720 to 660 to 760 (50Q 44V)

I am a 27 yo, White American Male and I am looking to get into a top MBA program. I didn't want to give them any reason to reject me based on stats. If they were going to reject me, it should be because they truly don't want me, not because my GMAT is low. So I was shooting for a 750 but I would settle for above average for the top programs, so like a 730.

In November, I took the first GMATPrep test to gauge where I was.

GMATPrep (11/12/2016): 720 (47Q, 42V)

Here's a confession, I got complacent. I thought that was a great starting point and didn't begin to study. I put it off until February when I bought the 2016 OG and began going through it. I found that there were a lot of mathematical concepts that I just didn't remember (specifically, geometry) and some that I would need to reprogram my brain to get (Number Properties) and the OG is not a great source for learning new info. Fortunately, my colleague had a 1 year subscription to Magoosh that expired in May and he wiped it clean and gave me access.

I began working problems in Magoosh to get a record of my strengths and weaknesses. After a couple weeks, I could see where I was having the most problems and zoned in on those areas. I found the videos very helpful for learning concepts and I took copious notes for the various sections. I went through nearly all the quantitative videos and some of the more advanced sentence correction videos, critical reasoning, and reading comprehension. In addition to the learning videos, after each problem, there is a video showing you how to do the problem - Mike is very good at pointing out the potential traps and talking through how you should think about the problems.

I continued to do Magoosh problems and working the OG Guide. I knew I wanted to save a GMATPrep test for the end of my studies and I had heard that Manhattan was a good source. So I purchased the bundle of online practice exams.

Manhattan (4/22/2017): 700 (45Q, 40V)

Hmmm, that's disconcerting. I felt jumbled, so maybe I had been trying to learn so many things that it was getting in my own way. So I poured over the exam and worked through each problem again. I did some more OG problems and watched Magoosh videos on the topics I felt needed a bit more work. And then I took another test the next week. You are not supposed to take them so close together, but I figured this was a fluke.

Manhattan (4/30/2017): 680 (44Q, 38V)

So much for that theory.....So again, I did an autopsy and poured over the exam, although I was a little more worried than I had been before. I bought the Manhattan Advanced Quant Guide, which was excruciatingly hard. Out of a 10 problem set, I would be lucky to 5. No matter, I forged ahead and took another Manhattan test.

Manhattan (5/13/2017): 660 (40Q, 40V)

PANIC!!!!! What is going on???? Could I be getting that much worse? My quant was dropping like a rock. On this test, I couldn't finish the last 10 and had to guess. I was spending way too much time on the hard problems and then having to rush through the ones I might actually know. The Manhattan quant problems seemed much harder than the OG quant, especially when it came to how much time was required. I felt that you could pick up some time in the OG, but nearly every Manhattan problem was 2+ mins for me. By now I had already registered for the GMAT and my test date was June 3rd, which was terrifying. So I took my second GMATPrep:

GMATPrep (5/16/2017): 720 (46Q, 44V)

Exhale. Right back where I started. Thus ended my relationship with Manhattan exams. I found their blogs and forums very useful but the test didn't seem to align for me. There was one nugget I did pick up from taking these tests, though. I needed to get my time under control. So I began doing problems from the OG and timing them, allotting myself 2 mins per problem (if I was doing 10 problems, then 20 mins) and used lap on the stop watch on my phone to keep track per problem. After 3 mins, I guessed and moved on. I spent a lot of time going over questions I had gotten wrong. I purchased the Manhattan GMAT app for quick study and the GMATPrep Exam Pack for two more tests. I was using the app to work quant flashcards in my downtime and working through problems in my head to bone up on my mental math and to more clearly see the path before doing the problem. This had the bonus effect of strengthening my basic principles, which I thought would improve my floor on the quant. I took one of the GMATPrep tests:

GMATPrep (5/27/2017): 760 (49Q, 44V)

Woah. I had a week until the exam and I felt confident about most topics and hadn't gotten a critical reasoning question wrong in, like, a month. So I spent this last week going through the problems in the OG that I had gotten wrong and focused only on sentence correction for verbal. I had one more test and took it one night after work the last week just to get the extra reps.

GMATPrep (5/30/2017): 770 (50Q, 45V)

Alright, now I know it wasn't a fluke. The last couple days before my test I relaxed and did very few problems. On test day, I had waited long enough in my scheduling that my test wasn't until 2:45pm. So I worked out in the morning and tried to stay busy until I needed to leave. My hands were shaking and I had a lot of bad thoughts, as one might. But I took some deep breaths and channeled that energy into focus. I flew through the test, 15 mins to spare on Quant and 30 mins to spare on Verbal.

Actual GMAT (6/3/2017): 760 (50Q, 44V)

I gave a little fist pump at my station and a nice old lady named Sylvia came and got me. I was grinning like an idiot.


Summary:
GMATPrep (11/12/2016): 720 (47Q, 42V)
Manhattan (4/22/2017): 700 (45Q, 40V)
Manhattan (4/30/2017): 680 (44Q, 38V)
Manhattan (5/13/2017): 660 (40Q, 40V)
GMATPrep (5/16/2017): 720 (46Q, 44V)
GMATPrep (5/27/2017): 760 (49Q, 44V)
GMATPrep (5/30/2017): 770 (50Q, 45V)

Actual GMAT (6/3/2017): 760 (50Q, 44V)

As I stated in my long therapy session above, I found that the GMATPrep questions were the most accurate in reflecting the test, as they should be. The problem I had with Manhattan was that their questions were usually longer or you needed to know an obscure short cut to answer. I could almost always brute force my way through GMATPrep problem if I didn't get it right away.

I found the Manhattan GMAT app extremely useful for drilling simple concepts, sharpening your mental skills and making connections. I HIGHLY recommend always timing yourself and being mindful of time when doing questions. I would credit these two things with my improvement in speed.

The Magoosh videos were very, very helpful. For the money, I don't think you can beat them for just learning the concepts. Their problems are on the easy side, but Mike does such a great job with the explainer videos.

Lastly, I found that redoing problems you get wrong and even going through the explanations for problems you got right was the best way to drill the right thought processes into your head. Just because you got it right doesn't mean you did it right. So if you are short on time, I would recommend focusing on fewer problems but more in-depth rather than on just pumping out problems. A 10 problem set would usually take me 45 mins (15 mins to finish, 30 mins to review).

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

If you have any plaudits, I'm extremely vain and welcome them with open arms.