My goal going into the GMAT was 740 and I took the test a few weeks ago and ended up scoring a 750!
In practice tests I was scoring:
MGMAT CAT 1: 660 (Q36/V45)
MGMAT CAT 2: 600 (Q33/V39)
MGMAT CAT 3: 720 (Q43/V45)
MGMAT CAT 4: 710 (Q42/V45)
MGMAT CAT 5: 760 (Q49/V45)
MGMAT CAT 6: 740 (Q47/V45)
I took the MGMAT classroom course and completed nearly all of the MGMAT books, as well as the OG, Quant, and Verbal Review texts. I had tried studying for the GMAT on my own last year but found it really difficult to put in the necessary commitment. Realizing this weakness and taking the course this year made a huge difference and really kept me on track. Since I'm poorer in Quant, so I focused most of my efforts in that area. All in all I spent about 11 weeks studying, roughly 10-12 hrs a week.
One study tactic that I found super helpful was to use flashcards to record particularly difficult math problems or problems which featured a subject area I was weak in. Flipping through the flash cards over the last few weeks before the test really helped me speed up my recognition, allowing me to figure out quickly how to attack certain problem types, or in some cases, use guessing techniques.
On the day of the test I noticed that the actual GMAT seemed easier overall than the MGMAT CATs. This was a huge plus and gave me a boost of confidence, helping me overcome some of my nerves. What a sigh of relief when I saw my score!
All in all, it was the sustained effort and lots of practice problems that helped boost my score. The MGMAT class helped patch some holes in my content knowledge and kept me on track with a game plan. It's definitely doable to study on your own if you are sufficiently self-motivated. However, since I don't fall into that category, taking the class ended up being a very important factor for me.
Thanks to all of you on these forums for your advice and for sharing your own experiences. Hope this post has been helpful!
Full Disclosure: I'm friends with the CEO of MGMAT so he was able to hook me up with a great deal on the course. In return I agreed to talk about my experience to others, provided it was a positive one.
In practice tests I was scoring:
MGMAT CAT 1: 660 (Q36/V45)
MGMAT CAT 2: 600 (Q33/V39)
MGMAT CAT 3: 720 (Q43/V45)
MGMAT CAT 4: 710 (Q42/V45)
MGMAT CAT 5: 760 (Q49/V45)
MGMAT CAT 6: 740 (Q47/V45)
I took the MGMAT classroom course and completed nearly all of the MGMAT books, as well as the OG, Quant, and Verbal Review texts. I had tried studying for the GMAT on my own last year but found it really difficult to put in the necessary commitment. Realizing this weakness and taking the course this year made a huge difference and really kept me on track. Since I'm poorer in Quant, so I focused most of my efforts in that area. All in all I spent about 11 weeks studying, roughly 10-12 hrs a week.
One study tactic that I found super helpful was to use flashcards to record particularly difficult math problems or problems which featured a subject area I was weak in. Flipping through the flash cards over the last few weeks before the test really helped me speed up my recognition, allowing me to figure out quickly how to attack certain problem types, or in some cases, use guessing techniques.
On the day of the test I noticed that the actual GMAT seemed easier overall than the MGMAT CATs. This was a huge plus and gave me a boost of confidence, helping me overcome some of my nerves. What a sigh of relief when I saw my score!
All in all, it was the sustained effort and lots of practice problems that helped boost my score. The MGMAT class helped patch some holes in my content knowledge and kept me on track with a game plan. It's definitely doable to study on your own if you are sufficiently self-motivated. However, since I don't fall into that category, taking the class ended up being a very important factor for me.
Thanks to all of you on these forums for your advice and for sharing your own experiences. Hope this post has been helpful!
Full Disclosure: I'm friends with the CEO of MGMAT so he was able to hook me up with a great deal on the course. In return I agreed to talk about my experience to others, provided it was a positive one.
