-
onestepatatime
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:28 pm
- GMAT Score:740
Hello everyone,
Gave my GMAT 3 times. I work in a consulting firm and it is very challenging to study alongside work. Crazy hours and hectic travel schedules don't leave even the weekend free for studying. Besides, it's the last thing you want to do after a super tiring week. However, i was very tempted to try and get over with the GMAT as i had 3-4 weeks of beach time (off project) and would only be able to take block leave after 9 months. So i took it twice in quick succession.
My first score (without any study or prep material as nothing was available in bookstores in the Middle East - where i was working on projects) - 640. Only recently has Borders opened a store which carries 11th OG. The additional math and verbal reviews were not available when i went to purchase them.
My second score - after 2 weeks of study (was moving to a different country the first two weeks immediately after GMAT 1) - 670. I was going nowhere with this. I realised i had to take time off for this and give GMAT due respect.
My third score, which was after i took block leave (of 3 weeks) 9 months from the 2nd GMAT - 740.
My learnings:
1. Respect the GMAT. It's not for nothing that top B-schools use it to ascertain a candidate's academic ability, in addition to undergrad GPA. GMAT is a very astutely crafted test which effectively sieves out people who have worked hard and put in time to master concepts from those who take it more casually. There are of course exceptions - i know a few guys who just studied for a week and walked away with a 690. But they're just that - exceptions.
2. Analysing mistakes and problems is more critical than just practicing incessantly. Take the time to understand the problem you faced for each question - was it conceptual, or was it procedural (calculation mistakes, , careless errors, misreading question, marking answer choices you did not intend to mark etc.). Feel proud at each mistake discovery (instead of getting depressed). Make a log of mistakes. The longer the log, the better. You're in the process of eliminating mistakes! If your log is short and your scores low, you have a lot more digging and analysis to do on your performance.
3. Choose Test Prep material carefully. Reading Beatthegmat is your best bet at understanding the pros and cons of each material type. I reiterate that OG is the best for exposure to GMAT problem types. Manhattan is the best for understanding question types and methods for approaching math problems to solve them quickly. Manhattan SC is the best. For CR and RC - i did not quite follow their suggested technique - took me way too much time to draft notes and refer to them while answering questions. More often than not, i did not find it useful in answering questions. However, after a few tests and timed practice sessions, i realised, i read a lot better when i just scribbled (more like diagramming what i am reading) on the pad while reading the question/ passage. I don't even look at what i'm writing. It just slowed down my instinct to rush through and helped me register the material much better. Surprisingly this method fit well with the timing requirements in the verbal section.
4. Plan your practice tests well. Take the GMATprep once initially. Leave the retakes for later. Use the 6 online manhattan tests well. They're probably closest to the official materials. They're generally tougher but helps clear concepts quite a bit. Take each GMATprep test twice or even three times. They have a huge database of questions. There might be a few repeats, but that's ok, you get real GMAT practice. Nothing comes closer. I took my GMATprep tests the last and closer to the real test date to build confidence. The last thing you want is a 640 on some Manhattan or Princeton a few days before your actual exam. It's not useful because their score calculation algorithms are different from the real ones. Confidence helps a lot on the GMAT. My scores on the GMATprep were 700, 720, 740, 750 and 780. The last two exams had a few repeats, but i finished before time - so i knew that the real practice i got was of reasonable quality.
5. Get worried at low scores only if you did not improve, and repeated past mistakes. For example, during Manhattan practice tests i was scoring in the range of 650-690. However, suddenly on Test 4 i got a 630 when i thought i was doing well. After two days of disgust and depression, i got back to the test to understand what happened. I realised, while i answered a lot of tough questions correctly, i screwed up each section towards the end when i was running short of time and missed quite a few sitters due to careless errors. This was unacceptable - but this was a new pattern i discovered about my test-taking approach. Then i came across this post at Beatthegmat (god bless the guy), which gave me the mantra for fixing this timing issue. I jotted down on the pad what the time should be after every 5 questions. Something like this:
M: 5:66, 10:56, 15:46, 20:36, 25:26, 30:16, 35:6
V: 5:67, 10:58, 15:49, 20:40, 25:31, 30:22, 35:13, 40:4
This pushed my score from the 600s to the 700s on practice tests.
6. Don't get emotionally attached to any problem. Until the last week before GMAT 3, i found it extremely difficult to let go of any problem without cracking it. It felt as if i'm accepting defeat. That's not the issue. It's just ONE of the 37/ 41 problems you need to solve. For sure you will not get ALL correct. So it's OK to let some go so that you're the winner overall. Stick to your time limits no matter what. You should be on track every 5 questions.
These were critical to my getting the scores i got. Hope it helps. I am a very bad exam taker - had gotten 1260 for my SAT earlier. This whole experience of diagnosing your errors and progressing inch by inch was very humbling and satisfying. I've sort of overcome my fear of exams. I systematically avoided test-prep companies as i wanted to use this opportunity to learn how to overcome my own problems. I am quite happy - if i can do it, anyone can. Don't stop chasing your dreams.
