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dimochka
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Mon May 23, 2011 9:18 am
- Location: NYC
- Thanked: 17 times
- Followed by:4 members
- GMAT Score:770
Hi all,
I figured I'd share my experience since there may be people on the forums who are scoring fairly well and yet are looking to increase their score. A little background, though, might help. I'm in my mid 20s and I'm fairly good at standardized exams. Math comes quite easily to me, whereas English not as much (since it's my third language) though well enough. I've also been tutoring for SATs for about 7 years, initially only for math but later progressing into teaching all sections.
The first time I took the GMATs was about a year ago. My studying realistically consisted of reading the instructions, going through the free practice test on ManhattanGMAT.com, and skimming the Kaplan GMAT 800 book. I fully expected to take the test twice, and so I chose to do it with this little practice.
The result: 700 (50M/35V/6AWA)
While this is a score many would be happy with, I was not; I planned to apply to the top MBA programs, and I needed a considerably higher score to have a chance (My GPA is in the low 3s for various good and some not-so-good reasons). I spent the next few months studying further.
I would say that most helpful were manhattangmat's online tests (to which you can get free access if you buy any of their books) - I took all of them. Furthermore, I went through the Powerscore Critical Reasoning Bible, and the Manhattan GMAT Reading Comprehension books. I also practiced with a decent number of questions from the official GMAT Guide book.
The Result: 750 (51M/41V/AWA6) [98th percentile]
The reason I decided to retake the test again is two-fold. First, as I enjoy teaching, I felt that it was logical for me to apply to teach the GMAT. As such, I felt that I needed a score in the 99th percentile for my own sake. Second, I applied to just two schools earlier this year, and did not get in; while I'm sure that an improvement of the GMAT wouldn't make much of a difference, I elected to do it anyways.
To study, I reset all the MGMAT tests. However, I went through them a bit differently this time around (as many questions repeated, though I didn't remember most). Whenever I was a question I was not fully sure how to answer, I'd pick my answer, then go to google and search for that question online (therefore getting a solution either from BTG or MGMAT). Reading the explanations right after doing the problem helped me personally remember/understand it better.
I also went fully through the Official Guide, this time checking my answers after every ten questions.
The Result: 770 [50M/46V/no AWA yet because I took it this morning]
My suggestions to those who are studying:
1. Official Guide - go through everything but specifically focus on sections that are weaker for you.
2. MGMAT Tests - go through all of them (maybe one a week), and make sure to go through all the solutions after each test. Then reset the tests and go through them again. You should be able to get considerably more questions correct if you understand how they work, and it's unlikely you'll remember all the questions two months down the line.
3. Kaplan Books - I would not necessarily recommend the Kaplan GMAT 800, but if you want to start with a basic book to study, pick up a Kaplan book. From my experience, Kaplan books are often better for people who score decently well to begin with, and want to improve (many other books focus more on the average student looking to improve and the questions, in my opinion, reflect that).
4. PowerScore OR MGMAT books (specific sections) - pick the ones that are less clear to you and go through them carefully and in detail. Don't skip sections just because you feel that you know them. Follow every rule and get used to doing what they say. It will make a difference.
That's more or less it. For me, the nice thing about standardized tests is that, with enough practice, questions that are solved similarly will begin repeating. The more you practice, the more they'll repeat and you'll know exactly what to do. Consider questions not only from the perspective of "How do I solve this", but also from "What are they trying to test" and "What specifically is used to trick me here".
This is what worked for me, and hopefully may work for some other people. Feel free to reach out to me further if you have any comments/questions.
Dima
I figured I'd share my experience since there may be people on the forums who are scoring fairly well and yet are looking to increase their score. A little background, though, might help. I'm in my mid 20s and I'm fairly good at standardized exams. Math comes quite easily to me, whereas English not as much (since it's my third language) though well enough. I've also been tutoring for SATs for about 7 years, initially only for math but later progressing into teaching all sections.
The first time I took the GMATs was about a year ago. My studying realistically consisted of reading the instructions, going through the free practice test on ManhattanGMAT.com, and skimming the Kaplan GMAT 800 book. I fully expected to take the test twice, and so I chose to do it with this little practice.
The result: 700 (50M/35V/6AWA)
While this is a score many would be happy with, I was not; I planned to apply to the top MBA programs, and I needed a considerably higher score to have a chance (My GPA is in the low 3s for various good and some not-so-good reasons). I spent the next few months studying further.
I would say that most helpful were manhattangmat's online tests (to which you can get free access if you buy any of their books) - I took all of them. Furthermore, I went through the Powerscore Critical Reasoning Bible, and the Manhattan GMAT Reading Comprehension books. I also practiced with a decent number of questions from the official GMAT Guide book.
The Result: 750 (51M/41V/AWA6) [98th percentile]
The reason I decided to retake the test again is two-fold. First, as I enjoy teaching, I felt that it was logical for me to apply to teach the GMAT. As such, I felt that I needed a score in the 99th percentile for my own sake. Second, I applied to just two schools earlier this year, and did not get in; while I'm sure that an improvement of the GMAT wouldn't make much of a difference, I elected to do it anyways.
To study, I reset all the MGMAT tests. However, I went through them a bit differently this time around (as many questions repeated, though I didn't remember most). Whenever I was a question I was not fully sure how to answer, I'd pick my answer, then go to google and search for that question online (therefore getting a solution either from BTG or MGMAT). Reading the explanations right after doing the problem helped me personally remember/understand it better.
I also went fully through the Official Guide, this time checking my answers after every ten questions.
The Result: 770 [50M/46V/no AWA yet because I took it this morning]
My suggestions to those who are studying:
1. Official Guide - go through everything but specifically focus on sections that are weaker for you.
2. MGMAT Tests - go through all of them (maybe one a week), and make sure to go through all the solutions after each test. Then reset the tests and go through them again. You should be able to get considerably more questions correct if you understand how they work, and it's unlikely you'll remember all the questions two months down the line.
3. Kaplan Books - I would not necessarily recommend the Kaplan GMAT 800, but if you want to start with a basic book to study, pick up a Kaplan book. From my experience, Kaplan books are often better for people who score decently well to begin with, and want to improve (many other books focus more on the average student looking to improve and the questions, in my opinion, reflect that).
4. PowerScore OR MGMAT books (specific sections) - pick the ones that are less clear to you and go through them carefully and in detail. Don't skip sections just because you feel that you know them. Follow every rule and get used to doing what they say. It will make a difference.
That's more or less it. For me, the nice thing about standardized tests is that, with enough practice, questions that are solved similarly will begin repeating. The more you practice, the more they'll repeat and you'll know exactly what to do. Consider questions not only from the perspective of "How do I solve this", but also from "What are they trying to test" and "What specifically is used to trick me here".
This is what worked for me, and hopefully may work for some other people. Feel free to reach out to me further if you have any comments/questions.
Dima
Last edited by dimochka on Sun Jun 03, 2012 5:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Dima, 
