I recently sat for the GMAT and got a score of 780 - one I am very happy with. This forum was very useful to me in my GMAT studies, both in the introductory phase when I was trying to figure out what materials to get as well as during the deep study phase. I figured the least I could do is post my experience here so that others can benefit from it. 1. Time Required: I studied for about 1.5 months. I was working during this time, but I should mention that I studied intensely, basically doing not much else except work and study. I actually kept a log of my hours (because I kept hearing that most who got over 700 studied over 100 hours), and it turns out I studied 170 hours! That's over 25 hours a week - most of it on weekends. So be prepared to basically not have a social life if you choose to study intensely for a shorter period like I did. 2. Materials: I first got the Official Guide book to familiarize myself with the content. I tried the Diagnostic Test; did not fare too well. I realized my math skills were rusty (I could not for the life of me remember the relationship between angles, etc, which I probably studied in high school) and I also had no foundation for some aspects of GMAT Quant Questions (some aspects of number properties I don't think I had ever studied in that fashion). I also had trouble with SC because I didn't know the grammar rules. So, I looked up gmatclub to see what study materials were recommended. I ordered the Manhattan GMAT 8-book set, and that's all I used essentially. I think those books are more than enough. Diligently read through each of the chapters in Quant, do the practice questions, and you should see your Quant skills visibly improve. Similarly reading through the Sentence Construction book should help you learn the rules and see patterns in SC questions. The CR and RC books are less useful, but that because I think there's very little a book can do to improve your CR or RC skills. You probably just have to know the techniques (the MGMAT book gives you a few of those) and practice. Note: I also ordered the Official Guide Quant and Official Guide Verbal books because they go hand in hand with the MGMAT books. The MGMAT books refer to questions from the Quant and Verbal books. 3. CAT Practice: Once I was done going through the MGMAT books (it also meant I was done with all the questions in OG, OG Quant and OG Verbal), I started on the CATs. This was with about 3 weeks left. I did the GMATPrep first, scored a 770, then went on to start the MGMAT CATs. My scores were lower on the MGMATS, starting at around 720/730 and getting to 770/780 towards the end. I did two more GMAT Preps, and got a 790 on both. Lesson learnt: GMAT Prep score is pretty close to the real thing, the MGMAT is slightly (very slightly) tougher from both the Quant and Verbal perspective. I mixed in a Kaplan test (which I do NOT recommend), and Knewton test (was okay) and a Princeton Review test (again, I do NOT recommend). I also did a few GMAT Club tests (those that were free) just to build my quant skills, but the question difficulty level was higher than what is needed for the GMAT. While undergoing this practice test phase of my studies, I also went through the MGMAT Quant books one more time, just to solidify the concepts in my brain. I just read the chapters, somewhat quickly, and did not do any of the practice questions. Note: I only did the AWA part on two of the practice tests. For the others, I would just do other 'brain exhausting' activities, such as doing MGMAT Question bank or reading the book for about 1-2 hours before I started on the test. I recommend, just as many others do, not wasting too much time on AWA when you could be improving your Quant or Verbal. 4. AWA: As the test day came nearer, I got more nervous about the AWA section as there weren't any materials to prepare for it. I looked at the guide to AWA posted on this forum as well as on beatthegmat (sorry, guys), and sort of combined it to build my own template. I leaned more towards the one posted on this forum. I wrote about 6 essays as practice (three of each type) just to make sure I was comfortable writing a 500 word essay within the 30 mins time span and was comfortable with the structure. That was sufficient; I got a 6.0 on the actual test. I've realized you don't need to be that good to score well on the AWA. You just need to have good grammar, a structure for your essay, and some basic verbal/essay writing skills. So no need to freak out too much about AWA (as I did). 5. Day before the test: Some people say you should relax the day before, some people say you should study. I ended up studying even though I wanted to relax. I think it worked out. My advice would be to do one CAT test the day before - it only takes about 2 hours and might be helpful to get your brain going. Although, I would also stress what others have said that you should rest well, definitely not study late into the night (especially if you have a morning test). Basically being fresh, happy and healthy on the day of the exam is important, so do whatever it takes to get there - whether it is sufficient sleep, nutrition, exercise, etc. 6. Day of test: The day of the test went surprisingly well considering all I was planning for. I was so worried about being too hungry in the middle of the test or not having enough time during the breaks. Trust me, when your brain is in the test mode, it will have very little time to think about hunger. I went in fully prepared with two types of snacks but ended up not eating much. Just be sure to eat enough prior to the test such that it will last you but also not make you sleepy. I had a bagel and coffee about an hour prior to the test. It lasted me through the test. Bring food just in case but no need to stress out too much about it. I say this because I was stressed about such things, so want to make sure others aren't. There's sufficient time during the break to go to the restroom, take a quick bite or drink and go back in. (The good thing about the GMAT is people's test and break timings are usually staggered - there was no line in the restroom whenever I went). I thought I would have trouble with stamina but the entire test experience completed surprisingly quickly - maybe the adrenaline gets you through. Ear plugs were provided and I had almost no distractions. The laminated paper provided was more than enough because I only used it for my AWA outline and the Quant section. Again, things I was unduly worried about. But that's it, at the end of it I was DONE! Thanks again gmatclub and all its posters for helping me with my GMAT Prep. I'm happy that the studying part is finally over so I can get back to having a life, but I'm sure once I start on apps it will be tough again. The above is what I thought was important to share. I should add the caveat that everyone has different studying styles so what worked for me may not work for everyone. I hope it is at least helpful to hear about an experience. If anyone has further questions, I would be happy to answer. Good luck to everyone!

