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Updated on: 27 Jul 2015, 19:36
Originally posted by robertsonsd on 28 Mar 2015, 13:31.
Last edited by robertsonsd on 27 Jul 2015, 19:36, edited 4 times in total.
Last edited by robertsonsd on 27 Jul 2015, 19:36, edited 4 times in total.
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I just returned from my first official GMAT and told myself that if I scored above a 700 that I would write a debrief to help others as I have been helped.
A brief background:
I am a currently a financial analyst who majored in math (theoretical) and finance; so numbers do not scare me.
I am from New Zealand but went to college in the US. English is my first and only language.
I studied for 2 months (I initially tried to cram it into one month, but realized it was impossible and pushed the date back another month, incurring the $50 fee).
I purchased all MGMAT materials, including the yellow pad to practice on.
I have a full time job, so I studied on weekends, for a few hours during the week, and occasionally during my lunch breaks (more to revise and commit things to memory than to practice).
My total score was 750 (50Q, 41V, 8IR). I am not sure about AWA yet.
Below is a brief overview of my scores leading up to the real GMAT, and then I will post things that helped me at the bottom.
GMATPrep 1: 630
MGMAT 1: 600
MGMAT 2: 590 (37Q, 34V)
MGMAT 3: 640 (42Q, 35V)
MGMAT 4: 650 (40Q, 38V)
MGMAT 5: 630 (39Q, 37V)
MGMAT 6: 650 (40Q, 38V)
MGMAT 1A: 620 (40Q, 35V)
MGMAT 2A: 630 (43Q, 33V)
MGMAT 3A: 670 (45Q, 36V)
MGMAT 4A: 660 (46Q, 34V)
MGMAT 5A: 700 (46Q, 40V) (untimed)
GMATPrep 2: 700 (49Q, 35V)
MGMAT 6A: 680 (46Q, 37V)
MGMAT 1B: 670 (44Q, 37V)
GMATPrep 3: 730 (49Q, 40V)
GMATPrep 4: 700 (47Q, 40V)
Actual GMAT: 750 (50Q, 41V)
As you can see, there was a gradual progression over time in both verbal and quantitative. Initially I thought that my quantitative was strong, but after doing a few MGMAT tests realized that I was not strong enough in many aspects, particularly trigonometry and number theory. I read both MGMAT books (again) and did a LOT of problems on this forum (thank you Bunuel for all you do).
After getting my Q score in the 45+ range I decided to focus on really sharpening my verbal skills, particularly the sentence correction (CR came naturally, and RC seems to improve the more I studied/read).
My hints for future test takers:
* Dabble with 5-hour energy. It may not be for everyone, but I found that it kept my concentration and energy levels high enough to avoid silly mistakes on quantitative (the main killer of a solid Q score).
* Do something active on your breaks in between sections. I did jumping jacks, 20 to 30, and it kept the blood flowing to my head.
* On Q, particularly data sufficiency, I found that starting with the second point actually helped me a lot. GMAC people try to get you to muddle information from point 1 into point 2, and choose B instead of C or vice-versa. I found that by starting with the second point I avoided this more often than not.
* As a native speaker, the hardest thing to do is read a question and ignore your ear. I learned that certain SC problems caused me more trouble than others. WRITE DOWN some questions that you struggle with and make sure you know to stop yourself on the test. I faced 2 questions on the actual GMAT that I would have gotten wrong otherwise.
* DEFINITELY go to the test center beforehand and engage with the person at the desk. My scheduled time was 12:15, but the proctor said that if I came in earlier (around 11am) that he/she would be able to get me a seat separated from others. I thanked her very much, and turned up exactly when she said. Sure enough, got a seat as far from the door as possible. What is the downside of going and talking to the proctor and trying to turn on a little charm? The worst that can happen is you go back to square one and get a random seat.
* I used ear plugs and over-ear noise canceling headphones that were available. They made everything silent, making it much easier to listen to my own thoughts and not get distracted. If this is an option to you, I would highly suggest it.
* This one may be superstitious, but when I was walking to my exam I handed a homeless person $5. I don't know what I believe in, but I do know that if every GMAT test taker gave a homeless person some money on the way to take the GMAT it would make the world a slightly better place. Who knows, maybe karma decided to throw me a bone,
* The Q in the actual gmat is significantly easier than the MGMAT and I found it to be sightly easier than the gmatprep materials. I will say that it is easy to think you are not doing very well in the middle of the actual GMAT because they throw in the "future test questions" and they can be a real curveball. For example, on my 3rd to last questions, I got a softball that I solved in less than 20 seconds. This made me think I must be doing terribly, but in hindsight it was just a "future test" questions.
I am not going to give the location of the test because of the 'nice' treatment I was given above. I just don't want to get anyone in trouble. I will say that I took the test in the US on a Saturday.
I can't think of anything else right now, but if anyone has any questions I will check in periodically to try and provide further advice.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
Update: I received a 5.5 on the AWA.
A brief background:
I am a currently a financial analyst who majored in math (theoretical) and finance; so numbers do not scare me.
I am from New Zealand but went to college in the US. English is my first and only language.
I studied for 2 months (I initially tried to cram it into one month, but realized it was impossible and pushed the date back another month, incurring the $50 fee).
I purchased all MGMAT materials, including the yellow pad to practice on.
I have a full time job, so I studied on weekends, for a few hours during the week, and occasionally during my lunch breaks (more to revise and commit things to memory than to practice).
My total score was 750 (50Q, 41V, 8IR). I am not sure about AWA yet.
Below is a brief overview of my scores leading up to the real GMAT, and then I will post things that helped me at the bottom.
