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highwyre237
Joined: 13 Sep 2011
Last visit: 17 Jun 2020
Posts: 983
Given Kudos: 109
Status:Can't wait for August!
Location: United States (MA)
Concentration: Marketing, Strategy
Schools: Johnson '15 (M) Tuck '15 (D) Duke '15 (WL)
GMAT 1: 660 Q44 V37
GMAT 2: 680 Q45 V38
GMAT 3: 710 Q45 V42
GPA: 3.32
WE:Information Technology (Retail: E-commerce)
Products:
Updated on: 20 Feb 2012, 08:20
Originally posted by highwyre237 on 18 Feb 2012, 12:02.
Last edited by highwyre237 on 20 Feb 2012, 08:20, edited 4 times in total.
Last edited by highwyre237 on 20 Feb 2012, 08:20, edited 4 times in total.
Kudos
Bookmarks
My long journey
If you're just looking for helpful tips, and could care less about me, feel free to skip down to my next post.
Background
Well, I turned 26 in the beginning of Sept, and made a promise to myself that I’d finally take the GMAT, and apply to business schools as soon as possible. So, I looked to schedule a date, and chose 10/26, figured that would be plenty of time to get everything in order. At first I was targeting local part time programs in Boston, and weekend programs in NY. After researching for a while, and reading countless threads on here, I decided a full time program in the top 25 would be my ultimate goal. At this time I was thinking R2 for 2012
Study Plan on 1st Attempt
OG12 – Cover to cover, studied on lunch breaks at work, and for about an hour a night on week days, and around 4 hours on weekends.
GMAT Prep 1 – 620 (Taken in early September)
GMAT Prep 2 – 650 (Taken a few days before the first test)
Attempt 1 – 10/26 – 660 44q 37v AWA 4.5
I took this test at 8am on a wed, went to work right after it… bad move
I was not happy, but figured after my second practice test that I wouldn’t do much better than that. My main issues in quant were a few gaps in knowledge with exponents and 3D geometry, and overall dumb mistakes. I would fall for the normal evil traps on the gmats with word problems and such.
Verbal, my main issues were SC and RC. Since I’m a native speaker, with SC I was using the ear method… Just didn’t work. With RC I was just jotting down WAY too much info, and would focus too much on writing, I would lose the point of the passages.
When I got home that night I decided to abandon my plans of R2 this year, and focus on R1 of 2013. I scheduled attempt #2 for 12/10. I learned my lesson on week day tests, and scheduled this one for a Sat at noon.
Study Plan on 2nd attempt
OG12 – Cover to cover, again
MGMAT – SC Cover to cover twice
MGMAT – Advanced Quant – Cover to cover, though I didn’t do all the breakout problems
GMATClub – Lots and lots of problems
MGMAT Thursdays with Ron – I think I watched just about every single one while I was at work.
The main thing I changed this time around was my schedule. I started waking up at 5AM every morning to get a good 2 hours of studying in before work. While at work I’d watch webinars on gmat topics. When I’d get home I’d try to put in another few hours. My fiancée never saw me…
Practice Scores
11/7 MGMAT #2 – 680 46q 36v
11/16 MGMAT#3 – 690 48q 36v
11/20 MGMAT#4 – 700 46q 39v
11/27 GMAT Prep1 – 720 48q 40v
12/2 MGMAT #5 – 770 51q 44v
12/06 GMAT Prep2 – 740 50q 40v
12/08 MGMAT #6 - 740 47q 44v
My debrief from that test (660-to-a-124439.html)
The day before this test I got a massive head ache, had to leave work early. That night I couldn’t sleep much. When I woke up I was feeling alright, but had a good 5 hours until my test… If you wake up at 5am every day(and sleeping in means waking up at 7am), a 12 oclock test is a bad idea.
Attempt 2 – 12/10 – 680 45q 38v AWA 5
During this test my migraine came back right after the essays. It was pretty horrible. I ended up throwing up after the verbal portion. Turns out I had a pretty bad fever, and some sort of virus. I figured this was a fluke; I’d take a short break for the holidays and try one more time. I assumed I pushed myself a bit too hard, and was burnt out by over studying by the time my test date came.
I took a bit too much time off and didn’t start studying again until 1/7… It took a few weeks to really get back up to speed, but once I hit my old scores on my practice tests, I scheduled the test again. 2/18 a sat at 8am.
Study Plan on 3rd attempt.
MGMAT – SC Cover to cover again
GMATClub - Math book and lots more problems
OG12 - reviewing again
Random practice problems all over the internet
This time my goal was to get back up to my previous level, and not burn myself out. I woke up at 5am every morning, studied for 2 hours, and didn’t the rest of the day. On weekends I’d study for about 4 hours.