Last visit was: 20 Nov 2025, 08:18

It is currently 20 Nov 2025, 08:18

Toolkit

Share GMAT Experience

GMAT Club Daily Prep

Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.

Go to My Error Log Learn more

Request Expert Reply

Confirm Cancel

Nov 20
UCR MBA Impact - Live Q&A with UCR AdCom & Student
07:30 AM PST
-
08:30 AM PST
Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
Nov 20
Biggest GMAT Sale of the Year: 25% Off
11:00 AM EST
-
11:59 PM EST
Don’t miss Target Test Prep’s biggest sale of the year! Grab 25% off any Target Test Prep GMAT plan during our Black Friday sale. Just enter the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY25 at checkout to save up to $625.
Nov 20
GMAT 675 with 96th percentile in DI- Kamakshi’s Winning Strategy
01:30 PM EST
-
02:30 PM IST
Learn how Kamakshi achieved a GMAT 675 with an impressive 96th %ile in Data Insights. Discover the unique methods and exam strategies that helped her excel in DI along with other sections for a balanced and high score.
Nov 22
Solving 700+ level Boldface & Paradox CR Qs (Free Webinar)
06:30 AM PST
-
08:30 AM PST
Let’s dive deep into advanced CR to ace GMAT Focus! Join this webinar to unlock the secrets to conquering Boldface and Paradox questions with expert insights and strategies. Elevate your skills and boost your GMAT Verbal Score now!
Nov 22
GMAT RC Masterclass
11:00 AM IST
-
01:00 PM IST
Do RC/MSR passages scare you? e-GMAT is conducting a masterclass to help you learn – Learn effective reading strategies Tackle difficult RC & MSR with confidence Excel in timed test environment
Nov 22
GRE Practice Test #46 - Free GRE Practice Covering Quant, Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence
12:00 PM PST
-
12:30 PM PST
olve GRE practice problems covering Quantitative reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and Reading Comprehension Problems. Take this GRE practice quiz live with peers, analyze your GRE study progress,
Nov 23
GMAT Quiz #49 - GMAT Practice Covering Quant, Verbal, RC, & Data Insights
10:00 AM PST
-
11:00 AM PST
GMAT practice session and solve 30 challenging GMAT questions with other test takers in timed conditions, covering GMAT Quant, Data Sufficiency, Data Insights, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Reasoning questions.
Nov 23
Conquer Algebra on the GMAT Focus Edition
11:00 AM IST
-
01:00 PM IST
Attend this free GMAT Algebra Webinar and learn how to master the most challenging Inequalities and Absolute Value problems with ease.
Nov 24
FREE Focus Edition Mock!
07:00 PM PST
-
08:00 PM PST
Full-length FE mock with insightful analytics, weakness diagnosis, and video explanations!
Nov 30
Black Friday Sale: $325 Off TTP OnDemand
10:00 AM EST
-
11:59 PM EST
Get $325 off the TTP OnDemand GMAT masterclass by using the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY25 at checkout. If you prefer learning through engaging video lessons, TTP OnDemand GMAT is exactly what you need.

Back to Forum

Create Topic

780 (Q51, V46)

1 2 3

vittarr

Joined: 17 Apr 2010

Last visit: 04 Jul 2013

Posts: 26

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 2

Affiliations: ACCA

Concentration: Finance

Schools:IMD, Insead, LBS, IE, Cambridge, Oxford

GPA: 4.74 out of 5

Posts: 26

Kudos: 20

23 Jul 2010, 15:10

Kudos

Bookmarks

Great scores, congratulations.

