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10 Aug 2014, 07:46
Kudos
Bookmarks
Morning!
Yesterday at Noon I wrote my first GMAT attempt! After I finished, I knew the first thing I had to do was come on here and thank the entire community. I don't know where I would have been without this website! Hopefully sharing my experience will encourage others and provide advice to help individuals along the GMAT Journey.
First: Background
- Engineering and Management Student (Engineering courses along with Commerce/Business courses)
- About to enter my 5th year in the 5 year program
- Native speaker
Books & materials used
- GMAT Prep Software (No expansion)
- GMAT Club forums
- Magoosh Flash Cards from Android Market Place (I went through one or two sets of the math cards and then deleted the app as it tested very basic concepts. The idiom flash cards were still very simple but proved slightly more useful.
Test Scores from Sample Tests
Let me first preface this by saying that the program I want to get into only required a 600 GMAT score (minimum Q37 V28) to be competitive, so I was ecstatic to receive my 700, and although I could probably do better, I will not be re-writing the GMAT.
GMAT PREP 1 Q34 V26 510 MAY 6
MGMAT 1 Q44 V33 640 July 27
GMAT PREP 2 Q46 V34 660 Aug 3
GMAT CLUB Q45 V42 710 Aug 6
GMAT Test Q48 V38 700 Aug 9
To tackle the GMAT, from May 1st to the 5th I read a ton of articles and debriefs here on GMAT Club detailing how I should plan my study schedule. To be honest, I came into this test thinking that the GMAT was going to be a joke.. testing basic math and verbal skills.
NOTE: I was absolutely wrong.
I wrote my first GMAT Prep test without ANY prior studying. I did the full length test (AWA and IR included), and I believe that my confidence was most hurt here. As an (almost) engineer, these math problems should have been basic, and I was having no timing issues. When I saw my score the first thing I though was "A 90 point increase will be difficult to do, but I guess I really have no choice if I want to get into this program." Aiming for your target score is not always the best idea. Whats the saying?
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you will land among the stars"
From Day 1, I knew I NEEDED at least 600. So, naturally, I aimed for 700. That way, if I ended with a 650 I would be disappointed, but my school admissions office wouldn't be!
My Study Strategy:
My Strategy After GMAT PREP 1:
During the practice test, I didn't find there was any content that I did not know how to tackle, so I figured I must have been answering the questions wrong, or there was some trick to the questions that I didn't know.. And there IS.
So my study strategy consisted of doing tons and tons of practice questions (all timed).
The first month was all QUANT (PS AND DS). I didn't study IR at ALL. The program I hope to attend doesn't look at it. (Lucky for me I received an IR7 on the actual GMAT, so even if they did look at it, I should be okay). I would do approximately 40 questions per night (all 600, 600-700, or 700+) difficulty, and then go back, figure out where I made mistakes, and correct them that same night. (I did this 5 days every week, but did no studying on weekends). I made an Error log of any questions I found particularly difficult, but only reviewed it within the last week of studying. ALL of the practice questions I did were found Online here at GMAT Club.
If I had a Billion Kudos, they would ALL Go to bunuel , he was one of the biggest assets on this website. His question compilations and thorough expert advice is solely responsible for my increase from Q34 to Q48. I could not thank him enough. USE HIM as a resource if you don't already!
The Second Month of studying was all verbal (Except AWA). I could never understand why my verbal scores were so low. And I will honestly never understand it. After I did my GMAT Club Verbal Test (the Free one), I assumed I was ready to take the actual test. All of my RC, CR and SC question tackling strategies came from GMAT Club as well. For CR and SC, I cant remember the specific article names, but to tackle each section I did the following:
SC:
1. Identify the sentence errors (usually no more than 2 per sentence)
2. Identify why they are wrong (plural to a singular noun, parallelism, etc)
3. Find the sentence which corrects these errors
I know it doesn't give much help, but after trying (and failing) to just "listen" for the right sentence, I realized I needed some sort of strategy, and that's what I ended up doing.
CR:
1. READ MORE ACTIVELY than you would on RC.
2. Understand the passage, and very quickly think of examples of what might strengthen or weaken the argument (or do whatever the question is asking you to find in the 5 answers below)
3. Identify which of the 5 answers best corresponds to the idea you thought of previously.
This seemed to work really well for me. CR was by far my strongest verbal section
For RC: "HOW TO DESTROY READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGES" by user rhyme
- nothing else is needed!
AWA:
During my last week before the test, I studied just a bit for my AWA Essay. I knew it wouldn't play avital role in my score or my program acceptance, but I wanted to feel confident writing it so that I would feel confident attacking the following IR Section. For this, there is only one article you need to read/memorize/breathe before this section:
How to get 6.0 AWA....my guide - by chineseburned (also on this wonderful GMAT Club Forum )
NOTE: I have yet to receive scores for my AWA yet. I will update this post in 20 days with my official Score Report Scores.
