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![From 560 to 650 [Dutch, future MSc student]](/forum/styles/gmatclub_light/imageset/icon_post_target_unread.svg "From 560 to 650 [Dutch, future MSc student]"){kind=icon}
12 Oct 2015, 07:30
Kudos
Bookmarks
Final result:
GMAT 1 - 650 (76%) - V35 (76%) - Q44 (57%) - AWA 6.0 (91%) - IR 7 (81%)
Resources:
In chronological order (first used..., then...)
1. Kaplan GMAT Premier 2015, I can strongly advise to use this book for starters with little to no knowledge about the gmat.
2. Princeton Review (ca. 2010), only used practice bins. Even the toughest practice bins are too easy. I am against using this book.
3. ManhattanGMAT Word Problems, Geometry & Number Properties. As nobody has enough time, I strongly advise people to further strengthen their GMAT skills by improving their weaknesses with the use of some of the MGMAT books.
4. Official Guide 2015, good to study many practice questions, otherwise did not find it massively useful.
5. Chineseburned's AWA 6.0 template - although the AWA was not very important to me, a nice 6.0 is never bad when it only takes you a few days at highest to study for it. Studying this template alone will get the job done.
note 1. During the months I have used (from April until September 2015) to prepare for the GMAT, I have also done daily GMAT questions from GMAT-Club, which have helped me to stay sharp as I studied different subjects of math or grammar.
note 2. I have not really used anything to prepare for IR.
Setting & My 'story':
I come from the Netherlands, and the GMAT has been introduced in the Netherlands and Europe in general, except for the UK, not a very long time ago, or has not been as broadly used as it is now. I was required to do the GMAT and get a score of at least 600 for the universities I intend to apply for. More and more business related MSc degree programs in the Netherlands require this as a prerequisite to get admitted at a university with a bachelor of a university of applied sciences like I have, or to get access to one of the better ranked business schools or universities in the country, like Rotterdam School of Management. Many Germans also make use of the Dutch universities, and do the GMAT to stand a good chance of getting into one of the better Dutch universities, as many German universities do not have high ranked MSc degree programs in business.
I went from 560 to 650 in a relatively long time-period (April-September), although did side-jobs in between and got my motorcycle license. But I did make my goal, which was a 'mere' 600, or preferably even 620/630. However, before I took my first CAT I had already read through many posts on this forum and did plenty of dailies and finished the Kaplan book. Had I not done all this prior to taking my first CAT, my first CAT result would have been probably quite a bit lower. However, in my opinion, it does not make a lot of sense to do a first CAT without knowing the test format. Apart from the amount of time that it took to prepare for the test, I cannot complain as I did not have many setbacks.
Actual G-day for me was quite succesful. I did not expect the 650. I actually found the real GMAT to be easier than the CATs I had done! This, unfortunately, does not happen to everyone. The person next to me was also busy with the same test and started earlier. I found out after my own test that he cancelled his scores. Because I did use many different sources for my preparation as a whole I was not surprised by how the questions were stated in the real GMAT. However, because some questions did appear relatively easy for me, I was not sure if I was on the lower end or not. I did not think much about this during the test though, and you shouldn't, you should keep your focus on the test and just do your best. It was a massive advantage that I saw the test center prior to the test. It was also a massive advantage that I took one day off before the real test to relax, to prepare my bag, and consider what to bring to the test and what not. You do not want to worry about any of these things on that important day. On the actual test day I did the test like I did any other of my CAT tests and did not stress out too much. I think that is the best way to go. Make your CAT practice tests consistent in terms of timing and don't fool yourself by pausing or something. I was a bit stressy in the first 30 minutes of the test, at the AWA, but the stress went away as I was also well prepared for the AWA and the IR section was hardly important for the university admissions. By the time the quantitative section came I was warmed up and ready to rumble.
CAT practice tests results:
[see attachment]
Final tips and considerations
Please feel free to PM me should you have any questions!
GMAT 1 - 650 (76%) - V35 (76%) - Q44 (57%) - AWA 6.0 (91%) - IR 7 (81%)
Resources:
In chronological order (first used..., then...)
1. Kaplan GMAT Premier 2015, I can strongly advise to use this book for starters with little to no knowledge about the gmat.
2. Princeton Review (ca. 2010), only used practice bins. Even the toughest practice bins are too easy. I am against using this book.
3. ManhattanGMAT Word Problems, Geometry & Number Properties. As nobody has enough time, I strongly advise people to further strengthen their GMAT skills by improving their weaknesses with the use of some of the MGMAT books.
4. Official Guide 2015, good to study many practice questions, otherwise did not find it massively useful.
5. Chineseburned's AWA 6.0 template - although the AWA was not very important to me, a nice 6.0 is never bad when it only takes you a few days at highest to study for it. Studying this template alone will get the job done.
note 1. During the months I have used (from April until September 2015) to prepare for the GMAT, I have also done daily GMAT questions from GMAT-Club, which have helped me to stay sharp as I studied different subjects of math or grammar.
note 2. I have not really used anything to prepare for IR.