Posted from my mobile device

celticsx34

Joined: 06 May 2010

Last visit: 29 Jul 2011

Posts: 6

Given Kudos: 4

Posts: 6

Kudos: 0

23 Jul 2010, 19:16

Kudos

Bookmarks

Congratulations on the score!

Did you find that you mastered everything MGMAT was able to throw at you or were there some topics that just did not stick...even at the end?

Posted from my mobile device

pranrasvij

Joined: 15 Apr 2010

Last visit: 30 May 2013

Posts: 131

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 29

Posts: 131

Kudos: 23

23 Jul 2010, 19:48

Kudos

Bookmarks

amazing score... thanks for sharing... marking it as a favorite to come back for inspiration:)

resh

GRE Forum Moderator

Joined: 21 Jun 2010

Last visit: 01 May 2012

Posts: 193

Own Kudos:

191

Given Kudos: 2

Affiliations: PMP certified, IT professional

Location: USA

Concentration: MS -IS

Schools:CMU, Kelley

GPA: 3.7

Posts: 193

Kudos: 191

23 Jul 2010, 22:49

Kudos

Bookmarks

I am sure it took a great deal of perseverance to get this score while studying with job. Congrats , awesome score!!

resh

GRE Forum Moderator

Joined: 21 Jun 2010

Last visit: 01 May 2012

Posts: 193

Own Kudos:

191

Given Kudos: 2

Affiliations: PMP certified, IT professional

Location: USA

Concentration: MS -IS

Schools:CMU, Kelley

GPA: 3.7

Posts: 193

Kudos: 191

23 Jul 2010, 22:51

Kudos

Bookmarks

Did u use any general strategy books like Kaplan or Cracking GMAT before MGMAT books or did you start preparing with MGMAT books?

dokiyoki

Joined: 17 Aug 2009

Last visit: 11 Mar 2013

Posts: 184

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 18

Posts: 184

Kudos: 22

23 Jul 2010, 22:58

Kudos

Bookmarks

Great score. Congratulations !

gmatbull

Joined: 21 Dec 2009

Last visit: 04 Feb 2018

Posts: 334

Own Kudos:

2,674

Given Kudos: 20

Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Finance

Posts: 334

Kudos: 2,674

24 Jul 2010, 01:57

Kudos

Bookmarks

congratulations on your superb performance. Good luck in your next stage.

ohfred

Joined: 02 Apr 2010

Last visit: 28 Jun 2014

Posts: 37

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 1

Posts: 37

Kudos: 76

24 Jul 2010, 06:31

Kudos

Bookmarks

Congrats!!!

gurpreetsingh

Joined: 12 Oct 2009

Last visit: 15 Jun 2019

Posts: 2,272

Own Kudos:

3,915

Given Kudos: 235

Status:<strong>Nothing comes easy: neither do I want.</strong>

Location: Malaysia

Concentration: Technology, Entrepreneurship

Schools: ISB '15 (M)

GMAT 1: 670 Q49 V31 Verified score

GMAT 2: 710 Q50 V35 Verified score

Products:

Schools: ISB '15 (M)

GMAT 2: 710 Q50 V35 Verified score

Posts: 2,272

Kudos: 3,915

24 Jul 2010, 09:15

Kudos

Bookmarks

Please a minute and review your test center. Follow the link:

review-gmat-centers-96476.html

hacker

Joined: 08 Mar 2010

Last visit: 21 Nov 2017

Posts: 54

Own Kudos:

109

Given Kudos: 40

Status:Bouncing back from failure

Concentration: SCM, Strategy, General Management

WE 1: 7 years- Service Managament, poject Management, Business Consultant- Retail

Products:

Schools: Tepper '18

Posts: 54

Kudos: 109

25 Jul 2010, 06:51

Kudos

Bookmarks

Congrats !!!

farukhawais

Joined: 12 Jun 2010

Last visit: 29 Jul 2010

Posts: 39

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 14

Posts: 39

Kudos: 49

25 Jul 2010, 21:16

Kudos

Bookmarks

very good advices. Thanks for sharing. I would definitely work on these.
Congrats on your excellent score and good luck for your MBA!
Regards
Farukh

bogos

Joined: 03 Mar 2010

Last visit: 27 May 2011

Posts: 22

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 1

Posts: 22

Kudos: 37

29 Jul 2010, 08:06

Kudos

Bookmarks

Congrats!

