640, 640, 710, 740 - For those weak in Quant

Question

Yes, I've written this test 4 times, yet this feels like one of the happiest moments of my life. Before I say anymore,   subscribe to Bunuel's posts and buy the Manhattan 6 test series   . More on that later.

Test history:  640 (Q43, V37), 640 (Q42, V38), 710 (Q42, V45), and  740 (97%) today (Q48, V42). 
 
Background : This post is more for those of us who are  not good at Quant , or have re-written multiple times. 90% of these success stories I read start with "Well my quant was already pretty good so I just needed to brush it up and ace verbal". I'm an Indian and my quant sucks, why can't stereotypes me universal and true. In fact, my verbal was pretty average at the beginning too. I would like to say that I'm an average guy, I constantly doubt myself, I got no sleep last night thinking about how I would feel if I didn't do well after the test  - my key message for those of us who are struggling with the GMAT is that if you put your heart and soul into this exam, you can kill it if not improve your old score drastically. 
Here's what I did differently.

Quant resources:   OG 12 and supplement (didn't get time for OG 13/buy additional questions from GMAC software - epic fail). Manhattan tests (wrote 4 - excellent for both Q and V), Manhattan books for probability/P&C and Number Properties, nothing else; GMATClub tests (wrote 4 quant), Jamboree Test Prep Quant section stuff (Giant book with practice proglembs by topic, get an equivalent for topic-specific material). I did the last one for some topics only.

Quant, bumping it up from 42 (58%) to 48 (79%).  - very avg score, but still an accomplishment for me.
*1 on 1 math tutoring - I knew that whatever I had done earlier for Quant was not enough. I suffer from being able to do 80% of the problems when I have more time and less pressure, but I don't know the smart shortcuts GMAT requires. I couldn't cover all quant topics (didn't get to P&C/probability, biggest weaknesses) or go in sufficient depth with my totor since I just had 3 weeks in India. I don't think all people who are not so good at quant need tutoring, I just had a mental block against the first question. This helped me overcome it and equipped me with some tips.

* Timing  - I read a post from somebody who got 750 last month. 
11th Q - 55 min (focus on first 11)
21st Q - 35 m
31st Q - 15 m
When I first tried this 2 weeks back, my score dropped on Manhattan by 20 points, however, it picked up and I feel this GREATLY increased my score.

*Bunuel is The Man:   Well I just assumed he's a dude. His daily posts cover a range of topics, somebody got an 800 a month ago and recommended bunuel. I have subscribed to his posts regularly since. Bunuel answers questions generally using short-cut methods, that includes OG problems.   Bunuel if you read this, thank you, all your posts are gems.

*GMAT Club CATs:  Very tough, very discouraging, ESSENTIAL for strengthening concepts. bb & Company have clearly drastically improved these over the older questions. I admit to only doing 4 of the Quant, and I got between 15-18 wrong(!). But the questions are designed to test your concepts, excellent answers for each given after. My colleague recommended these, he was able to bump up his Quant from 42 to 49, he says he  just  used GMATClub (I wouldn't go that far, but definitely think it has great ROI).

*Guess move on:  tough to do. Practice makes perfect and beyond a point I could gauge that after 1:30 min whether I would be able to pinpoint an answer or not, I could not do this the last 3 attempts.

*Using smart numbers  in place of variables, self explanatory

*Another tip from a recent post  - if you're short of time towards the end (I ended up with 4 question in last 6 min today), spend more time on every alternate question because successive wrong questions hit your score more than alternating wrong answers.

Study time:  Started in late June, did 4 hours per day (even on weekdays 1st two weeks, but it took its toll and manager noticed, had to cut it down. I have no time with work so afterwards woke up at 5:45am for the last month, studied an hour and a half before, tried to get in another after work at 8pm, got half an hour when in office cab and read Manhattan SC (easiest thing to revise); 5-6hrs each on weekends. 70% of this was focussed on Quant this time, my Verbal dropped 3 points as a result (45 to 42). Do what you have to do.
 
Practice test scores over the last month >  - Veritas (mainly OG questions), before prep: 620 (Q41/V35), MGMAT 1- 700 (Q47/38), GMAC I -700 (Q47/V40), 680 (Q44/V38: tried the new time mentioned above), 750 (Q49/45), GMAC II -720 (Q49/V39)

Rewriting 4 times(!!) 
I can not stress how much this test has cost me. I've just moved to Costa Rica from India and have not been able to go out at all. My relationships, friendships, job, have all suffered. It took all my will power after getting a 710 last year to say "Ok I'm not going to take the path of least resistance and I will crack this test". I have started studying, ditched my book, etc. at least 4 times in the last 8 months.

