Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Apr 2711:00 AM EDT
-12:00 PM EDT
Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors
Apr 2601:30 AM EDT
-02:30 AM EDT
Learn how Keshav, a Chartered Accountant, scored an impressive 705 on GMAT in just 30 days with GMATWhiz's expert guidance. In this video, he shares preparation tips and strategies that worked for him, including the mock, time management, and more.
Apr 2610:00 AM EDT
-11:00 AM EDT
The Target Test Prep course represents a quantum leap forward in GMAT preparation, a radical reinterpretation of the way that students should study. Try before you buy with a 5-day, full-access trial of the course for FREE!
Apr 2808:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.
Apr 2912:30 AM EDT
-01:30 AM EDT
Learn how Kamakshi achieved a GMAT 675 with an impressive 96th %ile in Data Insights. Discover the unique methods and exam strategies that helped her excel in DI along with other sections for a balanced and high score.
May 0111:00 AM PDT
-12:00 PM PDT
Free- full-length test + 15 concept videos + 150+ short videos + study plan!
May 0306:30 AM PDT
-08:30 AM PDT
Verbal trouble on GMAT? Fix it NOW! Join Sunita Singhvi for a focused webinar on actionable strategies to boost your Verbal score and take your performance to the next level.
UNCBOUND
Current Student
Joined: 15 Apr 2013
Last visit: 24 Oct 2019
Posts: 34
Given Kudos: 13
Location: United States (TX)
Concentration: Finance, Healthcare
Schools: Duke '20 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '20 (M)
GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V41
GPA: 3.35
Products:
Hello everyone!
I wanted to share my GMAT story in hopes that it might encourage others who are on a similar path. I, like many others, have religiously depended on this forum for my GMAT prep. I'm extremely grateful for the community I've found here.
My GMAT preparation started about a year ago (July 2015). Based on my target schools, I set a goal to get a 710. I wrote “710” on a sticky note and put it I put on my work desk to remind me what the end goal was. After doing a little research, I purchased used copies of the following from my local Half-Price Books store:
- Manhattan GMAT prep books: All volumes. I didn't end up getting through the sentence correction one.
- OG 13
Some context on my situation: My first child was born in August of 2015. This is NOT the best time to start prepping and convince your spouse that you need to spend a serious amount of time after work every day with your head in a prep book. The first few months of my prep were very slow, as I was balancing family responsibilities. Nevertheless, I couldn't have gone through this without my wife. It's very important to not feel like your pursuit of an MBA is an unwelcome burden on your loved ones. More on that later.
So I felt like this was plenty of material to start with. I'm a fairly disciplined person, so I just started powering through the workbooks and doing practice tests every other week. I worked through the Manahattan Prep tests, as I had been told they were great practice and second only to "GMAT Prep" practice tests. Here are my practice test scores.
9/22/15-MGMAT- 620
9/27/15-MGMAT- 630
9/27-12/26 gap in practice tests- I work in the Insurance industry, and in my position, 4th quarters are mass chaos. I still studied during this time, but didn't squeeze in a single practice test for about 3 months. Big mistake.
12/26/15- GMAT Prep 650
1/5/16-MGMAT- 650
1/23/16-MGMAT- 640
2/9/16-MGMAT- 630
2/19/16-GMAT Prep- 680
Actual Test day- 2/20/16.
I know there are different recommendations for how to best prepare for test day. My test was on Saturday, and I decided to take that Friday off, and have it be an exact replica of my test day. So when I received the 680 on the day prior to the test, I was really excited as this was the highest of any of my practice scores. My confidence was high.
Actual Test day experience on 2/20/16- A NIGHTMARE. I arrived early and was ready to knock this thing out. I rocked the essay, thanks to the outline help provided chineseburned.
I found myself getting frustrated on IR, but I kept telling myself, "don't worry about it, it doesn't matter all that much, it's just a warm up!"
I'm at the end of the test, and the score pops up: 590.
My heart drops. This is worse than any practice test by 30 points. I call my wife in shock and tell her the news. Why did I spend the last 5 months studying? Filled with disappointment, I decided to take a week off before coming up with a game plan.
I knew the score wasn’t an accurate representation of my abilities. I decided to purchase the Magoosh Premium Subscription, which was $100 at the time, and comes with a 50 point score guarantee.
Deciding to buy this prep program was one of the best decision I made. I was burned out of studying books, and needed to switch up the pace. I also knew that if I could just get through the course (which is very robust), I’d have an extremely good chance of breaking 700. mikemcgarry
For 4 months I recommitted myself to the goal. I stopped watching television at night, and used my lunch breaks to study. I created a more organized error log, and wrote in big letters at the top, “DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE”. I ran through questions in OG13 over and over again. OG13 is often described as the “Bible” of GMAT prep, and I couldn’t agree more. Getting used to the questions types and common traps is extremely important.
