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Aves
Joined: 08 Jan 2015
Last visit: 02 Dec 2023
Posts: 70
Given Kudos: 654
Location: Thailand
Schools: Duke '19 (A) HKU MBA"19 (A$)
GMAT 1: 540 Q41 V23
GMAT 2: 570 Q44 V24
GMAT 3: 550 Q44 V21
GMAT 4: 660 Q48 V33
GPA: 3.31
WE:Science (Other)
08 Jun 2016, 20:13
Kudos
Bookmarks
I know 660 (Q48 V33) is just an average in this forum but I want to share it anyway.
Let me tell you about my info;
I am a Thai geologist working in the mining industry in Thailand.
Work experience: 3 years
GPA: 3.31
As you see, English is not my native language. So, sorry in advance about the grammar!
Well, my first attempt was a year back when I got offered to apply for preparation course for company’s scholarship. I decided that I wanted to do MBA so I took GMAT test without knowing what the test really was. That day, I scored 540 (Q41 V23). I knew it was not enough to get into a good business school with this score but it was my first time so I didn’t think about it too much.
After the first try, my company sent me to study with a famous local GMAT instructor for a couple months. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get much from her style of teaching and was not ready for the second attempt. This time I got 570 (Q44, V24). It started to freak me out. Because I knew it should take around 3 – 4 months to beat the test.
When I saw my score report, I knew that improving my verbal skills would be easier than improving my math skills so I bought an e-gmat SC online course. I watched all of its videos and did all tests that were in its website. Its videos were very informative but I felt that there was something missing.
I booked my third attempt 6 months after the second one. This time I was very confident that I could get more than 650. I read all of the useful tips in this forum. I did 4 MGMAT mock tests and 4 GMATprep software. My score was consistent in the last 4 tests.
GMATprep1 : 700 (Q49 V36) (retake)
GMATprep2: 710 (Q49 V37) (retake)
MGMAT1: 580 (Q40 V30)
MGMAT2: 580 (Q40 V30)
MGMAT3: 630 (Q42 V34)
GMATprep 3: 640 (Q48 V30)
GMATprep4 : 630 (Q44 V35) (a week before the test)
MGAMT4 : 670 (Q46 V35) ( 2 days before the test)
*All of these tests were taken in a real situation similar to the real one*
However, my third attempt was a total nightmare. I let the anxiety and stress get the best of me. I studied until the very last minute. I couldn’t concentrate even in the IR part. I spent like 3 – 4 minutes on the first question in quantitative section even though it was just an easy work rate problem. After the easy question come the hardest and most convoluted probability question, at least in my opinion in that particular moment. I had no choice but to guess and moved on. The nightmare didn’t end yet. the third question was about geometry with 3 dimensional shapes. At that point, I was crying inside and already lost my mind.
I finished the quant before the time ran out because the rest of the questions was quite easy. I tried to get myself together to fight another beast, the verbal part, but I failed miserably. I could eliminate only 2 – 3 choices in most of the SC questions so I had to make an educated guess a lot. Moreover, I got 2 long passages about business and social science that I couldn’t even find the main points. Then again, I guessed a lot. However, I thought that I did well in CR questions, most of which were pretty straightforward.
I finished the test and saw my score of 550(Q44 V21 IR0). I canceled it immediately.
I could barely walk off the test center. I felt like the whole world was crushing on me. I have no idea what to do next. I spent 11 months on GMAT and couldn’t make the difference.
That night, I bought ESR report. It said that my CR score was around 35 but SC and RC were only about 19 - 20.I can’t tell you how many times I want to give up. But I always tell myself that I’ve come this far. It is too late to look back and be a loser.
I was looking for help in the next day. I remembered that there is someone in the verbal forum who always provides useful explanations. It was Mike McGarry!
I decided to buy Magoosh online prep course and started all over again. It was quite hard to set myself on track because I had already exhausted all of the OG materials. But Magoosh provided me a number of high quality questions both in quant and in verbal.
Before I started studying, I had read mike’s article about beating the GMAT stress. Here are the sentences that saved me!
“Just as one can be mindful of one’s body or one’s breath, one can be mindful of one’s thoughts. This means simply watching the thoughts as a stream, as a passing parade. When one feels one’s self starting to get engulfed in the rollercoaster of a particular thought-pattern, one simply steps back and labels it “thought.” By that label, we are not saying it is true or false, simply a thought, no more.
If this is new to you, then at first, it will seem next to impossible. Much more than other forms of mindfulness, mindfulness of thought requires tremendous perseverance and conscientiousness. One might find visualization and related tricks helpful – for example, imagining an unpleasant scene in your head getting smaller and smaller, or imagining turning down the volume on a troubling voice in one’s head. At first, one simply realizes in retrospect, “I had that thought, and then I went on that whole emotional ride when I didn’t have to!” With practice, though, one creates space: space between one’s self and the entrance to the rollercoaster, space to insert a more positive thought — or space simply to be mindful and breathe deeply. Imagine being able to walk into your GMAT with that kind of inner spaciousness! Imagine being able to approach your career like that!”