All the best people.
Gave my GMAT 3 times. I work in a consulting firm and it is very challenging to study alongside work. Crazy hours and hectic travel schedules don't leave even the weekend free for studying. Besides, it's the last thing you want to do after a super tiring week. However, i was very tempted to try and get over with the GMAT as i had 3-4 weeks of beach time (off project) and would only be able to take block leave after 9 months. So i took it twice in quick succession.
My first score (without any study or prep material as nothing was available in bookstores in the Middle East - where i was working on projects) - 640. Only recently has Borders opened a store which carries 11th OG. The additional math and verbal reviews were not available when i went to purchase them.
My second score - after 2 weeks of study (was moving to a different country the first two weeks immediately after GMAT 1) - 670. I was going nowhere with this. I realised i had to take time off for this and give GMAT due respect.
My third score, which was after i took block leave (of 3 weeks) 9 months from the 2nd GMAT - 740.
My learnings:
1. Respect the GMAT. It's not for nothing that top B-schools use it to ascertain a candidate's academic ability, in addition to undergrad GPA. GMAT is a very astutely crafted test which effectively sieves out people who have worked hard and put in time to master concepts from those who take it more casually. There are of course exceptions - i know a few guys who just studied for a week and walked away with a 690. But they're just that - exceptions.
2. Analysing mistakes and problems is more critical than just practicing incessantly. Take the time to understand the problem you faced for each question - was it conceptual, or was it procedural (calculation mistakes, , careless errors, misreading question, marking answer choices you did not intend to mark etc.). Feel proud at each mistake discovery (instead of getting depressed). Make a log of mistakes. The longer the log, the better. You're in the process of eliminating mistakes! If your log is short and your scores low, you have a lot more digging and analysis to do on your performance.
3. Choose Test Prep material carefully. Reading Beatthegmat is your best bet at understanding the pros and cons of each material type. I reiterate that OG is the best for exposure to GMAT problem types. Manhattan is the best for understanding question types and methods for approaching math problems to solve them quickly. Manhattan SC is the best. For CR and RC - i did not quite follow their suggested technique - took me way too much time to draft notes and refer to them while answering questions. More often than not, i did not find it useful in answering questions. However, after a few tests and timed practice sessions, i realised, i read a lot better when i just scribbled (more like diagramming what i am reading) on the pad while reading the question/ passage. I don't even look at what i'm writing. It just slowed down my instinct to rush through and helped me register the material much better. Surprisingly this method fit well with the timing requirements in the verbal section.
4. Plan your practice tests well. Take the GMATprep once initially. Leave the retakes for later. Use the 6 online manhattan tests well. They're probably closest to the official materials. They're generally tougher but helps clear concepts quite a bit. Take each GMATprep test twice or even three times. They have a huge database of questions. There might be a few repeats, but that's ok, you get real GMAT practice. Nothing comes closer. I took my GMATprep tests the last and closer to the real test date to build confidence. The last thing you want is a 640 on some Manhattan or Princeton a few days before your actual exam. It's not useful because their score calculation algorithms are different from the real ones. Confidence helps a lot on the GMAT. My scores on the GMATprep were 700, 720, 740, 750 and 780. The last two exams had a few repeats, but i finished before time - so i knew that the real practice i got was of reasonable quality.
5. Get worried at low scores only if you did not improve, and repeated past mistakes. For example, during Manhattan practice tests i was scoring in the range of 650-690. However, suddenly on Test 4 i got a 630 when i thought i was doing well. After two days of disgust and depression, i got back to the test to understand what happened. I realised, while i answered a lot of tough questions correctly, i screwed up each section towards the end when i was running short of time and missed quite a few sitters due to careless errors. This was unacceptable - but this was a new pattern i discovered about my test-taking approach. Then i came across this post at Beatthegmat (god bless the guy), which gave me the mantra for fixing this timing issue. I jotted down on the pad what the time should be after every 5 questions. Something like this:
M: 5:66, 10:56, 15:46, 20:36, 25:26, 30:16, 35:6
V: 5:67, 10:58, 15:49, 20:40, 25:31, 30:22, 35:13, 40:4
This pushed my score from the 600s to the 700s on practice tests.
6. Don't get emotionally attached to any problem. Until the last week before GMAT 3, i found it extremely difficult to let go of any problem without cracking it. It felt as if i'm accepting defeat. That's not the issue. It's just ONE of the 37/ 41 problems you need to solve. For sure you will not get ALL correct. So it's OK to let some go so that you're the winner overall. Stick to your time limits no matter what. You should be on track every 5 questions.
These were critical to my getting the scores i got. Hope it helps. I am a very bad exam taker - had gotten 1260 for my SAT earlier. This whole experience of diagnosing your errors and progressing inch by inch was very humbling and satisfying. I've sort of overcome my fear of exams. I systematically avoided test-prep companies as i wanted to use this opportunity to learn how to overcome my own problems. I am quite happy - if i can do it, anyone can. Don't stop chasing your dreams.
All the best people.
congratulations mate! 