3 weeks before the test, I ran out of good prep CAT’s. I knew there were some more difficult ones out there (GMATClub’s), but I didn’t want to take a really hard CAT and hurt my confidence if I scored low. So I purchased the Test Pack 1 from GMAC. GREAT DECISION. Sure, $50 is hard to fork over when there are so many free CAT’s out there. But getting two more official CAT’s in before the test proved to be extremely important.
The 2 weeks leading up to the test (6/4/16), I started taking two CAT’s a week.
5/21/16- Test Pack 1- Test 3- GMAT Prep- 720 (HUGE CONFIDENCE BUILDER)
5/23/16- Test 2 (retake)- GMAT Prep- 710
5/28/16- Test 3(retake)- GMAT Prep- 710
5/23/16- Test Pack 1- Test 4- GMAT Prep- 680 (shook my confidence a bit)
Day before the test- I spent MAYBE a cumulative of 30 minutes studying. I really trusted my own abilities and the experts recommendations out there who say to take it extremely easy the day before the test. I spent time with my family, and relaxed.
Day of test- Terrible night of sleep before despite going to bed early and working out that day. Decided to take the test at 8:00. There was a group of about 12 of us who showed up at 7:20. I ended up being the first to get signed in and started.
AWA- felt like I rocked it.
IR- 6 questions in, I felt like I got them all right. I told myself to calm down and not stress about the last 6. This is just a warmup, and you’ve likely already gotten a good enough score for it not to be seen as a red flag on your application.
Quant- I felt like it went really well
Verbal- brain was fried 25 questions in. I kept thinking about my family and all those supporting me as an attempt to bolster up some energy to finish strong. In the moment, I felt like every question had an unclear answer, and I was split 60/40 between two answers.
Finally done. I quickly clicked through the demographics question. Score pops up:
710 (Q47 V41)!!!!!!!! 92nd percentile. IR: 6 (edit: AWA 5.5)
Can’t believe it. I quickly raised my hand to be dismissed, and grab the printout for proof of what my eyes just saw. Called my wife, thanked her for her support over the last 9 months, and rolled down the highway with windows down and music blaring. My voice was hoarse from yelling the entire ride home.
Part of me isn’t satisfied. I know with a few more months of study and diligent preparation, I could get 20-30 higher. The other part of me knows my wife would murder me if I told her that.
710 is good enough for all of my target schools. It’s time to put this season of life to rest and move on to other things.
Thank you again to everyone who contributes to this community. I’m sorry I wasn’t an active contributor, but hope my story encourages you to not give up hope. Good things come with sacrifice.
I wanted to share my GMAT story in hopes that it might encourage others who are on a similar path. I, like many others, have religiously depended on this forum for my GMAT prep. I'm extremely grateful for the community I've found here.
My GMAT preparation started about a year ago (July 2015). Based on my target schools, I set a goal to get a 710. I wrote “710” on a sticky note and put it I put on my work desk to remind me what the end goal was. After doing a little research, I purchased used copies of the following from my local Half-Price Books store:
- Manhattan GMAT prep books: All volumes. I didn't end up getting through the sentence correction one.
- OG 13
Some context on my situation: My first child was born in August of 2015. This is NOT the best time to start prepping and convince your spouse that you need to spend a serious amount of time after work every day with your head in a prep book. The first few months of my prep were very slow, as I was balancing family responsibilities. Nevertheless, I couldn't have gone through this without my wife. It's very important to not feel like your pursuit of an MBA is an unwelcome burden on your loved ones. More on that later.
So I felt like this was plenty of material to start with. I'm a fairly disciplined person, so I just started powering through the workbooks and doing practice tests every other week. I worked through the Manahattan Prep tests, as I had been told they were great practice and second only to "GMAT Prep" practice tests. Here are my practice test scores.
9/22/15-MGMAT- 620
9/27/15-MGMAT- 630
9/27-12/26 gap in practice tests- I work in the Insurance industry, and in my position, 4th quarters are mass chaos. I still studied during this time, but didn't squeeze in a single practice test for about 3 months. Big mistake.
12/26/15- GMAT Prep 650
1/5/16-MGMAT- 650
1/23/16-MGMAT- 640
2/9/16-MGMAT- 630
2/19/16-GMAT Prep- 680
Actual Test day- 2/20/16.
I know there are different recommendations for how to best prepare for test day. My test was on Saturday, and I decided to take that Friday off, and have it be an exact replica of my test day. So when I received the 680 on the day prior to the test, I was really excited as this was the highest of any of my practice scores. My confidence was high.
Actual Test day experience on 2/20/16- A NIGHTMARE. I arrived early and was ready to knock this thing out. I rocked the essay, thanks to the outline help provided chineseburned.
I found myself getting frustrated on IR, but I kept telling myself, "don't worry about it, it doesn't matter all that much, it's just a warm up!"
I'm at the end of the test, and the score pops up: 590.