I then knew that what I was missing was not the particular skills to take the test but the skills to calm myself during the darkest hours. From this point, whenever I start to think about the nightmare in the third attempt, I whisper to myself “Don’t get on the train of emotion”. You guys may think this is stupid but this technique is really helpful!
Two months after buying Magoosh course, I took the test again (8 Jun 2016) and scored 660 (Q48 V33 IR4). Hoorayy!!
This time, I felt that everything was easier than the previous one; quant was pretty straightforward with 1 or 2 crazy questions that I skipped right after reading the prompts, CR was easy for me, RC was not as difficult as the last attempt but I got very long confusing passage about social science and had to make a few guesses, SC was always my weakness but,with the help of Magoosh, I can manage to beat it.
In summary, the people who decide to take GMAT are one of the most brilliant minds in the world. In order to differentiate these people, GMAC tests not only your intelligence but also your abilities to deal with the pressure. Do not spend all of your time learning the study materials as I did. Try to find a way to relax your mind during the test as well!
Here are the study resources that I use:
1) OG10th edition
2) OG12th edition
3) OG2015
4) OG2016
5) Sentence correction by Powerscore
6) Critical reasoning by Powerscore
7) e-GMAT online SC course
8) All Manhattan GMAT prep books (Very useful especially SC and CR)
9) Magoosh online prep course *** Totally recommended ***
Let me tell you about my info;
I am a Thai geologist working in the mining industry in Thailand.
Work experience: 3 years
GPA: 3.31
As you see, English is not my native language. So, sorry in advance about the grammar!
Well, my first attempt was a year back when I got offered to apply for preparation course for company’s scholarship. I decided that I wanted to do MBA so I took GMAT test without knowing what the test really was. That day, I scored 540 (Q41 V23). I knew it was not enough to get into a good business school with this score but it was my first time so I didn’t think about it too much.
After the first try, my company sent me to study with a famous local GMAT instructor for a couple months. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get much from her style of teaching and was not ready for the second attempt. This time I got 570 (Q44, V24). It started to freak me out. Because I knew it should take around 3 – 4 months to beat the test.
When I saw my score report, I knew that improving my verbal skills would be easier than improving my math skills so I bought an e-gmat SC online course. I watched all of its videos and did all tests that were in its website. Its videos were very informative but I felt that there was something missing.
I booked my third attempt 6 months after the second one. This time I was very confident that I could get more than 650. I read all of the useful tips in this forum. I did 4 MGMAT mock tests and 4 GMATprep software. My score was consistent in the last 4 tests.
GMATprep1 : 700 (Q49 V36) (retake)
GMATprep2: 710 (Q49 V37) (retake)
MGMAT1: 580 (Q40 V30)
MGMAT2: 580 (Q40 V30)
MGMAT3: 630 (Q42 V34)
GMATprep 3: 640 (Q48 V30)
GMATprep4 : 630 (Q44 V35) (a week before the test)
MGAMT4 : 670 (Q46 V35) ( 2 days before the test)
*All of these tests were taken in a real situation similar to the real one*
However, my third attempt was a total nightmare. I let the anxiety and stress get the best of me. I studied until the very last minute. I couldn’t concentrate even in the IR part. I spent like 3 – 4 minutes on the first question in quantitative section even though it was just an easy work rate problem. After the easy question come the hardest and most convoluted probability question, at least in my opinion in that particular moment. I had no choice but to guess and moved on. The nightmare didn’t end yet. the third question was about geometry with 3 dimensional shapes. At that point, I was crying inside and already lost my mind.
I finished the quant before the time ran out because the rest of the questions was quite easy. I tried to get myself together to fight another beast, the verbal part, but I failed miserably. I could eliminate only 2 – 3 choices in most of the SC questions so I had to make an educated guess a lot. Moreover, I got 2 long passages about business and social science that I couldn’t even find the main points. Then again, I guessed a lot. However, I thought that I did well in CR questions, most of which were pretty straightforward.
I finished the test and saw my score of 550(Q44 V21 IR0). I canceled it immediately.
I could barely walk off the test center. I felt like the whole world was crushing on me. I have no idea what to do next. I spent 11 months on GMAT and couldn’t make the difference.
That night, I bought ESR report. It said that my CR score was around 35 but SC and RC were only about 19 - 20.I can’t tell you how many times I want to give up. But I always tell myself that I’ve come this far. It is too late to look back and be a loser.
I was looking for help in the next day. I remembered that there is someone in the verbal forum who always provides useful explanations. It was Mike McGarry!
I decided to buy Magoosh online prep course and started all over again. It was quite hard to set myself on track because I had already exhausted all of the OG materials. But Magoosh provided me a number of high quality questions both in quant and in verbal.
Before I started studying, I had read mike’s article about beating the GMAT stress. Here are the sentences that saved me!