(Didn’t record the breakdowns for some reason, but they were all around 46-50q 39-41v)
1/7 MGMAT #1a – 670
1/10 MGMAT #2a – 700
1/14 MGMAT #3a – 740
1/21 MGMAT #4a – 730
2/3 GMATPrep1 – 720 49q 40v
2/11 GMATPrep2 – 720 49q 39v
By the time my test date came up I was near 100% on RC and CR. SC was a bit of a mixed bag, but I was improving. Quant, I knew I had a firm grasp on just about every topic, though I’d still miss some questions based on dumb errors from not reading carefully enough.
Attempt 3 – 2/18 – 710 45q 42v
I under preformed on Quant, I know that, and could tell during the test. After the quant portion was over I was convinced I scored as low as a 40… I entered the verbal section under the assumption that I’d be stuck with a 680, and move on from there.
Although seeing a 710 on the screen was huge (I even did a fist pump when I saw it… the proctor laughed at me) I am a little disappointed about my quant score. BUT, I am done! No more gmat studying!
I want to really thank all of GMATClub, especially BB for a great site, and Bunuel for his great contributions to the mathbook.
I look forward to stressing over applications with all of you over this next year.
I will add some tips and additional advice to this thread tomorrow or early next week, time to grab some drinks to celebrate!
If you're just looking for helpful tips, and could care less about me, feel free to skip down to my next post.
Background
Well, I turned 26 in the beginning of Sept, and made a promise to myself that I’d finally take the GMAT, and apply to business schools as soon as possible. So, I looked to schedule a date, and chose 10/26, figured that would be plenty of time to get everything in order. At first I was targeting local part time programs in Boston, and weekend programs in NY. After researching for a while, and reading countless threads on here, I decided a full time program in the top 25 would be my ultimate goal. At this time I was thinking R2 for 2012
Study Plan on 1st Attempt
OG12 – Cover to cover, studied on lunch breaks at work, and for about an hour a night on week days, and around 4 hours on weekends.
GMAT Prep 1 – 620 (Taken in early September)
GMAT Prep 2 – 650 (Taken a few days before the first test)
Attempt 1 – 10/26 – 660 44q 37v AWA 4.5
I took this test at 8am on a wed, went to work right after it… bad move
I was not happy, but figured after my second practice test that I wouldn’t do much better than that. My main issues in quant were a few gaps in knowledge with exponents and 3D geometry, and overall dumb mistakes. I would fall for the normal evil traps on the gmats with word problems and such.
Verbal, my main issues were SC and RC. Since I’m a native speaker, with SC I was using the ear method… Just didn’t work. With RC I was just jotting down WAY too much info, and would focus too much on writing, I would lose the point of the passages.
When I got home that night I decided to abandon my plans of R2 this year, and focus on R1 of 2013. I scheduled attempt #2 for 12/10. I learned my lesson on week day tests, and scheduled this one for a Sat at noon.
Study Plan on 2nd attempt
OG12 – Cover to cover, again
MGMAT – SC Cover to cover twice
MGMAT – Advanced Quant – Cover to cover, though I didn’t do all the breakout problems
GMATClub – Lots and lots of problems
MGMAT Thursdays with Ron – I think I watched just about every single one while I was at work.
The main thing I changed this time around was my schedule. I started waking up at 5AM every morning to get a good 2 hours of studying in before work. While at work I’d watch webinars on gmat topics. When I’d get home I’d try to put in another few hours. My fiancée never saw me…
Practice Scores
11/7 MGMAT #2 – 680 46q 36v
11/16 MGMAT#3 – 690 48q 36v
11/20 MGMAT#4 – 700 46q 39v
11/27 GMAT Prep1 – 720 48q 40v
12/2 MGMAT #5 – 770 51q 44v
12/06 GMAT Prep2 – 740 50q 40v
12/08 MGMAT #6 - 740 47q 44v
My debrief from that test (660-to-a-124439.html)
The day before this test I got a massive head ache, had to leave work early. That night I couldn’t sleep much. When I woke up I was feeling alright, but had a good 5 hours until my test… If you wake up at 5am every day(and sleeping in means waking up at 7am), a 12 oclock test is a bad idea.
Attempt 2 – 12/10 – 680 45q 38v AWA 5
During this test my migraine came back right after the essays. It was pretty horrible. I ended up throwing up after the verbal portion. Turns out I had a pretty bad fever, and some sort of virus. I figured this was a fluke; I’d take a short break for the holidays and try one more time. I assumed I pushed myself a bit too hard, and was burnt out by over studying by the time my test date came.
