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Bellerin
Current Student
Joined: 21 Jun 2020
Last visit: 26 Jul 2022
Posts: 20
Given Kudos: 25
Schools: Stanford '23 (D) Harvard '23 (D) Booth '23 (WL) Sloan '23 (D) CBS '23 (D) Kellogg '23 (II) Yale '24 (A) Stern '24 (A)
GMAT 1: 730 Q51 V38
GMAT 2: 750 Q50 V41
GPA: 3.69
Schools: Stanford '23 (D) Harvard '23 (D) Booth '23 (WL) Sloan '23 (D) CBS '23 (D) Kellogg '23 (II) Yale '24 (A) Stern '24 (A)
GMAT 2: 750 Q50 V41
Posts: 20
Background info
I posted previously about my frustration after scoring 640 in my first GMAT exam in the end of July 2020. (With my original post here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/topic330326-280.html#p2577426) I was really gutted as I scored well in my official GMAT Prep, with my mock score ranging from 710-780. Aiming at top business schools, I was determined to improve my GMAT score in my second attempt 30 days after the first one and so I was seeking advice here on the forum.
I read fanfan1247 's post of improving GMAT from 700 to 770 with the help of e-GMAT (Link: https://gmatclub.com/forum/trust-the-process-from-700-q51-v34-to-770-q51-v42-esr-attached-307942.html) and I couldn't be more thankful that I followed Fan's advice. I will be very happy to share with all fellow GMAT takers about my journey throughout the 3 exams.
Important notes
DO NOT over-trust the official GMAT Prep test score: although those questions are retired real questions, I found that the real exams are significantly harder than the six official mock tests. Some experts here might disagree with me and argue that the official prep tests are the most accurate predictor of the real exam. I think they give you a sense of how the real exam looks like, but the difficulty level varies (some luck needed here honestly speaking). The 6 mock tests on average are not too difficult overall. So if you were unlucky enough on the test day, you will find yourself underestimated the difficulty level of the real exam. Nonetheless, I think you should STILL complete the 6 tests in order to know "what max. score level can you reach if everything goes well on the big day".
Prep materials:
1. GMAT OG: The OG is the best material for you to start with. I studied the OG in my first month of preparation back in May. It gives me a glimpse of the real questions that might appear during the test. However, bear in mind that many of those questions are 500-600 level questions, which will be too easy to tackle if you are aiming for 700+. The OG is for building your foundation before you try to excel your skills in both verbal and quant sections.
2. GMAT Club questions: I joined GMAT Club, recommended by my friend around 1 month after my GMAT preparation. It was the first time when I realised the questions on the OG were way too easy. I really love the Quant test here - some crazy questions that really trained you to think about what the GMAT is trying to test you. I scored poorly in my first GMAT Quant test and I didn't have enough time to completed those 700+ level questions. Although the questions are inspiring, I reviewed them one by one without categorising the Quant questions (eg. whether it is related to Algebra or Number Properties or Probability etc.) Therefore, I was not systematic enough to improve my quant significantly. Also, as the quant section of the 6 official prep test were much easier than the GMAT Club test, I had a sense that the real exam would not be that difficult and I became over confident on my ability. I went to take my first GMAT and scored a Q46 (same as the lowest score I scored on GMAT Club test).
3. e-GMAT: As a non-native English speaker, I am typically slow at reading English passages, especially in areas that I am not familiar with/not interested in. I will also lose focus easily on reading long sentences. When I first joined e-GMAT, I planned to make good use of the platform to improve my verbal score (V30 in my first GMAT). You may ask why did I score a V44&V43 in my official prep tests (I did the official prep tests in a serious manner + follow all the official rules + didn't retook the tests + 100% concentrated) - the best explanation is that the questions appeared are either too easy or fall into the area where my strengths are, with my weakness perfectly hidden. After scoring V30 in the first real exam, I finally realised my foundation is WEAK and I overlooked a lot of fundamental concepts. Before enrolling the course, I had an initial call with one of the consultants of e-GMAT. He is really helpful when analysing my ESR with me, pointing out the areas of my weaknesses - SC in Verbal and Algebra/Geometry in Quant (surprising were the areas that I thought I was good at LOL). He also walked me through the platform - how to make good use of the concept files, practice files, custome quizes, Sigma-X mocks. He sent me a bespoke study plan one day after our call (I love the efficiency and I immediately decided to join the platform). I will go through each section in more detail below, but in general, the concept files of the course are really helpful - I even found out that I have misunderstood some basic English grammatical rules since I was a kid!!! Most importantly, the difficult level are very similar to what you will encounter in real exams.