Words of Advice/What I Wish I Knew
- While some of you may not be satisfied with a modest 700 score, some others may be striving for that as their goal. Regardless of what other members, or friends, or even parents might expect of you, set a goal at the beginning of your journey, aim for it, and then Imagine seeing it on test day
- The GMAT Club tests did EXACTLY what I needed them to so close to my actual test; They gave me Confidence. Nothing will help you score higher than believing you are going to score high.
- If you feel strapped for time (on either Verbal or Quant), instead of frantically clicking NEXT and advancing, STOP. Take a deep breath. Think of something funny, or something that relaxes you, and remember that this test does NOT determine who you are, nor does it choose your fate. Then, remember how badly you want to kill it, turn on the jets, and get focused. Then, Kill It.
- I still wish i knew EXACTLY how the GMAT was scored. I will explain my test experience below, and you will see WHY I wish I knew this.
The One Thing to Take Away
If you are going to read any part of this post, please read this section:
Extra money spent on books, GMAT Prep Expansions, GMAT Study Courses is NOT Necessary for you to achieve your goals.
Just because you attend a course twice a week does NOT mean you will do better than you would have done if you studied all those hours at home.
But maybe you are not a self-learner, and need to have someone teach you things:
In this case, studying by yourself at home will probably produce poorer results than would a GMAT Tutor.
MORE THAN ANYTHING:
Know your own strengths and weakness before attempting this test. The GMAT is NOT forgiving. Know how to apply your strengths, and it won't have to be.
GMAT Test Day Experience
- After arriving at the test center, I was relieved to be happily greeted by a secretary and the exam proctor. They made the entire test experience feel comfortable and all my nerves melted away.
- I was offered as many tissues and earplugs as I wanted (BIG MISTAKE NOT TAKING THE EARPLUGS), and given my notepad.
NOTE: The GMAT notepad is actually extremely comfortable to write on. I've read that you should "buy one in advanced so as not to be surprised on test day". Don't waste your money. It takes less than 2 Quant questions to get used to. AND Mine has a grid paper print on it (good for visualizing triangles, circles and coordinate planes questions)
- IF given the option, PLEASE TAKE EARPLUGS. I did't think about it before sitting down to write, but the shear volume of individuals typing their essays and Slamming on the key's made it difficult to keep composed while writing the AWA essay.
- During IR, I made sure, more than anything, that I spent approximately equal time on each question. If it was too hard, I simply guessed. If I KNEW I could get the answer, then I spent a little bit of extra time. There is no use fretting over this section if your program doesn't really look at it.
- 8 minute break - TAKE AT LEAST 5 MINUTES to stretch your legs and take a few deep breaths!
- During math, I almost cried... Every question I was getting got progressively easier, then I would get one or 2 really tough ones (and almost certainly get them wrong) because the next question would be unbelievably easy. I definitely thought I ruined my score on quant.
- 8 minute break - TAKE AT LEAST 5 MINUTES to stretch your legs and take a few deep breaths! (At this point i knew i needed to KILL Verbal to score what I wanted to)
- Every verbal question I got became Increasingly more difficult. To the point that around 30 questions, I received an SC which I actually could NOT read. I had never seen the words in it, and couldnt make sense of what the sentence was trying to convey... I was happy I must be killing it!
- I finished verbal with over 15 minutes remaining (this is common and has happened on almost all of my other tests) and I know that "timing of each question doesn't affect your score.. blah blah blah.." But I still can NOT understand my low verbal score. If I had score a V42 (as I was hoping while writing) I would have (unknowingly at the time) score a 730.. Unfortunately, I will have to live with this now. But for future test goes, relax, take deep breaths, and make SURE your answer is right before clicking NEXT
After finishing the test, I was relieved, and also surprised. I thought you could only see your score after you had AGREED to report it. And that if you failed to report your score you would not be allowed to see it... Regardless of what I thought, obviously I was wrong. I was shown my score and then asked if I wanted to report it (Umm Yes Please:) )
I was given a copy of my Unofficial Score report and got back on the subway to get home and enjoy a (well deserved) night off. No more GMAT Studying, EVER!
----
To anyone about to write the test, the best of luck! I hope you are as satisfied with your own score (whether it be 550 or 760) as I am with mine. More importantly, regardless of the outcome, good or bad, be happy that its done! You worked hard for the past X months/weeks. You deserve a break. Weather you got the 760 you were hoping for, or the test was a "learning experience" for next time, embrace what you learnt and enjoy a well deserved night out!
A forever indebted GMAT Club Member,
Tibby7734
Yesterday at Noon I wrote my first GMAT attempt! After I finished, I knew the first thing I had to do was come on here and thank the entire community. I don't know where I would have been without this website! Hopefully sharing my experience will encourage others and provide advice to help individuals along the GMAT Journey.
