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01 Apr 2020, 07:02
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Dear all,
Just thought I'd kick-off a thread to start logging my progress and also, hopefully, see the improvements in scores as I take the practice tests and ultimately the official GMAT. All advice and experience sharing is welcome!
I started my GMAT studying on the 1st of January and my test date is currently set for 29th of June (Covid-19, pending...). I am aiming for a 710+ in order to apply for a top MBA school.
Resources:
I have completed 2 Kaplan Prep Books (edition 2019):
- GMAT 2019 Prep Plus (Maths / Verbal) - 1st thing I did to start my studies was totally fail the pre-test getting about Q13/37 and V31/43 (right/wrong, which highlighted the need for me to re-learn most of the Maths I had forgotten from school, I do however suspect this test was quite hard potentially with the objective to motivate people to get to work...). Thought this was a great book to get a feel for the exam although on the hard side question-wise throughout the chapters.
- GMAT 2019 Math Workbook - This book was a great resource, it properly explains most of the Maths used in the test. Surprisingly I thought I had a fairly good success rate on the questions throughout the book (about 70-80% personal estimation) and funnily enough used to fail the "Basic" questions much more than the "Advanced" questions.
I have started last week the 3 month Economist GMAT Tutor program, currently 14% completion with c.70% success rate on questions.
Weakness areas I have currently identified for my studies are:
- Ratios
- Powers & Roots
- Plugging in (I am way too slow and often pick the wrong numbers, wasting considerable amounts of time)
- Percentages - I need to get quicker at calculating these as they are very common on the test
- Advanced set questions
- Other advanced questions
- Time management
Practice Tests: None taken so far but I have at my disposal:
- 2 GMAC ones available (from booking my GMAT)
- A couple of Kaplan 2019 CATs (included as part of purchasing my books)
- 3 Economist Practice Tests available
I don't know when I should start to take my practice tests... I have a feeling I want to progress/finish most of the Economist before taking my first one. When do people recommend taking practice tests? Should I try and take one right now given I am about at the half way point from my test and if so, which one do you recommend?
Study Plan:
- I am currently averaging about 2-3hours a day of mixed Verbal and Quant - since getting the Economist, I am spending 100% of my study time on there
I'm hoping that what I am doing is a sensible approach to the GMAT - Let me know what you think! It'll be my first ever CAT test and also my first test since the end of University about 5 years ago!
Best regards,
The Integrator
Just thought I'd kick-off a thread to start logging my progress and also, hopefully, see the improvements in scores as I take the practice tests and ultimately the official GMAT. All advice and experience sharing is welcome!
I started my GMAT studying on the 1st of January and my test date is currently set for 29th of June (Covid-19, pending...). I am aiming for a 710+ in order to apply for a top MBA school.
Resources:
I have completed 2 Kaplan Prep Books (edition 2019):
- GMAT 2019 Prep Plus (Maths / Verbal) - 1st thing I did to start my studies was totally fail the pre-test getting about Q13/37 and V31/43 (right/wrong, which highlighted the need for me to re-learn most of the Maths I had forgotten from school, I do however suspect this test was quite hard potentially with the objective to motivate people to get to work...). Thought this was a great book to get a feel for the exam although on the hard side question-wise throughout the chapters.
- GMAT 2019 Math Workbook - This book was a great resource, it properly explains most of the Maths used in the test. Surprisingly I thought I had a fairly good success rate on the questions throughout the book (about 70-80% personal estimation) and funnily enough used to fail the "Basic" questions much more than the "Advanced" questions.
I have started last week the 3 month Economist GMAT Tutor program, currently 14% completion with c.70% success rate on questions.
Weakness areas I have currently identified for my studies are:
- Ratios
- Powers & Roots
- Plugging in (I am way too slow and often pick the wrong numbers, wasting considerable amounts of time)
- Percentages - I need to get quicker at calculating these as they are very common on the test
- Advanced set questions
- Other advanced questions
- Time management
Practice Tests: None taken so far but I have at my disposal:
- 2 GMAC ones available (from booking my GMAT)
- A couple of Kaplan 2019 CATs (included as part of purchasing my books)
- 3 Economist Practice Tests available
I don't know when I should start to take my practice tests... I have a feeling I want to progress/finish most of the Economist before taking my first one. When do people recommend taking practice tests? Should I try and take one right now given I am about at the half way point from my test and if so, which one do you recommend?
