640 to 740

Hello,

I just finished my GMAT and I'm glad to say that I scored 740 (Q50 V41 IR8) I promised myself that I'd post a debrief if I scored above 730 (my target score).

I have an undergrad engineering degree from India and a Masters degree in Finance from a decent U.S. university. This is my third attempt with previous attempts resulting in sub 700 scores (before 2012).

Material used:

Magoosh Premium - For $99, it's a no-brainer. The instructors are friendly and the hard and very hard questions are very GMAT like.
MGMAT Strategy Guides - I bought all of them but spent the most time reading the verbal guides.
OG 2016

I'd just finished studying for the CFA L2 and was was contemplating whether I should take the GMAT again given my mediocre performances in the previous two attempts. Nevertheless, I wanted to go to a good MBA program and increasing my score, I thought (still think) would increase my chances. In June 2015, I tried Magoosh for a week and was convinced that I wanted to take the GMAT again. I followed a three month verbal intensive plan, as suggested by Magoosh instructor. I spent about +/-3 hours every weeknight preparing for the test and in the two weeks leading up to the test, I spent about two hours. This might sound counter intuitive but it's not. All your preparation will go down the drain if you do not take care of yourself in the weeks leading up to the test.

D-1 day: My testing center is about 70 miles away from where I live and hence, I opted to stay at an Airbnb near the test center. I didn't want to drive 70 miles for two reasons: 1. I didn't want to deal with a flat tire or traffic on the day of my test. I might have made it to the test center in time but I didn't want to deal with all the anxiety. 2. I wanted to ensure that I stayed relaxed before I went to the test. Also, I opted for an Airbnb because I didn't want to deal with dirty rooms or bed bug infested mattresses that some times even the best hotels have. Opt for a very highly rated and well reviewed Airbnb though.

D- Day: I went about an hour before my appointment and I was permitted to start early as there were extra slots available. AWA went decently well until I found out that an assumption that I stated was indeed a premise. I had enough time to strike it down but don't know what I am going to get for what is left. (Update- A dismal 4.0) IR went pretty well and the questions were not as hard as the ones in the MGMAT IR section. I had to sprint to the restroom during the breaks and just about made it back to my seat in time. Quant was interesting, as I did not start seeing tough questions until I hit the halfway mark and I had about 45 minutes remaining. I slowed down and thankfully so, for I picked up on things that I would have missed had I not re-checked. MGMAT's scrap paper use helped me keep track of time easily. Followed the same routine for the second break. Verbal was going well until I encountered the first passage, which by far is the longest I have encountered. Nevertheless, I continued only to find another long passage only 3 questions away. By this time, I'd lost hope that I'd score anywhere closer to my practice tests in the verbal and surely, the questions after that felt easier. I finished with about 30 seconds to spare and ended verbal eager to see my score. But no, you have to fill up some student survey that GMAC collects from all the test takers and finally the score sheet popped up. Tadaaa 740

My only advice to test takers is to reduce as many variables as possible on the test day. I knew what I was gonna eat the night before the test and during the breaks, a good three weeks before the test. I practiced sitting at my desk at work and tried to simulate test conditions as much as possible, taking 5 minute breaks as opposed to 8 minute breaks (signing you out might take anywhere between 30 seconds to 3 mins).

Following are my practice CAT exams scores:
6/21 - MGMAT 1 - 630 Q 45 V 32 IR 5.2
6/30 - MGMAT 2 - 590 Q 42 V 31 IR 5.27
8/9 - MGMAT 3 - 730 Q 45 V 45 IR 3.8
8/30 - MGMAT 4 - 670 Q 44 V 37 IR 2.33
9/6 - GMAT PREP 1 - 710 Q 49 V 38 IR 8
9/13 - MGMAT 5 - 700 Q 46 V 39 IR 3.94
9/18 - MGMAT 6 - 690 Q 45 V 38 IR 5.9
9/20 - GMAT PREP 2 - 720 Q 50 V 37 IR 8

MGMAT Quant is typically much harder than the actual test. Verbal is pretty much of the same difficulty.
GMATPREP had questions similar to the ones in GMAT. I took all my practice tests under official testing conditions.

Finally, I would like to thank GMAT club members for all your wonderful posts.