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09 Jun 2020, 00:16
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Hi everyone,
I just received the scores for my GMAT online exam. I'm neither disappointed nor excited. Coming from an overrepresented pool, I feel this may go against me but I feel it'd be better if I worked on my applications than on my GMAT prep (again!)
The reason I'm writing this is that I've gained a lot from this amazing community, which I think is the best community out there, and it's time for me to give something back. I hope someone benefits from my story.
Let me give you some timelines to make the story easier to follow.
GMAT 1 - 660 (May'19)
GMAT 2 - 670 (Sep'19)
GMAT 3 (Online) - 730 (Jun'20)
GMAT 1 -
Started prep journey in April 2019
Wrote a mock GMAT and scored Q50, V24. Though I had quant made and I needed to focus on the verbal section.
Got the e-gmat online prep tool because it was the most reviewed and the reviews weren't bad at all.
I booked a date after a month but my job demanded a lot more of me at the time and I didn't have time to focus on GMAT. So, I skimmed through the verbal section. Read about the most common question types and went ahead with writing the GMAT.
It was an absolute disaster. Got a 660. My quant score dropped to 49 as well.
I learned something very important here. It is not an easy exam and it deserves the respect you would give any global competitive exam.
GMAT 2 -
The job still stayed demanding but I figured I could carve out some time as the importance of an MBA kept creeping up for the job profile I was in.
Didn't happen. This time, although, I was able to finish most of the verbal video lectures and most of the OG questions from the e-gmat tool, I still had no confidence in my abilities whatsoever. Wrote mba.com mocks and got 680-710. Even though I lacked confidence, the exam date crept so close that it was too late so get myself some more time.
I wrote the exam. Got a 670. Absolutely devastated.
I took a while to get myself together. I had lost all of the confidence I had in myself. Decided to stay away from the GMAT for a little while. But, my job was still getting in the way and this time, I decided to make a choice and leave the job to make sure I don't sacrifice my future plans for my current job (I asked for a sabbatical but the CEO refused). It was December and I was free. I went abroad to take my mind off of everything and chilled out in SE Asia for a while. By this time, the Coronavirus had reared its ugly head in most of the ASEAN countries. Lockdowns had started to become a reality in a lot of countries and I could sense that mine (India) was next. I decided to come back, go home, and start fresh.
GMAT 3 -
After wasting a lot of money on futile GMAT attempts, I was determined to make this one count. This time I had no distractions and plenty of time. I started my prep in the second week of April and it went on till the 5th of June. I started at zero and went through all the video lectures seriously, making notes.
I completed the entire coursework in a month and I still didn't feel I had the confidence.
I finished the OG and then I turned to the gmatclub and the tons of questions posted by this amazing community.
The best part about solving questions on gmatclub was that there were moderators who posted the OAs and OEs and when I had a doubt, all I had to do was scroll down and look at the comments. There were so many comments and it felt like a dialogue rather than a one-way communication of OA and OE. I turned all my focus towards solving questions on gmatclub and this was the turning point in my prep.
I started feeling confident in my ability to cross 700 this time just by solving more and more questions on gmatclub.
It was the second half of May and I started writing mocks to test where I was. I tried almost all the Tier 1 mocks out there and here are the results
E-GMAT - SigmaX mock - 700 (Q49,V36). Frankly, I was a little heartbroken that I barely managed to reach 700.
Manhattan GMAT - 720 (Q51,V37)
Veritas Prep 1 and 2 - 690 (Q51,V34) and 710 (Q51,V37) {I personally don't feel the questions are a good representation of the calibre of questions on GMAT)
Kaplan - 720 (Q50,V39)
Experts Global - 740 (Q49,V41)
MBA.com mock tests
Mock 1 - 760 (Q51,V41) {Yes, wrote this for the second time)
Mock 2 - 740 (Q50,V40) {Yes, wrote this for the second time)
Mock 3 - 730 (Q50,V38)
Mock 4 - 750 (Q51,V40)
Mock 5 - 750 (Q50,V41)
Mock 6 - 750 (Q51,V40)
I also took a few gmatclub tests on Memorial day. Quant scores were either 50 or 51. Verbal scores varied from 25 (really!) - 35. gmatclub quant tests were pretty good. Verbal questions can be better. My heart fell out of my chest when I saw the V25 score.
Retook the E-gmat sigmaX mock and this time got a 690. So, I decided not to worry about it too much.
Something I consciously did after every mock test was looking at my mistakes, highlighting weaker sections, and practicing problems.