Study Plan:
- I am currently averaging about 2-3hours a day of mixed Verbal and Quant - since getting the Economist, I am spending 100% of my study time on there
I'm hoping that what I am doing is a sensible approach to the GMAT - Let me know what you think! It'll be my first ever CAT test and also my first test since the end of University about 5 years ago!
Best regards,
The Integrator
01 Apr 2020, 09:01
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello, TheIntegrator. It sounds as if you have thought this process through and are studying in a dedicated and consistent manner. To answer your question about when to take a CAT, you will probably get different advice from different members of the community, even tutors. I myself think it is wise to preserve them, especially the official mocks, while you work on building your understanding of theory (in Quant) and technique (in Verbal). Then, perhaps eight weeks out from the exam, I would take my first CAT to establish a baseline. A week or two later, I would take another. Basically, in the weeks leading up to the exam, I would make sure I was either taking a test or studying, learning from my previous errors on mocks, to take another CAT. In this manner, you will always be on your toes, and you will likely start to see your scores align, giving you a greater degree of reliability in the results. If you take a test too soon, it might reveal nothing more than that you are not ready to take the exam, and then you will have wasted valuable questions, not to mention that such a result could deal a blow to your motivation.
About the only part of your prep plan that I am unsure of is the Economist program. That is, I have never worked with someone who has used it. Does it coach you through the Official Guide or draw your attention to specific official questions, or does it use proprietary material instead? I ask because it is vital to practice with official material to get a feel for the way the actual test will look. Third-party companies can approximate official questions, but they can only get so close, and it would be a shame if you were an expert on answering, say, Kaplan questions but then felt somewhat unprepared for the phrasing and passage types of GMAC™-generated material. In short, I think it is fine to practice with outside material. GMAT Club itself offers a myriad of top-notch Quant questions. At the same time, I would make sure I always centered my studies on official material to avoid any potential feelings of the rug having been pulled out from under me.
Best of luck to you, however you go about your studies. Just stick to a plan and set clear-cut goals for integrating those CATs. If you have any questions at any point, feel free to reach out to the community.
- Andrew
About the only part of your prep plan that I am unsure of is the Economist program. That is, I have never worked with someone who has used it. Does it coach you through the Official Guide or draw your attention to specific official questions, or does it use proprietary material instead? I ask because it is vital to practice with official material to get a feel for the way the actual test will look. Third-party companies can approximate official questions, but they can only get so close, and it would be a shame if you were an expert on answering, say, Kaplan questions but then felt somewhat unprepared for the phrasing and passage types of GMAC™-generated material. In short, I think it is fine to practice with outside material. GMAT Club itself offers a myriad of top-notch Quant questions. At the same time, I would make sure I always centered my studies on official material to avoid any potential feelings of the rug having been pulled out from under me.
Best of luck to you, however you go about your studies. Just stick to a plan and set clear-cut goals for integrating those CATs. If you have any questions at any point, feel free to reach out to the community.
- Andrew
01 Apr 2020, 09:29
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for your reply! Thanks for the advice on timing of the tests - This is broadly in line with my thinking as well.
As for the Economist GMAT, it was recommended to me by a couple of colleagues who have recently taken the GMAT and scored between 760-780 It was advertised to me as a "user friendly" and "efficient" way of practicing and specifically learning ways to accelerate decision making/methodology and ways to resolve problems - So far I must admit The Economist GMAT tutor program has delivered on those bits of advice I have received, and hopefully will continue to do so. The questions are indeed in the same format as the official GMAT exam.
I fully intend to continue to surround myself with other resources by the time i go for the exam so effectively "not putting all my eggs in one basket" which hopefully should work.
Best,
The Integrator
Thanks for your reply! Thanks for the advice on timing of the tests - This is broadly in line with my thinking as well.
As for the Economist GMAT, it was recommended to me by a couple of colleagues who have recently taken the GMAT and scored between 760-780 It was advertised to me as a "user friendly" and "efficient" way of practicing and specifically learning ways to accelerate decision making/methodology and ways to resolve problems - So far I must admit The Economist GMAT tutor program has delivered on those bits of advice I have received, and hopefully will continue to do so. The questions are indeed in the same format as the official GMAT exam.
I fully intend to continue to surround myself with other resources by the time i go for the exam so effectively "not putting all my eggs in one basket" which hopefully should work.
Best,
The Integrator
