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TurgCorp
Joined: 15 Mar 2015
Last visit: 23 Jun 2016
Posts: 11
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 9
Concentration: Operations, Strategy
Schools: Anderson FEMBA '19 (S)
GMAT 1: 550 Q35 V30
WE:Operations (Manufacturing)
21 Apr 2016, 18:49
Kudos
Bookmarks
I started getting into GMAT prep work around August of 2015. I was on a good plan and was looking to get ready for the test and the Round 2 application deadline for the FEMBA at UCLA. In Late August, early Sept, I got really sick. I was diagnosed with a chronic condition and wouldn't recover until Feb of 2016. I started studying as I began to feel better around late January of 2016, but it was light. It wasn't until Feb/March that I started organizing myself, tracking my progress, and finding the time within my busy schedule of work, wife, kid, etc,. My base line GMATPrep score was 460 - before any real work was done. This was pretty stunning, so I made sure not to hit that mark again. My next practice test - about two weeks later - was a 580. That cannibalized the final of the two free tests offered in the software.
To get to that point I used the OG'16 and Manhattan GMAT Foundations of GMAT Math and Advanced Quant books. I blew through the first Foundations book, helping to reinforce the HS level math I had since forgotten, and made it to the Advanced Quant book. This is where my pacing changed. I realized the concepts and strategies were very precise and yet difficult to grasp fully without practice, so I proceeded to supplement my study of the strategies with OG problems using my own modded version of the Magoosh 30-day plan (Mixing Quant and Verbal questions every day with some video supplements from GMATPrepNow.com).
I began to find it difficult to work 11-12 hour days, come home, help with chores, kid, and study according to that plan. I was quickly starting to realize I needed more than a couple of months to really nail this thing. I had originally scheduled my exam for 4/2, but pushed it back to 4/21 using the news of the two new practice exams that were being released as an excuse, thinking they could help prepare me even more. I never got to them, but I was able to take 2 more GMATPrep CATs from Exam Pack 1 which yielded a 510 in the first CAT. This CAT exposed weaknesses I knew I needed to address, so I bought the MGMAT Algebra book as well as the Word Problems book and I felt like those really helped push me to the score of 610 on the second of the Exam Pack 1 CATs. The 610 got me excited. I took that 610 CAT in the library, with precise breaks, snacks, and the works. Only one of my CATs (the 510) had serious interruptions and such, so I really didn't regard that as a valid reference point, just maybe a stumbling block.
Anyway, cutting to the chase. Test day was today, and I felt relaxed, rested, and absolutely confident. I walked in there with a solid plan for my problems, strengths, weaknesses, time management and all. I knew I had a problem with complex geometry problems and the more convoluted word problems that took a while to decipher so I knew to approach those with an aggressive mindset geared toward optimizing time. For verbal I knew my weakness was suddenly CR which I didn't put as much focus on as I really should have...hindsight is 20/20.
I was blown away with the level of ease I was making it through the exam. I had been on pace with the Manhattan strategy of How to Set Up Your GMAT Scratch Paper and the most complex problems on the exam that I knew I could do, I had ample time in which to do them. I did not find any problem to be shocking or incredibly difficult to the point where I couldn't get at least 3 answer choices eliminated. I used the work backward approach, smart numbers approach, and other strategies that helped in Quant. Again, I put little focus on Verbal aside from pattern recognition and typically score well above average on the RC and SC portions. When Verbal came around, I was feeling refreshed as a result of a brisk jog I took to try and find the bathrooms, and again, aside from a couple of weird CR problems and an incredibly long RC passage, I didn't find it difficult at all.
Around the end of the exam I began to get nervous - maybe with like 5 questions left. I started visualizing my final score of a 600+ and getting happy that I could put my study nightmares and scheduling woes to rest after spending most of April and half of March grinding for this thing like nothing I have ever studied for before. That's how good I felt about the test as a whole. Then, the moment of truth. I pushed through the demo survey and saw my score...550...my heart sank. I felt like someone had just sucker punched me.
