So, I Got a 670 (84%) Q:47 (76%) V:35 (74%). I'm not overly ecstatic, but not terribly disappointed either. This was pretty much the lowest "acceptable" score for me. It's still a solid score, I just REALLY wanted that 7 in the hundreds place - sue me. At least, I don't believe that I killed my shot at any of my target schools (my GPA, well that's another story..at least I got a 3.97 in my MA program).
I was fairly confident going in to this exam, especially on the quant section. After the the first try, I went out and purchased the
MGMAT Advanced Quant book. I cannot stress to everyone how crucial this book was to getting me those extra 3 points in quant (and could have been more, more on that in a bit). It really helped shape or reshape, depending on how you look at it, the way I view a lot of the questions I was either having difficulty with or wasn't really sure how to solve. If you've done all the
MGMAT books and still need a little extra something, that book is it. I also purchased the CR Bible, and went through it, did all the exercises. It's a solid book, but I'm not really sure how much it helped (not that much obviously). It outlines the concepts and different questions very well, and it is certainly worth a read...but I think that, by nature, the CR questions are better mastered by scrutinizing the
OG questions. Don't take it from me though, obviously
So on to today's test.
I wasn't anywhere as nervous this time around as I was the first time. I was more relaxed, and more importantly, I was more confident in my abilities than I was that I would get the score I was looking for (if that makes any sense). Having been through the routine once already definitely helped the nerves a bit...test day experience is huge. Sometimes I wish I would have had that perspective at the start of my studying so I could envision what I was in for from the start. Expensive lesson when you know the score is a throwaway...I just say that to stress the importance of familiarity to such a stressful and perhaps traumatizing
event.
It was the same proctor as the time before. Everything about the check in routine was essentially the same. Decided against the 5 hour energy drink this time though, for whatever that's worth (hey, the debrief says to be detailed!)
Essay - I reviewed the Chinese Burned essay from GMAT Club this morning before heading out, only to go totally blank when I sat down to write...DOH! Not a huge deal, I had the general gist of it. I felt better about the essays I wrote today than about the essays from last month. In fact I didn't even finish the last sentence on my second essay last time and still got a 5.5. This time I finished each with about 5 minutes left and don't think I could have added anything if I wanted. I'd be totally shocked if I got less than a 5.5.
Quant - I took a GMAT Focus test 2 days ago, and one last night. I got 47-51 on the first and 44-49 on the second (80% confidence interval), so the scoring is pretty dead on. I was doing it less for the score and more to get my mind trained to to work through official problems in a timed/pressured situation. It's totally worth it, as I only saw a couple repeats. After working through Advanced
MGMAT questions all month, it was a nice change of pace and definitely got my brain working in the right way. I would definitely recommend it if you've got a little cash to spare 24 questions/45 minutes, so it's not overly strenuous. As far as the test, again, totally blanked on the first question, it was a weighted average question, which I am usually OK with, but had NO clue how to solve it. Kind freaked me a little bit...at best got me unsettled. Worked through the next few questions and definitely felt like I found my groove. Tried to stay aware of the time during the entire section. I was doing great, until there was a 'series' question around #27. I probably spent 5-6 minutes on it...stupid, I know. I took the wrong approach initially, but I knew I could get there and just couldn't let it go. I know for a fact that I got the answer right, but who knows if it ended up killing me at the end. I think I had about 7 minutes for the last 5 questions. Doable, so I just kept chugging along and doing my best. Well, I rushed through the penultimate question, though I think I got it right. Then had about 45 seconds to get through the last...there was no way I had time to set up the equations etc...but I did it get down to 2 answers...I filled in the bubble and TIME!!! before I could hit 'Next'. Not sure if this counts as a guess or not...anybody know? Anyway, I was somewhat mortified as I went on break, thinking I has stupidly allowed myself to get penalized...especially after what I had been through the first time on verbal. I did manage to get it out of my head during the break and did not let it affect me during the verbal section. I am very happy with my quant score overall..I figured I would probably max out at 48, based on innate abilities alone.
Verbal - No real surprises here. Sentence correction did not seem anywhere as difficult this time around as it did last month. I put a huge emphasis on sentence correction by reviewing the
MGMAT SC guide and re watching the SC lessons on the Knewton course. The CR and RC were all on par with what one would expect. Absolutely no curveballs on the verbal section. My timing was virtually impeccable on this section - I paced myself perfectly. I finished the last question, which was a SC question with about 30 seconds to spare. Though, I did rush through the 40th question, a CR, anticipating another CR question to close out the test. I saw no bold faced questions, a slight disappoint because I always found those to be the easiest for some reason. I am little miffed at my final score of 35 however. I was testing closer to 40 both before the previous test and the couple of practice tests I took. I am not sure what to really make of that...I never felt overly confused, rushed, or lost on any of the question (like last time!).
Overall, I am satisfied. I don't believe I will be taking the GMAT again, so I guess I will never be part of the 700 club. I'm OK with that...as long as my score is good enough to get me into at least one of my target schools, I am happy. That's the point of taking this test, right? RIGHT?!
A little background. I started studying mid September. I immediately signed up for the online Knewton course and had a diagnostic test of 570., First GMAT Prep on 9/3 was 550 (Q:36 V: 30) (HOLY CRAP!) Knewton course is really great. I thought it was particularly helpful to get the math basics down, but the SC sections were probably the most helpful. It was helpful having a person talking me through it rather than diving right in and staring at a book -
MGMAT SC guide is pretty intimidating if you're just diving in right away. I also used all the
MGMAT math guides. Number properties, word translation, and sytem/equations are absolute must haves in my opinion. The Geometry and Probability books are good to brush up, but if you aren't weak in those areas, I think you could find sufficient info online. During the last month of study I added
MGMAT advanced quant book, which is so incredibly crucial to get your score into the 47-49 range if you are not there already. I also added the CR Bible - it was good, but I wish I had it from the start. Based on my performance, I would say that it did not add anything to my score, tough to really say though.
And lastly, thank you to everyone for the support. I swear if I had never found this forum I probably would have bought the
OG one Kaplan guide, studied for a month, scored a 590 and called it quits. The wealth of knowledge and inspiration in this place with everyone's stories really is truly outstanding. I didn't get my goal of 700, which I felt I needed to offset my terrible GPA, but I think I've done well enough to at least not get tossed into the "No" pile. So cheers to that!
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28 Dec 2011, 17:24
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