Don't despair fellow re-writers, put your mind to it sincerely and objectively, and you can do it. As my friend who's currently in Wharton told me a few weeks back when I was feeling down and couldn't study: "How bad do you want this, if you want it badly enough you'll get your nose back to the grind and crack it, that's all". Take a step back, re-assess your approach, what are you going to do differently this time. If its just blind practice without addressing your weaknesses, not a good idea.

VERBAL: So bumping up that score up from 36 o 45 was a pain too. That's a story by itself. I neglected Verbal this time (dropped 3 points), in fact I didn't even finish OG 12 RC passages, but on my last GMAC II test few days back, I got all SC right (not even one wrong to emphasize). However, here's what I did for RC last year; was getting about 1/8 wrong in tougher passages as a result:  https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-to-improve-my-rc-accuracy-117195.html

Thank you Bunuel, GMATClub Success stories, bb, and everybody who has answered my rather daft Quant questions.   I'm finished with this test. Don't hesitate to PM me if there's anything I can help anybody with. On to Apps and school visits.

PS - I didn't have enough time for the last 2 IR questions of IR, big mistake will drop my score big time, but whatever.

rajeevrks27 · Answer

Thanx for posting this valuable debrief. V45 in your third attempt was a major jump so how differently you did in verbal for that?

I guessed on last three question in IR and guess what still escaped with 7 on IR. So don't worry at all about that. Moreover, It won't count for initial couple of years.
Best of luck for Applications.

sanjoo · Answer

Cool ..nice score indian met..!.. excellent..

the same question that rajveer has asked?? tell me somthing about verbal?? i m realy bad at verbal..

shreerajp99 · Answer

Hey congrats,thats a great score!! ur perseverance finally paid off :-)

What kind of questions did u encounter during the exam,especially in quant.Which topics u feel one should stress more on in quant? Do u think the level of difficulty for both verbal/quant was the same as that of gmatprep exam? Thanks, Shreeraj

vinzycoolfire · Answer

hi Aximili85, i really wish i had your verbal score. i am ok with rc, but cr and sc leave me shaken, especially the new sc which focus on meaning(since you wrote it recently u might know what i am talking about). i didn't get to apply all the rules i learned doing mgmat sc and was taken aback, but held my nerve to score a 38 on the real thing. can you help me by providing a few pointers to improve my score from high 30s to low 40s. as i understand verbal is the key to a good score.
i would like to know what books you used for cr and sc(i use powerscore for cr and mgmat for sc)
i usually make 1 mistake in rc , 3-4 in cr and sc. how can i minimize these errors.
which is the best prep material.
please help

Aximili85 · Answer

Hi all, first thank you for the kind messages/PM's =) Vinzy - 1 mistake total on RC is excellent btw, I was making around 2/3 per test last year when I got V45. Received a lot of PM's on the Verbal portion so will answer that first; here's what I did last time but couldn't do half of it this time. I have not used Powerscore for anything, note I read half of PowerScore's SC last year before the V45 attempt but ditched it and switched to Manhattan instead. General testing tip: Maintain a detailed score report of practice tests in excel - That means you should break out mistakes by section for each category so you can track what requires more effort (RC vs SC vs CR). SC Resources & strategy - I feel nailing SC is key to acing Verbal, if you can spend minimum time on SC (avg. 1 minute, max 1:20 sec) it will free up a lot of time for tougher RC/CR. All I did for SC was Manhattan SC (I hate reading grammar, so took overview notes of key points to keep myself awake, maybe 1 page per chapter). After doing a chapter, I would do 20 questions randomly from OG 12 and supplement. Idioms are very important, definitely read that long list at the end twice. After 4 to 5 chapters you will start seeing the difference in your ability to identify mistakes and categorize them; don't get caught up with the syntax jargon Manhattan throws at you , glance over it and move on. Also did 6 MGMAT's (very good for SC practice, not exactly like the GMAT but still great). RC - view my post last yr how-to-improve-my-rc-accuracy-117195.html . I wanted to add one strategy which I don't think I mentioned, when you start RC, check number of paras, if its long don't read as much in depth, and also quickly chart the flow in your head (do NOT write anything down) "so 3 paras, first one introduces, second one contradicts" etc. That helped, and because I didn't practice this time I feel my ability to do that was reduced. Last year I used the Kaplan CD which comes with their book and did two 30 min tests - NOTE: The passages are from LSAT, are way too literal and lengthy, but are great at forcing you to increase your reading speed. CR - I used the Kaplan 800 last year and did half of it this year just for CR (its newer editions are called something else). This book is not useful for any other section, but it categorizes CR questions well and helps you identify the question types fast. I found my process of elimination for tough CR's to be far more more accurate after. That said, Kaplan's questions are too "literal" and not as nuanced as GMAT, but they are still a good guide. For additional practice I did OG/Manhattan's 6 CATs (purchased last year, only got to 3 this time). I think MGMATs are a fantastic test resource. Sammy will respond to your PM in a few hours. Hope this helps.

