first attempt GMAT score 760

@chaitnaya
Mind blowing score and that too on the very first attempt.
I was just curious to know how intelligent are people with 760. I mean, do you think that if you want to achieve a 760, you need to be extraordinarily brilliant or can it be achieved with the requisite amount of hardwork. Would you say that you were already brilliant from your school days and 760 was no exception to your streak of record or would you say that you were average at studies and by putting the right strategy,you could achieve such a fete ?

I wanted to know this because I really want to know what a person with a 760 is like ?

I haven't taken the GMAT so I am not exactly the right person to comment on this. However, I believe that there's nothing in the world that you can't achieve by working hard rather smart. True, there are people who are really brilliant and don't have to slog a lot but not all the achievers are whiz kids,a lot of people succeed by not giving up.
I think one of the lessons I have learnt as I progress on my GMAT journey is that not only working hard is important but working hard the right way is the game-changer. Right from the way you analyze questions to the number of hours you study for the exam should be correct. And when you do that ,then you get set on being a high achiever.

hi invincibleforce

I wont say a 760 was easy, I had to work real hard to achieve such a score.
My background in academics has been good. I have been in the top 5% of my class throughout my school and college days. But, in no way this meant that Gmat would be easy for me. I studied for approximately four months.
I would say it does not really matter if you are a average student or a brilliant one, the strategy and hard work are more important.

Thanks shalini and chaitanya for your responses. Will get back in case if I have any queries. By the way, where all do you plan to apply to chaitanya. Plain curious!

Vow great score. Many Congratulations!

Chaitanya, did you just use e-gmat for SC? and not CR? the reason i am asking is how many hours of practice one needs on SC and CR from e-gmat course. It seems you went through the e-gmat material for 2 weeks roughly before you gave your next practice test.

hi agdimple333
When i enrolled for the E -gmat course, no CR course was on offer. I took those two weeks as I wanted to improve on my mistakes. By that time I knew where i lacked.
For SC I would say its more about quality so you may be able to grasp a concept faster than me and get over with the course fast.
The way i see it, you should solve 20 questions of each SC, CR and RC daily.
The more you practice the better you get. Once you have learnt a new concept, revise it daily and make your own notes no matter how concise the book is. The notes help immensely on the revision front.
I am really not sure why i took the E-gmat course i had already done Manhattan SC and Aristotle SC grail. But the additional effort really paid off.

Hi Chaitanya,
I took a GMATPREP today after preparing for almost one month. Got a 650 only with just 30 on Verbal . I'm really disappointed with the score .Can you please suggest how should I do things differently to improve my score to 40 ? I value your opinion and would love to hear your insights.

hi invincibleforce
First you need to analyse your test. what was your Quant score??
If it is good enough, then focus only on verbal.
Start by analyzing which types you got wrong
segregate the number of Qs you got wrong in SC, CR and RC
then pick up the topic with the maximum no of incorrect answers
Now, find the solutions on the net they are available in Gmatclub as well.
Find out why did you get the question wrong. compare your thought process with the one that is right.
let me know which part you are worst at , accordingly i will suggest the study plan

Thanks, Chaitanya for the strategy. My Quant score was 47 which is though not a great score but is at least not a bad one.
I got maximum number of questions wrong on RC. Though SC and CR were also not great. The problem I face in SC and CR is that I am able to eliminated three options but am always stuck between the last two .As a result, I end up wasting a lot of time.Words of wisdom required please.

I guess everyone goes through this stage one time or the other during their gmat prep, what you really need is more practice. for rc start practicing the RC material from Aristotle, it is really good, also you can try the LSAT RC n CR material... it helps on the gmat. lsat is slightly tougher so once you have solved more difficult questions, gmat ones appear simpler. Also, solving really difficult questions opens up the brain.
For CR buy the Powerscore GMAT CR book, it is the best book on CR.
then solve questions on CR from Aristotle website, these are free.
after this you can go for lsat questions.

For SC, the Aristotle SC grail will help you to decide between the last two options it has a good set of rules, but they will only work if the rules are on your fingertips.
the list of idioms and all the other things should be memorized and revised every morning. Also Manhattan SC is a good book but then it is slightly more complicated. But if you memorize the whole book and recall all the rules then theres no need for Aristotle SC grail.

Solve at least 20 questions of each section (SC, CR, RC, DS, PS) daily.
if you do not have enough questions you can use the 1000 series. for maths the nova books are great.

What a fantastic story, chaitanyadawer. Reading your story gave me much hope. I also have planned to go through the books you listed and I hope I can get similar results. Can you tell me how many hours reading those books cost you, approximately? 100? 200? 300+?

You're score is great man. I believe your first attempt 760 is as good as a 3rd attempt 790 in admission council's eyes. Don't worry about the AWA. 5 suffices. Have you taken TOEFL? Writing score in TOEFL can better show your writing skills. Mine is 28 in TOEFL so I may target a 5 in GMAT, too. They understand that no wise gmat taker will drain his energy on the AWA, risking the rest of the exam. Best luck to you, bro.

hi saeedt

i have not given my TOEFL yet, the score is valid for two years so i will appear for the exam early next year. I plan to apply for the class of 2015 , hence i will start my application work next year and hopefully i will get accepted somewhere. I am involved in family business with my father.

i have given or I have NOT given?

Thanks Chaitanya. I will start practicing RCs from RC99 and see whether my accuracy improves. Thinking of going through the SC Grail thoroughly and then plan to do the 100 questions at the end of the book. I think that will help me consolidate my SC .
Thanks a ton for your advice. As always, I value it greatly!

i have edited the reply.

well done man! it is exactly my target!

Congrats! I wish I could get a score like that Are you planning to apply to ISB ?