Done June 9th - 740 (98th percentile)

Question

Hey guys...in case this is of any use to anybody...

Took the GMAT today. My score:

740 (98th percentile)
48Q (86th percentile)
42V (96th percentile)

I'm not thrilled but feel OK. I had hoped to break 90th percentile on the math and I usually hit closer to 98th on verbal in practice. I'm aiming at top 3 and top 7 schools, and I was going to retake it if I got below 730, but at this point I think I'll just stick with this score. I was really hoping for 760 (hit it twice in GMATPrep), but if you look at my whole range of scores, 740 ain't bad.

I initially prepped using Veritas' material for home study. Worked my way through all of their books. I had completely forgotten math and needed a thorough review. I think Veritas worked pretty well. My first PowerPrep test, I only hit the 65th percentile in math, 

I took the following practice tests

PowerPrep:
1. 703

ARCO GOLD /Thomson Peterson's scores:
1. 650
2. 730
3. 790

Veritas prep scores:

1. 680
2. 700
3. 700

GMATPrep Scores:

1. 760
2. 760


Got some pretty good tips from verbal from this site over the last month or two. In retrospect (had I discovered this site earlier!) I should've have completed all the challenges, then I bet I would've easily broken 90th percentile in that category.


Well...time to polish up the resume and draft essays! Good luck to you all.

Pranay_ju · Answer

Great, awesome score. Good luck to you with your admission.

Were you naturally good in verbal or did your score improved through practice. Could you please suggest some good ways to improve RC & SC? Thanks in advance. 

Regards,
Pranay.

army2mba · Answer

I'd say I was pretty much always pretty good at the verbal. My lowest verbal score on any practice exam was around 96th percentile (same as I got on the real thing).

For RC, I'd try using LSAT study materials. I previously attended law school, and found that GMAT RC was much easier for me than the LSAT questions were. So if you practice using LSAT material, I bet that'd get you ready.

With SC, run a search on here for "most common SC issues" or something like that. There are about a dozen different kind of errors that tend to be the most common. If you learn to spot these consistently, the few bizarro curveballs that the testmakers throw at you on test day won't end up hurting your score much.

rhyme · Answer

I wonder if people who come to this site with 740's honestly dont realize that saying things like "I'm not thrilled" is not only incredibly arrogant but also probably pretty depressing for the other 90% on this site who would be happy to even hit 700. 

Congrats on your score, I guess.

gmatmba · Answer

Specially when one of their 1st post is "I got 750, but no happy" :wall

Thats a great score and will not prevent you from getting into any school

willget800 · Answer

congrats on your score buddy..

you should be proud.. you have a great chance.. 

to keep your achievement into perspective.. there are people like me who are planning to give it again..

all the best with your apps!!!!!

rhyme · Answer

Yea, I didnt mean to be harsh, but it irritates me because its such a ridiculous statement.... Things like "I was going to retake if i didnt beat 730"... or "I got a 750, CRAP!"... its only meant to draw attention to the poster, and get a bunch of people to tell them how good their score is. They know how good it is, it's just showing off by pretending to be self deprecating, but its so thinly veiled...

willget800 · Answer

Rhyme,

I understand what you saying.. I know to some it might demotivate.. but to me it actually motivates people like me.. because i know i was not inherently smart to get 750 on my first attempt with minimal preparation. But I AM READY TO FIGHT IT OUT....

As you said.. you might loose a battle, but you got to win the war.. Even getting an MBA from a top school is just a battle.. Ultimately.. GMAT, MBA school.. are just small things in life.. persistance and hard work will get you to where you want.

x242222 · Answer

rhyme, i see where you are coming from on your comments. took the words right out of my mouth. i studied probably over 300 hours, got a 690, and am proud of my score. sure i would've like to score higher, but i got my score knowing i put forth my best effort.

army2mba, congrats on your score. i am also in the active duty army (overseas) and planning to apply to the top schools. i know plenty of intelligent people who struggle to break 650....just to give you a little bit of perspective. if the other parts of your apps are good, you'll have your pick of the litter.

army2mba · Answer

Oh well maybe I stepped in it... and when I step in it I'm man enough to say "sorry."

I see your point and certainly apologize if I sounded like a jerk to anybody or if it seemed like I was demeaning anyone who does not receive a certain score.

But I think you are oversimplifying things a little bit...

Many people have different sorts of situations which would make a particular score necessary. For example, I still have $70 to $80 thousand in student loans OUTSTANDING from my previous studies. Therefore, I am also praying for a substantial scholarship when I go for the MBA.

Nobody needs to worry -- you definitely DON'T need a 740 to go to a great business school. However, I need to worry about getting some $$$ thrown my way too, which I am told is easier if you are near the top end of a school's typical GMAT range.

Also, in my particular case, I have other potential weaknesses in my application that make the score important. For example -- "soft" liberal arts major, MINIMAL foreign language skills, etc. For profiles like mine (i.e. very plain American guy with an easy undergraduate major, no spectacular community involvement and little "international" appeal), admissions committees are supposedly pretty tough about the GMAT. 

So if anybody felt I was demeaning them by saying I was hoping for a 750+, please don't think I was suggesting that's any kind of litmus test for intelligence! I am just hoping I have shored up whatever weaknesses I have elsewhere in my app by having one solid, objective factor I can point to.

Again, I apologize if anybody thought I sounded like a snob. If you saw me in the beginning beating my head against the computer while crying and trying to figure out what the hell to do with a fractional exponent, you'd definitely have a tough time picturing me as a "snob"!

army2mba · Answer

And to set the record straight about one thing...

I really did NOT care to have anyone tell me my score is actually really good. I could just call my mom if I needed that.

I DID however want to encourage people to use resources like the challenges on this site for math review. I am NOT all that impressed with the whole body of commercial materials I used (books, software, etc). 

So since I know people go through here to see what others did to prepare (as I did during the past months), I hope they will read about my efforts and think about what they might do differently, for what it's worth.

willget800 · Answer

army,

Thanks a lot for your email. I personally got encouraged by your email. I just know that I need to work my a** off to reach there. But hey, when I see someone can do it, then I know I can do it too.

Thanks!

chriswil2005 · Answer

Ok, sorry if I sound like a broken record, but if you check the admission results on the businessweek and admission411 forums you will find plenty of people who did not get into some top programs with 750 and some who did with a 670 or even 650. No score will get you into a top program, but a bad score will keep you out. Congrats on your high score (only 2 percent of the world performed better than you), don't be disappointed, and kick ass on your essays. 

FYI, only some scholarships are based on GMAT score.

u2lover · Answer

nice discussion here... :-D

I personally stopped paying attention to all these "I am not happy with 750" kinds of posts.... especially after I read one once that said "I took my GMAT today, scored 770, but my friend said I am useless because I didn't get 780"... does anyone remember that post? I thought people were crazy to say things like that and nobody knows how much truth is to those... just remember everyone, it is not the score on a standardized test what matters... it is those experiences that do and how you get to where you are today... and in no way you should put yourself down or compare to others... you should only learn from people who score higher and hope you get there some day, even though your road might be bumpier... army2mba, congrats on the awesome score and thanks for the apology... although it wasn't that necessary!!! good luck in the future endeavors!

x242222 · Answer

army2mba, thanks for framing your earlier comments. i have every bit of confidence that you'll get into several of the top schools. best of luck in the apps process. doesn't it feel good to have the gmat behind you?!?

selene · Answer

Congrats a great score :good

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Done June 9th - 740 (98th percentile)

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