First: Background
- Engineering and Management Student (Engineering courses along with Commerce/Business courses)
- About to enter my 5th year in the 5 year program
- Native speaker
Books & materials used
- GMAT Prep Software (No expansion)
- GMAT Club forums
- Magoosh Flash Cards from Android Market Place (I went through one or two sets of the math cards and then deleted the app as it tested very basic concepts. The idiom flash cards were still very simple but proved slightly more useful.
Test Scores from Sample Tests
Let me first preface this by saying that the program I want to get into only required a 600 GMAT score (minimum Q37 V28) to be competitive, so I was ecstatic to receive my 700, and although I could probably do better, I will not be re-writing the GMAT.
GMAT PREP 1 Q34 V26 510 MAY 6
MGMAT 1 Q44 V33 640 July 27
GMAT PREP 2 Q46 V34 660 Aug 3
GMAT CLUB Q45 V42 710 Aug 6
GMAT Test Q48 V38 700 Aug 9
To tackle the GMAT, from May 1st to the 5th I read a ton of articles and debriefs here on GMAT Club detailing how I should plan my study schedule. To be honest, I came into this test thinking that the GMAT was going to be a joke.. testing basic math and verbal skills.
NOTE: I was absolutely wrong.
I wrote my first GMAT Prep test without ANY prior studying. I did the full length test (AWA and IR included), and I believe that my confidence was most hurt here. As an (almost) engineer, these math problems should have been basic, and I was having no timing issues. When I saw my score the first thing I though was "A 90 point increase will be difficult to do, but I guess I really have no choice if I want to get into this program." Aiming for your target score is not always the best idea. Whats the saying?
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you will land among the stars"
From Day 1, I knew I NEEDED at least 600. So, naturally, I aimed for 700. That way, if I ended with a 650 I would be disappointed, but my school admissions office wouldn't be!
My Study Strategy:
My Strategy After GMAT PREP 1:
During the practice test, I didn't find there was any content that I did not know how to tackle, so I figured I must have been answering the questions wrong, or there was some trick to the questions that I didn't know.. And there IS.
So my study strategy consisted of doing tons and tons of practice questions (all timed).
The first month was all QUANT (PS AND DS). I didn't study IR at ALL. The program I hope to attend doesn't look at it. (Lucky for me I received an IR7 on the actual GMAT, so even if they did look at it, I should be okay). I would do approximately 40 questions per night (all 600, 600-700, or 700+) difficulty, and then go back, figure out where I made mistakes, and correct them that same night. (I did this 5 days every week, but did no studying on weekends). I made an Error log of any questions I found particularly difficult, but only reviewed it within the last week of studying. ALL of the practice questions I did were found Online here at GMAT Club.
If I had a Billion Kudos, they would ALL Go to bunuel , he was one of the biggest assets on this website. His question compilations and thorough expert advice is solely responsible for my increase from Q34 to Q48. I could not thank him enough. USE HIM as a resource if you don't already!
The Second Month of studying was all verbal (Except AWA). I could never understand why my verbal scores were so low. And I will honestly never understand it. After I did my GMAT Club Verbal Test (the Free one), I assumed I was ready to take the actual test. All of my RC, CR and SC question tackling strategies came from GMAT Club as well. For CR and SC, I cant remember the specific article names, but to tackle each section I did the following:
SC:
1. Identify the sentence errors (usually no more than 2 per sentence)
2. Identify why they are wrong (plural to a singular noun, parallelism, etc)
3. Find the sentence which corrects these errors
I know it doesn't give much help, but after trying (and failing) to just "listen" for the right sentence, I realized I needed some sort of strategy, and that's what I ended up doing.
CR:
1. READ MORE ACTIVELY than you would on RC.
2. Understand the passage, and very quickly think of examples of what might strengthen or weaken the argument (or do whatever the question is asking you to find in the 5 answers below)
3. Identify which of the 5 answers best corresponds to the idea you thought of previously.
This seemed to work really well for me. CR was by far my strongest verbal section
For RC: "HOW TO DESTROY READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGES" by user rhyme
- nothing else is needed!
AWA:
During my last week before the test, I studied just a bit for my AWA Essay. I knew it wouldn't play avital role in my score or my program acceptance, but I wanted to feel confident writing it so that I would feel confident attacking the following IR Section. For this, there is only one article you need to read/memorize/breathe before this section:
How to get 6.0 AWA....my guide - by chineseburned (also on this wonderful GMAT Club Forum
)NOTE: I have yet to receive scores for my AWA yet. I will update this post in 20 days with my official Score Report Scores.