How in the hell? I was able to solve almost every Quant problem and I received a 35...I was trying to keep track of problems I could have got wrong and jotted down maybe 7 or 8 at the most. One I knew I accidentally selected the wrong answer for and got ahead of myself and hit "OK"...but other than that, genuinely thought I had it made. A relatively easy exam and an opportunity to really shine. That was not the case.
I will admit, I neglected to dig and use some resources like the MGMAT PDF of problems that cover specific topics and demonstrate certain strategies. This was because I couldn't find it nor had I known about it until a few days ago - what a shame there...I made it through about 175 PS problems (with an average of 76% correct there) and over 100 DS problems (with an average of about 60% there). Quant was my main focus, hardly shows though.
Long story short...what do I do now? I read a few stories out there but nothing really seems to parallel mine, or at least I didn't seem to think so. Trying to get into UCLA Anderson FEMBA program with a pretty low GPA - 2.5. Even though I submitted my app, I can still retake one more time if I request additional time to do so...they'll just hold my app until I'm done. I was told, ideally I should have over a 650 GMAT score in order to absolutely lock in my acceptance. Not sure if I should go in 100 points lower and just see what happens.
Any constructive advice is appreciated. Thanks
To get to that point I used the OG'16 and Manhattan GMAT Foundations of GMAT Math and Advanced Quant books. I blew through the first Foundations book, helping to reinforce the HS level math I had since forgotten, and made it to the Advanced Quant book. This is where my pacing changed. I realized the concepts and strategies were very precise and yet difficult to grasp fully without practice, so I proceeded to supplement my study of the strategies with OG problems using my own modded version of the Magoosh 30-day plan (Mixing Quant and Verbal questions every day with some video supplements from GMATPrepNow.com).
I began to find it difficult to work 11-12 hour days, come home, help with chores, kid, and study according to that plan. I was quickly starting to realize I needed more than a couple of months to really nail this thing. I had originally scheduled my exam for 4/2, but pushed it back to 4/21 using the news of the two new practice exams that were being released as an excuse, thinking they could help prepare me even more. I never got to them, but I was able to take 2 more GMATPrep CATs from Exam Pack 1 which yielded a 510 in the first CAT. This CAT exposed weaknesses I knew I needed to address, so I bought the MGMAT Algebra book as well as the Word Problems book and I felt like those really helped push me to the score of 610 on the second of the Exam Pack 1 CATs. The 610 got me excited. I took that 610 CAT in the library, with precise breaks, snacks, and the works. Only one of my CATs (the 510) had serious interruptions and such, so I really didn't regard that as a valid reference point, just maybe a stumbling block.
Anyway, cutting to the chase. Test day was today, and I felt relaxed, rested, and absolutely confident. I walked in there with a solid plan for my problems, strengths, weaknesses, time management and all. I knew I had a problem with complex geometry problems and the more convoluted word problems that took a while to decipher so I knew to approach those with an aggressive mindset geared toward optimizing time. For verbal I knew my weakness was suddenly CR which I didn't put as much focus on as I really should have...hindsight is 20/20.
I was blown away with the level of ease I was making it through the exam. I had been on pace with the Manhattan strategy of How to Set Up Your GMAT Scratch Paper and the most complex problems on the exam that I knew I could do, I had ample time in which to do them. I did not find any problem to be shocking or incredibly difficult to the point where I couldn't get at least 3 answer choices eliminated. I used the work backward approach, smart numbers approach, and other strategies that helped in Quant. Again, I put little focus on Verbal aside from pattern recognition and typically score well above average on the RC and SC portions. When Verbal came around, I was feeling refreshed as a result of a brisk jog I took to try and find the bathrooms, and again, aside from a couple of weird CR problems and an incredibly long RC passage, I didn't find it difficult at all.
Around the end of the exam I began to get nervous - maybe with like 5 questions left. I started visualizing my final score of a 600+ and getting happy that I could put my study nightmares and scheduling woes to rest after spending most of April and half of March grinding for this thing like nothing I have ever studied for before. That's how good I felt about the test as a whole. Then, the moment of truth. I pushed through the demo survey and saw my score...550...my heart sank. I felt like someone had just sucker punched me.
