760 (Q47, V48, IR8) on the cheap!

Hi everyone,

I scored a 760 on my second attempt and I'm happy to say I am done with the GMAT. After writing the Canadian CPA Common Final Exam last summer it's a relief to think I may never have to write an intimidating exam again!

I thought I would share my experience as it's a little different from what most people post on here. The biggest difference is I used free materials from my local public library and only paid for the official mock tests. I think exam prep tutors are a great investment if you have the money as plenty of people on this forum have sung their praises. Also, TTP seems to be a great system. However, I think if you have a well laid-out study plan and are disciplined it is possible to achieve a good score without breaking the bank.

The other thing I would stress is do not be afraid of re-taking the exam. I was pretty happy with the 740 on my first attempt, but I really wanted that "perfect day" where I matched my best-ever mock score. The cost of taking the exam a second time is significant, but remember that 20 or 30 additional points may be the difference between no financial assistance and a generous scholarship. Also, if you end your GMAT prep and need to return to it later after not getting into your target schools it will be a huge mental hurdle to start all over again. Make sure you are walking away with the best score you are capable of before suspending your studies.

Following is a list of my study materials and test scores. If anyone has questions, fire away or PM me!

***Disclaimer*** I am a native English speaker and verbal came easy to me. I realize I am lucky that I didn't have to spend months reading books, learning sentence structure, or memorizing idioms. If you want tips on tackling verbal I am not the person to ask.

Materials:

• The Princeton Review GMAT Premium Plus (local library). I spent a week or two going through this book and found it mostly useless. The verbal tips were common sense to me and the math concepts I was struggling with were not covered in enough depth. This book falls under the category of "teaches useless methods but not the underlying theories".
• Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus (local library). I didn't spend too much time going through this book, but I did pull the online access code from the library book and used it to take a diagnostic test. This book belongs in the same category as The Princeton Review's study material discussed above.
• MGMAT algebra and geometry guides (local library). These books were a big boost to my quant. They taught the underlying theories which I found far more useful than the Princeton or Kaplan "tricks".
• GMAT OG, Verbal Review, and Quant Review (local library). These materials are where I spent most of my time, although I never ended up cracking open the Verbal Review book.
• GMATPrep mock tests one through six (one and two are free, and I bought tests three through six). BUY THESE MOCKS. If you don't want to spend money on anything else, but these mock exams. They are a great tool to assess your progress.
• GMAT Ninja YouTube channel. This is a free resource that I found very useful for verbal prep. Charles has a way with words and I found his RC and CR videos very helpful.
• Crack Verbal YouTube channel (especially Aditya Kumar's videos). If there is a specific topic that is really tricky for you, take a look at Crack Verbal's channel and see if they have a video on the topic.

Tests:

• Kaplan diagnostic, October 8, 2022: 660 (Q45, V36, IR6)
• GMATPrep test 1, October 16, 2022: 700 (Q46, V41, IR8)
• GMAT Prep test 2, November 5, 2022: 740 (Q47, V46, IR8)
• GMAT Prep test 3, December 4, 2022: 720 (Q48, V40, IR8)
• GMATPrep test 4, December 11, 2022: 740 (Q46, V45, IR7)
• GMAT Prep test 5, December 18, 2022: 730 (Q47, V44, IR8)
• GMAT Prep test 6, December 30, 2022: 760 (Q48, V48, IR8)
• Attempt 1, January 5, 2023 (740, Q47, V45, IR7)
• GMAT Prep test 1, January 14, 2023: 750 (Q48, V45, IR8)
• Attempt 2, January 23, 2023: 760 (Q47, V48, IR8)