10/21 a regular guy did it! Q 50 V40 740

[jeffxujian]

Dear all BTMers:

I just took my GMAT on 10/21 in California. I am still thrilled about my score because it exceeds my original expectation.

I am not very good at debrief, unlike somebody on this forum. However, I want to tell all of you that if I can do it, so can you.

I will be around to answer any questions in relation to gmat preparation. I feel that I owe BTG a lot, therefore, I will do my best to help provide you with what I know about GMAT.

Go BTGers!

Remark: I took a total of 9 practice exams and I will share my score,tho a little embarrassing, with anyone who is interested.

[joybailiff]

Congragulation on your success !!!


Had a question

if i categorize the harder questions( which i presume are the ones in which all the basic concepts need to be known + a bit of logic) on the GMAT OG (11th and 10 th edition) for all the sections and am able to answer all such question what is the range of scores one could expect on the real GMAT. I ask this because you have just given the exam a few days back.

By the way , I would be interested in knowing ow did your prepare for the exams.

Wishing you the very best

[smalishah84]

Congratulations

[AbhishekGakhar]

Congrats dude, we share the same scores (even the subsection scores).

[logitech]

so you two are GmatBros..how cute!

[jeffxujian]

Hi, BTGers:

I have received a few messages in relation to my practice exam scores. I will be posting them in a few minutes. Hang on, Guys!

[jeffxujian]

Dear all BTGers:

Following are my scores:<I started my preparation in July>

MGMAT 1: 560 Q 42 V 25 08/22
MGMAT 2: 630 Q 46 V 31 08/27
MGMAT 3: 670 Q 43 V 38 09/17
MGMAT 4: 640 Q 43 V 34 09/27
MGMAT 5: 670 Q 44 V 37 10/3
MGMAT 6: 610 Q 47 V 28 10/9

Pretty average, right?

During the 3 months of preparation, I also took two other tests: one from Kaplan<I scored 680, around mid-September>, another from Veritas<580, around end of August, remarks, I almost gave up on GMAT at that point>

Because I have been an active member of this forum, I know that only the GMAT prep can accurately predict my actual GMAT score. Therefore, I kept the GMAT prep for the last. And the followings are my GMAT prep scores:

GMAT Prep 1: 680 10/11
GMAT Prep 2: 710 10/14
GMAT Prep 1 Repeat: 710 10/16
GMAT Prep 2 Repeat: 740 10/19

I know that almost everyone knows that GMAT Prep and OG 10/11 have some, if not many, overlaps in both Q and V sections. Therefore, you must be curious about how the software can accurately predict your actual GMAT score. True. I myself did not see any identical questions in the real one, so please do not presume that you will see any in the real test.

But, I have to emphasize a couple benefits of the software<my opinion only>:

1. the format of GMAT prep is exactly the same as the real one, for example, exact same instructions, exact same appearance, etc. I find these similarities extremely helpful, because you won't encounter anything surprising other than the questions from Q and V. Haha, you know what I mean, right?

2. the GMAT prep is an excellent confidence-booster. For myself, seeing 700+ several times in a row undoubtedly makes me fear less about the real test.

Okay, I have talked about my practice scores. As usual, I will be around to answer more questions. I hope that any of my experiences will inspire and help you. Once again, I want to tell you all something I have said before. If I can do it, so can you. Anyone needs more information on my prep, go ahead leave your questions here, or shoot me a message. Good Luck BTGers!

[sumidi]

Hi Jeff,

Even though you were not proud of your practice scores. You have given me (and I am sure others) a whole lot of hope.

My first two MGMATs were same as your two scores.

I have only done one Gprep score and hit a 660, so I am glad I am on track.

Thanks Mate!!!

Sumi

[aj5105]

congratulations !

Thanks for sharing the info.

[logitech]

Hi Jeff,

Even though you were not proud of your practice scores.

Jeff next time, make us all proud with your practice scores!!

[jeffxujian]

Congragulation on your success !!!


Had a question

if i categorize the harder questions( which i presume are the ones in which all the basic concepts need to be known + a bit of logic) on the GMAT OG (11th and 10 th edition) for all the sections and am able to answer all such question what is the range of scores one could expect on the real GMAT. I ask this because you have just given the exam a few days back.

By the way , I would be interested in knowing ow did your prepare for the exams.

Wishing you the very best

Hi Joy:

I just realized that I haven't answered your question. I am sorry.

First of all, I did not practice with OG 10, so I don't know what the differences are. However, I heard many times that both editions have a lot overlaps, also most importantly, either book is very good prep for the real one, you can either practice with one of them, or both if you like.

Okay, now I am going to tell you a little more about each section:

Q: In OG 11, those questions are indeed telling you what criterias are being covered by the GMAT, however, studying these questions are NOT enough. But NOT enough does not mean you will never study enough for the test. Keep practicing with anything you see, for example, the books from Kaplan, Princeton etc, or the quantitative sub-forum on BTG. Hey buddy, I used the BTG's quantitative sub-forum exclusively in improving my Q score. If I can do it, so can you. Btw, let me tell you something motivating, if you can do all the Q questions in OG 11, you should be able to get 46+ without a problem,<standard deviation +-3>-I dunt want you to be mad at me because of whatever I tell you.

