770 (Q50, V46)

Question

I just took the GMAT today. I've been a lurker here for a while. I've used a lot of different strategies that have been suggested here, and I thought I would add my 2 cents as to what I thought helped me the most during my studies. Hopefully my story can help others in some way in their preparation.

Materials Used:

Math:

Total GMAT math- This resource was pretty good. I would give it about a 7.5/10. It seemed like it was missing a few important formulas/concepts, but overall I thought it was a very good resource for getting an overall picture of what was to be expected in the math section.

Extreme Challenge- I thought this set was great. It definitely had about 35% probability/combinatorics questions, but it was still top notch. (By the way, I only got one question of this type on the GMAT, and it was really basic compared to some of the practice problems I had taken, so I'm not sure it's worth the time freaking out about probability/combinatorics.)

GMAT Club Tests- These tests were very difficult. I got pretty frustrated with how hard these tests were. I thought a lot of the questions weren't very realistic, but after I took and reviewed the first 15 tests, I knew that I was very prepared for the math section the GMAT. These tests are very recommended, but don't get dismayed if you don't do well at first. I averaged around 26 out of 37 on these tests.

Verbal:

Powerscore CR Bible- This book was awesome. It made critical reasoning go from my weakest area in verbal to my strongest. It goes through every question type and discusses all the possible wrong/right answers one could face. I can't speak highly enough about this book.

Manhattan SC- This book was pretty good. I view it as a great way to start off one's SC study. Everyone should supplement this with lots and lots of practice (via the OG, OG Verbal, or GMAT Prep SC Doc).

RC 99- This book was pretty good at enhancing my RC ability. I read about 10 of the difficult passages. It got me used to the most obscure, difficult to decipher types of passages. I'm not sure if I recommend this or not. I would maybe suggest reading all of the OG and OG Verbal passages instead. I did read the Economist, specifically the Science and Technology section, and I believe that helped my reading comprehension a decent amount, so I would definitely suggest doing that as well.

The OG Verbal Supplement- This supplement was pretty good. I thought the questions were rather on the easy side compared to the actual GMAT, so I'm not sure how much it helped overall. It was definitely good practice though.

Overall:

The OG- This was a very good resource. Both the math and verbal questions were probably a little easy compared to the actual GMAT, but this book contained good practice overall. I would definitely go through this book as part of my preparation.

Here's a summary of how I would rate the materials I used:

Total GMAT Math- 7.5/10
Extreme Challenge- 9/10
GMAT Club Tests- 9/10
Powerscore CR Bible- 10/10
MGMAT SC Guide- 8/10
RC 99- 7.5/10
OG- 8/10
OG Verbal-7.5/10

My practice tests:
MGMAT 1: 730- The math was brutal in this test.
MGMAT 2:730- Again, the math was brutal
GMAT Prep 1:770

Test Day Experience:
I didn't do anything special on test day. I just ate what I normally eat for breakfast and lunch and then drove to to the test center. When I was taking the test, I thought to myself "This isn't going very well. I've definitely missed a lot of questions." The message here is that even if you don't think you're doing well, don't get dismayed, because you might be doing better than you think!

Overall:
I do feel that the GMAT is very learnable. It doesn't really matter what one's natural math and English language abilities are, hard work and perseverance are what matter. With enough time and smart study methods, anyone can do well on this test.

vwjetty · Answer

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OMimT5x918I/S9W0z9zNZAI/AAAAAAAAABs/aatNNH2eN80/s1600/CoolStoryBro.jpg

mainhoon · Answer

awesamo!

gmatdelhi · Answer

Do you think it's necessary to go through the PowerScore CR bible? What were you scoring like before and after the book? I've been trying to improve on my CR with free resources from the net...not really inclined towards buying a whole book dedicated to CR and go through even more theory...is CR really that difficult?

rg1 · Answer

@jauer112 Congrats for your score. I think you pretty much used ALL the quality material available for GMAT. Kudos!

rg1 · Answer

@gmatdelhi - I'm not sure if CR Powerscore is a must have but definitely this is one of the best books available for tackling CR questions in GMAT. I've read this book and is definitely worth it. It's always recommended to prepare from at least two different books for the same topic to acquire all possible aspects.

jauer112 · Answer

For whatever reason I had difficult doing CR questions. I would say I went from around a 70-75% hit rate to an over 95% hit rate. I'll try to give an example of how it helped me.

-Assumption questions were especially tough for me. However, after reading the CR Bible, I felt like I knew all the potential types of correct answers. For example, one out of every 8 questions, I would wager, would have a correct answer that eliminates the possibility that the stated relationship in the stimulus is reversed. For whatever reason, such an answer never would have occurred to me prior to reading the book and I very likely would not have guessed that answer choice. After reading the book, if I ever saw such an answer choice, I would immediately know that it's the right answer. Also, I thought the Negation technique described in the book was a great way to double check that your answer choice is correct.

I would say I wasn't that inclined to go over the theory of CR either, but I really do feel strongly about this book. It isn't necessary to do well on the GMAT, but it will guaranteed help you if you do choose to go through it.

Burnkeal · Answer

Well done to you. This is a terrific score. Good luck with your apps.

mads · Answer

Excellent score..Congratulations.
Thanks for the debrief.

Fairness · Answer

Thanks a lot for your advice.I have ordered powerscore cr from Amazon;)

Posted from my mobile device

ulm · Answer

Thank you, looks great!

sv76 · Answer

Congratulations for the massive score and best of luck for the app.. How did you find GMAT Verbal questions in comparison to OG tough,latter verbal questions in difficulty level.. Were CR questions lengthy ( more than 5-6 lines ) ?

jauer112 · Answer

The last RC passage on the test was a lot harder than any of the passages in the OG. The RC passages in general were a little bit trickier than the OG. The SC and CR were about the same though.

Most of the CR questions weren't that lengthy. I didn't really notice that a lot of them were very long at least.

varunmaheshwari · Answer

Congratulations for such an excellent score..
Good Luck for ur applications..

ebratemo · Answer

I am taking the test on the 18th of december...just wondering if you got any one on one tutoring...and if so....I would like some help.

Thanks

abelnazareth · Answer

Hi,

Could you please share your study timing? How much did you study each day and how many days did you prepare?

Thanks and Regards,
Abel

puneetpratik · Answer

great score bro, thanks for inspiring me about powwer cr, i will read it this weekens only.

jauer112 · Answer

I didn't get any one on one tutoring. It was all self-study for me. I felt like the materials I used were good enough that I didn't need a tutor.

jauer112 · Answer

I studied haphazardly for 2-3 weeks and then I spent about 6 weeks of very focused studying. During the 6 weeks, I would study 3-4 hours on weekdays and then about 6 on weekends. I would also take one day a week off of studying to try not to get burned out.

abelnazareth · Answer

Thanks for your reply. Wish you the best for your application process. Good Luck!

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