Words of Advice/What I Wish I Knew
- While some of you may not be satisfied with a modest 700 score, some others may be striving for that as their goal. Regardless of what other members, or friends, or even parents might expect of you, set a goal at the beginning of your journey, aim for it, and then Imagine seeing it on test day
- The GMAT Club tests did EXACTLY what I needed them to so close to my actual test; They gave me Confidence. Nothing will help you score higher than believing you are going to score high.
- If you feel strapped for time (on either Verbal or Quant), instead of frantically clicking NEXT and advancing, STOP. Take a deep breath. Think of something funny, or something that relaxes you, and remember that this test does NOT determine who you are, nor does it choose your fate. Then, remember how badly you want to kill it, turn on the jets, and get focused. Then, Kill It.
- I still wish i knew EXACTLY how the GMAT was scored. I will explain my test experience below, and you will see WHY I wish I knew this.
The One Thing to Take Away
If you are going to read any part of this post, please read this section:
Extra money spent on books, GMAT Prep Expansions, GMAT Study Courses is NOT Necessary for you to achieve your goals.
Just because you attend a course twice a week does NOT mean you will do better than you would have done if you studied all those hours at home.
But maybe you are not a self-learner, and need to have someone teach you things:
In this case, studying by yourself at home will probably produce poorer results than would a GMAT Tutor.
MORE THAN ANYTHING:
Know your own strengths and weakness before attempting this test. The GMAT is NOT forgiving. Know how to apply your strengths, and it won't have to be.
GMAT Test Day Experience
- After arriving at the test center, I was relieved to be happily greeted by a secretary and the exam proctor. They made the entire test experience feel comfortable and all my nerves melted away.
- I was offered as many tissues and earplugs as I wanted (BIG MISTAKE NOT TAKING THE EARPLUGS), and given my notepad.
NOTE: The GMAT notepad is actually extremely comfortable to write on. I've read that you should "buy one in advanced so as not to be surprised on test day". Don't waste your money. It takes less than 2 Quant questions to get used to. AND Mine has a grid paper print on it (good for visualizing triangles, circles and coordinate planes questions)
- IF given the option, PLEASE TAKE EARPLUGS. I did't think about it before sitting down to write, but the shear volume of individuals typing their essays and Slamming on the key's made it difficult to keep composed while writing the AWA essay.
- During IR, I made sure, more than anything, that I spent approximately equal time on each question. If it was too hard, I simply guessed. If I KNEW I could get the answer, then I spent a little bit of extra time. There is no use fretting over this section if your program doesn't really look at it.
- 8 minute break - TAKE AT LEAST 5 MINUTES to stretch your legs and take a few deep breaths!
- During math, I almost cried... Every question I was getting got progressively easier, then I would get one or 2 really tough ones (and almost certainly get them wrong) because the next question would be unbelievably easy. I definitely thought I ruined my score on quant.
- 8 minute break - TAKE AT LEAST 5 MINUTES to stretch your legs and take a few deep breaths! (At this point i knew i needed to KILL Verbal to score what I wanted to)
- Every verbal question I got became Increasingly more difficult. To the point that around 30 questions, I received an SC which I actually could NOT read. I had never seen the words in it, and couldnt make sense of what the sentence was trying to convey... I was happy
I must be killing it!- I finished verbal with over 15 minutes remaining (this is common and has happened on almost all of my other tests) and I know that "timing of each question doesn't affect your score.. blah blah blah.." But I still can NOT understand my low verbal score. If I had score a V42 (as I was hoping while writing) I would have (unknowingly at the time) score a 730.. Unfortunately, I will have to live with this now. But for future test goes, relax, take deep breaths, and make SURE your answer is right before clicking NEXT
After finishing the test, I was relieved, and also surprised. I thought you could only see your score after you had AGREED to report it. And that if you failed to report your score you would not be allowed to see it... Regardless of what I thought, obviously I was wrong. I was shown my score and then asked if I wanted to report it (Umm Yes Please:) )
I was given a copy of my Unofficial Score report and got back on the subway to get home and enjoy a (well deserved) night off. No more GMAT Studying, EVER!
----
To anyone about to write the test, the best of luck! I hope you are as satisfied with your own score (whether it be 550 or 760) as I am with mine. More importantly, regardless of the outcome, good or bad, be happy that its done! You worked hard for the past X months/weeks. You deserve a break. Weather you got the 760 you were hoping for, or the test was a "learning experience" for next time, embrace what you learnt and enjoy a well deserved night out!
A forever indebted GMAT Club Member,
Tibby7734
10 Aug 2014, 23:06
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Tibby7734
Congrats on the great score! You must be elated!!
I think your strategy for the exam day was great, which really helped you perform well. I need to work on calming myself down as well. Hope I can do so for my retake.
All the best for the applications!
Congrats on the great score! You must be elated!!
I think your strategy for the exam day was great, which really helped you perform well. I need to work on calming myself down as well. Hope I can do so for my retake.
All the best for the applications!
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