760 with very little studying

[kmcduw]

Hi everyone, first time poster.

Anyway, I just took my first GMAT this morning and got a 760 (48Q, 45V) with only approx 4.5 hours of studying. I was searching around the web to see what options this gave me in combination with my GPA, etc, and stumbled across a lot of posts on this forum. I noted that many of these posts were from people who described how they had studied extensively in order to obtain an exceptional score and claimed that their study regiment was the only way to obtain such a score.

I would suspect that most posters on this forum are very dedicated to preparing for MBA admission and thus they are a self-selected group. So if you are reading posts here out of curiosity, I would like to point out that many of you are probably over preparing for this exam. You have probably spent a significant amount of time preparing for other standardized tests (SAT, AP, GRE, LSAT, etc), and as a result preparation for the GMAT may have diminishing returns since you already know many of the strategies to maximize your scores.

Although this evidence is purely anecdotal (from my own experience), taking just one practice exam, 2 hours of formal preparation, and a half hour warm-up the night before is sufficient to obtain most of the benefits of test prep. Although further studying will probably increase your score, the amount of increase is likely minimal. Unless you are a particularly nervous test taker, your improved focus on the real exam versus practice exams will probably result in a substantial increase in scores--far more than preparation will actually give you. Just 4.5 hours of studying GMAT specific considerations and increased motivation improved my own overall score by 80 points!

I wish you the best of luck, and hopefully you can save the 100s of hours (worth thousands of dollars...) that the other posters have claimed are necessary to receive a decent score, at least for your first try. If you don't do as well as you hoped the first time around, then by all means spend that time working on the test and cough up an extra $250 to take it again.

Just my thoughts. And I promise I'm not some super genius who simply knows every problem. I've just taken a lot of tests over my life of 24 years so far and think that by this point if you're anything like me, you've either figured out how to take standardized tests or not, and there isn't much you can do to change that.

[bgpower]

Congrats on the score 760 is very, very good! Good luck with your applications!

In order to somehow understand the relation between experience and the score, could you share, at least, a part of your profile and maybe which exams you have taken until now?

[[email protected]]

Hi, Congratulations.

GMAT Test preparation is a Billion dollar industry. By revealing the Test secret, you might have jeopardized the prospects of so many Test prep companies.

[QuestionsYourAnswer]

I am usually the skeptic and I've been on the BEATTHEGMAT forums a few times in the past two weeks (I come here via twitter mostly). First time poster here as well.

Either you are a very gifted individual which is not outside the realm of possibility or you got incredibly lucky. I took the GRE more than a decade ago and scored a paltry mid 2100s. I took the GMAT Prep 1 from GMAC without any prep and scored 650. I am sure there are people who score 700 on the first try and you might be one of those few ones who scores 760 on their first try.

My point is you aren't the average or should I say "normal" test taker. Assuming your stats are true, I doubt that it would work for most people. As for the " if you're anything like me, you've either figured out how to take standardized tests or not, and there isn't much you can do to change that.", I agree on the former point but disagree on the latter half. I don't think most GMAT aspirants are like you and even if they are: Practice makes good. Better practice makes you better. Perfect practice makes perfect.

I don't/didn't mean to come off like a cynical a-hole - my point is you are quite probably an exception to the rule. Congrats on your achievement!

[AbhiJ]

Adding my 2cents here. GMAT tests basic logic, language and math skills. Most people are are weak in one of the areas. Hence they need 3-4 months of prepration to get a desired score.

[CappyAA]

I've been on these forums for a while, and I have never seen anyone say that extensive preparation is the only way to get a great score. You're probably a very smart individual and already strong in most of the GMAT-tested concepts. Your baseline score is probably already quite high. If this is the case, you're right - any prep work is going to have small returns. If you are scoring 700+ on your first practice test, there's not much room to go up.

However, most people are not scoring 700+ on their first try. They may be deficient in certain areas. If this is the case, these people will need more prep time to adequately learn the concepts being tested on the GMAT.

Congratulations on a 760 - it's a fantastic score. However, rather than taking the test first to figure out your score, you can take an official practice test on the GMAC website, which is what people here should be doing anyways. If they score 760 on that, they're probably in the same boat as you and can go right to taking the test. However, if they're scoring lower, a more detailed study regiment is probably needed.

On a side note, your score is very indicative of a super smart individual who has plenty of testing experience. Your verbal score is basically perfect. This makes sense to me, because the verbal section is quite similar to the verbal sections in some of the other standardized tests out there. Your math score is great, but a little lower. Again, this make sense. Some of the GMAT math problems are unique. Once you study and understand the concepts and patterns, they're not super hard. But I'd expect someone with no GMAT experience but plenty of testing experience to perform relatively better on the verbal than on the math.

[jwatt13164]

Do you have prior math skills, etc to draw from ? My biggest problem in studying is although I know and understand arithmetic, etc., when having to do it without a calculator, then throwing in the Algebra and Geometry, of which I know very little (even less than what I should have known from high school), it is making the process difficult. I am taking practice quizzes, etc (kaplan), but am not scoring very well and am not sure what that means. I have been preparing for about 9 months, and will probably go ahead and take it and see how I do. I'd love to know your thoughts, and if you already had the math down. Thanks !

[ketavgupte]

Agreed. This is not normal. Not everyone is a natural like you. I would give an arm and leg to get the same verbal score.

[bullshark]

You are contradicting yourself in your statements.

First you state that you don't need to spend hundreds of hours studying and that, based on your example, you only need one practice exam, 2 hours of prep, and a half-hour of warm up the night before to get a good score.

Then you state that you have taken alot of tests over your 24 years of life and hence I'm sure have done alot of preparation for all of those tests that you have taken before. That preparation can be leveraged toward the gmat as well.

