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16 Apr 2016, 10:37
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I took the GMAT earlier this week and scored 700. While knowing it's a good score, it's below what my objective was at the beginning and well below what I was scoring on GMATPrep.
Background
I decided to pursue an MBA late last year, giving me a year to pass the GMAT, TOEFL, and work on my applications. Reading through experiences and stories here and elsewhere, I gave myself 3+ months to get the highest score possible. Having a lowish GPA and targeting some top schools, the objective was to get 720. I've never been a math expert and I am a non-native, so I thought I would need all the time and trick in the book to get to what is a very high score.
I started by buying the 2016 OG guide and the Verbal and Quant sections, but as soon as the books arrived I realized I'd need something else. Being an Economist subscriber, I did the Economist GMAT Tutor trial over the Christmas holidays, quite enjoyed it and decided to stick with it.
3+ months of study
I started studying over the Christmas break and took my baseline (and free) Economist Test.
I posted here right after this test and my understanding was that this was a good starting point. I definitively thought I could improve 100 points in 3 months. I went through the GMAT Tutor for a month. The good thing about the Economiat GMAT Tutor is that the programme goes step by step, mixing verbal and quant lessons; while giving you good trick on how to perform on test day. A big emphasis is put on Plugging-In and POE techniques from early on. I took a couple more tests that first month, one of them my first GMAT Prep Practice test. I thin the Economist Sim tests are good but have the issue of not including the AWA and IR sections.
Doing my first full CAT test was eye-opening. It was also a big morale boost as I felt the quant section had gone horribly wrong but still managed to score 44. With two months to go, this was really positive, and I definitively thought that 710 would be an attainable score. With some extra work 720 was within reach! Another take-away from these two January tests was that my verbal was actually pretty good. Once I understood how Sentence Correction worked, I managed to get the right answers quite easily, I would score consistently around 44 in verbal from now on.
Maybe one of the problems of my preparation was that 3 months is actually quite a long time, and between my job and other engagements I had, I was not focusing 100% on the GMAT. February came and went, and by mid-March I finally managed to go through the whole Economist GMAT Tutor. I thought that once I had reviewed all the materials I could start focusing my efforts on my short coming, as well as getting my test strategies ready.
I did my last two Sim tests at the end of March and was left with mixed emotions. On the one hand the overall score stayed at 710 - almost 2 months after the first 710! Was I not making any progress?! On the other hand that quant score had definitively gone up, which had been my objective and the key to get that 420.
With 3 weeks to go to the real test, I geared up and started to really focus on the exam. I started consistently working every evening, reviewing my error log and past tests. I would focus 2 days on Combinations, 2 days on triangles, a further day on work/rate problems. I took my second GMAT Prep Practice test with two weeks to go.
This test confirmed what I knew from previous tests. My Verbal score was extremely consistent and my verbal score had gone up! I knew that my GMAT would be 100% about my quant. If I managed to get it to about 46/47, while keeping my verbal stable, I should be getting that 720 with no problem. I have now to point out the fact that all these full CATS were done in the best conditions I could to simulate test day: same time (early morning), would not skip a section, would take only two breaks of less than 8 minutes, used earplugs. Now, reviewing all the tests I had done by then, I saw that I was missing 5/6 of the last 7 quant questions. At this point, with less than two weeks to go, it all became about getting my time management right.
I downloaded the Practice pack 2 and took my last Practice test with less than a week to go. I managed to score 770! My time management was way better and by now I was feeling pretty confident. Reading here and elsewhere, apparently GMATPrep tests are a pretty good indicator of your performance, so I was ecstatic: if I were able to replicate the same performance on test-day, 720 should have been feasible, I was even thinking about 740 or more....
Test day
I didn't study the day before the exam. Went home, cooked something healthy, watched an episode of Daredevil and went to bed early. I slept incredibly well, had a good breakfast and went to the test centre. I decided then that I I had 710 or less I would cancel and retake.
Once there everything fell apart. The AWA section went badly, I was not able to find any flaws in the argument, and ended up rushing to write something that made any sense. The IR section didn't go better, I had to guess a bunch of questions. Took by break, tried to eat a couple of bites from a banana, went to the bathroom freshen up. I remember telling myself that what had just happened was not of real importance, that the test started then. I knew just needed to have a good quant section, not even exceptional, and it would be fine. I came back to my desk with 5 minutes to go and went on to do the worst quant section ever. Nothing worked for me. I was behind time after 12 questions, and felt terribly when very easy questions were thrown at me at about question 25. I had to rush to finish the last questions, it was a bloodbath.
Took my last break and went into the verbal section with determination. All went well, and before I knew it it was over. 710, I felt horribly, didn't spend more than 5 seconds on that screen, cancelled my score and left the test centre in a hurry.
What next?
I scheduled my new exam straight away that same afternoon (May 11th). Later that day I saw the excellent thread "Should I retake the GMAT", and felt it strengthened my case for retaking.
So here I am, I'm going to do a Quant deep dive over the next weeks, almost starting from the ground up. Any books you'd recommend? I ordered my Enhanced Score Report from GMAC, so hopefully that should give me some guidance on where to focus.
I would like to finish by thanking everyone at GMAT Club, this is an invaluable source of information for us poor GMAT takers. Hopefully this little story will be useful, and I'm hoping to write an enthusiastic follow-up next month!
