740 - If I can do it, anyone can (My tips)

Question

I gave the GMAT last week and am thrilled to report that I scored 740 (Q48, V42). I am your average Joe (Jolie) and I believe that if I can score 700+ then most people can. Below is what I learned from the GMAT and I hope you benefit from it. 
I am from Delhi (India) and have been in US for the past 15 months. At the beginning, the exam seemed to be very difficult. I scored a sore 530 on my first mock – Kaplan free test. The worst part was I scored a mere 23 on verbal. I used to think that with my convent education and a degree in economics, verbal would be my strength but the test told me otherwise. At this time, all I could hope for was to get close to 700. 740 seemed out of question.

Preparation - books and materials   
I started off my preparation with the MGMAT books. I read the Number properties, Equations & Inequalities and word translations for quant and the SC, CR &RC books for Verbal. The quant books were excellent. For me, the number properties book was extremely high ROI followed by Inequalities (my weakness). On Verbal, the SC book was quite good but I found the CR and RC books to be average. 2 months into my prep, I was already hitting 630s on the MGMAT exams. My quant had gone up to 47 while verbal was hovering around a respectable 30 (MGMAT 1 – 580, MGMAT 2 – 630).

At this time, I decided that I needed a prep course to boost my verbal. After considering Vertias, MGMAT and Kaplan, I decided on  e-GMAT ’s live course because of its focus on verbal. This course took my preparation to the next level. The SC concepts that I learned through MGMAT were crystal clear after going through this course. Two other things helped me a lot on SC. Firstly the fact that the course is very heavy on application. There are these application files that don’t teach you anything but to apply what you have learned. Secondly, they have this OG solutions video course that is awesome. The downside is that such solutions are only available for SC and not for CR. The CR course when combined with live sessions is really good too. It helped me weave through the logic of arguments and provided me an approach for most CR questions types. My accuracy just shot up. I would definitely recommend this course if you need help on verbal. This course played a major role in improving my verbal from 30 to 42.

Preparation - Practice and Practice tests   
I used the GMATPrep, MGMAT tests, and 2 tests from Grockit. I would say that the GMATprep tests were the closest indicator of my performance on actual test. I took GMATPrep 1 twice (first time initially and second time towards the end) and GMATPrep 2 once and scored 720 (Q48, V40) and 730 (Q46, V43). The MGMAT tests were really good for quant and good practice for Verbal. I would definitely recommend them for getting yourself in the test mold. I did find that the MGMAT tests were more lenient that GMATPrep towards mistakes but their probably their higher difficulty level did compensate for that. Overall, definitely good practice. The Grockit tests were ok. I would rate them below MGMAT and definitely below GMATPrep. I would recommend that you use a couple of these tests to get your stamina up before you take the MGMAT or GMATPrep tests. The Grockit question bank on the other hand was quite good. It helped me practice on my specific areas. Grockit RC +  e-GMAT  RC made a very good combination

My Lessons learned and helpful tips for others   
I believe that preparation is one aspect of the GMAT. However, to ace it, you also need to look at the test more objectively because your goal really is to get an end score. You don’t need to be the best grammarian or the best critical thinker in the world to ace the exam. I did not realize that till about 2 months before my exam. Once I realize that, I felt that my scores improved faster and overall I was more efficient in my studies. Here are a few things that I would recommend:

1.  Build a process with 80% repeatable accuracy : The GMAT will throw random (SC, CR, RC) questions at you. In a timed environment there is no time to invent and to do well you will need a standard approach for every question type. Take an approach using which you can efficiently solve 80% of the problems correctly and practice and master it. This would help you a lot. Remember you don’t need to solve every question on the GMAT to do well

2.  Build on fundamentals : The GMAT tests your fundamentals. Initially, I struggled with CR because I focused more on elimination of answer choices by classifying them either as too extreme or out of scope. While these tricks definitely helped, they were not a proxy for fundamental understanding. In fact, I was able to use these approaches more effectively once I understood the fundamentals such as what a strengthener means, and how to strengthen an argument.

3.  Revise and revise slowly : We all worry about timing while solving the questions and I think that it is the right thing to do. However, once you have solved a set of problems, go back and spend some time (at least 3 minute per question) revising the problems to understand the sentence structure in SC, logic swings in CR, etc. You will learn as much through these revisions as you did while learning the concepts. This would be useful in subsequent practices.