Aximili85 · Answer

Shreeraj, definitely don't go with the attitude "I'll do one type of question over another". That's what caused me to bomb it the first few times, that "Probability/P&C will just be one, max two questions" so one can skip them (I started with a probability question in IR btw). Do  EVERYTHING.  This will build your confidence too before you go in knowing your prep is 360*. Also keep in mind that question one, which is what gave me nightmares literally, can be on any topic. I got an algebra one this time, ratios last time, before that it was an arithmetic progression question.

That said, I would stress you do number properties very well, its applied in a lot of questions.

Real GMAT vs GMAC exams   - I have consistently found the Verbal on GMACprep to be a scored a bit lower than the real GMAT, however, I get tougher questions on the real GMAT (weirdly), so basically though the questions are easier on GMACprep, i score lower consistently. Quant - always easier on GMACPrep, you will get OG questions now and then, Question 1 is almost always easier, and the familiarity boosts your Q score.

Core message - do all quant topics, prepare your foundations if you're weak in quant by investing in Manhattan's topic books or even a tutor, buy GMATClub tests once you've studied a bit as they're hard but great, subscribe to Bunuel's daily updates he gives great shortcuts, do the MGMATs but alternate between other free online tests    because if you crack MGMAT's algorithm your score shoots up artificially.

I think that about covers it.

RoyHalladay · Answer

Congrats, now you can finally get to enjoy CR! Question though...how did you find the IR to be on the real test? Manhattan CATs seem extremely tough to finish on time. How did you quant scores compare across GMAT Prep and Manhattan vs the real thing?

Where will you be applying?

Where will you be applying?

Aximili85 · Answer

Hey Roy, I found IR to be a tad-bit easier than the GMACPrep CD questions, and a lot easier than MGMAT of course. MGMAT IR is great for 3 things i feel: 
*Getting you to increase your speed and make rounded off approximations (real IR tested that to the core)
*Noticing nuances like whether the data is in % or raw numbers (for the "Can you infer the following data based on this table" questions that makes all the diff), *finally I personally could not complete all questions on IR based on the limited practice I did, so I knew on D day I needed to crack about 7 questions out of 12 properly and guess on the rest (this startegy was getting me 6+ on GMACPrep) - MGMAT helped me identify the question types I should spend more time on and the ones I should take quick guesses on; that said, I still didn't finish it on D-day! Probably coz I only wrote like 3 IR sections total.

I'm applying to most of your schools: Wharton/Kellogg/Haas/INSEAD/Duke/Ross, and I might now consider some of the Finance schools Booth/Sloan. All of these will be a challenge of course due to my multiple GMAT's and poor Quant. Also, Wharton is about as Finance-school as it gets, but they have the best dual MBA/healthcare degree so I can position myself as a fit based on that, due to my background.

I've currently got admission this year to two Indian/Asian schools - ISB/NUS, deferred both to 2013.

Aximili85 · Answer

i didn't mean to imply the real GMAT IR wasn't challenging, it certainly was, but MGMAT is just deliberately tougher as always..

Aximili85 · Answer

one more afterthought, don't expect test center conditions to be ideal. Be mentally prepared for noise. Example, Gurgaon center (outside Delhi) had loud clackety keyboards and no ear plugs just giant head phones. New Delhi center was much better. Costa Rican center was a nightmare, its located in a University, they give you individual rooms which you think would be better, except your room is sandwiched between two University classrooms and the kids come out and make a ton of noise RIGHT outside your door, no ear plugs ut big headphones which arent that effective. Construction workers started hammering on something outside my door in Verbal. I had to raise my hand, call the admin person who sits very far away and ask her to tell them to shut up twice, lost a good 3 minutes in both Quant and Verbal each.