Background
I decided to pursue an MBA late last year, giving me a year to pass the GMAT, TOEFL, and work on my applications. Reading through experiences and stories here and elsewhere, I gave myself 3+ months to get the highest score possible. Having a lowish GPA and targeting some top schools, the objective was to get 720. I've never been a math expert and I am a non-native, so I thought I would need all the time and trick in the book to get to what is a very high score.
I started by buying the 2016 OG guide and the Verbal and Quant sections, but as soon as the books arrived I realized I'd need something else. Being an Economist subscriber, I did the Economist GMAT Tutor trial over the Christmas holidays, quite enjoyed it and decided to stick with it.
3+ months of study
I started studying over the Christmas break and took my baseline (and free) Economist Test.
- Economist GMAT Sim Test #1 - 620 Q42/V34
I posted here right after this test and my understanding was that this was a good starting point. I definitively thought I could improve 100 points in 3 months. I went through the GMAT Tutor for a month. The good thing about the Economiat GMAT Tutor is that the programme goes step by step, mixing verbal and quant lessons; while giving you good trick on how to perform on test day. A big emphasis is put on Plugging-In and POE techniques from early on. I took a couple more tests that first month, one of them my first GMAT Prep Practice test. I thin the Economist Sim tests are good but have the issue of not including the AWA and IR sections.
- Economist GMAT Sim Test #2 - 710 Q46/V43
- GMATPrep Practice Test #1 - 710 Q44/V44
Doing my first full CAT test was eye-opening. It was also a big morale boost as I felt the quant section had gone horribly wrong but still managed to score 44. With two months to go, this was really positive, and I definitively thought that 710 would be an attainable score. With some extra work 720 was within reach! Another take-away from these two January tests was that my verbal was actually pretty good. Once I understood how Sentence Correction worked, I managed to get the right answers quite easily, I would score consistently around 44 in verbal from now on.
Maybe one of the problems of my preparation was that 3 months is actually quite a long time, and between my job and other engagements I had, I was not focusing 100% on the GMAT. February came and went, and by mid-March I finally managed to go through the whole Economist GMAT Tutor. I thought that once I had reviewed all the materials I could start focusing my efforts on my short coming, as well as getting my test strategies ready.
- Economist GMAT Sim Test #3 - 710 Q47/V42
- Economist GMAT Sim Test #4 - 710 Q50/V39
I did my last two Sim tests at the end of March and was left with mixed emotions. On the one hand the overall score stayed at 710 - almost 2 months after the first 710! Was I not making any progress?! On the other hand that quant score had definitively gone up, which had been my objective and the key to get that 420.
With 3 weeks to go to the real test, I geared up and started to really focus on the exam. I started consistently working every evening, reviewing my error log and past tests. I would focus 2 days on Combinations, 2 days on triangles, a further day on work/rate problems. I took my second GMAT Prep Practice test with two weeks to go.
- GMATPrep Practice Test #2 - 730 Q47/V44
This test confirmed what I knew from previous tests. My Verbal score was extremely consistent and my verbal score had gone up! I knew that my GMAT would be 100% about my quant. If I managed to get it to about 46/47, while keeping my verbal stable, I should be getting that 720 with no problem. I have now to point out the fact that all these full CATS were done in the best conditions I could to simulate test day: same time (early morning), would not skip a section, would take only two breaks of less than 8 minutes, used earplugs. Now, reviewing all the tests I had done by then, I saw that I was missing 5/6 of the last 7 quant questions. At this point, with less than two weeks to go, it all became about getting my time management right.
- GMATPrep Practice Test #3 - 770 Q49/V46
I downloaded the Practice pack 2 and took my last Practice test with less than a week to go. I managed to score 770! My time management was way better and by now I was feeling pretty confident. Reading here and elsewhere, apparently GMATPrep tests are a pretty good indicator of your performance, so I was ecstatic: if I were able to replicate the same performance on test-day, 720 should have been feasible, I was even thinking about 740 or more....
Test day
I didn't study the day before the exam. Went home, cooked something healthy, watched an episode of Daredevil and went to bed early. I slept incredibly well, had a good breakfast and went to the test centre. I decided then that I I had 710 or less I would cancel and retake.
Once there everything fell apart. The AWA section went badly, I was not able to find any flaws in the argument, and ended up rushing to write something that made any sense. The IR section didn't go better, I had to guess a bunch of questions. Took by break, tried to eat a couple of bites from a banana, went to the bathroom freshen up. I remember telling myself that what had just happened was not of real importance, that the test started then. I knew just needed to have a good quant section, not even exceptional, and it would be fine. I came back to my desk with 5 minutes to go and went on to do the worst quant section ever. Nothing worked for me. I was behind time after 12 questions, and felt terribly when very easy questions were thrown at me at about question 25. I had to rush to finish the last questions, it was a bloodbath.
Took my last break and went into the verbal section with determination. All went well, and before I knew it it was over. 710, I felt horribly, didn't spend more than 5 seconds on that screen, cancelled my score and left the test centre in a hurry.
What next?
I scheduled my new exam straight away that same afternoon (May 11th). Later that day I saw the excellent thread "Should I retake the GMAT", and felt it strengthened my case for retaking.
So here I am, I'm going to do a Quant deep dive over the next weeks, almost starting from the ground up. Any books you'd recommend? I ordered my Enhanced Score Report from GMAC, so hopefully that should give me some guidance on where to focus.
I would like to finish by thanking everyone at GMAT Club, this is an invaluable source of information for us poor GMAT takers. Hopefully this little story will be useful, and I'm hoping to write an enthusiastic follow-up next month!
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