4.  Don’t worry about the most challenging problems : Most of us do not aim for 800 and hence don’t need to do every problem correctly. According to Stacey from MGMAT, even 760 + scorers get 10-15% of the questions wrong. Hence, always assume that there are 10% of the problems that will go over your head. Ignore them and you will be much better off. Initially I spent a lot of time on solving every problem. I realized that I was spending 50% of my time on these 10% of problems. Also I had to tweak my process to solve these. I was much more efficient once I started ignoring some problems every now and then.

5.  Follow the 80-20 rule in mocks : Pretty much the same point as above. Even in mocks, you will get some of these problems where you would not have any idea as to what the problem is testing. Don’t fret over it. Remember, half the battle in the mock is choosing where to spend time and you only need to do 75%+ correctly. Get into a habit of spotting these questions while taking your mocks. My performance improved considerably once I stopped spending time on these problems

6.  Own up your weakness – You know it : After preparing for a few months, you will know your strengths and weakness. I realized after preparing for a few months that just accuracy is probably not the best indicator of weakness. For example, I had decent accuracy for assumption questions on Grockit even though I lacked confidence. This accuracy however did not translate into a stellar performance on MGMAT mocks. Once I told myself that I need to get more confident about these questions and worked on it, my performance on mocks improved.

7.  Do OG twice : Very similar to the revising slowly. There are so many concepts in OG that you need to learn. Plan for doing OG twice. I found it very helpful.

Overall, I found this forum very helpful. The contributions by BB, people like souvik, bunel, gurpreet sing etc. helped me a lot. Compilation of GMATprep problems by legendaddy etc was also extremely helpful. SC articles by Shraddha form  e-GMAT  were really helpful too. Thank you so much for contributing to my success and I hope this debrief contributes towards your’s.

-Pooja

jeetparicha85 · Answer

Hi Pooja. Thanks for the inspiring debrief. I am sure this will inspire a lot of people like me.

Having taken my GMAT (600. Q48 / V 24), I stand at a point where I need to focus almost exclusively on the Verbal section. In fact in the two GMATPrep mock tests prior to GMAT, I had scored 27 and 31. My score of 24 on GMAT was the lowest I achieved in Verbal. I am targeting 720+ in my next attempt, which I am planning in 2 month's time so that I can apply to INSEAD jor Jan 2014 intake in the R2.

I have decided on enrolling for eGMAT's Verbal course. I have 60days at hand to master the Verbal section and to make a huge leap from V24 to V40. However, I am confused between VERBAL ONLINE and VERBAL LIVE PREP. They both look exactly the same except the On Demand SC and RC and a few live classes, and GMAT strategies and advice. Having completed the course yourself, I would like you to help me in making a decision. How exactly and precisely does the LIVE PREP course differ from the ONLINE course? Just confused to note that while the LIVE PREP promises a 4-point increase, the ONLINE course does not. Also,

Thanks a lot in advance for your help. Any one else in a similar situation, please reply or provide your thoughts.

Thanks,
Jeet

pjolie · Answer

Hi folks - Did quite well (7.0 or 8.0) on IR. I dont think that the IR score matters as much though!! So happy about that. I could not have asked for more.

@jeetparicha85: The live prep includes all the live sessions. These are some of the most engaging sessions. The best thing about these sessions - you take a question and analyze all the answer choices as to why they are correct/incorrect. There is a lot of back and forth, which can help take your understanding to the next level. The level of discussions simulated in these live sessions cannot be matched in the online course. Since you are aiming for 40, I would recommend that you take the live prep if you can afford the same.

pjolie · Answer

Any improvement score. Did you take the exam

vasundhrachopra · Answer

Hi Pooja! Congrats on your score. This is brilliant. 
I really suck at CR and have been struggling with it since a while, does egmat have a specific course for CR too. Can you suggest something that will help improve my accuracy in CR.

up4gmat · Answer

Hey pooja,
amazing score!!Am facing a similar problem..I have my GMAT soon and am stuck at low verbal accuracy.Time crunch and pressure just gets on me and i lose confidence towards the end.Can you suggest what should i do to increase my verbal score from 34 to 42 in a span of 10 days.??