NishaTG

Joined: 24 May 2010

Last visit: 02 Feb 2012

Posts: 77

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 1

Posts: 77

Kudos: 40

29 Jul 2010, 17:03

Kudos

Bookmarks

Thanks to everyone who said congrats or gave me kudos. Now to answer the questions..

akaydee

Did you prepare any flashcards/notes during your preparation? It would be great if you could share those with the members at GMAT Club.
- Were the math questions on the real GMAT similar to those in the GMAT prep/OG? Any advice for us doing well on the math section apart going through OG guides?

I did not make much use of Flash cards. I used Slingfox's notes (thanks slingfox!) for an additional review. I did not prepare notes of my own.

Yes I think the math questions in the GMAT were very similar to GMAT Prep/OG, though just a slight notch harder I felt (maybe because of the stress of exam day). I think in general they are very comparable.

must82

If you dont mind could you please your background? Are you international student, Are you engineer etc...

vudsri000

IS English your native language ?

English is not my native language, but I did grow up learning English, so I guess you could say it is a strong second language. I grew up in an English speaking country in Asia. I think my comfort with English helped me in CR and RC but SC needed serious help. In terms of other background, I work in finance.

angsh08

I think u r basically 700+ person. That is the reason you have never got below 700+ in CAT :wink:

Thanks for the compliment, but that's not entirely true. In my diagnostic/early tests, I got about 600+. It was the Manhattan GMAT books and OG practice that caused the improvement.

prepgmat09

Could you tell us how much did you score on Knewton test?

I think Knewton score was 770.

celticsx34

Did you find that you mastered everything MGMAT was able to throw at you or were there some topics that just did not stick...even at the end?

I was able to follow everything on the MGMAT while I was reading it, but I wouldn't call it 'mastered'. I still got many questions wrong, and had trouble remembering all the concepts at the end of it. I think the second read helped, and practicing with questions helped.

resh

Did u use any general strategy books like Kaplan or Cracking GMAT before MGMAT books or did you start preparing with MGMAT books?

I started directly with the MGMAT books.

randompattern

Joined: 14 Jul 2010

Last visit: 09 Apr 2012

Posts: 42

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 5

Schools:CMU Tepper

Posts: 42

Kudos: 5

29 Jul 2010, 17:56

Kudos

Bookmarks

Wow congrats! You said you had trouble with the math but you pulled off a Q51, that's nuts!

Achieve750

Joined: 28 Jul 2010

Last visit: 28 Nov 2010

Posts: 4

Given Kudos: 10

Location: Texas

Posts: 4

Kudos: 0

29 Jul 2010, 19:33

Kudos

Bookmarks

Wow! Congratulations! Thank you very much for your advise.

imania

Joined: 22 Jun 2010

Last visit: 25 Dec 2014

Posts: 60

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 13

Posts: 60

Kudos: 87

30 Jul 2010, 06:22

Kudos

Bookmarks

wow, you rock man! Unbelievable

the rest shan't be a obstacle then.
good luck with yr apps!

Orange08

Joined: 25 Jul 2010

Last visit: 24 Oct 2010

Posts: 75

Own Kudos:

3,794

Given Kudos: 29

Posts: 75

Kudos: 3,794

31 Jul 2010, 06:30

Kudos

Bookmarks

Excellent score. Congrats.

lrogers85

Joined: 31 Jul 2010

Last visit: 17 Apr 2012

Posts: 5

Kudos: 0

31 Jul 2010, 06:43

Kudos

Bookmarks

Congrats!!! AMAzing score!

I have two questions though, what are the CATs and how can I access them? Sorry I am new here and not familiar with the lingo. And also are the gmatpreps contained within the official guide?

chan08

Joined: 04 May 2010

Last visit: 13 Sep 2016

Posts: 6

Given Kudos: 1

Posts: 6

Kudos: 0

01 Aug 2010, 18:05

Kudos

Bookmarks

Congrats! Thanks for sharing...this is very useful!

hacker

Joined: 08 Mar 2010

Last visit: 21 Nov 2017

Posts: 54

Own Kudos:

109

Given Kudos: 40

Status:Bouncing back from failure

Concentration: SCM, Strategy, General Management

WE 1: 7 years- Service Managament, poject Management, Business Consultant- Retail

Products:

Schools: Tepper '18

Posts: 54

Kudos: 109

03 Aug 2010, 22:45

Kudos

Bookmarks

Congrats for your massive score

1 2 3

Moderator:

Founder

42395 posts

Prep Toolkit

Announcements

Join YouTube Live with UCR AdCom & Student Ambassador

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for New Videos on GMAT Strategies

Master in Management, Finance, Business Analytics and more Master’s Programs!

Top GMAT Focus Debriefs

	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $79 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $325 $200 Discount + $79 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

780 (Q51, V46)

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards