My Journey from the day I decided I wanted to do an MBA to today has been 1 year and 5 months long. I realised that I wanted more from my career and needed to pursue an MBA to realise my goals. Back in Nov 13 when i started preparing for my GMAT I assumed that having written a lot of competitive exams in my life,GMAT would be a walk in the park too. Little did I know how wrong I was.
GMAT-1st attempt- 620
In Jan 14 I decided that I would give my first attempt at GMAT. The test center has a very different feel to it compared to any other exams and the occasion got the better of me. The minute i completed the Verbal section i knew that i had messed up badly. The result - 620. It was shocking for me and I really felt embarrassed with my score. It took me a couple of days to shake this off.However, my next mistake followed. I decided that it was just a bad day and I could re-write in 30 days again.
GMAT -2nd attempt -650
What followed was a total shock. My second attempt ,(though a slight improvement in score),showed a complete lack of planning and structure in the way I had prepared. I decided to get back to the drawing board and start from scratch.
It is very important to plan well and prepare as per your plan. Also, try not to be hasty when it comes to GMAT as the test is quite costly and hasty decisions like the one I took don't help
GMAT - 3rd attempt - 700
In June 14, I re-wrote the GMAT after multiple mocks and going through various online material. Also, the fact that i was familiar with the test centre helped calm the nerves.Though it wasn't the best score I could hope for(720-730), I was reasonably happy and I was confident that I would not be rejected by colleges purely based on my GMAT score.
Tip:Try to get your desired GMAT at least a month before college deadlines so that it gives you time to build a good application- which is equally important if not more.
Some things I would like to highlight here are the study materials I used.
Manhattan Critical Reasoning & Sentence Correction: Though not exactly what appears in the GMAT, it certainly helps you to practice and with detailed explanations,it helps you grasp various minute details.
GMAT Club Question of the day : I solved the GMAT Club question of the day from Nov 13 to Jun 14 without missing a single day. They are a great source for practicing different type of questions
GMAT Prep: Certainly the closest you can get to the real GMAT. Though slightly simpler, they actually help in understanding what is expected of one in the test and how to maximise your scores. I suggest everyone take up the GMATPREP tests very seriously as I found my scores closest to them.
Manhattan Mock tests: I bought the Manhattan mock tests series and they certainly helped in getting used to sitting 4 hours uninterrupted while taking tests. Also, don’t bother much about what you score in them. I consistently scored about 670-680 in them. Use them more to learn the concepts than as score indicators.
While my main source for studying for the GMAT was online, there a many useful Prep centres. For those who are interested to prepare for the GMAT online, my advice would be
Try and identify weak areas
Understand the solutions before trying to solve the questions
Do 1 mock per week for the last 2 months before the test date
Most importantly-Believe in yourself that you can get the score you want in the GMAT
There is lot of material available online and though it does take a bit of effort to identify what material is the right one for you, once identified it is certainly enough to help you get your desired score.
College application:
I applied to 2 colleges (1 year programs)that I had targeted and received interview calls from both and managed to convert the one I really wanted. So in the end it worked out well for me. GMAT is definitely important more so for all us Indian IT Male folks, but I would suggest that if you are within 20 points of your initially targeted score and if the deadlines are nearing, its worth applying for colleges and highlighting important features of your profile than sweating over GMAT again and not creating a good application.
Lastly, its very important to find people who will back you during your GMAT and application journey. Could be friends, relatives, spouses etc. I was lucky to have my wife providing all the necessary inspiration
Good Luck to everyone and thank you GMATClub for providing an amazing platform not only for GMAT Preperation but also to learn from others experiences.