Edit: I had to take out all links because I don't have enough posts. My apologies.
Hey guys,
Firstly, I love the community that has been built here. Great job to bb and all of the users and moderators!
A few days ago, I knew very little about the GMAT, other than that I had to take it to get into a good MBA program.
I've learned a lot reading topics on this forum and I thank you guys for that.
I downloaded v2 of the GMATPrep software from here (because the link for the latest version was not working). I wanted to see what type of score I would get without having any GMAT-specific prep. Literally, I didn't even know about the types of questions on the GMAT when I went to take the practice test. I wanted to see my "natural" score. Based on my own evaluation and the chart on this forum, I predicted I would get a 45Q, 31V -> 630 total.
To my surprise, I got a
48Q, 38V for a score of 710! This score is probably inflated because I had to split up the Q and V into two different days. Based on the calculators and accounting for other errors, I'd say my real score would be in the range of 660-720.
My question is, where do I go from here to maximize efficiency? I've read a ton of the posts (such as this one and this one), but I'd like your specific suggestions. I bought an LSAT book so I can get a better score on the verbal by tackling tough questions (a strategy I saw recommended by someone - gmatninja? - in some post).
My goal: At least 750 total score. Where I'll be applying: Harvard Business School, Stanford University, UPenn Wharton, and MIT Sloan.
Are solutions to the GMATPrep questions published somewhere? The software only allowed me to see the correct answer; seeing the solutions would be far more useful. I don't want to have to type out each question online to see the solution...
Also, I didn't get stumped at all by any of the vocabulary... Does the GMAT not really test vocabulary? I've seen a bunch of sites offering GMAT flashcards with words I definitely don't know, so I was curious. When I took the SATs, vocab was one of the biggest reasons for my sub-700 score on the critical reading section (680).
Since this was the first time I've ever taken a GMAT practice test, I didn't know much about the timing... I just went quickly throughout the whole thing. I ended up with 15 minutes extra in the quant section and 22 minutes extra in the verbal section... I might've been able to do better if I knew I'd have so much time left.
More detailed breakdown so you could perhaps guide me in the right direction...
GMATPrep v2.0
48Q
37 questions
12 incorrect - 8 of which were data sufficiency questions (this was the first time I saw a question of this type)
38V
41 questions
10 incorrect
--> 6 Sentence Correction (SC)
--> 3 Reading Comprehension (RC)
--> 1 Critical Reasoning (CR)
Time to prepare: At least six months or so. I'll take it sooner if I'm ready.
Any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading! I hope to be able to help out other test takers one of these days...
P.S. I know there's a new section on the GMAT now. These current sections aren't affected by it though, right?