-
mgsjones1284
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:46 am
Hi all -- I thought I would post about my experience to date with taking the GMAT. In retrospect, I've made quite a few errors along the way that I think prevented me from doing the best I could. As such, I thought it would be helpful to folks who are just starting out in the GMAT process to share where I went terribly wrong.
My Experience
I started prepping for the GMAT this past summer using Knewton. I haven't taken some of the more basic math courses since 6th and 7th grade, and pretty much don't use math on the job, so I needed to get reacquainted with the fundamentals. Knewton was great for these purposes. Be aware, though, that while Knewton is good for getting your feet wet, their problem math sets generally don't reflect the actual difficulty of the real test. I did not use any supplemental materials
Since I was trying to get my applications before December and was slammed at work, I only managed to squeeze in 2 practice test before the real thing (Knewton CAT #1: 610, Knewton CAT#2: 720). Still I felt pretty good because I was doing well on the problem sets and thought I'd be set.
After going through a round of Knewton, I matriculated for the real thing. Lots of test jitters, and ran short on energy towards the middle/end of each section. I ended up scoring a 670 (Q44 V39). Pretty disappointed, but not the end of the world.
Still, I needed to up my score to get into some of my upper end target schools, so I signed up to the test again the following month. I didn't really do any practice in between beyond some practice tests (bad decision -- I'll get into this later). After taking 4 practice tests in between (Knewton CAT #3 - 730, Knewton #4 - 700, MCAT #1 - 680, MCAT #2 - 720), getting anywhere betweem 690 - 740 seemed very realistic. I just needed to cut down on the some sloppy errors.
Test day for Test #2: I was very relaxed -- I left an hour early for the testing facility to give myself some time and put myself at ease. The testing facility was in a major metropolitan area, so I thought parking wouldn't be an issue. Boy was I wrong -- all of the garages were full, and there was no street parking available. I ended up parking 15 minutes away and had to jog all the way to facility to make my test time. Sure enough I arrived to a locked office building -- I had to call the Pearson staff to open the door for me (very strange experience -- definitely will not be going back there again). Although I was able to put my mind at ease with some layup AWAs, this odd experience really knocked me off my game big time. Not the way to go into a major test LOL. After the 2nd break, I could tell my math score wasn't going to be on par with the score I was posting on the practice tests b/c the questions were really easy at the end. Must've gotten nailed on a couple of the DS questions mid-test. I estimated that I probably chalked a Q43-45. No worries though -- I still had an opportunity to make it up with the Verbal section.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to come through. The aggregate verbal section wasn't all that bad. I cruised through the CR Qs and 3 of the RC passages -- but I got some bear SC questions (even though I am usually very strong in this area) and a nasty RC passage that probably proved to be my downfall on this section. Test results: 660 (Q44 V38).
So why no score improvement? Well, for starters, I didn't explore the insights on this site
. Doing some serious self-reflection, I came up with the following:
Mistake 1: Knewton is a wonderful resource that I highly recommend, but the Quant questions in their practice sets (and even on their CAT tests) simply do not reflect the complexity of some of the math questions you'll find on the real thing. I should have supplemented Knewton with the Quant OG.
Mistake 2: Lack of stamina on test #1. This killed me -- by the end of the test, I was thoroughly fatigued and my concentration was definitely off at the end of each section. I chalk this up to doing an insufficient number of practice tests. Testing endurance is key, and the only way to build this up is to practice, practice, practice (actual CATs).
Mistake 3: Keeping up on the basics prior to Test #2. In the one month layoff between tests, I did a very minimal amount of maintenance work, focusing only of practice exams. Big mistake: this came back to bite me big time. Even though my score was virtually the same, my 2nd go around was the almost the exact opposite of my experience on test #1: I had the endurance/concentration aspect of the testing down pat, but because I had neglected to keep up on the basics, I feel as though I suffered for it and struggled through a couple of problems that I would've nailed during the first go around (particularly in DS). When you are busy filling out applications and trying to balance this with work, it becomes especially critical to keep the momentum up on what you've learned, lest you begin to forget some of the basics amidst life's craziness.
Mistake 4: Failing to sure up the weak spots. Perhaps my biggest regret of all was not taking the time to iron out some of the kinks I was experiencing in the RC and CR questions. I figured these issues would work themselves out with practice tests, so I didn't give these areas the extra attention they deserved. There were obviously some problems with the way I was fundamentally approaching these questions, but I did little to rectify these issues.
Mistake 5: Overconfidence based on practice CATs. I thought because I was scoring in the high 600s/low 700s that I would be okay on test day. All along, I should have been striving for an 800! Striving for the best score possible is what gives you the fire in the belly to perfect the little things -- and I regrettably did not do this. Next time around, I'm going at this thing with full force!
Action plan: Looking back on things, I am pretty disappointed in myself for my patchwork, sloppy approach in prepping. I took the time to thoroughly read through the helpful advice on this site, and am going to take another swing in late February/early March. I am looking forward to the challenge of conquering this bad boy once and for all!
I heeded the recommendations of others on this site and purchased the OG for general practice, Manhattan's Advanced GMAT Quant to get some more experience with 700+ level math questions, and Kaplan's Verbal Workbook to tackle my weaknesses in CR and RC. I am planning to do 3 weeks straight on Quant (with a focus on 700+ level DS), then another 3 weeks on CR/RC with a 1-2 practice exams peppered in each week to keep up my test endurance.
I haven't signed up for a test date yet, as I don't want to confine myself to a set timeline in case I feel the need for more practice (beyond what I have laid out in my plan).
Hopefully, with a better maintenance regimen, additional practice in my weak areas, and being at full strength from a test endurance standpoint, I'll get better results on test #3...