GMATPrep 1: 630
MGMAT 1: 600
MGMAT 2: 590 (37Q, 34V)
MGMAT 3: 640 (42Q, 35V)
MGMAT 4: 650 (40Q, 38V)
MGMAT 5: 630 (39Q, 37V)
MGMAT 6: 650 (40Q, 38V)
MGMAT 1A: 620 (40Q, 35V)
MGMAT 2A: 630 (43Q, 33V)
MGMAT 3A: 670 (45Q, 36V)
MGMAT 4A: 660 (46Q, 34V)
MGMAT 5A: 700 (46Q, 40V) (untimed)
GMATPrep 2: 700 (49Q, 35V)
MGMAT 6A: 680 (46Q, 37V)
MGMAT 1B: 670 (44Q, 37V)
GMATPrep 3: 730 (49Q, 40V)
GMATPrep 4: 700 (47Q, 40V)
Actual GMAT: 750 (50Q, 41V)
As you can see, there was a gradual progression over time in both verbal and quantitative. Initially I thought that my quantitative was strong, but after doing a few MGMAT tests realized that I was not strong enough in many aspects, particularly trigonometry and number theory. I read both MGMAT books (again) and did a LOT of problems on this forum (thank you Bunuel for all you do).
After getting my Q score in the 45+ range I decided to focus on really sharpening my verbal skills, particularly the sentence correction (CR came naturally, and RC seems to improve the more I studied/read).
My hints for future test takers:
* Dabble with 5-hour energy. It may not be for everyone, but I found that it kept my concentration and energy levels high enough to avoid silly mistakes on quantitative (the main killer of a solid Q score).
* Do something active on your breaks in between sections. I did jumping jacks, 20 to 30, and it kept the blood flowing to my head.
* On Q, particularly data sufficiency, I found that starting with the second point actually helped me a lot. GMAC people try to get you to muddle information from point 1 into point 2, and choose B instead of C or vice-versa. I found that by starting with the second point I avoided this more often than not.
* As a native speaker, the hardest thing to do is read a question and ignore your ear. I learned that certain SC problems caused me more trouble than others. WRITE DOWN some questions that you struggle with and make sure you know to stop yourself on the test. I faced 2 questions on the actual GMAT that I would have gotten wrong otherwise.
* DEFINITELY go to the test center beforehand and engage with the person at the desk. My scheduled time was 12:15, but the proctor said that if I came in earlier (around 11am) that he/she would be able to get me a seat separated from others. I thanked her very much, and turned up exactly when she said. Sure enough, got a seat as far from the door as possible. What is the downside of going and talking to the proctor and trying to turn on a little charm? The worst that can happen is you go back to square one and get a random seat.
* I used ear plugs and over-ear noise canceling headphones that were available. They made everything silent, making it much easier to listen to my own thoughts and not get distracted. If this is an option to you, I would highly suggest it.
* This one may be superstitious, but when I was walking to my exam I handed a homeless person $5. I don't know what I believe in, but I do know that if every GMAT test taker gave a homeless person some money on the way to take the GMAT it would make the world a slightly better place. Who knows, maybe karma decided to throw me a bone,
* The Q in the actual gmat is significantly easier than the MGMAT and I found it to be sightly easier than the gmatprep materials. I will say that it is easy to think you are not doing very well in the middle of the actual GMAT because they throw in the "future test questions" and they can be a real curveball. For example, on my 3rd to last questions, I got a softball that I solved in less than 20 seconds. This made me think I must be doing terribly, but in hindsight it was just a "future test" questions.
I am not going to give the location of the test because of the 'nice' treatment I was given above. I just don't want to get anyone in trouble. I will say that I took the test in the US on a Saturday.
I can't think of anything else right now, but if anyone has any questions I will check in periodically to try and provide further advice.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
Update: I received a 5.5 on the AWA.
29 Mar 2015, 11:28
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Bookmarks
hey many congratulations on the fantastic score....and thanks a ton for the amazing debrief.
Could you please share what all material did you do in 2 months for quant and verbal? Thanks.
Could you please share what all material did you do in 2 months for quant and verbal? Thanks.
Updated on: 02 Apr 2015, 12:31
Originally posted by robertsonsd on 29 Mar 2015, 12:41.
Last edited by robertsonsd on 02 Apr 2015, 12:31, edited 1 time in total.
Last edited by robertsonsd on 02 Apr 2015, 12:31, edited 1 time in total.
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Bookmarks
gmatkiller88
QUANT: I read through all the MGMAT math books to get a base understanding, but honestly the most useful thing to help me move from the 600s to the 700s was the book that Bunuel put together:
gmat-math-book-in-downloadable-pdf-format-130609.html
I would highly recommend reading this book and taking notes as you go through. There will be some formulas that you don't know or concepts that you don't understand, and when you come across one of the aforementioned concepts make sure to it them down and review it multiple times.
Also, I highly recommend the gmatclub tests that are available (I think its like $20-$30 for a 3 month subscription or something). There are a ton of quant questions that you can do in timed sets that are extremely beneficial, both for building your base knowledge and for making sure your timing is on point.
VERBAL: The MGMAT materials were very good, particularly for CR and SC. I used the 5th edition and it worked wonders. I would also recommend Mike from Magoosh. He has some great insight and I found some of his articles very useful, particularly surrounding parallelism (surprisingly hard for native speakers) and spotting unique idioms. Here is the starting point for some of Mike's Magoosh SC posts. Disclaimer: I did not purchase any subscription to Magoosh, so all I used was the free content.
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/restructur ... orrection/
Reading comprehension is a tough one to improve in my opinion. I did start reading a passage or two a day on various recommended sites (The New Yorker, MIT Technology Review, Wall Street Journal) and I tried to specifically read passages that I would never normally read to try and practice forcing myself to engage in boring materials. This helped me I think in the long run, but again it is hard to quantify whether or not this helped me drastically.
Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