Just FYI, do practice tests under less than ideal conditions.

Just FYI, do practice tests under less than ideal conditions.

RoyHalladay · Answer

Not sure I follow your Quant timing strategy. Looks like you spend 2min per q. Maybe I'm missing something, but how is this different than the standard approach? Also how many did you guess/burn to keep on time?

11th Q - 55 min (focus on first 11)
21st Q - 35 m
31st Q - 15 m

11th Q - 55 min (focus on first 11)
21st Q - 35 m
31st Q - 15 m

Aximili85 · Answer

Timing strategy:
So yes you're right, its basically a straightforward breakdown. The alternative is that you set a mid-point (37 min mark, I should have reached at least Q18). That will force you to reassess the time left bsaed on number of questions left very frequently (waste of time in itself). What the 3 "checkpoints" it did for me was to set milestones, I tend to get particularly stuck on question 1-4, 8-13, 21-28 and then mess up my time towards the end which forces me to make too many random guesses. Does that make sense?

Guessing: You know i used to read other success stories and I could never apply this properly in Quant last year. Frequent practice of all question types just gets you to a point where you can tell that another min will also probably not get you an answer, so you ditch it and guess. Keep in mind my mental math and intuitive quant are both weak.

How do you guess? One useful tool, check LCM/HCF's of the last digit, often the answer contains a last digit which is an lcm/HCF of numbers i nthe question, sound vague? Keep your eyes open for this and you'll see what i mean. That alone cuts it down to 2 options often, there are many such tricks, if its a weight average/combined % problem/average rates, then the answer is intuitively closer to the higher weighted/lower rate etc. Bunuel's crystal-clear answers incorporate these tricks in his explanations, I followed his answers and sort of start seeing a pattern in his short-cut logic. Do subscribe and follow, I can't stress that enough!

RoyHalladay · Answer

Good tips, I really need to be more rigid when it comes to time management on Q. I hate getting 80% through a question then having to guess. I'm stuck around Q46-47 and would like to get 49+. I also find my self rushing towards the end, guessing randomly on the last few. DS questions are notorious for eating up time, and I let myself fall into the traps. On my last test, I was angry to see that I made stupid mistakes on 3 questions, where I clearly knew what I was doing and chose the wrong answer.

Any idea on how many you were able to guess/get wrong at the level you were at to maintain 48/49.

Any idea on how many you were able to guess/get wrong at the level you were at to maintain 48/49.

Aximili85 · Answer

I got Q49 on my last GMAC Prep 2 days before, 11 wrong (!!), i think just one wrong in the first 11 that's why i got away with it. Out of those, 8 questions were stupid mistakes or falling for DS traps.

If I had to estimate how many I guessed, on the GMACPrep it was less as I took the gamble of powering through with the question even beyond 3 minutes, on the real test I didn't want to take that risk, I probably guessed around 4 to 5 questions. I would like to say that I almost always narrowed it down to 2 choices before

Aximili85 · Answer

and yeah totally feel you on the 80% through frustration, but then again keep practicing and you'll be able to tell when its plain futile to spend another minute or two and you just need to take that gamble and move on.

Btw, have you tried that "alternative question" strategy at the end mentioned in the original post? Works well, if you have less time at the end, stress on alternative questions because consecutive wrong answers messes things up more.

RoyHalladay · Answer

I know the strategy, and have used it unsuccessfully because I stumble on a question I know how to do..and spend too much time on it at the end. I'm planning on working through a GMATClub math test tomorrow and trying it. I feel the scores aren't representative of ability as I'm all over the place with those. But good practice. Are you planning R2 apps?

Aximili85 · Answer

btw the first MGMAT i applied the new testing checkpoint thing to, my score dropped 20 points, but then picked up a lot after in subsequent tests..
reason i believe it is because two 750+ posts have recommended it on this forum in their debriefs..

Aximili85 · Answer

guys its been 8 days and i dont have my AWA or IR scores. Weird? Shouldn´t i get it in my email? That´s what happened earlier.

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640, 640, 710, 740 - For those weak in Quant

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