I took a bit too much time off and didn’t start studying again until 1/7… It took a few weeks to really get back up to speed, but once I hit my old scores on my practice tests, I scheduled the test again. 2/18 a sat at 8am.
Study Plan on 3rd attempt.
MGMAT – SC Cover to cover again
GMATClub - Math book and lots more problems
OG12 - reviewing again
Random practice problems all over the internet
This time my goal was to get back up to my previous level, and not burn myself out. I woke up at 5am every morning, studied for 2 hours, and didn’t the rest of the day. On weekends I’d study for about 4 hours.
(Didn’t record the breakdowns for some reason, but they were all around 46-50q 39-41v)
1/7 MGMAT #1a – 670
1/10 MGMAT #2a – 700
1/14 MGMAT #3a – 740
1/21 MGMAT #4a – 730
2/3 GMATPrep1 – 720 49q 40v
2/11 GMATPrep2 – 720 49q 39v
By the time my test date came up I was near 100% on RC and CR. SC was a bit of a mixed bag, but I was improving. Quant, I knew I had a firm grasp on just about every topic, though I’d still miss some questions based on dumb errors from not reading carefully enough.
Attempt 3 – 2/18 – 710 45q 42v
I under preformed on Quant, I know that, and could tell during the test. After the quant portion was over I was convinced I scored as low as a 40… I entered the verbal section under the assumption that I’d be stuck with a 680, and move on from there.
Although seeing a 710 on the screen was huge (I even did a fist pump when I saw it… the proctor laughed at me) I am a little disappointed about my quant score. BUT, I am done! No more gmat studying!
I want to really thank all of GMATClub, especially BB for a great site, and Bunuel for his great contributions to the mathbook.
I look forward to stressing over applications with all of you over this next year.
I will add some tips and additional advice to this thread tomorrow or early next week, time to grab some drinks to celebrate!
highwyre237
Joined: 13 Sep 2011
Last visit: 17 Jun 2020
Posts: 983
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 109
Status:Can't wait for August!
Location: United States (MA)
Concentration: Marketing, Strategy
Schools: Johnson '15 (M) Tuck '15 (D) Duke '15 (WL)
GMAT 1: 660 Q44 V37
GMAT 2: 680 Q45 V38
GMAT 3: 710 Q45 V42
GPA: 3.32
WE:Information Technology (Retail: E-commerce)
Products:
20 Feb 2012, 07:49
Kudos
Bookmarks
Here are some general tips for everyone
Quant
- OG12 is essential! I'd say the majority of my time was spent going through questions and reviewing every single one.
- MGMAT - Geometry. I didn't purchase this book, but did spends a few days at a Barnes and Nobel reviewing it cover to cover. On my first attempt I'd say this was one of my weakest areas, but by the third attempt I was cool and confident (although I think I only saw 2 or 3 questions on that topic, and they were just about triangles).
- MGMAT - Advanced quant. To be honest, I think this was a waste of time for me. MGMAT is great at teaching the concepts, but they seem to push their level of math a bit further then the GMAT itself does. I'd say its a good book to have if you need ways to guess here and there, but outside of that not much you'll learn in that book is necessary.
- GMAT Club - Mathbook gmat-math-book-87417.html - these posts really pushed me further in quant, although my score didnt improve, I was ready for a broader range of topic and had a stronger understanding of most concepts. Once again, like the MGMAT Advanced quant book, there are a few topics that are taken further then needed. They're great to know, but not always needed.
- GMAT Club - problems - With quant, i think the best idea is to just practice. Do every problem you see, and just make yourself comfortable with every topic that may be asked. GMATclub was a great resource for an endless supply of questions with great explanations attached.
- Khan Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/ - I spent a good amount of time on this site reviewing. Any topic you may be unsure about, and need a quick refresher, go there. They have everything you could think of, and everything I watched was explained very well. They also have an IPhone App.
- additional tips
- If you get a problem wrong in the OG, or GMATPrep tests, and don't know why... Google the question! Honestly, every single question in the OG has been addressed on either this site, beatthegmat, or one of the many other forums out there. Sometimes book explanations just aren't enough.
So, the question is... why didn't my quant improve more on test day? Well, I really equate it to spending way too much time on more difficult concepts, and less time on more difficultly worded problems. Every time I'd get a question wrong towards the end of my journey, it would be due to lack of understanding the question, not a gap in knowledge with concepts. I spent way too much time working on MGMAT tests and problems, and although I feel they are great, I feel their math problems are just a bit tougher concept wise, but a bit easier in meaning.
