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I just took the GMAT today. I've been a lurker here for a while. I've used a lot of different strategies that have been suggested here, and I thought I would add my 2 cents as to what I thought helped me the most during my studies. Hopefully my story can help others in some way in their preparation.
Materials Used:
Math:
Total GMAT math- This resource was pretty good. I would give it about a 7.5/10. It seemed like it was missing a few important formulas/concepts, but overall I thought it was a very good resource for getting an overall picture of what was to be expected in the math section.
Extreme Challenge- I thought this set was great. It definitely had about 35% probability/combinatorics questions, but it was still top notch. (By the way, I only got one question of this type on the GMAT, and it was really basic compared to some of the practice problems I had taken, so I'm not sure it's worth the time freaking out about probability/combinatorics.)
GMAT Club Tests- These tests were very difficult. I got pretty frustrated with how hard these tests were. I thought a lot of the questions weren't very realistic, but after I took and reviewed the first 15 tests, I knew that I was very prepared for the math section the GMAT. These tests are very recommended, but don't get dismayed if you don't do well at first. I averaged around 26 out of 37 on these tests.
Verbal:
Powerscore CR Bible- This book was awesome. It made critical reasoning go from my weakest area in verbal to my strongest. It goes through every question type and discusses all the possible wrong/right answers one could face. I can't speak highly enough about this book.
Manhattan SC- This book was pretty good. I view it as a great way to start off one's SC study. Everyone should supplement this with lots and lots of practice (via the OG, OG Verbal, or GMAT Prep SC Doc).
RC 99- This book was pretty good at enhancing my RC ability. I read about 10 of the difficult passages. It got me used to the most obscure, difficult to decipher types of passages. I'm not sure if I recommend this or not. I would maybe suggest reading all of the OG and OG Verbal passages instead. I did read the Economist, specifically the Science and Technology section, and I believe that helped my reading comprehension a decent amount, so I would definitely suggest doing that as well.
The OG Verbal Supplement- This supplement was pretty good. I thought the questions were rather on the easy side compared to the actual GMAT, so I'm not sure how much it helped overall. It was definitely good practice though.
Overall:
The OG- This was a very good resource. Both the math and verbal questions were probably a little easy compared to the actual GMAT, but this book contained good practice overall. I would definitely go through this book as part of my preparation.
Here's a summary of how I would rate the materials I used:
Total GMAT Math- 7.5/10
Extreme Challenge- 9/10
GMAT Club Tests- 9/10
Powerscore CR Bible- 10/10
MGMAT SC Guide- 8/10
RC 99- 7.5/10
OG- 8/10
OG Verbal-7.5/10
My practice tests:
MGMAT 1: 730- The math was brutal in this test.
MGMAT 2:730- Again, the math was brutal
GMAT Prep 1:770
Test Day Experience:
I didn't do anything special on test day. I just ate what I normally eat for breakfast and lunch and then drove to to the test center. When I was taking the test, I thought to myself "This isn't going very well. I've definitely missed a lot of questions." The message here is that even if you don't think you're doing well, don't get dismayed, because you might be doing better than you think!
Overall:
I do feel that the GMAT is very learnable. It doesn't really matter what one's natural math and English language abilities are, hard work and perseverance are what matter. With enough time and smart study methods, anyone can do well on this test.
Materials Used:
Math:
Total GMAT math- This resource was pretty good. I would give it about a 7.5/10. It seemed like it was missing a few important formulas/concepts, but overall I thought it was a very good resource for getting an overall picture of what was to be expected in the math section.
Extreme Challenge- I thought this set was great. It definitely had about 35% probability/combinatorics questions, but it was still top notch. (By the way, I only got one question of this type on the GMAT, and it was really basic compared to some of the practice problems I had taken, so I'm not sure it's worth the time freaking out about probability/combinatorics.)
GMAT Club Tests- These tests were very difficult. I got pretty frustrated with how hard these tests were. I thought a lot of the questions weren't very realistic, but after I took and reviewed the first 15 tests, I knew that I was very prepared for the math section the GMAT. These tests are very recommended, but don't get dismayed if you don't do well at first. I averaged around 26 out of 37 on these tests.
Verbal:
Powerscore CR Bible- This book was awesome. It made critical reasoning go from my weakest area in verbal to my strongest. It goes through every question type and discusses all the possible wrong/right answers one could face. I can't speak highly enough about this book.
Manhattan SC- This book was pretty good. I view it as a great way to start off one's SC study. Everyone should supplement this with lots and lots of practice (via the OG, OG Verbal, or GMAT Prep SC Doc).
RC 99- This book was pretty good at enhancing my RC ability. I read about 10 of the difficult passages. It got me used to the most obscure, difficult to decipher types of passages. I'm not sure if I recommend this or not. I would maybe suggest reading all of the OG and OG Verbal passages instead. I did read the Economist, specifically the Science and Technology section, and I believe that helped my reading comprehension a decent amount, so I would definitely suggest doing that as well.
The OG Verbal Supplement- This supplement was pretty good. I thought the questions were rather on the easy side compared to the actual GMAT, so I'm not sure how much it helped overall. It was definitely good practice though.
Overall:
The OG- This was a very good resource. Both the math and verbal questions were probably a little easy compared to the actual GMAT, but this book contained good practice overall. I would definitely go through this book as part of my preparation.
Here's a summary of how I would rate the materials I used:
Total GMAT Math- 7.5/10
Extreme Challenge- 9/10
GMAT Club Tests- 9/10
Powerscore CR Bible- 10/10
MGMAT SC Guide- 8/10
RC 99- 7.5/10
OG- 8/10
OG Verbal-7.5/10
My practice tests:
MGMAT 1: 730- The math was brutal in this test.
MGMAT 2:730- Again, the math was brutal
GMAT Prep 1:770
Test Day Experience:
I didn't do anything special on test day. I just ate what I normally eat for breakfast and lunch and then drove to to the test center. When I was taking the test, I thought to myself "This isn't going very well. I've definitely missed a lot of questions." The message here is that even if you don't think you're doing well, don't get dismayed, because you might be doing better than you think!
Overall:
I do feel that the GMAT is very learnable. It doesn't really matter what one's natural math and English language abilities are, hard work and perseverance are what matter. With enough time and smart study methods, anyone can do well on this test.
22 Nov 2010, 22:54
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