V: keep reading various articles<be it sciences, humanities, or social sciences, etc> to make yourself comfortable with massive reading. Don't overemphasize on this part because everything on the real test is going to be different from what you read<may not be 100% different, but 90% is very likely>; keep practicing CR, my strategy: whenever I encounter an argument, I ask myself what is the arg assuming, if you can correctly answer the question every single time, buddy, Congrats, you can take care most of the CR question types such as assumption, strengthen, weaken. you are not far away from a high V score. Of course, you need to remember that V does not consist of CR only, but getting one area completely taken care of is definitely going to help, right? As of SC, same as CR, keep practicing until everything is in your blood. Personally, I never feel ready for SC, so I really cant tell you much about how to improve on SC<I am not a native English speaker>.

Okay, I hope my advises will help you. Good Luck to your GMAT ordeal. Feel free to write to me if you have more questions.

Jeff

[jeffxujian]

Dear all BTGers:

Following are some additional info in relation to GMAT:

First of all, thank you all for your congrats.

I assume that all of you have seen my practice scores at this point. I know that I cant show off my practice scores, because they are just too....NORMAL. However, I like the fact that these scores will inspire more BTGers who are in the same shoes as I was. Think about it, what will you feel if you keep seeing other people's debrief as to how they could get a super high score without even studying for a month. For myself, I felt more hopeless and devastated. I hope I can show you another path to success, a regular guy's path to success.

My advice to you, something in general, is that always believe in yourself and never let a test to turn you down.

Something more concrete:1. download the flashcard and other study materials on this site. These materials are helpful indeed.

2. Following is my personal strategy on both sections:
Q: there are always some harder ones in the test to help identify ppl at different levels: 800, 700, or 600. So I never spend too much time on any individual question that i deem too hard, on the other hand, I do spend 1 and half minutes on each question whether or not I let go any of those questions in the end. on the D day, I certainly saw some questions that I would not be able to solve even with 20 more mins, Also, I encounter some easy ones. So you get the idea, I remember I let go 2-3 of them and I end up getting a 50.

V: RC: I always read the question first: when you see something like according to the passage, congrats to you on hitting a jackpot, because the answer is really going to be as straightforward as hitting a jackpot. Of course, main purpose, inference requires more thorough reading and in-depth understanding. Still, If each passage contains one or 2 of those according to passage questions, you should be able to save 1-2 mins, right? you get the idea right? How well you manage your time really depends on these individual minor tricks.

Good luck to ya all's GMAT exam!

Jeff
PS: you get 2 breaks during the real exam, 10 minutes each. You get your 1st one right after the AWA section; Your second break is after the completion of your Q section.

Your do get a permanent marker, a note pad and a pair of earplug before you start your test. If you have been practicing without earplugs, strongly recommend you not to use them in the real one.Frankly speaking, they made me feel more nervous as soon as I put them on because I can hear my heartbeat racing like a turbo engine. I did not use them at all during my test.

[joybailiff]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks much for your reply. I am now indeed very hopeful of scroring good marks in Quant considering that you just told me that one could score 46 +/- 3 in Q, if i am able to summon all concepts and add to it a few shortcuts and logic of my own to solve all questions from OG10 and OG11 ( I am yet to start off with any other material)

Also that , the target schools I am trying to apply need a score of 690 on an average. I want to keep my preparation just to the point.
Right now i am in the preparation phase and am trying to train my mind to 'see through' the concepts being tested behind the questions while i am reading it
I have noted your point that just studying the OG would not be sufficient (most of the questions in OG are very easy , only the last 100 odd questions , i feel are GMAT level)and will also keep in mind the strategies you described for Q AND V.

Thanks again for your reply. I will write to you incase i need more info.

And yes this site is a real boon for guys who are just beginning to start studying, atleast i find it very helpful.

Thanks Jeff , once again
and thanks BTG community.

[jeffxujian]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks much for your reply. I am now indeed very hopeful of scroring good marks in Quant considering that you just told me that one could score 46 +/- 3 in Q, if i am able to summon all concepts and add to it a few shortcuts and logic of my own to solve all questions from OG10 and OG11 ( I am yet to start off with any other material)

Also that , the target schools I am trying to apply need a score of 690 on an average. I want to keep my preparation just to the point.
Right now i am in the preparation phase and am trying to train my mind to 'see through' the concepts being tested behind the questions while i am reading it
I have noted your point that just studying the OG would not be sufficient (most of the questions in OG are very easy , only the last 100 odd questions , i feel are GMAT level)and will also keep in mind the strategies you described for Q AND V.

Thanks again for your reply. I will write to you incase i need more info.

And yes this site is a real boon for guys who are just beginning to start studying, atleast i find it very helpful.

Thanks Jeff , once again
and thanks BTG community.

You are very welcome! Looking forward to hear about your success story in the near future.

Jeff

[AWR83]

Congrats for the great score.

I just wanted to know where to get the MGMAT exams from?

Regards,