jaysaccharide wrote:
Well, I am looking for some motivation here, I am 35 years old and I intend to the take the GMAT this year. I graduated from college more than a decade ago and haven't prepared for any major exams after that. I wish to pursue a full time executive MBA in India from either the IIMs or ISB and I realize how important it is to have an impressive GMAT score to get an edge over other applicants for their programmes. I am having a tough time grasping concepts in quants whereas I am comfortable with verbal.
I am aiming for a 700+ in GMAT and at this point I really doubt I will ever get there. I saw some charts for mean GMAT scores by age and looking at the scores drop with age was really a downer for me
Motivation please!!
I just turned 33 and am taking it (for the 3rd time) on Saturday.
Yeah - it's not easy. I'm sure it would have been easier when I was younger. Especially with quant.
After ~600 hours of study over 8 months, my last practice test was a Q44/V47. It took this long for me to realize that I will never be great at quant, but I can get close to a V51 without much effort (of that 600 hours, I probably put in 20 hours of verbal prep.)
My point is...play to your strengths. You might not have a great quant/verbal split, but you aren't applying to full-time HBS. Do what you need to do to get over that 700 mark. Take your time, practice daily, sign up for an online course, and do whatever it takes to get around a Q45 and use your comfort in verbal to prop up your overall score.
Another thing I noticed about our advanced age...our bodies - including our mind - react more extremely to how you treat it. If you eat terribly and do not exercise, you will be sluggish and unmotivated. Treat your body right. Make sure you are eating well and exercise regularly. My best practice test came after a great 1.5 hour olympic weightlifting session. Take care of yourself. A clean body and motivated mind will help both in your study sessions and test. Along those lines - take at least 10 practice exams. Those are great tools to train yourself to be able to take a 4 hour test.
An 800 might be impossible. A 700 will take longer than you think, but it will be easier than you think.