I scored 720 (39V 49Q) yesterday on my first attempt. Since I greatly benefited from all the awesome advices from the GMATClub community during my preparation, I wanted to make sure to give back.
There is a special section at the end of this post for people taking GMAT in Toronto, ONMy story:
- Didn't want to spend a lot of money on courses/books (Self-studied)
- Working full time (50hrs +/week)
- Started studying in November
- English is my fourth language
- 90% of my practice tests were taken from 9pm to 12pm after a full day of work, so I was expecting to score MUCH HIGHER on the real GMAT. I was slightly disappointed with 720. Practice Tests:
11/15/2014 Kaplan Diag : Q:50 V: 31 - 700
11/18/2014 Kaplan CAT 2 : Q:49 V: 35 - 680
12/10/2014 Kaplan CAT 3 : Q:49 V: 32 - 670
12/13/2014 Kaplan CAT 4: Q:49 V:33 - 670
1/1/2015 Kaplan CAT 5: Q:49 V:41 - 700
GMAT Prep : Q:48 V:39 - 710
2/2/2015 Kaplan RETAKE CAT 2 : Q:50 V: 38 - 710
2/8/2015 Kaplan RETAKE CAT 3 : Q:50 V: 44 - 740
2/16/2015 Kaplan RETAKE CAT 4: Q:51 V:40 - 730
2/18/2015 GMAT Prep : Q:49 V:42 - 750
2/22/2015 Veritas Diag: 720 : Q:49 V:40 - 720
3/05/2015 MGMAT Diag : 640!!! (TWO DAYS BEFORE GMAT!)There a couple of key takeaways from my first (and only) GMAT exam. Unfortunately I realized these strategies a bit too late (some of them during the test itself) and in my opinion, they made the difference between a 720 and a 760.
1. Timing!!!
As some people suggested I broke down the time into subsections for each category:
AWA:
30 min: start reading
20 min: Read/Write down arguments/Intro
10 min: Finished 1st arguments/At least 1/2 done with 2nd argument
5 min: Conclusion/Review
IR: (12 Q)
30 min: start
20 min: 4 Q answered
10 min: 8 Q answered
0 min: 12 Q answered
Quant: (37 Q)
75 min: start
50 min: 13 Q answered
25 min: 26 Q answered
0 min: 37 Q answered
Verbal: (41 Q)
75 min: start
50 min: 15 Q answered
25 min: 30 Q answered
0 min: 41 Q answered
This is NOT a good timing strategy! I struggled during my practices to finish IR and Quant sections and couldn't figure out why.
HERE IS THE REASON: BECAUSE QUESTIONS GET HARDER! For instance, I have no problem finishing 26 Quant Questions at 25 min mark, but I can never seem to have enough time for the 2 last questions even if I am doing 11 Q in 25 min in contrast to 13 Q in 25 min earlier on!
BETTER TIMING STRATEGY FOR IR AND QUAND WOULD BE:
IR: (12 Q)
30 min: start
20 min: 5 Q answered
10 min: 10 Q answered
0 min: 12 Q answered
Quant: (37 Q)
75 min: start
50 min: 14 Q answered
25 min: 28 Q answered
0 min: 37 Q answered
Don't worry if you can't get exactly 28 Quant Q at 25 min mark, but try to aim for that number.
2. Don't switch to different prep/tests too close to exam!!
The 640 that I got with
MGMAT 2 days before my test completely caught me off guard. I didn't know what to expect anymore. The questions weren't that much harder than the other exams and I had NO IDEA why I scored so low (I still don't...). I lost a bit of my confidence for the real test.
Prep Material:
Kaplan Tests + GMAT Club Flash Card + Quant Notes from this Forum (attached)
Personally I would highly recommend Kaplan Tests because the layout of the practice tests are IDENTICAL to real GMAT exams. I also find their test more challenging without being too different from the real GMAT.
3. Use Instructions Screen Time WISELY!!
I hope that every single person taking the GMAT is familiar enough with the exam to not be spending time reading the instructions! Instead of skipping them and wasting the precious 30 - 45 secs prior to each section, I used it to write down the timing strategies and other things that I memorized. Just remember to keep an eye on the screen as it goes directly to the first question after time is up and you will be taking up ACTUAL test time.
4. ALWAYS go to the test center/visit the area PRIOR to test day if you are not familiar with the area!
TORONTO TEST TAKERS
I took my test at St. Clair/Yonge and the ladies working at the center were very friendly, which made me much less stressed on the BIG day.
The washrooms are on the same floor but NOT in the test center and require password to get in. Washroom + water + quick snack took me about 5 mins. You are not allowed to wear any watches and there's really no way to tell whether you are exceeding the 8 min break unless you remember the starting time of your break (I didn't have the memory space/energy to remember that) and you check the clock constantly.
There is
a Library right across the building and it offers a great place to study/review.
Don't bother buying/studying with ear plugs: the center offers noise cancelling headsets and ear plugs. It takes 3 secs to put on the headset whereas ear plugs will take ~1min. The room is quiet and the officers very discret coming in/out of the room.
You don't have to start exactly at the time that you register for. I really wish I knew this much earlier. If there are spots available you can ask the lady at the front desk to take your test earlier. My exam was at 4pm and I knew that I would not perform as well because it's during dinner time. I end up starting 15 minutes earlier (I could have started 30 min earlier if I wanted to) because there were available exam booths.
FINALLY, REMEMBER GMAT is just one piece of your application. I know someone who got into Yale SOM with 2.4 GPA + 700 GMAT + 2 years of work experience. In his case, it was all about the ability to differentiate himself in his essays and having a great personality. GMATClubers, KEEP CALM AND STUDY ON!
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Updated on: 12 Mar 2015, 16:29
Quantitative-GMAT-Math-Shortcuts.pdf [992.11 KiB] 
