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17 May 2021, 11:47
Kudos
Bookmarks
In this article, I would like to share the learnings from my first GMAT attempt and the changes in my preparation that helped me score a 750 in my second attempt.
When I scored a 650 in my first GMAT attempt I identified the following gaps in my preparation:
a) I hadn’t developed the mental stamina required for a 3.5 hours examination: ~2 hours into the exam with the complete verbal section remaining I was mentally exhausted and could barely concentrate, and the same reflected in my low verbal score.
b) I focused more on accuracy than on speed: While preparing for GMAT my focus was mainly on getting the right answer and I rarely timed myself while solving the questions, and this resulted in me randomly guesstimating the last 5 questions in quant and last 10 questions in verbal during the test.
c) I postponed the mock test for too long: I let my fear of being underprepared, neglect the mock test until the end. 2 weeks before the exam I gave my first mock test and attempted another 5 tests before the D-day and followed all the rules of the actual exam only in the last 2 mock tests. In the end, I left myself with very little time to evaluate my performance thoroughly, identify the gaps and course correct.
Following was my preparation strategy for 6 weeks before my second GMAT attempt:
a) Quant preparation: Revised the concepts from OG and solved the GMAT club quant test series every weekday (Mon – Fri). GMAT club provides 25 quant assessment tests which are a good proxy to the actual test both in terms of difficulty and timing. I spent an hour solving 1 quant assessment in the morning and on the same evening I evaluated my performance and made notes on any new learnings from the test.
b) Verbal preparation: First 3 weeks (Mon – Fri) developed a good understanding of concepts related to SC and CR through an e-gmat verbal course and spent 30 minutes every day to solve 15 SC/CR questions (15 mins for solving and 15 mins for reviewing). For RC, the only strategy that worked for me was solving as many passages from different categories (i.e business, social/natural science, humanities, etc).
For the next 2 weeks (Mon – Fri) I solved and thoroughly reviewed 8 GMAT club verbal assessment tests and continued solving at least 1 RC passage every day.
c) Mock tests: During the first 5 weeks, every Saturday morning I attempted a mock test. Each mock test was practised following all the rules of the actual examination (Learning from my mistake in the first attempt). On Saturday evenings, I did a detailed evaluation of my performance in the mock. Sundays were spent in revising the concepts that I found challenging during the mock. I also used the mock tests to figure out a) how I would utilize my time during the 2 breaks and b) the kind of snacks that best suited my body for the 3.5 hours grilling exam.
During the last week, I solved only mock tests and revised my learnings from previous tests.
d) Make notes: I maintained a separate notebook in which I recorded all my learnings from every test I took during the 6 weeks. This came in very handy for quick revisions during the last week.
I hope that my learnings will help some of the GMAT aspirants with their preparation.
When I scored a 650 in my first GMAT attempt I identified the following gaps in my preparation:
a) I hadn’t developed the mental stamina required for a 3.5 hours examination: ~2 hours into the exam with the complete verbal section remaining I was mentally exhausted and could barely concentrate, and the same reflected in my low verbal score.
b) I focused more on accuracy than on speed: While preparing for GMAT my focus was mainly on getting the right answer and I rarely timed myself while solving the questions, and this resulted in me randomly guesstimating the last 5 questions in quant and last 10 questions in verbal during the test.
c) I postponed the mock test for too long: I let my fear of being underprepared, neglect the mock test until the end. 2 weeks before the exam I gave my first mock test and attempted another 5 tests before the D-day and followed all the rules of the actual exam only in the last 2 mock tests. In the end, I left myself with very little time to evaluate my performance thoroughly, identify the gaps and course correct.
Following was my preparation strategy for 6 weeks before my second GMAT attempt:
a) Quant preparation: Revised the concepts from OG and solved the GMAT club quant test series every weekday (Mon – Fri). GMAT club provides 25 quant assessment tests which are a good proxy to the actual test both in terms of difficulty and timing. I spent an hour solving 1 quant assessment in the morning and on the same evening I evaluated my performance and made notes on any new learnings from the test.
b) Verbal preparation: First 3 weeks (Mon – Fri) developed a good understanding of concepts related to SC and CR through an e-gmat verbal course and spent 30 minutes every day to solve 15 SC/CR questions (15 mins for solving and 15 mins for reviewing). For RC, the only strategy that worked for me was solving as many passages from different categories (i.e business, social/natural science, humanities, etc).
For the next 2 weeks (Mon – Fri) I solved and thoroughly reviewed 8 GMAT club verbal assessment tests and continued solving at least 1 RC passage every day.
c) Mock tests: During the first 5 weeks, every Saturday morning I attempted a mock test. Each mock test was practised following all the rules of the actual examination (Learning from my mistake in the first attempt). On Saturday evenings, I did a detailed evaluation of my performance in the mock. Sundays were spent in revising the concepts that I found challenging during the mock. I also used the mock tests to figure out a) how I would utilize my time during the 2 breaks and b) the kind of snacks that best suited my body for the 3.5 hours grilling exam.
During the last week, I solved only mock tests and revised my learnings from previous tests.
d) Make notes: I maintained a separate notebook in which I recorded all my learnings from every test I took during the 6 weeks. This came in very handy for quick revisions during the last week.
I hope that my learnings will help some of the GMAT aspirants with their preparation.
17 May 2021, 16:47
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi and welcome back after 7 years!
Congrats on your score! Have you been studying on and off since 2014 or just registered back then?
Congrats on your score! Have you been studying on and off since 2014 or just registered back then?
20 May 2021, 06:20
Kudos
Bookmarks
Congrats! Could you please tell me how was egmat CR lessons? I have got egmat, but I am going through powerscore bible. I didn't see the egmat CR lessons yet. Thanks!