My views on e-GMAT
Sentence Correction:
This is where the magic of e-GMAT takes place - 56th percentile to 91st percentile in 30 days.
Just as what fanfan1247 mentioned: Meaning, meaning and meaning!! To me, focusing on logic and meaning is the secret weapon taught by e-GMAT that allow us to excel in SC. I was focusing too much on grammar before and I realised 1) my grammar is not at the top level (you can see from my writing here) and I do not have the time to improve my grammar in such a short period of time 2) I wasted too much time in deciding which choice is grammatically perfect. (in many cases, my intuition tells me that the sentence is grammatically incorrect but I couldn't tell which part of the sentence is wrong.) As a result, I was rushing my CR and RC questions, leading to a low Verbal score. After following e-GMAT's advice to focus on the meaning and logic of the questions, in many occasions, I didn't even have to consider whether the grammar of a particular choice is right or wrong - it can be directly eliminated as it has distorted the original meaning of the sentence obviously. I can easily make my choice confidently for most SC questions in my second and third attempts in less than 1 minute.
Critical Reasoning:
I appreciate the "pre-thinking" method taught by e-GMAT on CR - although I think if I am given more time (eg. 2 months of preparation time) to practice the pre-thinking method, I can even do better in CR. I also appreciate the "ABC method" to locate the main conclusion of the argument, an effective method that helps me to understand what actually is the question focusing on - in many cases, 2/3 choices can be easily eliminated if you understand the main focus of the CR question.
Quant:
The best thing the platform provides is categorising the training materials of Quant into categories - Algebra, Number Properties, Geometry, etc - and their sub-categories. It allows me to understand and focus on my weaknesses. Scholaranium (their question bank) is also a power tool. It allows me to create customised quizzes in different difficulty levels (Easy/Medium/Hard) and subcategories. Sometimes I feel tired of doing a complete Quant or Verbal test, a customised quiz is often more preferred.
Sigma-X Mock:
As mentioned in the beginning of this review, personally I think the official prep test are not as accurate as it seems to be (at least for me). After scoring 640 in my first attempt, I tried to take the free Sigma-X mock (the e-GMAT mock test), and scored a 690. Coincidentally, it says I am weak in Algebra and SC (same as the first real GMAT). I also feel that the difficulty level is also similar to the real exam. I didn't take all the 5 mocks at last, but at least it is not as easy to score 770/780 in Sigma-X as in official prep tests lol
Customer Service/Support:
Level and efficiency of customer support is the part that deserves my credit most. I remember i was extremely nervous 1 week before my second attempt, when I had doubt in my ability and kept thinking about "what if I scored low again?", I decided to send e-GMAT an email to ask about last minute strategies and ask them to review my progress on Scholaranium. They replied me within 12 hours and set up a call with me via Zoom. Their consultant, Nava, is extremely helpful. He was super professional and provided me with useful recommendations to ease my nerves. After my second attempt of 730, we have a follow-up call again. I expressed my view that I thought I could do even better as I realised I made a few careless mistakes. Nava encouraged me to do better and set up another study plan with me. Finally in the end of September, I took my third attempt and scored 750, further improving my Verbal to 41.
I am currently working hard on my MBA applications. I am happy to answer any questions from GMAT Club members on their GMAT preparation. Studying GMAT is an arduous journey, good luck to everyone!!!
02 Oct 2020, 12:31
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Didn’t try egmat but agree that understanding the meaning is the key to SC!!
Congrats on the brilliant score.
Posted from my mobile device
Congrats on the brilliant score.
Posted from my mobile device
fanfan1247
Current Student
Joined: 08 Jun 2019
Last visit: 15 Jul 2022
Posts: 13
Given Kudos: 1
Location: United States (NY)
Schools: CBS '23 (A) Booth '23 (A)
GMAT 1: 700 Q51 V34
GMAT 2: 770 Q51 V42
Products:
03 Oct 2020, 07:17
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Congrats! Thanks for sharing the experience and I'm glad my advice helps!