After feeling confident and staying in the zone (750 in the last 3 attempts) I felt like I should write the exam. And I did.
Well, I scored 730 (Q50,V40) in the online version with the whiteboard after all of this.
Exam experience
I took the online version of the GMAT after practicing on the whiteboard a lot. It was a huge change at the start but after 2-3 days of regular problem solving, I got a hang of it. Also, a piece of advice to the people who will still use the online version of the GMAT, please understand that the whiteboards on most of the websites are not entirely correct. This includes the whiteboard on gmatclub.com. In the online test, you can't navigate in your text boxes using Ctrl, and Arrow keys. Z works like an undo button. Beware, in case your question has a variable z in it.
I did not face any issues with the proctor or the handling of the exam. Everything went about very smoothly. It makes you think why wasn't the option of writing the exam at home there before this crisis.
I would like to thank the entire community at gmatclub including the founder (bb), the moderators, test prep companies, and applicants.
Takeaways -
1. Most importantly, respect the exam and the syllabus. Don't ever get overconfident or cocky when it comes to any particular subject.
2. You're competing against some of the best in the entire world. So, set higher standards for yourself.
3. GMAT online should be an incredibly smooth experience with the scratchpad and the home setting. Try to take the exam at your home if possible.
4. Every prep company has its own way of creating questions and it may or may not necessarily reflect the caliber of the questions on the actual GMAT. Most of your practice material should contain GMATclub resources.
5. Take a lot of mocks. Learn from each and every mock and use what you've learned to practice and improve.
6. For deciding the prep tool, use your free trials to understand the type of prep that different companies offer. It's very important that you resonate with the way of teaching the prep company uses. Don't just go by reviews. They may or may not lead you to the one best suited to your needs.
7. Once you're done studying one subject (Q or V), don't forget to keep revising and practicing problems so that you don't forget your foundation.
8. If you don't do well in one mock test, there's no need to reevaluate your entire prep. Just make sure it's not a pattern and then shrug the bad mock aside.
Please let me know if there are any questions and I'd be more than happy to answer them.
I just received the scores for my GMAT online exam. I'm neither disappointed nor excited. Coming from an overrepresented pool, I feel this may go against me but I feel it'd be better if I worked on my applications than on my GMAT prep (again!)
The reason I'm writing this is that I've gained a lot from this amazing community, which I think is the best community out there, and it's time for me to give something back. I hope someone benefits from my story.
Let me give you some timelines to make the story easier to follow.
GMAT 1 - 660 (May'19)
GMAT 2 - 670 (Sep'19)
GMAT 3 (Online) - 730 (Jun'20)
GMAT 1 -
Started prep journey in April 2019
Wrote a mock GMAT and scored Q50, V24. Though I had quant made and I needed to focus on the verbal section.
Got the e-gmat online prep tool because it was the most reviewed and the reviews weren't bad at all.
I booked a date after a month but my job demanded a lot more of me at the time and I didn't have time to focus on GMAT. So, I skimmed through the verbal section. Read about the most common question types and went ahead with writing the GMAT.
It was an absolute disaster. Got a 660. My quant score dropped to 49 as well.
I learned something very important here. It is not an easy exam and it deserves the respect you would give any global competitive exam.
GMAT 2 -
The job still stayed demanding but I figured I could carve out some time as the importance of an MBA kept creeping up for the job profile I was in.
Didn't happen. This time, although, I was able to finish most of the verbal video lectures and most of the OG questions from the e-gmat tool, I still had no confidence in my abilities whatsoever. Wrote mba.com mocks and got 680-710. Even though I lacked confidence, the exam date crept so close that it was too late so get myself some more time.
I wrote the exam. Got a 670. Absolutely devastated.
I took a while to get myself together. I had lost all of the confidence I had in myself. Decided to stay away from the GMAT for a little while. But, my job was still getting in the way and this time, I decided to make a choice and leave the job to make sure I don't sacrifice my future plans for my current job (I asked for a sabbatical but the CEO refused). It was December and I was free. I went abroad to take my mind off of everything and chilled out in SE Asia for a while. By this time, the Coronavirus had reared its ugly head in most of the ASEAN countries. Lockdowns had started to become a reality in a lot of countries and I could sense that mine (India) was next. I decided to come back, go home, and start fresh.
GMAT 3 -
After wasting a lot of money on futile GMAT attempts, I was determined to make this one count. This time I had no distractions and plenty of time. I started my prep in the second week of April and it went on till the 5th of June. I started at zero and went through all the video lectures seriously, making notes.
