Thanks for your input! Any reason you think that re: stern, yale, and sloan? Unfortunatel, CBS is probably my number one choice as Id like to stay in NY (and stern is kind of my "backup" NY option heh).
To answer your question about my practice exams... I never did a full exam including the AWA. I used GMATPrep a number of times (uninstalling / reinstalling). I also had the MGMAT CATs.
Here is the breakdown of my scores
First MGMAT CAT (also first GMAT test I've ever taken) back in February:
Combined score: 500 / Q28 / V31 (wow, embarrassing! haha). Because of this score, I felt totally discouraged. I knew my quant would be super rusty but I never imagined my verbal would be so disastrous. After this experience, I just dragged my feet about studying and kept going back and forth about whether or not an MBA was even right for me. Later on, after chatting with my friends, I kept hearing over and over that the MGMAT verbal was off and that real GMAT verbal is easy as pie. Feeling a little better, I decided to start studying for the GMAT again.
After about a month of lightly reviewing the math (no verbal review), I took another MGMAT CAT on 7/14/10):
Score: 700 / Q46 / V39 (Untimed) -- got my confidence back up... so I'm not an absolute dumbass! Looking back, I"m not really sure what went wrong with my verbal on that 500 score. Probably just flustered after the math.
After this 2nd CAT, I took my first GMATPrep CAT later in the week (don't have the date)
730 (did not record my Q/V raw scores this time since i didn't realize you can never return to that score screen! hehe I do know that I definitely had a lot of math Q's wrong and my verbal was very strong.)
Uhm, wow? Much better than 500! Also, what I took away from the GMATPrep CAT was that the verbal is way, way easier (or maybe just more logical) than the MGMAT and that I really didn't need to spend much time reviewing verbal.
From that point on, I stopped doing MGMAT CAT verbal all together. Waste of my time and not reflective, IMO, of the real thing.
8/1/2010 MGMAT CAT: Q45 (Timed)
8/9/2010 MGMAT CAT: Q47 (Timed)
8/10/2010 MGMAT CAT: Q49 (Timed)
8/14/2010 MGMAT CAT: Q43 (Timed, and also WTF???)
The slightly lower than ideal scores on MGMAT were not discouraging as I believe the MGMAT math Qs are a lot harder than the GMATPrep, OG, or real thing... at least in my experience (apparently not this morning!)
SOmewhere in between the MGMAT testing, I did a second GMATPrep:
750 (Q49 / V42)
And then finally after my horrible Q43 in MGMAT CAT, I did a reinstall of GMATPrep; did not notice any math repeat q's (yes repeats on verbal) and scored:
750 (Q48 / V45)
I basically started reviewing math in mid-June (so basically two months of study before my test this morning). I did all the
OG12 and QR2 questions and went over my errors numerous times. I realize now my big fault was not timing myself for most of my studying. Also, I only reviewed the questions I got wrong on math untimed. THis meant a lot of the moderate questions I got right b/c I wasn't timing myself and probably spent 4-5min on, I never went back to review and check for the shortcuts! BIG mistake. I did not study verbal or AWA at all until this last week before the exam. I read through some sample AWAs and the
MGMAT SC book quickly one night, did a handful of SC, RC, and CR questions from the OG (only the ones at the end of each section, ie the difficult ones) throughout the week and that was it.
If I do decide to retake, I will be going over all the math with a fine-toothed comb.
Also, I will hopefully be less stressed out/in need of the restroom/exhausted if I do decide to retake the exam.
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