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21 Dec 2016, 07:30
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Hi guys, I am a long-time lurker, first-time poster on this forum -- but I have to say GMATClub was one of the best resources for me during my prep and I wanted to give something back.
First, I am a female engineer (Mechanical) by training, but I am a businesswoman at heart! Engineering is a great degree to have (and I did fairly well), but my passion has never been there. I've spent the past four years now doing sales -- still exposed to #s, but not doing any 'hard' calculations regularly. Native english speaker; born and raised in the US.
I took the GMAT once my senior year of undergrad (thinking I would apply to B-Schools 2-ish years out, and had extra time to study) and scored a 680. Fast-forward 4 years to now, and I am finally getting back around to thinking about school. I took the GMAT again yesterday after about 3 months of prep and scored a 710. Lower in Quant than I would have expected/wanted (Q46), especially given my engineering degree and that I got A's in all my math courses!, but overall still a score I am happy with.
Materials / Time
I used Magoosh almost exclusively to learn the content for the first month and a half.
Mike McGarry's explanations are amazing! Magoosh really focuses on drilling home the CONCEPTS, which is what I needed. I would highly recommend Magoosh to anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the concepts.
I also read the "Rate problems made easy" and "How to solve remainder problems" from GMATClub.
Some people may shame me for saying this - but I barely touched the OG this time around. I did probably 60 quant questions and 75ish verbal questions, and that was it.
I studied about 2 hours each night and 4 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday. I made sure to mix quant and verbal questions in to maintain "mental agility". The first time, I focused entirely on quant then shifted to all verbal. This was a mistake.
Preparation- about 3 months (end of Sept start / Dec 20 test date)
I started taking MGMATs about a month into my studies (big mistake! - I had not yet covered all the concepts yet and was scoring in the low 600s (620, 630) which was pretty de-motivating). I found the quant to be extremely tough and verbal not too bad. I do not think the MGMAT scores are accurate predictors; I remember taking them the first time around and scoring pretty similar, but getting 50 points higher on the actual exam. After 2 MGMAT tests, I decided to stop and focus on the concepts before taking anymore practice tests.
BTW, the only AWA practice I did was during the practice tests (4 in total). That was definitely enough.
After about a month and a half, I started using the GMATClub Tests - which were SO helpful! I learned so many neat tricks that way. Also, I think GMATClub Tests are the best way to learn Number Theory/Properties, which are a very common topic on the test. I don't think Magoosh focused enough on this area (although was good for foundation), but the GMATClub Tests really helped to drill the concepts home. I did a GMATClub test about 1-2x per week but wish I had done more.
I started feeling very burned out the last 2-3 weeks of studying, so I decided to book my test date. Because I waited so long, there was only one slot available before Christmas and it was at 8am. Bummer because I am not fully "on" at 8am, but I managed anyways. My own fault for waiting
Practice Exams
As I mentioned above, I do NOT consider MGMAT tests to be accurate score predictors. My scores were always 40-50+ points lower than my actual test score. Additionally, I never scored higher than 690 in my GMATPrep tests (I only took 2 -- 690 and 680). So to everyone scoring sub-700 on the practice exams -- there is definitely hope!! Don't put TOO much emphasis on them.
I took one GMATPrep test about 3 weeks before my exam and the last test a week before.
Days leading up to test day & test day
Since my exam was scheduled for 8am on a Tuesday, the weekend before I stayed home and woke up on Sat, Sun, and Mon at 5am. I tried to mimmick my routine on test day: I went to the gym, ate a big breakfast, and then went to study for a few hours on the weekend. I think this was worth it.
I did not study at all the day before the test. I went to an early dinner with a friend and was in bed by 9pm. I woke up feeling well rested, calm, and confident.
On test day, I ate a normal breakfast (english muffin with jelly, egg, cottage cheese, some berries).
I arrived at the test center about 30 mins early. Check-in process took forever (I took the test in Midtown NYC), so didn't actually sit down in my test cubicle until about 8:30. AWA and IR went by quickly.
Then Quant -- got a totally weird question pool yesterday. TBH I think i actually got the first question wrong. Only 1-2 number property questions and a bunch of other questions that were unlike any I had seen before. This threw me off and I lost confidence about half-way through and I could tell the questions were getting easier rather than harder. and there were no probability questions which I knew was not a good sign!
On the break, I wanted to just cancel the test and go home and try again another time -- but pulled myself together and reminded myself that the overall score is definitely carried by a strong verbal -- so let's see how it goes.
