Four days to go! Any last-minute advice?

Question

I'm scheduled to take the GMAT on Monday, March 29. That leaves me with only four more days of precious prep time, so I'm looking for advice on how to spend them.

As background, I've completed the 9-week online MGMAT course, read all of the strategy guides, and worked through a fair chunk of the OG guides. Though I've never done very well on the MGMAT CATs (scores range from 610-670), I scored 720 and 740 on GMAT Prep 1 and 2, respectively (the 740 was last weekend).

I think I've put in enough study time to know my weak areas. I'm generally bad on the quant section, but particularly poor with inequalities, absolute value, geometry and probability / combinatorics. Is it worth me expending much effort reviewing these topics in depth at this point in the game, or should I just be doing 15-20 practice questions per day?

I've read time and again that it is a bad idea to work the day before exam day. What about two days before? Three?

Thanks in advance for your input.

mohater · Answer

Hello carriedinterest,

People tend to agree GMATPrep is as close as you can get to the real thing. The same people have reported MGMAT exams tend to be a bit more difficult than the real thing.

My advice:

Review your error log, brush up on the fundamentals in quant where you're falling short (algebra, exponential, geometry, etc.).

Regarding burning out: YES - DO NOT BURN OUT THE DAY BEFORE THE TEST. Feel free to do some final review two days or the day before the test, but DO NOT BURN OUT.

Make sure you rest, have a well thought out meal (something that should NOT upset your stomach), carry snacks with you (energy bar, energy drink water, etc.) to store in the locker and dress very comfortably.

Best of luck,

gurpreetsingh · Answer

Along with the advice stated above, take confidence with you. Just be confident and have killing spirit.

good luck and keep us updated.

carriedinterest · Answer

24 hours to go! I've spent the last two days working through chunks of the OG. Felt like I had hit my stride a few days ago, then yesterday only nailed about 75% of a question set that I regard as being of 600-650 level difficulty. Yikes.

Plan for the day is to work through 20-30 more quant questions of varying difficulty, followed by a few CR, SC and RC questions just for good measure. After that, it's chill time - I'll go to the movies tonight and (try to) get a good night of sleep.

lonewolf · Answer

Take some time off and stay confident. I am sure you will do well and ace it

Best of luck

FlimFlam · Answer

Best of luck- youve done all you can- go forth and conquer!

ThomasD · Answer

Too late for any last advice, but GOOD Luck!

TimeSquareDesi · Answer

best of luck dude. try to get some good rest.

carriedinterest · Answer

Just back from the testing center. I considered providing a play-by-play rundown, but figured I'd just cut to the chase. I scored 690 (Q42, V42), which (in my view) is the most frustrating score possible. I was consistently hitting 720+ on GMAT Prep in the weeks before the exam, so believe that I didn't quite realize my potential today.

The obvious question: should I re-take? I'm targeting top-10 schools, so understand that a strong GMAT score is important. However, I believe that I have a solid application even with the 690 - a 3.9 GPA from a top-tier undergrad, a Masters degree from a top-5 international university, international work experience, etc.

Can't stomach the thought of having to study for another month just to wrangle another 10-20 points.

I know this is a difficult one to answer, but any insights are welcome.

TimeSquareDesi · Answer

#1 - congrats on the 690. that's not a bad score by any means.

#2 - since your profile does look promising, i'd apply to the schools you want but be 100% certain your essays are convincing and persuasive. there are tons of stories on this site about people scoring 780s and 800s and not getting into schools they wanted to go to. the gmat is only a part of the whole picture adcoms looks at. i'd say you would have a good chance of getting in considering your essays and ability to "sell yourself" is good.

#3 - although many say gmatprep/mgmat cats are great at guaging your possible score on the real gmat, i beg to differ. these are mock exams and, at best, only serve to be good sample problems, IMO. the score you get on them may be close to what you get on the real deal but they always vary. i've been digging through this site for a while and have seen variations in scores from +/- 50 points which, when you think about it, isn't all that accurate.... it's certainly better than nothing however. :lol:

good luck with your apps and let us know how it goes.

good luck with your apps and let us know how it goes.

msand · Answer

Congrats for your 690. It is a very good score. You have already a solid profile for a good b school. Still if you think you can increase 10 - 20 points by study of another month , you could think of giving it one more try.

carriedinterest · Answer

Thanks for the kind words, guys. This is a really tough call for me. I need to be on the East Coast (and ideally NYC) for personal reasons, which limits my options to a handful of highly competitive schools.

I believe that I've got pretty strong creds (as discussed in a previous post) and a compelling answer to the "why MBA / why now?" essay prompt, but I would hate to get dinged at CBS and Stern over a measley 20 points on the GMAT.

At the same time, I can't really imagine finding additional study time over the coming months. I've got a number of very significant personal and professional things coming up in the near future, and I've already neglected my responsibilities to take the GMAT the first time around.

As sick as this might sound, I would have almost preferred to get a 650 yesterday - at least I wouldn't have hesitated to re-take.

Thanks again for your input. Much appreciated.

gurpreetsingh · Answer

Just be optimistic about your score and prepare your sound application.
Do not forget to keep us updated.

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