720 Q50, V37, AWA6.0

Hello
I am posting my score on this forum after quite sometime given my examination day was on the 2nd of December. I managed a score of 720 but all scores from practise tests (MGMAT, Kaplan, PowerPrep) suggested I should end up with something around 750. But I am not at all disappointed as I am sure a 30 point difference is not really a make or break for MBA admissions to prestigious B-schools. Following is what I believe is an absolute must for anyone giving a GMAT exam;

1. Book the exam-date right-away if you intend to give the GMAT. Do not procrastinate and mislead yourself into believing that you would take the date once you are reasonably confident of your preparation. Fact is all reasonable preparation starts only when you officially register yourself for the GMAT.

2. For people with engineering, sciences and mathematical background, a preparation time of 2 to 4 months is usually sufficient. (I gave myself 2.5 months time to prepare and give the GMAT) I cannot comment on the preparation time for people with Arts, Social Sciences background but I would assume it takes more time to master mathematical concepts for people/professionals/students not in touch with the subject.

3. Score reports should demonstrate a stable performance. A flashy score of 700+ amidst a cloud of sub-600 scores just indicates that you need more preparation if you want to score higher on the day of the GMAT.

4. Buy all practice tests from gmatclub, its well worth the money. Also follow the reviews of the club's founder, bb, on the GMAT books to study. This is a very precise indicator of what are the good study materials to refer to while preparing for the GMAT. I found all his referrals helpful, just that Aristotle SC was an exception in my opinion.

5. GMAT is an exam that tests your logic, reasoning and ability to handle pressure. So slogging for 7-8 hrs a day will just not help. 2 hrs per day of smart reading spread over a few months is just what you need to put in.


Materials I used to prepare for my GMAT
SC – Manhattan SC Guide (a very well written book). Infact pick any guide from manhattan and you can be rest assured of its usefulness in your preparation.
CR- PowerScore Critical Reasoning Bible, OG12
RC-OG12
Quant- Manhattan Guide Book, OG12
AWA – The advice from ‘ChineseBurned’ posted on the forum was helpful.

Material that I did not find useful
Aristotle CR – I downloaded a copy from the site and referred to some of the questions in the middle. The grammar of the sentences in the passage and the answers did not look right to me. This further discouraged me to have a look at Aristotle SC, which may be a good guide but the CR guide did not encourage me to spend my money to buy the SC Guide from Aristotle.
Kaplan GMAT guide – In my opinion the Kaplan guides are average compared to what Manhattan and Knewton guides can offer you.

My Test Scores
Kaplan 1(Oct)– 680
MGMAT1(Oct)-670
PowerPrep1(Oct)– 700
MGMAT2(Oct)– 670
Kaplan 2(Oct)– 740
MGMAT3(Nov)– 740
MGMAT4(Nov)-750
PowerPrep2(Nov) – 750
MGMAT5(Nov)-740
Final GMAT (2nd Dec) – 720

Final observation would be that staying calm and collected on the day of the GMAT helps a lot, something which I did not do very well. One way is to stop studying upto 2 days in advance of the actual examination.

-Vivek

congrates... great score vivek..
good luck for application part