My heart drops. This is worse than any practice test by 30 points. I call my wife in shock and tell her the news. Why did I spend the last 5 months studying? Filled with disappointment, I decided to take a week off before coming up with a game plan.
I knew the score wasn’t an accurate representation of my abilities. I decided to purchase the Magoosh Premium Subscription, which was $100 at the time, and comes with a 50 point score guarantee.
Deciding to buy this prep program was one of the best decision I made. I was burned out of studying books, and needed to switch up the pace. I also knew that if I could just get through the course (which is very robust), I’d have an extremely good chance of breaking 700. mikemcgarry
For 4 months I recommitted myself to the goal. I stopped watching television at night, and used my lunch breaks to study. I created a more organized error log, and wrote in big letters at the top, “DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE”. I ran through questions in OG13 over and over again. OG13 is often described as the “Bible” of GMAT prep, and I couldn’t agree more. Getting used to the questions types and common traps is extremely important.
3 weeks before the test, I ran out of good prep CAT’s. I knew there were some more difficult ones out there (GMATClub’s), but I didn’t want to take a really hard CAT and hurt my confidence if I scored low. So I purchased the Test Pack 1 from GMAC. GREAT DECISION. Sure, $50 is hard to fork over when there are so many free CAT’s out there. But getting two more official CAT’s in before the test proved to be extremely important.
The 2 weeks leading up to the test (6/4/16), I started taking two CAT’s a week.
5/21/16- Test Pack 1- Test 3- GMAT Prep- 720 (HUGE CONFIDENCE BUILDER)
5/23/16- Test 2 (retake)- GMAT Prep- 710
5/28/16- Test 3(retake)- GMAT Prep- 710
5/23/16- Test Pack 1- Test 4- GMAT Prep- 680 (shook my confidence a bit)
Day before the test- I spent MAYBE a cumulative of 30 minutes studying. I really trusted my own abilities and the experts recommendations out there who say to take it extremely easy the day before the test. I spent time with my family, and relaxed.
Day of test- Terrible night of sleep before despite going to bed early and working out that day. Decided to take the test at 8:00. There was a group of about 12 of us who showed up at 7:20. I ended up being the first to get signed in and started.
AWA- felt like I rocked it.
IR- 6 questions in, I felt like I got them all right. I told myself to calm down and not stress about the last 6. This is just a warmup, and you’ve likely already gotten a good enough score for it not to be seen as a red flag on your application.
Quant- I felt like it went really well
Verbal- brain was fried 25 questions in. I kept thinking about my family and all those supporting me as an attempt to bolster up some energy to finish strong. In the moment, I felt like every question had an unclear answer, and I was split 60/40 between two answers.
Finally done. I quickly clicked through the demographics question. Score pops up:
710 (Q47 V41)!!!!!!!! 92nd percentile. IR: 6 (edit: AWA 5.5)
Can’t believe it. I quickly raised my hand to be dismissed, and grab the printout for proof of what my eyes just saw. Called my wife, thanked her for her support over the last 9 months, and rolled down the highway with windows down and music blaring. My voice was hoarse from yelling the entire ride home.
Part of me isn’t satisfied. I know with a few more months of study and diligent preparation, I could get 20-30 higher. The other part of me knows my wife would murder me if I told her that.
710 is good enough for all of my target schools. It’s time to put this season of life to rest and move on to other things.
Thank you again to everyone who contributes to this community. I’m sorry I wasn’t an active contributor, but hope my story encourages you to not give up hope. Good things come with sacrifice.
Senthil1981
Joined: 23 Apr 2015
Last visit: 14 Oct 2021
Posts: 225
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 36
Location: United States
Concentration: General Management, International Business
Schools: Booth PT '19 Ross Weekend"19
WE:Engineering (Consulting)
06 Jun 2016, 08:04
Kudos
Bookmarks
Congrats Bro and Appreciate sharing your experience. I've just started this April and aiming for the 710+ 
.
Share your admission status too. All the best for the same.
.Share your admission status too. All the best for the same.
Kurai
Joined: 18 Apr 2016
Last visit: 31 May 2021
Posts: 76
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 310
Schools: Stanford '24 Anderson (UCLA)
GMAT 1: 610 Q47 V27
GMAT 2: 710 Q50 V37
WE:Supply Chain Management (Aerospace and Defense)
Products:
06 Jun 2016, 14:39
Kudos
Bookmarks
This is a fantastic debrief! Thank you so much!
I am currently preparing myself to get back to studying and eventually re-take the GMAT (thinking end of this year).
I have always considered myself an average Joe especially for this forums standards. I scored a 610 on my first GMAT and aiming for a 680 or so. This kind of debrief gives me hope and encouragement that I can achieve a bump in my scores!
I am currently preparing myself to get back to studying and eventually re-take the GMAT (thinking end of this year).
I have always considered myself an average Joe especially for this forums standards. I scored a 610 on my first GMAT and aiming for a 680 or so. This kind of debrief gives me hope and encouragement that I can achieve a bump in my scores!