“Just as one can be mindful of one’s body or one’s breath, one can be mindful of one’s thoughts. This means simply watching the thoughts as a stream, as a passing parade. When one feels one’s self starting to get engulfed in the rollercoaster of a particular thought-pattern, one simply steps back and labels it “thought.” By that label, we are not saying it is true or false, simply a thought, no more.
If this is new to you, then at first, it will seem next to impossible. Much more than other forms of mindfulness, mindfulness of thought requires tremendous perseverance and conscientiousness. One might find visualization and related tricks helpful – for example, imagining an unpleasant scene in your head getting smaller and smaller, or imagining turning down the volume on a troubling voice in one’s head. At first, one simply realizes in retrospect, “I had that thought, and then I went on that whole emotional ride when I didn’t have to!” With practice, though, one creates space: space between one’s self and the entrance to the rollercoaster, space to insert a more positive thought — or space simply to be mindful and breathe deeply. Imagine being able to walk into your GMAT with that kind of inner spaciousness! Imagine being able to approach your career like that!”
I then knew that what I was missing was not the particular skills to take the test but the skills to calm myself during the darkest hours. From this point, whenever I start to think about the nightmare in the third attempt, I whisper to myself “Don’t get on the train of emotion”. You guys may think this is stupid but this technique is really helpful!
Two months after buying Magoosh course, I took the test again (8 Jun 2016) and scored 660 (Q48 V33 IR4). Hoorayy!!
This time, I felt that everything was easier than the previous one; quant was pretty straightforward with 1 or 2 crazy questions that I skipped right after reading the prompts, CR was easy for me, RC was not as difficult as the last attempt but I got very long confusing passage about social science and had to make a few guesses, SC was always my weakness but,with the help of Magoosh, I can manage to beat it.
In summary, the people who decide to take GMAT are one of the most brilliant minds in the world. In order to differentiate these people, GMAC tests not only your intelligence but also your abilities to deal with the pressure. Do not spend all of your time learning the study materials as I did. Try to find a way to relax your mind during the test as well!
Here are the study resources that I use:
1) OG10th edition
2) OG12th edition
3) OG2015
4) OG2016
5) Sentence correction by Powerscore
6) Critical reasoning by Powerscore
7) e-GMAT online SC course
8) All Manhattan GMAT prep books (Very useful especially SC and CR)
9) Magoosh online prep course *** Totally recommended ***
22 Jun 2016, 01:44
Kudos
Bookmarks
Thank you for the posting your story! I think it will help me a lot.
Personally, I took the GMAT only a week ago and scored 510 (Q41, V20). To say that I was disappointed is to say nothing. I was discouraged and beaten. I have only 3 weeks before my final attempt and I hope to significantly improve my perfomace till that moment. I know it is possible, because I think that my illness affected on my first attempt - I had a temperature in the test day and the day before. I believe that my minimum Verbal score is above 25. And I need to improve by 10 points more. I purchased EST and found out that I've failed primary SC and RC just as you did. Somehow I picked wrong all the questions from 20 to 30 in the Verbal Section - I think that I lost concentration on that moment due to the illness. First 10 questions was 70% correct then 10-20 and 30-41 was 50% correct.
So right now I'm going through MGMAT SC book as in the first time in life and practicing over OG questions.
Do you think I should review Magoosh videos and retake some hard questions from this course? I'm just affraid that it would be more a waste of time to review them as I have already watched them few monthes ago. Maybe it would be better do dedicate this time for practice?
Personally, I took the GMAT only a week ago and scored 510 (Q41, V20). To say that I was disappointed is to say nothing. I was discouraged and beaten. I have only 3 weeks before my final attempt and I hope to significantly improve my perfomace till that moment. I know it is possible, because I think that my illness affected on my first attempt - I had a temperature in the test day and the day before. I believe that my minimum Verbal score is above 25. And I need to improve by 10 points more. I purchased EST and found out that I've failed primary SC and RC just as you did. Somehow I picked wrong all the questions from 20 to 30 in the Verbal Section - I think that I lost concentration on that moment due to the illness. First 10 questions was 70% correct then 10-20 and 30-41 was 50% correct.
So right now I'm going through MGMAT SC book as in the first time in life and practicing over OG questions.
Do you think I should review Magoosh videos and retake some hard questions from this course? I'm just affraid that it would be more a waste of time to review them as I have already watched them few monthes ago. Maybe it would be better do dedicate this time for practice?
Aves
Joined: 08 Jan 2015
Last visit: 02 Dec 2023
Posts: 70
Given Kudos: 654
Location: Thailand
Schools: Duke '19 (A) HKU MBA"19 (A$)
GMAT 1: 540 Q41 V23
GMAT 2: 570 Q44 V24
GMAT 3: 550 Q44 V21
GMAT 4: 660 Q48 V33
GPA: 3.31
WE:Science (Other)
28 Jun 2016, 20:10
Kudos
Bookmarks
MannyOliveira
I don't think you should go for the hard questions. In the real GMAT, I see only a few of the hard questions (700-level) both in Quant and Verbal.
You should pay attention to the core concepts. With a firm grip, you will be surprised how much you can improve.
