Scored over 700? Teach Others About Difficulty and the GMAT.

Question

Hi group,

I'm a former Harvard student and a double degree graduate from a top public school.

I believe of the many quality threads on this board, the following questions (if answered by the likes of GMATBlackBelt, Jing, and other top scorers) have the potential to GREATLY assist the 700+ hopefuls of this board. I believe if we can get you top scorers to comment on this thread, we'll be significantly more prepared.

I know the GMAT increases in difficulty, so what I think we're ALL looking for (700+ hopefuls) is a gauge of just HOW MANY hard or very hard level questions we'll encounter on our climb to, and past, 700.

700+ scorers, please DO take the time to read and answer the following questions. Please feel free to cite questions from the OG to demonstrate the kind of difficulty one might expect for the first (for example) 10 questions, then the next 10, then the next 5, and so on.

700+ Scorers, just how many questions pushed your QUANTITATIVE ability -- that is, tested like the hardest problems in OG or elsewhere? (Did the last 10 questions really push you to the limit? Or did just the last 5? When did the air REALLY start to feel thin?)
 
 700+ Scorers, just how many questions pushed your VERBAL envelope -- that is, tested like the hardest problems in OG or elsewhere?
 
 700+ Scorers, on average, how many easy-moderate questions did you encounter before things became truly challenging (i.e., the last few questions of the OG)?

***PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE QUESTIONS FROM THE OG11 TO DEMONSTRATE DIFFICULTY LEVELS!***

pelihu · Answer

For the quantitative section, I remember that a lot of the hardest (and most time consuming) question came when the section was 70-90% over, but that some of the final questions were very easy. In fact, I thought I was running out of time with about 5 questions to go, but several of the final questions turned out to be really quick and easy. I ended up with a 50.

For the verbal section, I can' really say that I encountered an tough questions. I finished with 20+ minutes to spare and every question seemed to be very straightforward. I ended up with a 51.

I'd say that the really tough question could start coming as early as the 3rd or 4th question if you answered the first few correctly. The thing is, the test can't just pound you with tough questions all the way through, because the tougher question are not only harder (duh) but they can take more time. I think the test must include some algorithm in addition to quantifying a person's score to moderate the amount of time the given set of questions should take.

kidderek · Answer

I hate you. :-D

nervousgmat · Answer

I don't want to sound standoffish but I don't think replies to your questions are going to be helpful. I am not sure what you are trying to achieve by counting the number of "difficult" questions in each section.

First, even though the question might seem easy, it could have a trap built-in and a test taker will never know that he/she got the question wrong.

Second, what might seem hard for one person, could be easy for another. Like Pelihu, I did not feel grossly challenged in the verbal part up until Q39 and thought I did horribly but pulled a 47.
In quant, I felt challenged all the way through, altough the questions were not "hard." I finished with a 42. Now, my total score is 720. I am above the 700 mark but solely because of verbal which leads me to my third point. There are several ways to get above 700: have a balanced score or do very well on one of the sections.

Having said that, to get a higher score, you have to master the basics first under time constrains. After all, GMAT might never give you a 700-level question if you keep getting the 500-level questions wrong.

riverripper · Answer

Quant is not very difficult, I think I would have done better right out of high school. Most of my mistakes were because I was moving too fast and rushed without really thinking. Mainly it was time management concerns that kept me from a 50. I rushed some in the middle cause I felt like I was falling behind but ended up having plenty of time to spare. Had I slowed down I would have done better.

Verbal, CR and RC were very easy for me. I read insanely mind numbing manuals and requirements at work. So that really made these a breeze. On the paper tests I usually missed only one or two of these, GMATprep I think I nailed them without missing any. My horrible weakness was SC, a lot was lack of prep I only did the OG and the OG verbal guide SC and really just practiced them without learning all the underlying material.

dominion · Answer

Thanks for the replies everyone

River/Pelihu,

Have prepped for Quant out of OG, did you notice any subject matter/tricks show up on the actual GMAT that didn't show up in your OG 11/OG Quant preparation?

NervousGMAT,

I think your points are logical, but if you stand outside of them, I imagine you could see how this thread could be helpful for true top scorers. I was going to say 750+ individuals, but I thought that would preclude some people with quality insights. Your "trap" point is one of the reasons I'm bringing up this thread.

Thanks in advance group,

Dominion

P.S. Riverripper, I'm truly happy for your Wharton acceptance. God bless, my friend.

riverripper · Answer

Wow I am so good, Wharton accepted me without having to apply??? man maybe Stanford will call soon too. Just kidding around. I got into Kellogg, but thanks for the congrats.

The OG is called the bible by a lot of people for a reason. Its the only study material I used and I think it is the book everyone should start with. If you complete that and are practicing at a 700+ level then go for the test. If your first GMAT prep falls south of 700 and your goal is to top 700 then you need to dig deeper into the pile of materials. I studied with minimal time and am glad my wife got me the OG for xmas and not Kaplan or something like that.

sonibubu · Answer

Did you post your study methods in any threads (posting a link would be great)? What did you use to study besides OG books?

jhgmat · Answer

You can achieve 700+ only with GMAT OG. It's brutal! I guess you already has super good math and reading comprehension skills.

Anon51 · Answer

Does OG stand for original gangster? If so, where can I find one?

CaliCpa · Answer

Eazy E is dead (the Original Gangster), so you can't find him anywhere.

JK. Is stands for Official Guide. You can buy it at almost any bookstore or online at MBA.com.

chambax · Answer

I'm not a "top scorer" as per your 750 definition but I am a happy member of the 700's club so I thought I would contribute my two cents.

When I took the GMAT Prep 2 and scored a 770 I had the same exact feeling as when I took my actual test and scored 710. The GMAT is a strange adaptive beast and I don't think you can really count the number of "difficult" questions because it constantly tries to gauge your level by giving you questions it thinks are above your level. To get a top score e.g. 750 you have to consistently get "tough" questions right, but those questions won't seem so "tough" to you because they are at your score level. the questions that will seem hard to you will be questions at 760-800 level questions. The same goes if you are scoring 550... the test will seem as difficult at 550 as at 770, because it will constantly give you questions above your level to give you a chance to jump up to the next level.

So I think the key is not to prepare for specifically "tough" questions but to get your overall "average" level of difficulty up. You will get a top score only if you can consistently perform within a certain diffiulty bracket, you won't get a top score for answering 3 difficult questions right... 
So to get a Quant score around 48+ I think it is more important to practice your common squares and square roots, concentrate on not making silly mistakes, answering the actual questions (e.g. solve for 2x and not x), rather than concentating on tough questions. This way you will have a rock solid foundation and a high "average" level of difficulty which is what the GMAT uses as a basis to determine your score.

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