It's finally over.....I still can't believe it.
Just got back from the test center and am pumped to put this d@mn GMAT behind me. I haven't posted on here in a couple months since my last attempt at the GMAT....here is the previous post to get you up to speed:
https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... highlight=
Long story short, I initially took the GMAT on a whim this past June to go to a local business school. I didn't study at all beforehand and ended up with a 610 (Q39 V36). Did a bit of research and realized that you can get accepted into some great schools with a score in the high 600's-700's, so I decided to try and take it again. I studied my @ss off for a few months using
OG and Kaplan materials, paying particular attention to Quant, and scored a 620 (Q34, V41).
As you can imagine, I was obviously dejected. I struggled with severe self-doubt issues and was essentially convinced that I was a failure. I didn't want to give up my dream, but I struggled to see how I could improve much if my score only went up 10 points in 3 months of intense studying. After some deep soul-searching, I decided that I couldn't live with myself if I didn't give it one last shot.
I took a few weeks off to recharge my mind and decide on a plan of action. I talked to rhyme a few times on here about
MGMAT materials, which he spoke fondly of. I knew I needed help with the essentials of quant, and he said the
Manhattan books would be an asset. So I ordered the 5
MGMAT books that covered quant and went to work.
Studied, studied, and studied some more up until the last week, and then reviewed using the
MGMAT online practice center.
MGMAT breaks everything up into specific question types, so you can focus exactly on areas that you struggle with. In additon, I felt that the questions were tougher that GMATPrep (which I never used after the 2nd test), but not stupid tough like some of the Kaplan stuff....their questions and answers make sense.
Felt confident heading into test day, but I couldn't help but be a bit gun-shy after my prior GMAT experience. I tried my best to forget about the 2nd test and only think positive thoughts.
Test Day: AWA wasn't too tough, although I had a bit of a time scare on the 1st one. Honestly, it was hard to focus too much on AWA at this point because I was ready to slay the quant dragon.
After eating an apple and drinking some red bull during my break, I convinced myself that I was ready to give my best effort. If I can do it, great.....if not, at least I gave it everything I had.
Quant starts up and I get some seemingly easy questions in the beginning. I double and triple checked my work on the first few because I was paranoid about missing a key aspect in the question. I rolled through the first 15-20 questions without feeling like I was guessing on any of them. However, once I got to the 30th question, I realized that I only had about 12 minutes left. And just my luck, the 31st question was a very hard probability problem that required a lot of thought. I was able to get to the last two questions with about 2 minutes left, but I was having some trouble with the last one. The second were ticking down, and just before the time ran out, I decided to change my answer. Right as I clicked, the time ran out, and I was scared that it didn't take my answer! I freakout out a bit during my break, but realized there was nothing I could do at that point.
Another break, another red bull, and this time I ate some mixed nuts. I felt like I did well on quant, but I didn't want to get too confident. Just get through verbal and then it's over....
Just like quant, I rolled through the first few verbal questions. Thanks in part to the red bull, I flew through verbal. I looked at my time towards the end, and I had about 25 minutes left for the last 4 questions. It was hard to focus on those last verbal questions knowing that my score was just around the corner.
I went through all the questions that follow the test, clicked on "report my score", and closed my eyes.....
680. 6....80?! I couldn't believe it. I did it! I really did it! The GMAT is over and I beat it!!!
I know it may seem silly to some of the brilliant minds on here, but I am thrilled with a 680. It will allow me to go to a top 20-30 business school, which is what my initial goal was. The V34 is the lowest i've ever scored on any practice test, but the Q49 is also the highest i've ever scored, so I guess it evens out, eh?
My advice to the GMAT hopefuls? I know it's fun to read all stories about people who scored 740, 760, 780, etc, but try not to compare yourself to others on here. There are some extraordinarily intelligent people on this site, and it can do more harm than good to look at their results and expect the same for yourself. Just focus on what YOU can do and what YOU want.
Now it's essay time, and I will have to get moving if I want to start school in fall 07. I am looking at WUSTL, Vandy, and Georgetown, but I will probably try for a few top 10-15 schools since I have a solid resume and work experience. I've heard rumors that Dartmouth will evaluate your GMAT score based on your highest individual Q and V scores. Is this accurate? Are there any other top 10-20 schools that do this?
Finally, I swear i'm not affiliated at all with the
MGMAT people; I HIGHLY recommend their study materials. I thought I had a good grasp on quant before I picked up their books, but I realized quickly that I really didn't know all that much. If you're struggling with quant, pick up their books right now.....you won't regret it.
I hope my story was inspirational to someone out there. Whatever you do, don't give up. You CAN do it, you really can. GOOD LUCK!!!!
Okay, time to go get drunk.
close
20 Dec 2006, 16:01