Verbal
Critical Reasoning
- I must say, this was the easiest section for me. I've always love analyzing problems, and finding gap in logic or evidence. I was around 95% from the beginning. I will say my favorite guide was The Bang, Bang CR Guide by whuokash2411 cr-guide-100473.html - Everything was laid out well, and I feel it helped me go from 95 to 100% accuracy.
Sentence Correction
- MGMAT SC - I really cant say enough about this guide. Everything everyone say about this book is true. Over the course of the past 4 months I must have read this cover to cover at least 5 times. At first I didn't fully see the improvements, but after the 2nd and third read through, issues starting jumping out. By test attempt 3 I was confident and fully prepared for every question. On ones I was unsure of, it was easy to limit myself to two choices.
- Additional Tips - Be careful when doing unofficial questions online... on some problems answers were iffy at best... Many of them confused me more then anything. I'd say focusing on MGMAT SC and the OG should get you to a great place.
Reading Comprehension
- The most important thing I can say here is find a technique that works well for you. At first I tried reading a paragraph at a time and summarizing... that didn't work. Then I tried reading just the first and last sentences of each paragraph, but that was horrible... Finally, I settled in with just reading the passage, acting interested in the topics, and if I feel I missed something, I'd re-read a sentence. I think the most important thing I could say here is don't rush yourself. RC is not the place you try to gain more time. Make sure you understand what you're reading the first time! If that means re-reading a sentence or two a few times before you move on, do it.
AWA
- I used two things for this Chineseburned's guide how-to-get-6-0-awa-my-guide-64327.html and GMATPreps youtube tutorials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmQaSNrV_A
I'd say the important thing here is to just have template to go off of.
Additional Resources and Tips
-MGMAT's Thursdays with Ron are great - https://www.manhattangmat.com/thursdays-with-ron.cfm - sure he's a bit annoying and arrogant, but they're free webinars that cover almost everything on the GMAT. If you have some time at work or something, this is a great way to spend it.
- Timing, make sure you do enough practice tests to get your timing down. The main thing keeping an eye on my timing did was helping me realize I was actually rushing my RC. I'd finish verbal sections with 8-10 mins left, so I knew that time could be better used.
-Don't burn out! Between my 1st and 2nd attempt I thought I was just putting in the needed studying... little did I know how much I was killing my health. Find a study schedule that you can maintain and stick to it. Make time for social events, exercise and relaxing. I learned waking up at 5am every morning and studying for 2 hours was perfect for me. By the time I got home from work, I just wanted to hit the gym and relax. Skipping the gym to study for 2-3 hours before bed was literally making me sick, and I paid for it during my second attempt.
- Schedule your test for a time that makes sense for you. 8am on a weekday was alright, but having to go to work afterwards was horrible... Noon on a sat was not a good choice for me. Like I said, I'd get more out of studying the earlier I did it... all a noon test time did for me was give me an extra 4 hours to worry. 8am on a sat was perfect for me, had a chance to get to be early, and not much time in the morning to worry about how the test would turn out.
- On Test day, forget about the section you just finished. I knew my Quant section didnt go well on my last attempt, and it almost caused me to give up on my verbal. It doesn't matter how poorly the test had been going, every question is a new opportunity to raise your score.
- Know what you'll be eating - on my first attempt I decided on almonds, 5 hour energy, and water... Turns out almonds make me thirsty, and 5 hour energy makes me jittery. On attempt 2, I was sick... I didn't eat enough before the test, and it got worse. On the final attempt, I gave myself enough time to have a coffee and eggs, and planned on just a banana and water during the test. It worked perfectly.
Finally, try not to stress, you can always try again! Good Luck everyone!
Quant
- OG12 is essential! I'd say the majority of my time was spent going through questions and reviewing every single one.
- MGMAT - Geometry. I didn't purchase this book, but did spends a few days at a Barnes and Nobel reviewing it cover to cover. On my first attempt I'd say this was one of my weakest areas, but by the third attempt I was cool and confident (although I think I only saw 2 or 3 questions on that topic, and they were just about triangles).
- MGMAT - Advanced quant. To be honest, I think this was a waste of time for me. MGMAT is great at teaching the concepts, but they seem to push their level of math a bit further then the GMAT itself does. I'd say its a good book to have if you need ways to guess here and there, but outside of that not much you'll learn in that book is necessary.
- GMAT Club - Mathbook gmat-math-book-87417.html - these posts really pushed me further in quant, although my score didnt improve, I was ready for a broader range of topic and had a stronger understanding of most concepts. Once again, like the MGMAT Advanced quant book, there are a few topics that are taken further then needed. They're great to know, but not always needed.