How in the hell? I was able to solve almost every Quant problem and I received a 35...I was trying to keep track of problems I could have got wrong and jotted down maybe 7 or 8 at the most. One I knew I accidentally selected the wrong answer for and got ahead of myself and hit "OK"...but other than that, genuinely thought I had it made. A relatively easy exam and an opportunity to really shine. That was not the case.
I will admit, I neglected to dig and use some resources like the MGMAT PDF of problems that cover specific topics and demonstrate certain strategies. This was because I couldn't find it nor had I known about it until a few days ago - what a shame there...I made it through about 175 PS problems (with an average of 76% correct there) and over 100 DS problems (with an average of about 60% there). Quant was my main focus, hardly shows though.
Long story short...what do I do now? I read a few stories out there but nothing really seems to parallel mine, or at least I didn't seem to think so. Trying to get into UCLA Anderson FEMBA program with a pretty low GPA - 2.5. Even though I submitted my app, I can still retake one more time if I request additional time to do so...they'll just hold my app until I'm done. I was told, ideally I should have over a 650 GMAT score in order to absolutely lock in my acceptance. Not sure if I should go in 100 points lower and just see what happens.
Any constructive advice is appreciated. Thanks
22 Apr 2016, 01:06
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi TurgCorp,
That is quite a comprehensive story. I am sorry that the test day did not go as planned.
First question first: What is the deadline for the course? I think we might need 1 - 1.5 months to reach 650+
If we look at Q35 in isolation, it shows a clear lack of understanding of fundamentals.
1. Were you mentally or physically exhausted before the test?
2. Did you sleep properly the night before the test?
3. Did you take both breaks between the test?
Treat bygones as bygones and start a fresh. The first place to start would be take a mock CAT. Bring back that confidence by scoring high on the CAT. Post this, take out those books/course material that you have been following and go through the concepts again. You can improve a lot from V30 too. I would recommend you to take another 1 - 1.5 months to prepare and then give test. You can buy the Exam Pack 2 and the Question Pack 1 from mba.com for additional practice.
1. Did you complete the OG?
2. Did you prepare an error log?
Try to drill down deep in each problem type
SC: The questions test various concepts such as S-V agreement, modifiers, parallelism etc. Find out what troubles you.
CR: There might be certain types of questions that are troubling you. May be Assumption, may be conclusion, inference etc.
You need to find that out and then practice them
RC: This again can be drilled down into different types of questions and also different topics. See what questions and topics trouble you the most and then practice accordingly.
As an addition, start preparing an error log and keep a note of all the mistakes you made and the lessons you learnt from the problems. This will ensure you do not make the same mistake again
Since you have been following a book heavy approach, it might be beneficial if you change your mode of studying to score higher.You can do so by choosing one of the following ways:
1. In person classes/private tutoring
2. Online classes
3. Self paced online preparatory course
4. Book heavy approach
Whatever you choose, make sure that you choose one. Because GMAT tests you on some concepts and fundamentals that you can learn from a course. Most of the preparatory companies including ours offer a free trial of our course. You can take the trial and see if the course suits your needs.
That is quite a comprehensive story. I am sorry that the test day did not go as planned.
First question first: What is the deadline for the course? I think we might need 1 - 1.5 months to reach 650+
If we look at Q35 in isolation, it shows a clear lack of understanding of fundamentals.
1. Were you mentally or physically exhausted before the test?
2. Did you sleep properly the night before the test?
3. Did you take both breaks between the test?
Treat bygones as bygones and start a fresh. The first place to start would be take a mock CAT. Bring back that confidence by scoring high on the CAT. Post this, take out those books/course material that you have been following and go through the concepts again. You can improve a lot from V30 too. I would recommend you to take another 1 - 1.5 months to prepare and then give test. You can buy the Exam Pack 2 and the Question Pack 1 from mba.com for additional practice.