On the break I ate half a granola bar, banana, and drank some gatorade. I did NOT feel TOO mentally fatigued at the end, so I think this was a good snack choice.
Verbal was OK; I could tell I was doing well because I was getting very, very long RC passages and full-sentence-underlined SC questions.
After I filled out the questionnaire at the end of the exam, I closed my eyes and said to myself "well, I can always take it again" (since you can cancel your scores now after you see them). Opened by eyes and was pleasantly surprised.
Takeaways
* I think I could have used another few weeks of studying. Maybe 3.5-4 months is the perfect timeframe. I would probably take this test again if I did not have a full-time job and didn't mind giving up more of my weekday nights and weekends to the GMAT!
*Mix verbal and quant study -- the first time around, I focused solely on quant then solely on verbal. That was not smart. By test day, I had forgotten much of what I had learned early on. Mixed practice is best! 1/2 quant questions, 1/2 verbal.
* What I really wish I had done was PERFECT PRACTICE!! too often I was just reviewing the answers without really thinking about the underlying theory. What I think would have been a more effective testing strategy is: do a set of practice problems - nothing crazy, maybe 15-20. At the end of the session, review EVERY QUESTION and ask myself -- how could I have done this better/faster (if I got it right), and WHY did I get this wrong and WHY is it wrong (if I got it wrong)...and really try to understand the theory behind it all.
* I also did not keep an error log which was probably a mistake. That would have been a great asset for my "perfect practice" suggestion above.
* GMATClub Tests were great, as well as Magoosh. I also spent a lot of time on GMATClub searching for specific question topics and doing practice problems from there. GMATClub members have some brilliant alternatives, as well as the math genius BUNUEL!
* Do not get discouraged by practice test scores. On test day, it is partially luck! How tired are you? What kind of questions are you they pooling from on test day? (if I am more proficient in say, probability, but I get a lot of questions on my weaker area of rate problems....I will probably do worse). Are you nervous?
The practice tests are great practice for pacing and building stamina, but do not get bogged down in the scores. Like I said, I never scored a 700+ on any practice test, ever.
* Do not study the day of, or the day before the exam! I think this also helped me to be more relaxed and calm during the actual test.
So that is my 2 cents.
Thank you for letting me share, and good luck to all the future test takers!
First, I am a female engineer (Mechanical) by training, but I am a businesswoman at heart! Engineering is a great degree to have (and I did fairly well), but my passion has never been there. I've spent the past four years now doing sales -- still exposed to #s, but not doing any 'hard' calculations regularly. Native english speaker; born and raised in the US.
I took the GMAT once my senior year of undergrad (thinking I would apply to B-Schools 2-ish years out, and had extra time to study) and scored a 680. Fast-forward 4 years to now, and I am finally getting back around to thinking about school. I took the GMAT again yesterday after about 3 months of prep and scored a 710. Lower in Quant than I would have expected/wanted (Q46), especially given my engineering degree and that I got A's in all my math courses!, but overall still a score I am happy with.
Materials / Time
I used Magoosh almost exclusively to learn the content for the first month and a half.
Mike McGarry's explanations are amazing! Magoosh really focuses on drilling home the CONCEPTS, which is what I needed. I would highly recommend Magoosh to anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the concepts.
I also read the "Rate problems made easy" and "How to solve remainder problems" from GMATClub.
Some people may shame me for saying this - but I barely touched the OG this time around. I did probably 60 quant questions and 75ish verbal questions, and that was it.
I studied about 2 hours each night and 4 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday. I made sure to mix quant and verbal questions in to maintain "mental agility". The first time, I focused entirely on quant then shifted to all verbal. This was a mistake.
Preparation- about 3 months (end of Sept start / Dec 20 test date)
I started taking MGMATs about a month into my studies (big mistake! - I had not yet covered all the concepts yet and was scoring in the low 600s (620, 630) which was pretty de-motivating). I found the quant to be extremely tough and verbal not too bad. I do not think the MGMAT scores are accurate predictors; I remember taking them the first time around and scoring pretty similar, but getting 50 points higher on the actual exam. After 2 MGMAT tests, I decided to stop and focus on the concepts before taking anymore practice tests.
BTW, the only AWA practice I did was during the practice tests (4 in total). That was definitely enough.
