Hi guys, I took my GMAT on Nov 7 and scored a 730 (45 V 44 Q), my first practice test in October I scored a 630. I took about 3-4 weeks of studying an hour or so during the weekdays and doing a practice test on the weekends.
The main tool I used to study was Empowergmat. I was pretty strong in the verbal from the beginning, but they still taught me a few great tricks that helped me get into the 99th percentile. I was able to learn these tricks really fast, every lesson had a new little trick that helped me score big.
For the Quant, I was pretty horrible when I first started. Within the first week of studying on Empower my quant score improved a lot, and I got a 690 on my next practice test. Seriously, at first I thought I would just use the
OG books and do a bunch of practice problems, but I'm so glad I found Empower. It's so much cheaper than most of the other services ($99 a month for unlimited access to all of the study materials on all subjects), and they taught me tricks that could be applied to most quant problems. I don't think my score would have increased so fast if it weren't for the lessons. And I only paid for one month, so it was only $99. They also have a 70 point increase guarantee, where if you study with them a lot and your score doesn't increase 70 points, you can get some/all of your money back. Obviously I didn't get to use that but it's a nice offer!
By the time I took my official test, I had taken 3 full practice tests. I would definitely recommend taking multiple practice tests and acting like it is the actual test. For me, when I am studying normally I have water, get up to go to the bathroom, take breaks when I need to, but in the actual test you won't be able to do any of that. It's good to do full length practice tests with as many real test conditions as you can arrange (quiet, no breaks apart from the "allowed" ones, no water, etc). It helps increase your mental stamina and gets you more used to testing conditions.
On the day of the test, I showed up about half an hour early. I'm glad I did because my particular test center was pretty hard to find. I'm sure not all of them are like this, but there were no signs or anything and I had to find it inside this college I'd never been to before. So definitely get there early! Also, bring water and a snack. If you're like me, you will get thirsty in the ~4 hours you are in there, and having a snack during the breaks helps keep your energy up. Finally, I'd also recommend staying active before the test and during your breaks. Stretching and doing some jumping jacks felt a little silly, but it got my blood moving and refreshed me for the next section. It's a nerve-wracking experience, so again, practice the official test conditions as much as you can beforehand.
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Updated on: 15 Nov 2017, 13:46