Akshaychawla · Answer

Hi Buddy,

Quite an inspiring debrief.

I have been thinking from sometime for appearing in GMAT, but somehow had been procrastinating under one pretext or the other. Now, to kick myself into fifth gear, I have just taken a date in second week of july without preparing much for GMAT. Hope things will pan out well.
Once earlier, I had prepared for CAT-IIM and had been quite decent in quant. So, I am not much worried about it, but Verbal had been my nemesis then and I believe it still is.

I have picked up Manhattan notes and OG 13.

I am looking to follow what you have done. I am from gurgaon and don't know where to get the practice material. Can you point me towards the source where and how I can get these (few picked from your debrief)

I am looking for these: 
 Reading/ practice material - Grockit question bank + e-GMAT RC , Grail series from Aristotle prep, 
 Tests - Mgmat, gmatprep, Free Kaplan Test, Free Princeton Test

Or if you think I need to prioritize material differently, you are more than welcome to point that too.

Thanks

masoy · Answer

Hey Jolie!

congrats on your score. and thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

Does your 80% rule apply to the OG questions? I have just finished the SC part of the OG, and my overall accuracy was ~80% . Do you think that's enough for me to move on to other sections? I am aiming for 40+ in verbal but I'm not a native English speaker

farhanchaudhary · Answer

Hi Pooja, 
Brilliant debrief, very detailed and helpful. Currently my status in mocks is somewhat similar to your in mocks. Scoring in the range of 600-640. Am aiming at a score of 700+ too. For quant my scores are usually between 43-46 and verbal its varies from a 20-35, with regards to 80% accuracy i am almost there on quant but verbal my accuracy is just 50-60%, what is the best time to join egmat course, i am trying to postpone it till i do a gmatprep test and then decide. I have 50 days for my gmat and was thinking will join a course if required 30 days prior to it. What do you think? Can this plan backfire? Since i will be attending the course but wont be practicing much with the concepts learned.

Thanks and good luck with your applications.

Posted from my mobile device

pj44 · Answer

Congrats Jolie!
Can you give us some more details on the 'process'. Would like to understand a bit more and see if we can build around it.

lalithasowmya · Answer

for the improvement of English vocabulary what should i do ? for gmat English vocabulary improvement what books are preferential .

harshutd · Answer

Congrats Jolie

Can you / anyone else please tell me whether it is better to leave a question blank in case you don't know how to solve it OR make a guess ? What leads to a more negative score ? Wrong answer or an unanswered question ? Please let me know!!

parul1591 · Answer

Hello,

Thank you for the wonderful debrief.

I need advice on Sentence Correction questions. When I seem to study I feel I've got the hang of it but I always falter in the exam.

My question - Where did you practice SC questions from besides the official guide ?

Thank you !

egmat · Answer

Dear Parul,

Responding since Pooja has not been very active. Here are a few sources that provide good practice:

1. GMAT Prep question pack 1.
2. OG Verbal review (if you have not completed the same)
3. GMAT Paper based tests
4. e-GMAT UGE (on the old platform) + Workshops.

The sources above should give you 400+ practice questions.

Regards,

Rajat Sadana

gameboy11887 · Answer

Hi

First of all many congrats on this fantastic feat.

I am in dire need to push up my verbal scores hovering around early 20's and I feel from the mocks I have taken so far a low verbal score was primarily due to 2 reasons - lack of accuracy due to not so thorough concepts and lack of time management.

Just wanted to know if enrollment for Emat gmat Live Prep or Online course would better serve my purpose. I am a bit concerned on the fee for these courses as I have already invested a fortune on attending coaching classes at multiple centres for GMAT but yeilded not much improvement.

Pls advice a value for money bet. Awainting response

gintare · Answer

Congrats Pooja! That's an amazing score! Just want to double check with you what do you mean by 80-20 rule in mocks? Could you please explain it one more time? Also how long did it take for you the entire preparation for the gmat?? I started only few weeks ago and was wondering if 2 months is enough time to prepare? Also the last question I have, is regarding the question pack from gmat prep, is it an additional package you can buy from official gmat website? Thanks!

gintare · Answer

Hi Rajat,

Could you please tell me where can I get the Gmat prep queation pack 1? Is it from official gmat website an additional question pack? Do you know how many questions it contains?

