Combinatorics problem (spent too much time on it which set me off pace-guessed on last 8)
Had to return to work full time, and took time off from GMAT to focus on apps.
2 weeks prior to test #2 - reworked all of the veritas problems / worked study guide (again)
- felt better about difficult problems going in; however, after the first problem went bad it continued to spiral down from there . . . by the end of the quant section I knew I had bombed, and clicked through verbal so that I could cans test
Had to return to work full time, continued to work on apps.
2 weeks prior to the test #3
- Veritas tutor sessions (planned for four 90 min sessions, cancelled after 2 bc I wasn't getting anything from it)
- worked all of the problems in the Purple Official Guide
- felt good going in, but after struggling with the first problem it continued to spiral down
2 weeks prior to test #4
- sat in on the Veritas 1 week intensive course (again)
- tried to focus on mastering the basic mathematical elements
- continued to review Official Guides and use Veritas Books
1 week prior to test #4
- continued to work through problems in all books
- felt okay going into test, but again, i just couldn't seem to get to the higher level problems on the test
6 weeks prior to test #5
- Started working through several different books (GMAT Math Hacks, GMAT Math Fundamentals, Official Guides)
- tried to focus on ensuring I had a solid foundation and knew the numbers cold (fractions/decimal equivalents)
4 weeks prior to test #5 (had to post pone test by a month to due death of friends)
2 weeks prior to new test #5
- tried to use a math tutor, but bc they were not familiar with the gmat it did not work out
- worked through Official Guide (purple) . . . very thorough, trying to make sure that the quality = quantity
1 week prior to test #5
- felt great going in, knew all of the numbers and official problems cold
- during the test, felt the same issues arising . . . couldn't seem to move past the easy questions to the higher level questions
4 weeks prior to test #6
- found a math tutor who was familiar with the GMAT
- worked Official Guide (Green-supplement)
- took several practice tests, and focused on the approach to solving a problem as much as I focused on the actual content of the problem
** i took several practice tests both CAT and paper prior to each GMAT I took
I'm not proud of the fact that it took me 6 times to get the score I wanted. I wish I was smarter; however, throughout this process I kept telling myself that my continual efforts were not in vain, but rather that the finish line was just a little further ahead than initially anticipated. I'm certain that there is a more effective way to study for this test, so you should not look to my experience as a guide for prep. My only universal take away is that if you want to succeed at something, keep trying. Eventually you will attain your goal.
Some personal take-aways from studying
- build a solid foundation of the basics before you try to move on to difficult problems
- While I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, I'm able to visualize and grasp higher level problems fairly easily. The problem I would run encounter is that under time constraints, my foundation would crack, often leaving me unable to obtain the correct answer, even if I knew the higher level logic that was being tested.
- with a solid foundation in the basic concepts you can be smooth and confident as you work through problems
- treat every problem like it is test day
- each individual will have his or her own approach, define your approach and use it every time you solve a problem
- i'm not sure where I read it, but it absolutely resonated with me . . . save time by deciding the proper strategy, not by rushing calculations
- my biggest problem was that I would immediately start to write down information as soon as i started reading a problem instead of taking a second to grasp the meta picture of the problem
- be deliberate in your study, if you get something wrong, mark it and review it. If you get it wrong again, break the problem down even further and put it away for part of your final review.
- plan to know everything two weeks prior to your test date, use the next two weeks to practice your approach to problems and your employment of knowledge
I hope this helps a little bit. I know how frustrating it can be to work hard at something and not have it go your way. Just remember that the finish line is just a little further ahead and your efforts will culminate in eventual success.
Cheers
pat
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