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jamesacorrea
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:35 am
- GMAT Score:710
Final score: 710 (Q: 47, V: 41)
I used the BTG 60-Day study guide. Though I didn't follow every lesson plan to a T, I highly suggest it if you are in need of structure. I'll say that the direction provided by the 60-day plan far outweighs what you'll receive from an online or in-person prep course. At the end of the day, what will get you a high score is practice. Sure, there are lots of rules and a decent amount of strategy involved, but nothing takes the place of putting in the time (assuming you're not a genius to begin with, which I am not).
The Backstory
This was my third time taking the GMAT. Two years ago I had taken the test twice within a three month period. The first time I scored a meager 600. Soon after, I plummeted even lower to a 570. It was a bit devastating. I kind of gave up on B-school plans for a while and concentrated on work. But, inevitably, success at work just kept reminding me how much opportunity was to be had in the world, and how much a top-notch b-school could help me to pursue that opportunity. So, I decided to give it one more shot.
The Plan
This time had to be different though. I didn't really have a plan last time. In fact, I didn't even know about BTG back then. Sure, I had tried prep courses and used the online resources afforded by those companies, but it just didn't do the trick for me. The truth is, I lacked motivation to really try. I had no support structure either. I am not knocking prep sources here, I just think they are useless unless you go into them with a coherent plan on exactly how you plan on practicing immediately after the course up until the day you take the test. Otherwise, it's a waste of your time and money.
This is where the 60-Day Study Guide comes into play. After a bit of reverse planning from when I needed to submit my applications, I recognized I had about two months to study for the GMAT. This also factored in a poor score, as I could still take the test one more time before Round 2 apploications were due.
The 60-Day plan is good for people who aren't dumb, but who lack discipline when it comes to repetitive academic drills. Truthfully, you don't need to do exactly what the 60 Day plan tells you to -- I didn't. But it's a great starting point for making your own plan. In my case, I substituted a lot of Algebra in on the days I was tasked to study Geometry. I do better on the latter than the former. Also, I condensed some of the Verbal days together to have more time to study towards the end. It all comes down to personal needs.
Notice I say personal needs, not preference. My decisions to study specific material were objective. I based all of my study on areas of weakness or areas of strength. During the first 50 days, it was primarly areas of weakness. In the last 10 days, I started to look back towards my areas of strength. The OG13 Improvement Chart is a clutch tool to use for this. Going back and redoing the questions I got wrong the first time through one or two more times made a huge difference, particuarly towards the end. I feel like the large majority of my improvement in quant came not while going over the rules, but weeks later while going over all of the problems I had previously answered incorrectly. That was the second time I was going over them.
Also, I really like MGMAT's Archer program. It is a fantastic tool to go over the problems you got wrong the first time around (as described above). Don't use it to test your stamina, as it is not a continuous process, but if you are willing to dish out a few bucks, I think it's worth it.
Practice Makes Perfect (or at least a 700+)
I also did a whole bunch of practice tests. The 60-Day Study Guide gives you a base line for when you should take these tests. Again, tailor that plan to your own needs. They say to take the GMAT Prep Tests as soon as you can, which I would normally suggest, but I didn't bother. I had already taken the GMAT so I knew what the format looked like. Instead I took my first GMATPrep practice test after reviewing about 25 days of material.
As a quick aside, around this time when I was concentrating on practice tests I noticed my own anxiety levels were starting to increase. I was quite irritable and a bit of a jerk as well. I started to notice my scores on the practice tests were suffering as well, going from the high 600s to the low 600s in a short period of time (see below). So, what did I do? I meditated. I downloaded meditation podcasts, went to some yoga lessons, and learned to put my mind to rest. Over a very short period of time, my score climbed back up.
I don't think there is any substitute for practice. Sure, some people will sell shortcuts, and magic rules, etc., but that just doesn't work for everyone. It didn't work for me at least. At the end of the day I had to just buckle down and put in the time and angst. I think it paid off.
Practice Test scores:
GMATPrep Exam 1 Q:41 V:42 690
GMATPrep Exam 2 Q:42 V:42 690
Veritas Q:38 V:39 620
Manhattan GMAT Q:43 V:39 680
Manhattan GMAT Q:37 V:38 630
Manhattan GMAT Q:42 V:36 640
Kaplan GMAT Q:40 V:38 620
Manhattan GMAT Q:43 V:39 680
Manhattan GMAT Q:44 V:38 680
Manhattan GMAT Q:45 V:39 690
GMATPrep Exam 1 Q:49 V:46 760
GMATPrep Exam 2 Q:48 V:41 730
Official GMAT Q:47 V:41 710
Anyway -- that is my take on it all. To improve from a 570 to a 710, I would boil it all down to a few key points:
- Have a detailed plan (I recommend a BTG Study Guide)
- Adjust your plan based on your weaknesses (in the beginning) and strenghts (towards the end)
- Do a lot of practice tests and review them with a fine tooth comb every time
Best of luck to you.