Many thanks!
Gintare

fireinbelly · Answer

Incredible...thanks for sharing the tips...and all the best.

alseca1927 · Answer

Pooja,

Thanks for the encouraging words! I too scored a low verbal score on my first gmat prep 1 attempt. I hope that I one day, in a not so distant future, I shall also be able to write down my success story!

All the best for your applications!

kind regards,
Alseca

gmatkickedmybutt · Answer

Oh please, what a fake planted review for e-gmat. Pooja Jolie? Are you kidding me? No Indian person has a last name Jolie. And second, not a single person (except the company) would be motivated to write such a long, detailed review and continually answer questions. So fake. No integrity. Disappointing. I constantly get e-gmat promotional material, it's all written by the same person. So fake. If you want to advertise, just advertise, don't bs around.

egmat · Answer

gmatkickedmybutt – I am not sure what made you write the above, however a number of statements you mentioned are far from facts. BTW – this is quite a statement by someone who has not used our course and is willing to offer someone $10,000 to help you ace the GMAT took-the-gmat-twice-got-610-10-000-reward-213160.html Let’s look at some of your statements, take them one by one and compare them to the facts : Statement 1:Not a single person would continually answer questions. You are right. The last time the Pooja answered a question was in May 2013 – more than 2.5 years ago. The response that you quoted was written by me under the username egmat. Had you cared to read carefully, you would have noticed that. Statement 2: Not a single person would write such a long debrief? There are many debriefs on this forum that are much longer than this one. Some of them are by eGMATers while others are by students who have benefitted from other courses. Are you saying all the debriefs by themselves are fake. You know – many of these debriefs are written by GMAT Club moderators. Take a look at some below: hardwork-never-gets-unrewarded-for-ever-189267.html The same guy’s video interview is right here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTK9-5LWdnU. By the way, he is also fielding questions on Tepper here https://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/tep ... s-36075043 Below are quite a few debriefs that are quire long too… from-600-to-760-q51-v41-secure-700-with-5m-plan-4-take-aways-210980.html 780-q50-v47-old-fogey-who-me-stop-kidding-boy-190828.html long-debrief-800-q51-v51-ir-8-awa-135335.html and there are many more….. Further Evidence - GMAT Club Reviews Do you know that we have 970+ reviews on GMAT Club? Over the last 4 months, eGMATers have accounted for ~50% of the reviews in the gmat prep section. The reason I am stressing about the last 4 months is because 4 months back GMAT Club instituted a rule that to post a review, a student needs to have 1. A verified score report 2. Have posted 25 responses on GMAT Club 3. Have a valid .edu email address If the reviews were truly fake, e-GMAT would not accounting for many reviews. On the contrary, we have been accounting an ever increasing share of GMAT Prep reviews since this rule was instituted. LinkedIn profiles and Video debriefs Do you know that the 200+ success stories that we have on e-GMAT.com have LinkedIn profiles associated with them? You can click through and see who the person behind these reviews is. Moreover, we do Video debriefs with a certain percentage of our students. These are unedited debriefs that you can see at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... caQTR6mAia Statement 3 -No Indian would have a last name Jolie I cannot answer that one. There are 1.1 Billion Indians with many different last names. I don't know all the last names and you probably cannot claim that either. However, remember that no one chooses their name or for that matter their family name. However, I would ask you to implore one question – If I truly were to write a fake debrief, why would I chose a name that would stand out. Let’s compare the numbers I looked up your profile and noticed that you have taken GMAT Pill’s course and Magoosh’s course. We have more verified reviews, more LinkedIn profiles of successful students, and more video interviews than both these companies combined do. I understand that you were not able to do well on the GMAT despite putting in the effort but I am not sure what prompted you to write about e-GMAT. did-i-make-gmat-history-i-think-i-did-208344.html BTW – the two math forum moderators Engr2012 (he posted on your post here ) and Harley1980 are both e-GMAT students and have written longer debriefs then the debrief in question. Are you saying they are fake too.. Below are their debriefs for reference 650-to-750-a-10-month-journey-to-the-score-203190.html 740-q50-v40-awa-4-5-ir3-anti-debrief-203593.html#p1561103 Think about it… -Rajat Sadana

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