710 to 750

Hi All,

Just back from my 2nd time taking the test. Though others had said 710 would be ok and applications are about more than just GMAT (totally true, I am not rejecting that at all), I visited some schools and that got me really motivated to try to better my score. Here's a quick debrief of my story if it would be helpful to anyone else.

First score was 2 months ago. My background is very much not in math, so I knew that would be the hard thing for me. I studied for about 4 weeks, started by taking a MGMAT Q section (40), and then seeing which topics I missed. I made a list of those on a long piece of paper, and until I understood the topic I was looking at, I didn't allow myself to move on. I also used OG questions extensively to test myself. I felt stronger in V, so I didn't do much beyond studying some idioms and doing some OG questions. I started around 70% on OG, and got myself up to about 85% by the time I took the test. I also made a ton of flash cards with things to memorize like formulas and decimals, etc.

I took the 2 GMAT prep tests 1&2 to prepare and scored:

1. 730: 46Q 44V - 2 weeks before test
2: 730: 47Q, 44V - 1 week before test

So, I felt good heading in. Before taking the test, I decided that 710 would be the lowest I would accept without cancelling. To start, my section order was V, Q, AWA/IR. This may have been a mistake as I felt a bit hazy during the beginning of the test and it might have hurt my verbal score. That wasn't the biggest problem though - I felt I got some really hard to decipher verbal questions and was pretty sure I had not done well on them. In fact, when I went to the bathroom during my first break, I thought about just stopping right there. I'm glad I didn't, as I scored 710, 47Q, 41V. I had gotten a score I wouldn't cancel, but I still left the testing center not feeling like I had done my best. The Verbal section had really thrown me, and I was surprised. Either way, I decided it was probably enough and to let it go.

1.5 months went by where I didn't think about the GMAT at all. I had lots of work going on, had started to prepare my essays and applications, and was overall ready to go with everything. Then I visited a couple schools. I felt these schools were reaches, and I wanted them to be more approachable from a GMAT standpoint. In fact, at lunch during my 2nd school visit, I sat in the cafeteria and booked my GMAT for today. It was the last possible day for me to take it before the applications are due (and before I head out for the holidays), so I figured even though it only gave me 10 days, I'd go for it.

My second stretch of prep started with a cold GMAT prep test (3). I had not looked at a problem since the last time I took the test, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I scored:

3. 740: 48Q, 44V

That was really great, but seemed a bit like a fluke. I struggled to remember some things, but felt so much better on the verbal and it shows. Overall, I really wanted a 730-40 on the test, so I wrote down every question I got wrong or even doubted my answer on. I then retried each one, and worked on the concepts behind the problem. I only had 10 days, and some of those were filled with holiday parties, etc, so I made sure any time I worked, I was intentional. I spent a lot of time on probability, overlapping sets, combinations, and geometry. I also worked on Verbal through OG problems and by studying strategies for GMAT Verbal - which were mildly useful.

I took my last practice test (4) on Saturday (as I had a holiday party that night and expected Sunday to be a bit of a blur after whisky, ha)

4. 740: 49Q, 42V

I felt strongly that my Q was in a good place and was not so happy about the V, but it was what it was. Again, I wrote down every question I got wrong and those I thought I got wrong. I went through each one. Then last night, around midnight, I went through all my flashcards (about 60-70 in total) and only had 2 I was unsure about. I researched these before getting in bed.

Test today:
I was a bit groggy this morning, so I drank a few cups of coffee and headed out early. I went to Starbucks by the testing center where I did 5 PS and 5 DS problems. I drank a coffee and went through my flashcards again. Then I headed to the testing center. I pumped up with some music in the car and went in. This time I shifted my order to Q, V, AWA/IR. Q was good - I knew I felt good when I got to problems I had no idea how to solve . Then V, I felt really good about this too - until I got to a passage that was nearly undecipherable. I spent 5 minutes on one question - I didn't let it get to me too much though, and finished the section with about 30 seconds to go. IR/AWA was fine - though I realized I missed a question on IR after hitting next which was annoying. Overall my score this time was 750 49Q 44V.

This is all to say - trust your heart. I knew I had better in me. It might make no difference in whether I get into any schools, or it might. Whichever, I knew I had it in me to top 730, and I worked to get there. I wasn't going to let myself wonder if I had done enough. Right now, I'm just so glad. Having a celebratory snack and then back to essays.

Random things:
-For me, I didn't need a course. I felt I could motivate and decipher my own problems well enough.
-I used Khan Academy to exhaustion. Listening to and watching Sal explain how to do problems was really helpful to me. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. It was a lifesaver once I figured out what my issues were. His work on probability is really useful. (At least to me)