I used the BTG 60-Day study guide. Though I didn't follow every lesson plan to a T, I highly suggest it if you are in need of structure. I'll say that the direction provided by the 60-day plan far outweighs what you'll receive from an online or in-person prep course. At the end of the day, what will get you a high score is practice. Sure, there are lots of rules and a decent amount of strategy involved, but nothing takes the place of putting in the time (assuming you're not a genius to begin with, which I am not).
The Backstory
This was my third time taking the GMAT. Two years ago I had taken the test twice within a three month period. The first time I scored a meager 600. Soon after, I plummeted even lower to a 570. It was a bit devastating. I kind of gave up on B-school plans for a while and concentrated on work. But, inevitably, success at work just kept reminding me how much opportunity was to be had in the world, and how much a top-notch b-school could help me to pursue that opportunity. So, I decided to give it one more shot.
The Plan
This time had to be different though. I didn't really have a plan last time. In fact, I didn't even know about BTG back then. Sure, I had tried prep courses and used the online resources afforded by those companies, but it just didn't do the trick for me. The truth is, I lacked motivation to really try. I had no support structure either. I am not knocking prep sources here, I just think they are useless unless you go into them with a coherent plan on exactly how you plan on practicing immediately after the course up until the day you take the test. Otherwise, it's a waste of your time and money.
This is where the 60-Day Study Guide comes into play. After a bit of reverse planning from when I needed to submit my applications, I recognized I had about two months to study for the GMAT. This also factored in a poor score, as I could still take the test one more time before Round 2 apploications were due.
The 60-Day plan is good for people who aren't dumb, but who lack discipline when it comes to repetitive academic drills. Truthfully, you don't need to do exactly what the 60 Day plan tells you to -- I didn't. But it's a great starting point for making your own plan. In my case, I substituted a lot of Algebra in on the days I was tasked to study Geometry. I do better on the latter than the former. Also, I condensed some of the Verbal days together to have more time to study towards the end. It all comes down to personal needs.
Notice I say personal needs, not preference. My decisions to study specific material were objective. I based all of my study on areas of weakness or areas of strength. During the first 50 days, it was primarly areas of weakness. In the last 10 days, I started to look back towards my areas of strength. The OG13 Improvement Chart is a clutch tool to use for this. Going back and redoing the questions I got wrong the first time through one or two more times made a huge difference, particuarly towards the end. I feel like the large majority of my improvement in quant came not while going over the rules, but weeks later while going over all of the problems I had previously answered incorrectly. That was the second time I was going over them.
Also, I really like MGMAT's Archer program. It is a fantastic tool to go over the problems you got wrong the first time around (as described above). Don't use it to test your stamina, as it is not a continuous process, but if you are willing to dish out a few bucks, I think it's worth it.
Practice Makes Perfect (or at least a 700+)
I also did a whole bunch of practice tests. The 60-Day Study Guide gives you a base line for when you should take these tests. Again, tailor that plan to your own needs. They say to take the GMAT Prep Tests as soon as you can, which I would normally suggest, but I didn't bother. I had already taken the GMAT so I knew what the format looked like. Instead I took my first GMATPrep practice test after reviewing about 25 days of material.
As a quick aside, around this time when I was concentrating on practice tests I noticed my own anxiety levels were starting to increase. I was quite irritable and a bit of a jerk as well. I started to notice my scores on the practice tests were suffering as well, going from the high 600s to the low 600s in a short period of time (see below). So, what did I do? I meditated. I downloaded meditation podcasts, went to some yoga lessons, and learned to put my mind to rest. Over a very short period of time, my score climbed back up.
I don't think there is any substitute for practice. Sure, some people will sell shortcuts, and magic rules, etc., but that just doesn't work for everyone. It didn't work for me at least. At the end of the day I had to just buckle down and put in the time and angst. I think it paid off.
Practice Test scores:
GMATPrep Exam 1 Q:41 V:42 690
GMATPrep Exam 2 Q:42 V:42 690
Veritas Q:38 V:39 620
Manhattan GMAT Q:43 V:39 680
Manhattan GMAT Q:37 V:38 630
Manhattan GMAT Q:42 V:36 640
Kaplan GMAT Q:40 V:38 620
Manhattan GMAT Q:43 V:39 680
Manhattan GMAT Q:44 V:38 680
Manhattan GMAT Q:45 V:39 690
GMATPrep Exam 1 Q:49 V:46 760
GMATPrep Exam 2 Q:48 V:41 730
Official GMAT Q:47 V:41 710
Anyway -- that is my take on it all. To improve from a 570 to a 710, I would boil it all down to a few key points:
- Have a detailed plan (I recommend a BTG Study Guide)
- Adjust your plan based on your weaknesses (in the beginning) and strenghts (towards the end)
- Do a lot of practice tests and review them with a fine tooth comb every time
Best of luck to you.