- GMAT Club - problems - With quant, i think the best idea is to just practice. Do every problem you see, and just make yourself comfortable with every topic that may be asked. GMATclub was a great resource for an endless supply of questions with great explanations attached.
- Khan Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/ - I spent a good amount of time on this site reviewing. Any topic you may be unsure about, and need a quick refresher, go there. They have everything you could think of, and everything I watched was explained very well. They also have an IPhone App.
- additional tips
- If you get a problem wrong in the OG, or GMATPrep tests, and don't know why... Google the question! Honestly, every single question in the OG has been addressed on either this site, beatthegmat, or one of the many other forums out there. Sometimes book explanations just aren't enough.
So, the question is... why didn't my quant improve more on test day? Well, I really equate it to spending way too much time on more difficult concepts, and less time on more difficultly worded problems. Every time I'd get a question wrong towards the end of my journey, it would be due to lack of understanding the question, not a gap in knowledge with concepts. I spent way too much time working on MGMAT tests and problems, and although I feel they are great, I feel their math problems are just a bit tougher concept wise, but a bit easier in meaning.
Verbal
Critical Reasoning
- I must say, this was the easiest section for me. I've always love analyzing problems, and finding gap in logic or evidence. I was around 95% from the beginning. I will say my favorite guide was The Bang, Bang CR Guide by whuokash2411 cr-guide-100473.html - Everything was laid out well, and I feel it helped me go from 95 to 100% accuracy.
Sentence Correction
- MGMAT SC - I really cant say enough about this guide. Everything everyone say about this book is true. Over the course of the past 4 months I must have read this cover to cover at least 5 times. At first I didn't fully see the improvements, but after the 2nd and third read through, issues starting jumping out. By test attempt 3 I was confident and fully prepared for every question. On ones I was unsure of, it was easy to limit myself to two choices.
- Additional Tips - Be careful when doing unofficial questions online... on some problems answers were iffy at best... Many of them confused me more then anything. I'd say focusing on MGMAT SC and the OG should get you to a great place.
Reading Comprehension
- The most important thing I can say here is find a technique that works well for you. At first I tried reading a paragraph at a time and summarizing... that didn't work. Then I tried reading just the first and last sentences of each paragraph, but that was horrible... Finally, I settled in with just reading the passage, acting interested in the topics, and if I feel I missed something, I'd re-read a sentence. I think the most important thing I could say here is don't rush yourself. RC is not the place you try to gain more time. Make sure you understand what you're reading the first time! If that means re-reading a sentence or two a few times before you move on, do it.
AWA
- I used two things for this Chineseburned's guide how-to-get-6-0-awa-my-guide-64327.html and GMATPreps youtube tutorials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmQaSNrV_A
I'd say the important thing here is to just have template to go off of.
Additional Resources and Tips
-MGMAT's Thursdays with Ron are great - https://www.manhattangmat.com/thursdays-with-ron.cfm - sure he's a bit annoying and arrogant, but they're free webinars that cover almost everything on the GMAT. If you have some time at work or something, this is a great way to spend it.
- Timing, make sure you do enough practice tests to get your timing down. The main thing keeping an eye on my timing did was helping me realize I was actually rushing my RC. I'd finish verbal sections with 8-10 mins left, so I knew that time could be better used.
-Don't burn out! Between my 1st and 2nd attempt I thought I was just putting in the needed studying... little did I know how much I was killing my health. Find a study schedule that you can maintain and stick to it. Make time for social events, exercise and relaxing. I learned waking up at 5am every morning and studying for 2 hours was perfect for me. By the time I got home from work, I just wanted to hit the gym and relax. Skipping the gym to study for 2-3 hours before bed was literally making me sick, and I paid for it during my second attempt.
- Schedule your test for a time that makes sense for you. 8am on a weekday was alright, but having to go to work afterwards was horrible... Noon on a sat was not a good choice for me. Like I said, I'd get more out of studying the earlier I did it... all a noon test time did for me was give me an extra 4 hours to worry. 8am on a sat was perfect for me, had a chance to get to be early, and not much time in the morning to worry about how the test would turn out.
- On Test day, forget about the section you just finished. I knew my Quant section didnt go well on my last attempt, and it almost caused me to give up on my verbal. It doesn't matter how poorly the test had been going, every question is a new opportunity to raise your score.
- Know what you'll be eating - on my first attempt I decided on almonds, 5 hour energy, and water... Turns out almonds make me thirsty, and 5 hour energy makes me jittery. On attempt 2, I was sick... I didn't eat enough before the test, and it got worse. On the final attempt, I gave myself enough time to have a coffee and eggs, and planned on just a banana and water during the test. It worked perfectly.
Finally, try not to stress, you can always try again! Good Luck everyone!
