750 (Q47, V47)

My GMAT adventure ended in an anti-climax. A bit disappointed with my quant percentile (77). I am an engineer by profession and have had math courses all my life so I 100% feel that I can do better. I would be glad to hear from you guys if you think I should have a 2nd go at it. I would say that my verbal score (99 percentile) is outstanding coz I'm not a native speaker. I am in the most competitive candidate pool (no prizes for guessing) so I feel that I should be doing better even though the thought of preparing for the test again is depressing. I have been very restless since I finished the exam

I have an undergraduate engineering degree from a large non-US university with average reputation. To add salt to the wounds, my grades which were stellar until high school turned average in undergrad. I would say that its not due to lack of ability but I chilled out a bit too much in those days. However, my overall good profile was noticed and that helped me to get an admit and eventually a Masters degree from a top 25-30 US university (my GPA was around 3.5) and have been working in America for a couple of years now. I also have decent work experience as a student (in US).



Preparation:

Anyways, I started with light preparation about two months ago but most of the prep happened in the last one month. I did not take any vacation and only studied after work and on saturdays. I did not take any prep classes.

I used the OG 12th Edition ($20 approx), Kaplan Live Online book and online resources which include practice tests and quizzes ($25 approx), borrowed a MGMAT SC book from a friend and also accessed the online tests. So that's GMAT in $45.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Slingfox, whose quant notes I found to be quite useful, and the authors/compilers of the gmatclub math review book (bunuel, walker, sriharimurthy et al). In addition to the resources mentioned so far, I randomly solved 700+ questions from the gmatclub forum and other places on the internet.

Practice tests:

I completed 5 MGMAT tests and 4 Kaplan tests in addition to GMATPrep (which I took in the last two weeks before the official test)

MGMAT #1: 650
MGMAT #2: 660
MGMAT #3: 670
MGMAT #4: 730 (Quant untimed)
MGMAT #5: 740(Quant untimed)

My suggestion here is to take these tests untimed to build a knowledge base. Timing will come by itself once you are well versed with the topics.

Kaplan: #1: 650
Kaplan #2: 690
Kaplan #3: 740
Kaplan #4: 690

GMATPrep #1: 740
GMATPrep #2: 760


I don't think I have enough credibility to preach about quant strategies so I'll just stick to verbal. SC is quite difficult for people who are not already well versed with grammar. I used the MGMAT SC book but I felt the content was too "technical" i.e all explanations were like a formula (verb+preposition+ing means this, conjuction+blah is blah etc). I was not comfortable with that type of approach so I just trusted my instinct and used the book to solve the practice questions after each chapter. Looking at the answers helped me fine tune my SC section. As for CR, I feel the only way that can be accomplished is to practice as much as possible. Anyone can be good at CR, not necessarily native English speakers. Just pay attention to the type of answers that are usually correct (answers that are extreme are almost always wrong) and read the question very carefully before deciding on what to look for in an answer. RC will need the same approach as CR. Just make sure you don't get sleepy after reading the boring passages they put up on the test

Test day:

I was 90% confident and 10% nervous going into the test. I started earlier than my time slot. I scheduled the test for noon coz I am not a morning person. I woke up late, ate a light breakfast and then ate bananas and cereal bars before the test. I brought some Gatorade and Red Bull along. After the AWA break, I drank some Gatorade and ate half of a Snickers bar. After quant, I drank some Red Bull to get some wingssss. Quant experience was mixed, I got questions ranging from easy to tough and ultimately it ended up in a damp squib. Verbal, I got challenging questions right from the start so I was always cool and confident. Timing was comfortable in both sections. Once I checked the score, my heart sank with disappointment Even if had gotten 48 in quant I would not have been thinking so much about it. Once again, I request the wise men of this village to speak up and help me make a decision whether to take the test again or be content with what I have.

Note: In case it helps decide my case, I am not interested in going into the finance stream. Primary interest is towards Strategy/Management.

Bonus:

To bring out the Barbarian in you, I would recommend listening to the soundtrack of Conan The Barbarian (starring the guv'nor of CA). Great composition by Basil Poledouris and feels even better with the action scenes in the movie. The story is awful but well directed and the music is the best part of it all. I listened to a couple of tracks before I started for the test and I was ready to plunder a village on the way...

#1 Anvil of Crom
#2 Riddle of Steel/Raiders of Doom
#3 Battle of the Mounds to finish it off

Disclaimer: This bonus publicity was not paid for by Dino De Laurentis or by the governor.