Setting & My 'story':
I come from the Netherlands, and the GMAT has been introduced in the Netherlands and Europe in general, except for the UK, not a very long time ago, or has not been as broadly used as it is now. I was required to do the GMAT and get a score of at least 600 for the universities I intend to apply for. More and more business related MSc degree programs in the Netherlands require this as a prerequisite to get admitted at a university with a bachelor of a university of applied sciences like I have, or to get access to one of the better ranked business schools or universities in the country, like Rotterdam School of Management. Many Germans also make use of the Dutch universities, and do the GMAT to stand a good chance of getting into one of the better Dutch universities, as many German universities do not have high ranked MSc degree programs in business.
I went from 560 to 650 in a relatively long time-period (April-September), although did side-jobs in between and got my motorcycle license. But I did make my goal, which was a 'mere' 600, or preferably even 620/630. However, before I took my first CAT I had already read through many posts on this forum and did plenty of dailies and finished the Kaplan book. Had I not done all this prior to taking my first CAT, my first CAT result would have been probably quite a bit lower. However, in my opinion, it does not make a lot of sense to do a first CAT without knowing the test format. Apart from the amount of time that it took to prepare for the test, I cannot complain as I did not have many setbacks.
Actual G-day for me was quite succesful. I did not expect the 650. I actually found the real GMAT to be easier than the CATs I had done! This, unfortunately, does not happen to everyone. The person next to me was also busy with the same test and started earlier. I found out after my own test that he cancelled his scores. Because I did use many different sources for my preparation as a whole I was not surprised by how the questions were stated in the real GMAT. However, because some questions did appear relatively easy for me, I was not sure if I was on the lower end or not. I did not think much about this during the test though, and you shouldn't, you should keep your focus on the test and just do your best. It was a massive advantage that I saw the test center prior to the test. It was also a massive advantage that I took one day off before the real test to relax, to prepare my bag, and consider what to bring to the test and what not. You do not want to worry about any of these things on that important day. On the actual test day I did the test like I did any other of my CAT tests and did not stress out too much. I think that is the best way to go. Make your CAT practice tests consistent in terms of timing and don't fool yourself by pausing or something. I was a bit stressy in the first 30 minutes of the test, at the AWA, but the stress went away as I was also well prepared for the AWA and the IR section was hardly important for the university admissions. By the time the quantitative section came I was warmed up and ready to rumble.
CAT practice tests results:
[see attachment]
Final tips and considerations
- Use this forum to your advantage, there is a ton of information available that WILL help you prepare for the test, not just in terms of knowledge in relation to the questions or test format, but also mental preparation is critical.
- Do go to the test center before D-day. Eliminate every variable that could possibly increase your stress on G-day. You should know by heart how G-day will go [that is, where the test center is, how it looks like, what the center's temperature is, where the bathroom is, how many minutes you have in your break, whether you have to scan your handpalm or fingers before entering the testroom again, etc.]
- I found the preparation for the GMAT test extremely time consuming and considered it a gamble too. Be prepared to put in a lot of effort, or simply don't bother. Do not forget that the GMAT is far more than a test of basic math and grammar knowledge, it is also a test of discipline and dedication.
- It helps a whole lot when your math and English language skills are already of relatively high level, or you are good in analytical thinking. Many GMAT test takers are Americans, and unlike Americans or Brits most other people have the disadvantage that their native language is not English.
- Do a lot of CAT practice tests before you do the actual GMAT. Besides knowledge of math and grammar, stamina, timing skills, and learning how to cope with pressure are important. This is half the game.
- IMO, do not take an expensive GMAT course. Nobody is going to do the learning for you. Buy some books which are expensive enough already, and do it yourself. The courses won't really provide you anything else than GMATClub can provide you for free or the books will provide you for much less.
- Get an eye for what CAT practice test scores mean. You can tell a lot from your performance from the quantitative and verbal scores as they go up or down. Also, do not forget the importance of the first ten GMAT questions in a CAT in both quantitative and verbal. Those alone can make or break your score.
- Make a realistic planning and stick to it, but do not work it out in too much detail and leave time to relax in between. It costs many people a lot of time to seriously prepare for the test, and you need to use your time as effective as you can. There are too many resources to study everything, and learning every single grammar rule will cost most of us too much time. It is a good idea to start with a book on general GMAT topics, like Kaplan GMAT Premier, and then work on your weak points from there.
- I am pro making your own flashcards. Not only do you learn and remember them when you make them yourself, you only make flashcards for your weak points or formula's that you need to start remembering. Do not make too many. Don't drown yourself in them. I find it essential to know certain formula's such as the combinations formula (and how to apply it) or know the much-used triangles 30-60-90 and 45-45-90. I made mine a month ahead of the test, and they consisted of information like the formula's that I did not know by heart yet, only to study them every single day of that last remaining month.
- The Kaplan scores are still or appear so, in 2015, on the lower end. Whatever source you use for your CAT practice tests, it is a good idea to use the GMATClub score calculator to figure out what your score could be on the real test.
Please feel free to PM me should you have any questions!
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