PS_ One other cautionary word that I neglected to mention earlier: try to take your GMATs well before the application process, or you'll find yourself short on time trying to juggle MBA applications, professional life, personal life and test practice.
My Experience
I started prepping for the GMAT this past summer using Knewton. I haven't taken some of the more basic math courses since 6th and 7th grade, and pretty much don't use math on the job, so I needed to get reacquainted with the fundamentals. Knewton was great for these purposes. Be aware, though, that while Knewton is good for getting your feet wet, their problem math sets generally don't reflect the actual difficulty of the real test. I did not use any supplemental materials
Since I was trying to get my applications before December and was slammed at work, I only managed to squeeze in 2 practice test before the real thing (Knewton CAT #1: 610, Knewton CAT#2: 720). Still I felt pretty good because I was doing well on the problem sets and thought I'd be set.
After going through a round of Knewton, I matriculated for the real thing. Lots of test jitters, and ran short on energy towards the middle/end of each section. I ended up scoring a 670 (Q44 V39). Pretty disappointed, but not the end of the world.
Still, I needed to up my score to get into some of my upper end target schools, so I signed up to the test again the following month. I didn't really do any practice in between beyond some practice tests (bad decision -- I'll get into this later). After taking 4 practice tests in between (Knewton CAT #3 - 730, Knewton #4 - 700, MCAT #1 - 680, MCAT #2 - 720), getting anywhere betweem 690 - 740 seemed very realistic. I just needed to cut down on the some sloppy errors.
Test day for Test #2: I was very relaxed -- I left an hour early for the testing facility to give myself some time and put myself at ease. The testing facility was in a major metropolitan area, so I thought parking wouldn't be an issue. Boy was I wrong -- all of the garages were full, and there was no street parking available. I ended up parking 15 minutes away and had to jog all the way to facility to make my test time. Sure enough I arrived to a locked office building -- I had to call the Pearson staff to open the door for me (very strange experience -- definitely will not be going back there again). Although I was able to put my mind at ease with some layup AWAs, this odd experience really knocked me off my game big time. Not the way to go into a major test LOL. After the 2nd break, I could tell my math score wasn't going to be on par with the score I was posting on the practice tests b/c the questions were really easy at the end. Must've gotten nailed on a couple of the DS questions mid-test. I estimated that I probably chalked a Q43-45. No worries though -- I still had an opportunity to make it up with the Verbal section.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to come through. The aggregate verbal section wasn't all that bad. I cruised through the CR Qs and 3 of the RC passages -- but I got some bear SC questions (even though I am usually very strong in this area) and a nasty RC passage that probably proved to be my downfall on this section. Test results: 660 (Q44 V38).
So why no score improvement? Well, for starters, I didn't explore the insights on this site
. Doing some serious self-reflection, I came up with the following:Mistake 1: Knewton is a wonderful resource that I highly recommend, but the Quant questions in their practice sets (and even on their CAT tests) simply do not reflect the complexity of some of the math questions you'll find on the real thing. I should have supplemented Knewton with the Quant OG.
Mistake 2: Lack of stamina on test #1. This killed me -- by the end of the test, I was thoroughly fatigued and my concentration was definitely off at the end of each section. I chalk this up to doing an insufficient number of practice tests. Testing endurance is key, and the only way to build this up is to practice, practice, practice (actual CATs).
Mistake 3: Keeping up on the basics prior to Test #2. In the one month layoff between tests, I did a very minimal amount of maintenance work, focusing only of practice exams. Big mistake: this came back to bite me big time. Even though my score was virtually the same, my 2nd go around was the almost the exact opposite of my experience on test #1: I had the endurance/concentration aspect of the testing down pat, but because I had neglected to keep up on the basics, I feel as though I suffered for it and struggled through a couple of problems that I would've nailed during the first go around (particularly in DS). When you are busy filling out applications and trying to balance this with work, it becomes especially critical to keep the momentum up on what you've learned, lest you begin to forget some of the basics amidst life's craziness.
Mistake 4: Failing to sure up the weak spots. Perhaps my biggest regret of all was not taking the time to iron out some of the kinks I was experiencing in the RC and CR questions. I figured these issues would work themselves out with practice tests, so I didn't give these areas the extra attention they deserved. There were obviously some problems with the way I was fundamentally approaching these questions, but I did little to rectify these issues.
Mistake 5: Overconfidence based on practice CATs. I thought because I was scoring in the high 600s/low 700s that I would be okay on test day. All along, I should have been striving for an 800! Striving for the best score possible is what gives you the fire in the belly to perfect the little things -- and I regrettably did not do this. Next time around, I'm going at this thing with full force!
Action plan: Looking back on things, I am pretty disappointed in myself for my patchwork, sloppy approach in prepping. I took the time to thoroughly read through the helpful advice on this site, and am going to take another swing in late February/early March. I am looking forward to the challenge of conquering this bad boy once and for all!
I heeded the recommendations of others on this site and purchased the OG for general practice, Manhattan's Advanced GMAT Quant to get some more experience with 700+ level math questions, and Kaplan's Verbal Workbook to tackle my weaknesses in CR and RC. I am planning to do 3 weeks straight on Quant (with a focus on 700+ level DS), then another 3 weeks on CR/RC with a 1-2 practice exams peppered in each week to keep up my test endurance.
I haven't signed up for a test date yet, as I don't want to confine myself to a set timeline in case I feel the need for more practice (beyond what I have laid out in my plan).
Hopefully, with a better maintenance regimen, additional practice in my weak areas, and being at full strength from a test endurance standpoint, I'll get better results on test #3...
PS_ One other cautionary word that I neglected to mention earlier: try to take your GMATs well before the application process, or you'll find yourself short on time trying to juggle MBA applications, professional life, personal life and test practice.