Gmat test takers come from a wide variety of backgrounds. There are international students who are weak in Verbal skills while great in Quants, Non-technical folks such as former lawyers or those who at one time aspired to be lawyers and are good in verbal but weak in Quant, and older test takers that haven't taken standardized exams in years. As the previous posters have stated, you are not they typical test taker in that you have tons of experience in test taking.

So in reality, if you include all of the preparation you have done for all of the previous tests that you have taken, you didn't study for this exams for 4.5 hours, you studied for 4.5 years.

[cbenk121]

I've been on these forums for a while, and I have never seen anyone say that extensive preparation is the only way to get a great score. You're probably a very smart individual and already strong in most of the GMAT-tested concepts. Your baseline score is probably already quite high. If this is the case, you're right - any prep work is going to have small returns. If you are scoring 700+ on your first practice test, there's not much room to go up.

However, most people are not scoring 700+ on their first try. They may be deficient in certain areas. If this is the case, these people will need more prep time to adequately learn the concepts being tested on the GMAT.

Congratulations on a 760 - it's a fantastic score. However, rather than taking the test first to figure out your score, you can take an official practice test on the GMAC website, which is what people here should be doing anyways. If they score 760 on that, they're probably in the same boat as you and can go right to taking the test. However, if they're scoring lower, a more detailed study regiment is probably needed.

On a side note, your score is very indicative of a super smart individual who has plenty of testing experience. Your verbal score is basically perfect. This makes sense to me, because the verbal section is quite similar to the verbal sections in some of the other standardized tests out there. Your math score is great, but a little lower. Again, this make sense. Some of the GMAT math problems are unique. Once you study and understand the concepts and patterns, they're not super hard. But I'd expect someone with no GMAT experience but plenty of testing experience to perform relatively better on the verbal than on the math.

I agree.

1) Congrats on the great score!

2) There is a large gap between studying for 5 hours and studying for 100s of hours. I invite you to read through a few more posts on this site, and you'll see far more stories of people in between the extremes.

3) In addition to inviting you to reading more posts on this site, I'd encourage you to share some of your secrets, rather than just sharing your results: that's how people really learn. What did you review in your 2 hours of formal prep? What about your warm-up? What was your "mental attitude" going into the test?

Honestly, if you did this great with so little preparation, there are likely a few very effective strategies you employed, in addition to natural intelligence / strong educational background you may be underselling yourself on (lots of people have taken lots of tests...and still score under 600).

[cbenk121]

Do you have prior math skills, etc to draw from ? My biggest problem in studying is although I know and understand arithmetic, etc., when having to do it without a calculator, then throwing in the Algebra and Geometry, of which I know very little (even less than what I should have known from high school), it is making the process difficult. I am taking practice quizzes, etc (kaplan), but am not scoring very well and am not sure what that means. I have been preparing for about 9 months, and will probably go ahead and take it and see how I do. I'd love to know your thoughts, and if you already had the math down. Thanks !

Have you tried posting this to math forums? As I remember, there are tons of people there who'd love to help...

[kmcduw]

Congrats on the score 760 is very, very good! Good luck with your applications!

In order to somehow understand the relation between experience and the score, could you share, at least, a part of your profile and maybe which exams you have taken until now?

University of Washington, 2010, 3.71, Accounting, Finance, Economics
Assurance Associate (auditor) at McGladrey & Pullen (5th largest firm after Big 4, but very different feel), started in November 2010.

[kmcduw]

Hi, Congratulations.

GMAT Test preparation is a Billion dollar industry. By revealing the Test secret, you might have jeopardized the prospects of so many Test prep companies.

I don't think there is any one secret. However, I think the key to improving from 680 practice to 760 actual was 1) increased focus on actual test day, and 2) Spending a couple hours at an introductory GMAT seminar to learn some CAT-specific considerations.

[kmcduw]

I am usually the skeptic and I've been on the BEATTHEGMAT forums a few times in the past two weeks (I come here via twitter mostly). First time poster here as well.

Either you are a very gifted individual which is not outside the realm of possibility or you got incredibly lucky. I took the GRE more than a decade ago and scored a paltry mid 2100s. I took the GMAT Prep 1 from GMAC without any prep and scored 650. I am sure there are people who score 700 on the first try and you might be one of those few ones who scores 760 on their first try.

My point is you aren't the average or should I say "normal" test taker. Assuming your stats are true, I doubt that it would work for most people. As for the " if you're anything like me, you've either figured out how to take standardized tests or not, and there isn't much you can do to change that.", I agree on the former point but disagree on the latter half. I don't think most GMAT aspirants are like you and even if they are: Practice makes good. Better practice makes you better. Perfect practice makes perfect.

I don't/didn't mean to come off like a cynical a-hole - my point is you are quite probably an exception to the rule. Congrats on your achievement!

Yes, I know that I probably am an exception to the rule. After all only 1% of people ever score in the 99th %tile. (or maybe only 1% of tests are in it? not sure how that stat is determined). But I think there is also somewhat of a correlation between gifted individuals and overstudying. My point is, take the actual test under actual conditions first before you waste 100's of hours of your life studying for it. You'll be more relaxed too, which goes a long way towards not crapping your pants when you're confronted with a question that you're not familiar with.

If you're baseline score isn't close to 700, then yes, obviously this is N/A. It's not like there is some miracle method that will win you 200 points. You just have to be smarter/learn the test better to do that.

[kmcduw]

Adding my 2cents here. GMAT tests basic logic, language and math skills. Most people are are weak in one of the areas. Hence they need 3-4 months of prepration to get a desired score.

That's true. Oddly enough I got very similar scores on Q and V, yet very different %tiles on each (80% Q, 99%V). It's easier to get a high overall score if you can be balanced. Despite having a higher Q than V, it was a much lower %tile.