Thank you
ScottTargetTestPrep and
EMPOWERgmatRichC. I really appreciate it.
I am addressing the points below:
My official mock scores:
GMAT Prep 3: 720 (Q48, V41) - October first week
GMAT Prep 4: 720 (Q49, V40) - October mid
GMAT Prep 5: 720 (Q48, V42) - October last week
GMAT Prep 6: 740 (Q49, V42) - November first week
I took
MGMAT CATs as well and my score always hovered over 650-700. I tried to replicate exam conditions, but I admit that there were a few seemingly insignificant liberties I took such as pausing the exam and using the bathroom. It just happened in two of the
MGMAT CATs that I took in August and I tried to limit myself thereafter. But could this have such a huge impact?
Another major problem I face was of time management. I have always practiced in the backdrop of exam-like time constraints, but there was a lot of mismanagement that happened on both the sections on the exam day. I am thinking now how to discipline myself all over again.
I have been studying for over a year and I easily spend an average of 35 hours a week studying. For Quant, I had help from a personal tutor and I referred to
TTP extensively as a precursor to my personal tutoring. All this helped me to get to a 48 from a 32 on Quant.
For Verbal, I referred to
MGMAT, GMAT Ninja's videos, and
E-GMAT. As I worked through my drills, my results were pretty solid. I never slipped below 80% on SC and CR. RC was sometimes a challenge for me, but that improved so much over the course of my preparation. Personally, I have always tried to find a balance between the meaning and grammar nitty gritty. I think this worked wonders for me, as I could crack just any SC problem.
But on the exam, I just couldn't make sense of the first SC problem that I saw on the test. I couldn't focus as much. Also, I have devised a strategy for each type of question I see on the verbal section. I would never just jump into the problem while doing my drills. But nothing worked on the game day as I sat in front of that computer.
I am planning to apply to a few schools, including Kellogg, NUS, and INSEAD (still deciding on a couple other schools). To even think about these ambitious giants, I need a 700+ under my sleeve, and there is only so much time left for R2.
I ordered for my ESR as soon as I exited the exam centre. I should get it in about two days. I am planning to appear online from the comfort of my room. Probably that will work to my advantage. I don't have a date in mind, but some day towards November end itself makes sense given the situation I am in.
Please feel free to ask any more questions you may have.
Thank you!