Just completed the GMAT this afternoon. AWA was relatively straightforward. In each case, I spent about 5 to 10 minutes taking notes and about 15 minutes typing my essay.
Then I started the quantitative section -- which was brutal! None of the prep material I used came anywhere close to level of difficulty of the exam. I ran out of time on the last two questions and simply guessed.
Took the 10 minute break to destress. At this point I had half a mind to cancel the exam and walk out. Drank some water, breathed a little and then began the verbal section. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Finished the verbal section with 20 minutes to spare.
Dreaded going thru the survey questions at the end and then pressed the "report score" button. I was very surprised to see the score. (and happy).
Prep background:
GMATPrep #1: 680
PR CAT #1: 660
PR CAT #2: 620
PR CAT #3: 620
PR CAT #4: 600.
Kaplan Free Test: 680
MGMAT Free Test: 710
GMATPrep #2: 740
Actual exam score: 700.
I bought only 2 books - the PR guide (IMHO a waste of money) and the OG11 (after I found this forum). Still, the OG11 quantitative questions are significantly easier than the ones I faced. In terms of matching difficulty MGMAT comes very close in complexity to the actual exam. I studied for about 2 months -- mostly an hour or so on weeknights. Took the practice exams on weekends.
My profile:
40+yr old South Asian male.
15 years work experience after many many years of graduate school.
Recent (2 yrs) switch from technical to management is driving my desire to get an MBA.
Target is top 50 program in a big-10 school for part-time program.
Then I started the quantitative section -- which was brutal! None of the prep material I used came anywhere close to level of difficulty of the exam. I ran out of time on the last two questions and simply guessed.
Took the 10 minute break to destress. At this point I had half a mind to cancel the exam and walk out. Drank some water, breathed a little and then began the verbal section. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Finished the verbal section with 20 minutes to spare.
Dreaded going thru the survey questions at the end and then pressed the "report score" button. I was very surprised to see the score. (and happy).
Prep background:
GMATPrep #1: 680
PR CAT #1: 660
PR CAT #2: 620
PR CAT #3: 620
PR CAT #4: 600.
Kaplan Free Test: 680
MGMAT Free Test: 710
GMATPrep #2: 740
Actual exam score: 700.
I bought only 2 books - the PR guide (IMHO a waste of money) and the OG11 (after I found this forum). Still, the OG11 quantitative questions are significantly easier than the ones I faced. In terms of matching difficulty MGMAT comes very close in complexity to the actual exam. I studied for about 2 months -- mostly an hour or so on weeknights. Took the practice exams on weekends.
My profile:
40+yr old South Asian male.
15 years work experience after many many years of graduate school.
Recent (2 yrs) switch from technical to management is driving my desire to get an MBA.
Target is top 50 program in a big-10 school for part-time program.
