Hi Folks!!!
It's been almost 5 hours since the test ended and yet I am in total disbelief. 770 is a score I never imagined I would be able to attain even in my dreams.
I decided in May 2009 to write GMAT and started collecting materials for the same, but did not prepare for the most part of the year. Below is the list of preparation materials I used for my GMAT:
1)
OG 12th edition
2) Manhattan SC guide
3) 700-800 Club verbal material
4) GMATPrep tests
Booked my exam date on the 17th of Dec in October.
I was pretty strong at basic math, so I just needed to concentrate on DS questions which are very tricky. I did not really focus on verbal very much, but I knew I had to learn the basics for SC and also the various types of questions possible in CR and RC.
My serious preparation started only on the 1st of December. Till then, I was just browsing GMATClub trying to solve questions posted by fellow GMATClubbers. Believe it or not, this helped me a lot when I started preparing from the
OG because I had learnt how to approach different types of questions. I was getting an accuracy rate of around 75 to 80% in
OG and the other materials I had. I also took the free tests from GMATClub.
With 4 days to go before the GMAT, I decided to take the GMATPrep test to know where I stand. Got 740 in the first attempt, and then got 710-730 in the subsequent attempts. I was hoping that I would be able to get at least 690 in the worst case on G-day.
Did not work out any problems or solve any verbal questions on the eve of G-day. Did some shopping, listened to some soothing music (mostly Enya) and tried to keep my mind as relaxed as possible. Tried to sleep early the night before but couldn't because I mostly keep awake at nights. Slept for around 6 hours.
On G-day arrived at the center around 30 mins earlier (test was at 9 AM). Started with AWA, and used the break to eat something. Had brought some bananas with me to keep my energy levels from going down due to hunger.
Then came quant - some of the questions were very tricky, but fortunately I was able to get around those landmines. Completed the section with 5 minutes to spare. Still wondering where I missed 51.
Verbal had always proven to be the thorn in the flesh, so I decided to take it slow and easy initially. After around 15 questions, I had 45 minutes left. I knew I would be able to manage my time pretty well (from my experience of GMATPrep) so did not panic at any point during the exam. Completed verbal with 3 minutes to spare.
After the score came up, I was looking at the score for sometime with such disbelief that my mind was like "WHAAAAAAAT??!?!?!".
The first and least important hurdle has been crossed. Miles to go before I sleep!!!
Thanks to everyone who directly or indirectly helped me out.
Naren