I completed the entire coursework in a month and I still didn't feel I had the confidence.
I finished the OG and then I turned to the gmatclub and the tons of questions posted by this amazing community.
The best part about solving questions on gmatclub was that there were moderators who posted the OAs and OEs and when I had a doubt, all I had to do was scroll down and look at the comments. There were so many comments and it felt like a dialogue rather than a one-way communication of OA and OE. I turned all my focus towards solving questions on gmatclub and this was the turning point in my prep.
I started feeling confident in my ability to cross 700 this time just by solving more and more questions on gmatclub.
It was the second half of May and I started writing mocks to test where I was. I tried almost all the Tier 1 mocks out there and here are the results
E-GMAT - SigmaX mock - 700 (Q49,V36). Frankly, I was a little heartbroken that I barely managed to reach 700.
Manhattan GMAT - 720 (Q51,V37)
Veritas Prep 1 and 2 - 690 (Q51,V34) and 710 (Q51,V37) {I personally don't feel the questions are a good representation of the calibre of questions on GMAT)
Kaplan - 720 (Q50,V39)
Experts Global - 740 (Q49,V41)
MBA.com mock tests
Mock 1 - 760 (Q51,V41) {Yes, wrote this for the second time)
Mock 2 - 740 (Q50,V40) {Yes, wrote this for the second time)
Mock 3 - 730 (Q50,V38)
Mock 4 - 750 (Q51,V40)
Mock 5 - 750 (Q50,V41)
Mock 6 - 750 (Q51,V40)
I also took a few gmatclub tests on Memorial day. Quant scores were either 50 or 51. Verbal scores varied from 25 (really!) - 35. gmatclub quant tests were pretty good. Verbal questions can be better. My heart fell out of my chest when I saw the V25 score.
Retook the E-gmat sigmaX mock and this time got a 690. So, I decided not to worry about it too much.
Something I consciously did after every mock test was looking at my mistakes, highlighting weaker sections, and practicing problems.
After feeling confident and staying in the zone (750 in the last 3 attempts) I felt like I should write the exam. And I did.
Well, I scored 730 (Q50,V40) in the online version with the whiteboard after all of this.
Exam experience
I took the online version of the GMAT after practicing on the whiteboard a lot. It was a huge change at the start but after 2-3 days of regular problem solving, I got a hang of it. Also, a piece of advice to the people who will still use the online version of the GMAT, please understand that the whiteboards on most of the websites are not entirely correct. This includes the whiteboard on gmatclub.com. In the online test, you can't navigate in your text boxes using Ctrl, and Arrow keys. Z works like an undo button. Beware, in case your question has a variable z in it.
I did not face any issues with the proctor or the handling of the exam. Everything went about very smoothly. It makes you think why wasn't the option of writing the exam at home there before this crisis.
I would like to thank the entire community at gmatclub including the founder (bb), the moderators, test prep companies, and applicants.
Takeaways -
1. Most importantly, respect the exam and the syllabus. Don't ever get overconfident or cocky when it comes to any particular subject.
2. You're competing against some of the best in the entire world. So, set higher standards for yourself.
3. GMAT online should be an incredibly smooth experience with the scratchpad and the home setting. Try to take the exam at your home if possible.
4. Every prep company has its own way of creating questions and it may or may not necessarily reflect the caliber of the questions on the actual GMAT. Most of your practice material should contain GMATclub resources.
5. Take a lot of mocks. Learn from each and every mock and use what you've learned to practice and improve.
6. For deciding the prep tool, use your free trials to understand the type of prep that different companies offer. It's very important that you resonate with the way of teaching the prep company uses. Don't just go by reviews. They may or may not lead you to the one best suited to your needs.
7. Once you're done studying one subject (Q or V), don't forget to keep revising and practicing problems so that you don't forget your foundation.
8. If you don't do well in one mock test, there's no need to reevaluate your entire prep. Just make sure it's not a pattern and then shrug the bad mock aside.
Please let me know if there are any questions and I'd be more than happy to answer them.
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09 Jun 2020, 01:11
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi ReXXar,
Congratulations on your 730 and getting done with the GMAT. Pretty good consistency
Good luck with your applications and your journey!
Congratulations on your 730 and getting done with the GMAT. Pretty good consistency
Good luck with your applications and your journey!
HoneyLemon
09 Jun 2020, 01:33
Kudos
Bookmarks
ReXXar
Inspiring !! Congrats and best wishes moving forward ..
