I'm starting a little journal here to keep track of my progress

GMAT Goal: 50+ Q, 45+ V, GMAT 770+

My GPA is ridiculously low (2.8), which in actuality is a great GPA from my program & school (joint computer science/ combinatorics&optimization), but still need to do better Plus GMAT is fun (hah).

So I've done a few tests. I did a Kaplan once, and got 600, about 3 months ago, and felt like a huge idiot, so I've been doing some studying here and there.

Here are some tests I've done so far:

GMAT Paper Tests:
#28 - 730 (50Q,41V)
#31 - 690 (48Q,36V)
#37 - 700 (49Q,38V)
#42 - 650 (48Q,34V)
#52 - 720 (49Q,39V)
#55 - 770 (51Q,45V) (after studying SC)

These are the most recent CAT tests I've done:

GMATPrep2: 740 (47Q,45V), 12 Q wrong, 5 V wrong.
GMATPrep1: 750 (49Q,42V), 10 Q wrong, 8 V wrong.
PowerPrep1: 740 (46Q,46V), 7Q wrong, 6V wrong (3RC,2SC,1CR).

(Note - I kept running out of time at the end for Quant, so I have to improve my speed).

Books completed:

GMAT for Dummies (good introduction)
Kaplan (OK - good tricks, good for beginners)
Barrons (useless, terrible answers)
McGraw Hill (good intermediate book, some mistakes in the questions)

Analysis:

Verbal is good, can always improve more. Have to increase my mental endurance, I usually space out during RC's and can't make sense of anything in the ridiculously hard passages!

Quantitative is good, I just overthink questions and spend too much time trying to solve them in complicated ways, when there are much easier ways to do questions. I have to do a lot of Quant questions to increase my speed in order to lock in a 50+ Q.

Did about 100 questions of Quant yesterday from the OG10 PS (scanned Q's 1-250, did about 1 in 2-3, lots I skipped... although I should go back and review those stupid questions where you have to figure out how to set things up). Good news is I can do most in my head now... I'm good at rate problems now... geometry I'm better at, although sometimes DS gets to me.

Going to finish up 250-450 today, do some DS, a little bit of CR/RC... so about 250-300 quant questions today. There is no reason I should get less than 51 on Q.... I have an undergraduate degree in CS & Combinatorics/Optimization... which is pure math. I'm still disappointed with that crappy score last night. I guess doing RC when you're on the verge of passing out from exhaustion is a bad idea!!!!!

I did sleep better though. I woke up at about 11am today after going to bed around 3:30.... the night before I went to bed at 2:30am and woke up at 8am. The day before that, I went to bed at 8:30am, and woke up at 1pm. And pretty much the entire week I was going to bed at 8-10am, and waking up at 5-6 pm, which is annoying/frustrating!!!!

Thanks. Yeah, I realize that I looked over that 730 PP I did the other day, and had I been more awake and alert, I would have gotten only maybe 2 math, and 3 verbal wrong. (instead of 5/7 or whatever).

Did 82 DS questions today from OG10, and 10PS, along with about 20SC, so about 100 questions total today. I didn't do a CAT or test today, taking it easy.

Looking at doing 160 DS tomorrow + 100 PS tomorrow, then a CAT.

try MGMAT CAT... avoid Kaplan (you'll get 500-600's on your scores) and Princeton Review (math too easy, same problems with CR/RC as McGraw Hill).

And don't take a CAT *after* you do 260 math problems... your score will be much lower than what it could be.

Good work! Looks like you got the same score on verbal I got the first GMATPrep. 1 wrong in RC and CR, and 6 in SC. Too bad my real test verbal was only 41.

If you can get 760 after 120 questions, I think you're ready for the real test... unless you're aiming for 800

S. Addict:

Did you try to finish the paper test exams within the suggested 25 mins per section guideline?

I took the Test # 31 verbal alone recently. I scored about 40-41(14/18 RC, 19/22 SC, 13/16 CR). But I took about 30-35 minutes for each section.

I was wondering whether my score looks bloated because of the extra time I took.

Mate, I think its time to focus on mental preparedness for the test. I reckon if you think clearly and perform at your best during the test, you will totally ace it (760+). Frankly there is not much difference after you cross 750. You will be in the 99th percentile.

Good luck.
ps. I'd be rooting for ya. I loved combinatorics when I did Comp Sci

generally the more full CATs you do with AWA, you brain should get more trained (like lifting weights or running)... but if that's not happening... I actually don't know what to suggest... sorry.

Thanks BSDLover I think you just need to eat and do as many CAT's as possible. I think I'm going to start doing essays soon to build more mental stamina.

I have to do more Quant stuff so I'm faster & better at it.

Anyways, I just did another CAT:

PowerPrep1
Score: 780
Quant: 50 (2 wrong)
Verbal: 49 (3 wrong)

I'm still paranoid and need to do way more Quant along with SC......

Somehow I dont feel inspired... I feel guilty