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Hi,

I have recently been thinking about making a career move, and one option I am actively considering is taking an MBA. Having looked into it and learning all about the GMAT, I figured I would download the GMAT prep software and try the first practice test.

I scored 750 on my first attempt which I'm pretty happy with, and wondered how reliable an indicator that test is? I had thought I would require a few months of study as I've never sat a standardised test before (I'm from the UK), but if it is reliable then I guess I may as well take it in the next couple of weeks (I am not aiming for a Top tier american school as I don't think I can really afford it!) as, being a teacher, I have convenient Christmas holidays coming up.

I have attached a printscreen of the breakdown if that is of any relevance, and would be very grateful for any advice on whether to sit sooner or to study, and indeed what the best way would be to improve on this score (I have to say I felt a lot of the grammar questions came down to a 50-50 between two answers)

Thanks a lot

James

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi buswanker,

A 750 is an outstanding initial CAT score - and that score implies that you are a really strong critical thinker with a strong knowledge base of the concepts that appear on the GMAT. I have just a few questions about how you took this CAT:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take it at home?
3) Did you take it at the same time of day as when you would take the Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during this CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take this CAT before? Had you seen any of the questions before?

Beyond those questions, I have a few questions about your overall goals:

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

busflanker · Answer

Dear Rich,

many thanks for your reply.

To answer your questions:

1) I didn't do the essay as the software said it wouldn't mark it (and I have class reports to write this evening so wanted to get done!), but I did consider what points I would make and could see a few flaws in the argument. I took the IR and got a score of 8.
2) yes I took it at home
3)I took it about an hour or so later than the official one I think
4)not that I'm aware of apart from not writing the essay. 
5) I have never taken a CAT or any standardised test before, certainly never seen those questions before. I do have the advantage I guess of being a maths teacher, so the quant section was pretty familiar terrirory (though if anything it makes me incredibly ashamed of the mistakes I did make! And even more so the fact that there are two questions I still can't figure how they got the answer to!)

As for your second questions:

1)probably looking at January 2018 or thereabouts. If I really get going then maybe September 2017.

2) Initially I was only really considering ESMT in Berlin, due to location, but having been pleasantly surprised by my test score maybe it is worth me looking at other options. I'm not really sure.

Thanks!

James

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi James,

Since the AWA section requires some effort/energy, completing it will impact your energy level, endurance, etc. on Test Day - so this score might be a bit 'inflated.' This is meant to say that you should plan to complete the FULL CAT from now on (so that we can get a sense of how well you might perform later in the Exam when you're a bit tired). That having been said, you certainly appear to have the necessary skills to score at a really high level on the Official GMAT - and scoring at that level would put you in position to apply to any Schools that you might be interested in (and perhaps receive Scholarship money), so those ideas might be worth considering.

I suggest that you study as you see fit for the next week, then take a new FULL CAT. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can discuss your timeline and how best to proceed.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

busflanker · Answer

Hi Rich,

thanks for the advice. I did the second practice test on the Gmatprep software, including the essay question and got 740, so I guess you were right about it being a bit inflated (in the end i got 1 less on the numerical and one more on the verbal Q49 v42vs Q50 V41)! Still though, 740 is probably fine for my purposes. I guess my question is whether outside of the top business schools, is there any advantage in taking time to study to score higher once you are over the 700 threshold? There is a test slot free on Wednesday which would fit my plans very conveniently, but if it would have a significant effect on my applications or possible scholarships I would delay.

Also, in terms of general exam technique, apart from the essay I finished each section in around 2/3rds of the allocated time. Is it generally advisable to spend a bit longer? I feel I may have been able to spot a couple of mistakes in the numerical by spending more time, however to be honest I was struggling to focus a bit at the end of the verbal already, so maybe its better to avoid spending too long.. Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks

James

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi James,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your 2 CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (+/- a few points).

You're ultimately asking Admissions questions, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and what your potential score would mean at each of the Schools that you plan to apply to. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

Since you're finishing the Quant and Verbal sections so early, it's likely that you're rushing through certain questions and potentially missing out on a few points because of minor mistakes (or lack of note-taking, etc.). Thus, slowing down a bit might help you to score a bit higher. That having been said, if you're scoring well into the 700s anyway, you can comfortably apply to any Schools you like, so the amount of extra time that you might spend honing your Test-taking skills is a matter of your sense of readiness to face the Test. I think that you should go take the Test and 'lock in' that high score. You can always retake it later if you choose.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

ccooley · Answer

If I were you, I would study a bit, but only because I'd be kicking myself if I left any points on the table. 750 is a great score, so you'd almost certainly be fine if you took the test tomorrow, but why not put in a tiny bit of effort and possibly get an even better score?

Given that you're quite new to the GMAT, there are probably some things that you can improve very quickly and with only a few days of reading/studying. Things to think about:

- Data Sufficiency. This is a weird problem type. You might be falling for subtle logical traps in some tougher problems, even with a 51Q. Reading material: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... ms-part-1/

- Sentence Correction. Are you using your ear a lot on the grammar stuff? That's completely okay, but there are certain rules that fool almost everyone's ears, because we constantly misuse them in speech and writing. Reading material: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... ly-normal/

- Critical Reasoning/Reading Comp: have you mastered Inference ('Draw a Conclusion') problems? These can take some getting used to, since they aren't asking for the kind of inference you'd make in the real world. Instead, they're looking for something very specific to the GMAT - an answer that you can prove is correct.

busflanker · Answer

Thanks so much for that link, very helpful, you're right I was doing most of these questions by ear and having a basic framework of things to look for was very useful.

I ended up taking the test today and scored 750 (IR8, Q49, V42), which obviously is a decent enough score, but I have to say I'm absolutely gutted with 49 on quantative! Youre right i should have done a bit of studying instead of assuming, there were so many technicalities i was unsure of (eg does the square root sign imply positive only or +/- solutions, pretty key when answerig data Sufficiency!)

Oh well, if the purpose of GMAT is to pass the first filter 750 should be enough, so thanks to the both of you for your advice on here

Regards

James

P.s. Just because its niggling me, lots of the sentence correction options involved use of the em dash, which i have always avoided as a rule, but are these acceptable?

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