After about a month and a half, I started using the GMATClub Tests - which were SO helpful! I learned so many neat tricks that way. Also, I think GMATClub Tests are the best way to learn Number Theory/Properties, which are a very common topic on the test. I don't think Magoosh focused enough on this area (although was good for foundation), but the GMATClub Tests really helped to drill the concepts home. I did a GMATClub test about 1-2x per week but wish I had done more.
I started feeling very burned out the last 2-3 weeks of studying, so I decided to book my test date. Because I waited so long, there was only one slot available before Christmas and it was at 8am. Bummer because I am not fully "on" at 8am, but I managed anyways. My own fault for waiting
Practice Exams
As I mentioned above, I do NOT consider MGMAT tests to be accurate score predictors. My scores were always 40-50+ points lower than my actual test score. Additionally, I never scored higher than 690 in my GMATPrep tests (I only took 2 -- 690 and 680). So to everyone scoring sub-700 on the practice exams -- there is definitely hope!! Don't put TOO much emphasis on them.
I took one GMATPrep test about 3 weeks before my exam and the last test a week before.
Days leading up to test day & test day
Since my exam was scheduled for 8am on a Tuesday, the weekend before I stayed home and woke up on Sat, Sun, and Mon at 5am. I tried to mimmick my routine on test day: I went to the gym, ate a big breakfast, and then went to study for a few hours on the weekend. I think this was worth it.
I did not study at all the day before the test. I went to an early dinner with a friend and was in bed by 9pm. I woke up feeling well rested, calm, and confident.
On test day, I ate a normal breakfast (english muffin with jelly, egg, cottage cheese, some berries).
I arrived at the test center about 30 mins early. Check-in process took forever (I took the test in Midtown NYC), so didn't actually sit down in my test cubicle until about 8:30. AWA and IR went by quickly.
Then Quant -- got a totally weird question pool yesterday. TBH I think i actually got the first question wrong. Only 1-2 number property questions and a bunch of other questions that were unlike any I had seen before. This threw me off and I lost confidence about half-way through and I could tell the questions were getting easier rather than harder. and there were no probability questions which I knew was not a good sign!
On the break, I wanted to just cancel the test and go home and try again another time -- but pulled myself together and reminded myself that the overall score is definitely carried by a strong verbal -- so let's see how it goes.
On the break I ate half a granola bar, banana, and drank some gatorade. I did NOT feel TOO mentally fatigued at the end, so I think this was a good snack choice.
Verbal was OK; I could tell I was doing well because I was getting very, very long RC passages and full-sentence-underlined SC questions.
After I filled out the questionnaire at the end of the exam, I closed my eyes and said to myself "well, I can always take it again" (since you can cancel your scores now after you see them). Opened by eyes and was pleasantly surprised.
Takeaways
* I think I could have used another few weeks of studying. Maybe 3.5-4 months is the perfect timeframe. I would probably take this test again if I did not have a full-time job and didn't mind giving up more of my weekday nights and weekends to the GMAT!
*Mix verbal and quant study -- the first time around, I focused solely on quant then solely on verbal. That was not smart. By test day, I had forgotten much of what I had learned early on. Mixed practice is best! 1/2 quant questions, 1/2 verbal.
* What I really wish I had done was PERFECT PRACTICE!! too often I was just reviewing the answers without really thinking about the underlying theory. What I think would have been a more effective testing strategy is: do a set of practice problems - nothing crazy, maybe 15-20. At the end of the session, review EVERY QUESTION and ask myself -- how could I have done this better/faster (if I got it right), and WHY did I get this wrong and WHY is it wrong (if I got it wrong)...and really try to understand the theory behind it all.
* I also did not keep an error log which was probably a mistake. That would have been a great asset for my "perfect practice" suggestion above.
* GMATClub Tests were great, as well as Magoosh. I also spent a lot of time on GMATClub searching for specific question topics and doing practice problems from there. GMATClub members have some brilliant alternatives, as well as the math genius BUNUEL!
* Do not get discouraged by practice test scores. On test day, it is partially luck! How tired are you? What kind of questions are you they pooling from on test day? (if I am more proficient in say, probability, but I get a lot of questions on my weaker area of rate problems....I will probably do worse). Are you nervous?
The practice tests are great practice for pacing and building stamina, but do not get bogged down in the scores. Like I said, I never scored a 700+ on any practice test, ever.
* Do not study the day of, or the day before the exam! I think this also helped me to be more relaxed and calm during the actual test.
So that is my 2 cents.
Thank you for letting me share, and good luck to all the future test takers!
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