Nailed it!!! 540 to 570 to 730

[Azpire]

Hi All,

While the feeling still hasn't sunk in, I thought I should write my story here so that it can hopefully benefit at least a few of the candidates who are on the verge of giving up on GMAT. I gave my exam today and scored a 730(Q-49, V-41, Overall-96%). To think that I've come from a 540 and 570 on my previous two attempts to a 730 now, just goes to prove that its not impossible to beat the GMAT.

I'm your average "Jill"(if there is something like that) from the oh-so-common Indian IT Engineer pool. The fact that I had two woeful scores to my "dis"credit only added to the pressure this time round. So you can only imagine the trepidation with which I approached the exam today. But thankfully, it ended on a wonderful note and now that I've got the GMAT out of my way, I can concentrate on my applications for which I'm already late, being an international candidate and all.

I had joined a local GMAT prep course in Feb 2014 so my preparation was on and off from Apr, 14 till Sept,14. I did study consistently from Sept onwards. I gave 4 mocks( 3 from my GMAT prep course and one from GMAT Prep software), one everyday starting from Dec 1st - Dec 4th. My scores were 630, 700, 680 and 670. The last score of 670 was on GMAT prep. I gave only one GMAT prep software mock test because, honestly, I was mentally drained.

Couple of things that worked -

Quant :

MGMAT 5 th Edition MATH guides - Do them at least twice over(including the advanced strategies). Know the concepts and tricks.
OG 13 - I think it gives you good practice.
A few quant questions from GMATClub.
Prep materials from my GMAT course - I solved over 800 questions

Verbal :
The prep materials from my GMAT course.
MGMAT 5th edition CR and AWA guides.

Definitely recommend anyone thinking of giving the test to take full length mocks and actually mimic the actual exam setting. I sat through all 4 sections in each mock test and took only a 8 min break between the sections just like I would on the actual exam day. Since my exam was at 1.00, I used to take my mocks in the afternoon so that I could train my self to be alert in the afternoons.

Practice as many questions as you can. You should at least practice 800 questions each in both Quant and Verbal.

Towards the end of your preparation, time your responses to make sure your solving most of the questions under 2 mins. Also, if you cant solve a question within 3 mins on the actual exam, just make a guess and move on. Don't spend more than 3 mins on a question because you will have to borrow a min from another question to make up for it and you cannot keep doing that for all questions.

Do take the 8 min breaks and recharge. I dont tink I'd recommend anyone to skip those breaks because you will need to relax and recoup your energies before you tackle the next section.

If your stuck with a particular problem, use the BTG or the GMAT club forums to look at different ways of solving the questions and then choose a method your comfortable with.

My only sore point is that I scored a measly 3 on my IR. I just blanked out for some reason on that section. I have no idea how it will be viewed by the AdCom. I'm just hoping they'll show some leniency.

Don't let the GMAT get to you! Get past that monster!

[[email protected]]

Hi Azpire,

That's a fantastic score improvement. With a 730/Q49, you're in position to apply to any Business School, so you shouldn't hold back. To put your mind at ease, the IR3 shouldn't be a factor in how the various Admissions Officers view your application. Many Schools have publicly stated that an applicant's IR score is simply not a factor in their decisions. I've yet to hear of anyone getting rejected because of a low IR score, so you have nothing to worry about. Remember that you have to put together a strong overall application, and if you're planning to apply to any Top Ranked programs then you might find it worthwhile to work with an Admissions Expert. Congratulations again.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[ram1987]

Hello Azpire,

You were referring some my gmat perp course materials right ? Please mention what are those materials.

All the Best for your applications

Thanks.

[puneetgangrade]

Hi Azpire,

I also got the score similar to yours (in the 500s). I am more strong in Quant than Verbal so I need your suggestion in the Verbal part.

Can you please provide more details on the preparation of the verbal section... Books you followed for CR and RC specifically ? How did you move from 570 to 730 ? Any specific timeline you followed ? What were the changes in your prep in different attempts ?

[dhawalkaul]

Hi Azpire

You make it sound so simple that you moved from 540 to 730.

Can you provide some specifics what you did because as per GMAC data second time test givers gain average 30-45 points. Considering this you are really an outlier.

Please discuss some details so that others can learn and believe it is really possible.

Good Luck!
PS: Hope to hear from you.

[Azpire]

Hi,

I've been a little caught up trying to shortlist colleges and stuff. So I'm not on the forum regularly. I'll try answering a few queries.

For CR, what worked for me for the PowerScore Bible and the MGMAT guide and in that order. I did PowerScore first and then did MGMAT and I grasped the concepts better. Another thing is to read the question stem before you jump to the answers. Because some question stems ask specific question like "Why was the plan flawed" etc which will be based on specific information in the passage and only that should be addressed.

For RC, I did about 18 passages from including a few from MGMAT and mostly from online forums like GMAT Club and BTG. Wherever I could lay my hands on a few passages. I did not particularly follow any strategy for RC also they say that it helps to take notes. I was spending more time on notes and was running short of time in RC so I eventually did not follow that strategy, but if it works for you, then please do follow that.

For SC, I used the the course prep materials and since I'm fairly decent in English, I wasn't making too many mistakes there so It was slightly better. It helps if you know your verbs and subjects and tenses though. So if you brush up on that as well as common idioms that are used in the English language, it should be easier to spot the errors. Since grammer was drilled down to us from school days and because I'm fond on English as a language, I did not have too much trouble with it.

I spent close to 7 months on preparation more so because I was working all the while and we are in the final stages of our product release into the market so work was hectic. Another reason was that I could not botch up another attempt and I just had to be prepared. But I think 4 months should be good enough if you study diligently.

If there is anything else, please PM me and I'll try responding as and when I can.

Good luck!

[puneetgangrade]

Thanks Azpire.