Hi! I've been searching the GMAT Club for quant and verbal explanations but this is my first post. I've taken the GMAT twice - late Nov. '12 and 2/5/13 (prior to the GMAT, I took the GRE). The first time (long story short), I thought I was getting a call for an interview but instead, I was told that I needed to get a 600 on the GMAT. Since I wanted to try to make the application cutoff, I decided to study and take the test. I had 4 weeks to prep, but I had to try. I ended up with a 470 (32Q; 22V). I was crushed but I wasn't going to let the GMAT stand in my way of b-school, after all, I was so close to getting in! I moped for a few hours and then devised a new study plan for the retake (I'm a machine). My new study plan didn't work because after I took the GMAT on Tuesday, I was numb when I saw my score on the screen: 460 (33Q;21V) - I did worse! But once I got home, I logged onto GMAT Club for tips and inspiration. I can't let the GMAT get the best of me, so after a couple of hours, I knew that I needed to move forward.
For my first GMAT, I studied daily. I had a daily plan where each day I would do 20 DS, 10 SC, and 2 RC passages, and watched a few videos (all
Magoosh material). Although I had a compressed schedule, looking back, I should have taken the time to take notes, review them regularly, and focus more on quality than quantity. Within the 4 weeks of studying, I took 5 GMAC practice tests:
400 (25:20)
370 (22;19)
540 (36;28)
520 (36;25)
520 (32:28)
For my second GMAT, I studied daily. My study plan was comparable to the one that I used for my first attempt, except in addition to
Magoosh, I also used
OG 13 and some other practice tests (GMAC/ PR/
MGMAT/ Kaplan). I took notes and went back and reviewed them, but I didn't review my notes until the last week of studying. I used GMAT Club to look up question explanations after each practice test.
One of the big mistakes I made both times was focusing too much time (and energy) tackling problems and not enough time on reviewing and understanding.
I'm very disciplined, resilient, and have great stamina so following and keeping a study plan is no problem. I work full-time and I don't like to waste time - I'm very OCD like that. This site has an overwhelming amount of tips and resources, which is great, but at the same time, with so many options, I'm not sure which resources/ materials I should use to prepare for the next GMAT.
My practice tests (leading up to second GMAT):
12/21/12: GMAC 480 (31Q;25V)
12/29/12: GMAC 480 (35Q;21V)
1/4/13: GMAC 550 (38Q;28V)
1/8/13: PR 520 (37Q;25V)
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1/18/13:
MGMAT 420 (23Q;25V)
1/28/13: Kaplan 550 (?)
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(Looking back, I realize that I took practice tests too frequently...I didn't list all 10 of them).
Last night, I found (and downloaded) an
error log, read up on recommended books, etc., printed off The GMAT Pill materials (specifically, "How to Ace the GMAT in 1 Month), and The GMAT Club Math Book.
Since I started studying early November '12 and took the GMAT twice, I'm wondering if one more month of studying could get me from 460 to 600? I'm also wondering if someone could recommend materials, daily study schedule, the feasibility of a 140 score increase? I thought about finding a meet up group, a tutor, or a test prep service, or...? I can and will get there, I just need assistance mapping out a (new) starting point. I want to have a plan in place by the end of the day so that I can dive back in tomorrow (2/8).
Thanks for reading my long post and thanks in advance for any insight anyone can provide!
close
07 Feb 2013, 08:17