1. Did you complete the OG?
2. Did you prepare an error log?
Try to drill down deep in each problem type
SC: The questions test various concepts such as S-V agreement, modifiers, parallelism etc. Find out what troubles you.
CR: There might be certain types of questions that are troubling you. May be Assumption, may be conclusion, inference etc.
You need to find that out and then practice them
RC: This again can be drilled down into different types of questions and also different topics. See what questions and topics trouble you the most and then practice accordingly.
As an addition, start preparing an error log and keep a note of all the mistakes you made and the lessons you learnt from the problems. This will ensure you do not make the same mistake again
Since you have been following a book heavy approach, it might be beneficial if you change your mode of studying to score higher.You can do so by choosing one of the following ways:
1. In person classes/private tutoring
2. Online classes
3. Self paced online preparatory course
4. Book heavy approach
Whatever you choose, make sure that you choose one. Because GMAT tests you on some concepts and fundamentals that you can learn from a course. Most of the preparatory companies including ours offer a free trial of our course. You can take the trial and see if the course suits your needs.
TurgCorp
Joined: 15 Mar 2015
Last visit: 23 Jun 2016
Posts: 11
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 9
Concentration: Operations, Strategy
Schools: Anderson FEMBA '19 (S)
GMAT 1: 550 Q35 V30
WE:Operations (Manufacturing)
22 Apr 2016, 07:27
Kudos
Bookmarks
The deadline for the course is roughly 3 weeks at the most, 4 weeks.
I've been traveling for work the past few weeks - West Coast to East Coast - and it messed with my sleep patterns, but I had enough time to readjust. I planned for this test like no other, I took the week off from work, planned my sleep cycles, food, etc,. I was setting myself up for success. I wasn't foggy at all during the test, I literally knew how to attack over 80% of the problems and formulate a solution and had time to check some answers quickly. Time was not a huge factor and I took both of my breaks. During the first break, they misdirected me toward the bathrooms assuming I had been at that test center before. It didn't really mess with me too much, but it did leave me rushing to get back.
I Used the following prep materials:
OG'16 (Completed 175 PS, ~100 DS, 100 SC, 80 CR, and 5 RC passages)
MGMAT Foundations of GMAT Math
MGMAT Advanced Quant (Completed Once with light review a second time)
MGMAT Guide: Word Problems (Completed twice)
MGMAT Guide: Algebra (Completed Twice)
GMATPrep Exam Pack 1 & 2 with QP 1 (didn't do any questions from here as I figured they were all in the new OG)
After each OG problem set, I reviewed my answers and my work and while I didn't have a traditional error log, I would write down how many times I got a problem from a certain category incorrect, which is what led me to purchase the MGMAT WP and Algebra books as I needed help boosting my fundamentals there.
I've been traveling for work the past few weeks - West Coast to East Coast - and it messed with my sleep patterns, but I had enough time to readjust. I planned for this test like no other, I took the week off from work, planned my sleep cycles, food, etc,. I was setting myself up for success. I wasn't foggy at all during the test, I literally knew how to attack over 80% of the problems and formulate a solution and had time to check some answers quickly. Time was not a huge factor and I took both of my breaks. During the first break, they misdirected me toward the bathrooms assuming I had been at that test center before. It didn't really mess with me too much, but it did leave me rushing to get back.
I Used the following prep materials:
OG'16 (Completed 175 PS, ~100 DS, 100 SC, 80 CR, and 5 RC passages)
MGMAT Foundations of GMAT Math
MGMAT Advanced Quant (Completed Once with light review a second time)
MGMAT Guide: Word Problems (Completed twice)
MGMAT Guide: Algebra (Completed Twice)
GMATPrep Exam Pack 1 & 2 with QP 1 (didn't do any questions from here as I figured they were all in the new OG)
After each OG problem set, I reviewed my answers and my work and while I didn't have a traditional error log, I would write down how many times I got a problem from a certain category incorrect, which is what led me to purchase the MGMAT WP and Algebra books as I needed help boosting my fundamentals there.
