Gmat 730(Q49 V41)

[tehcalvin]

Hi Everybody,

Just came back from the GMAT center.

Summary:couple of months of erratic prep schedule. Final score: 730 (Q49, V41)
Update (5th Aug 2006): AWA score: 6.0

Details:

Prep Material:
OG 11
Kaplan Prep CD - guide + practice exams
Manhattan Sentence Correction guide + Online questions + Practice Exams
ScoreTop + TestMagic Forum discussions
Sample Essays (available on the net)
Reading GMAT experiences on Scoretop, TestMagic, and Pagalguy forums

Study:

Started off with OG
- attempted each and every question
- analyzed the incorrect ones
- analyzed the interesting ones (or ones where I thought my method was too lengthy)
- first Practice Test - score 630
- second Practice Test (3 weeks before GMAT) - score 680

Picked up Kaplan CD
- went through CD guide and practice questions
- first Practice Test - score 550

Started Reading sample Essays
- Mainly concentrated on 'Analysis of an Argument' essays

Bought Manhattan SC guide
- attempted all OG SC questions once again, categorized by Manhattan chapters
- analyzed the incorrect ones
- attempted Practice questions on Manhattan's site (1 day before GMAT)
- first Practice Test (1 day before GMAT) - score 630

Last 2 days
- went through explanations of questions where my answers didn't match the OA
- revised Manhattan SC guide once again, and attempted online questions + 1 practice test
- went through the list of 'Analysis of an Issue' Essay Topics and tried to imagine what I would write in that essay

Before the exam:

Had planned the following:

If I score less than 700, I'll retake the test after a month.
If between 700-720, I'll consider retaking the test.
If above 720, I'll not retake it.
Anything above 720 would be bonus.

Exam:

• First was Analysis of an argument. Wrote pretty well (in my opinion). I'd rate my essay a 6.0.
• Second was Analysis of an Issue. Spent too much trying to figure out examples, etc. I'd rate my essay a 4.0 here.
• Quantitative: Questions went progressively harder. I think I put in the first incorrect answer for the 7th or 8th question. After that it was a fluctuating difficulty level throughout the quantitiative. Completed with 2-3 minutes to spare.
• Verbal: Questions went progressively harder again. But I think I entered the first incorrect one too soon - probably for the 4th or 5th question. Completed with 1 minute to spare.

In the middle of the verbal section, I had started hoping for a 700+ score. Didn't know whether it would be 710, 720 or what. Thought about 730 or 740 a couple of times.

Final Score:
730
Q49
V41
Update (5th Aug 2006): AWA score: 6.0

Finer Details:

• Had not practiced writing a single essay before the GMAT
• Had not practiced most Quantiative questions on paper. I just did mental calculations for most of them and got the answer.
• Practice test (Manhattan) on the last day actually helped. It helped me to spot places where I tended to overlook the problem statement.

What I suggest:

• Start early. The earlier you get a date for your GMAT, the better. I wasn't serious at all until I got the date.
• Plan a retake if you're not confident enough. I wanted my final GMAT score before September. So I planned on the GMAT date at the end of July. In case I wanted to reakte the test, I would have taken it at the end of August.
• Practice AWAs. I didn't, but that doesn't mean everybody else shouldn't.
• Participate in forum discussions wherever you have a constructive input. That will help everybody, including you.
• Don't hestitate to ask (in the forums) clarifications on questions / answers you don't understand.
• The earlier you procure your study material, the better. I waited too long to order Manhattan SC Guide directly from Amazon.
• Practice a few questions everyday in the last 2-3 weeks of your prep. If you're working (I sometimes work late hours in office), do set aside a couple of hours for practice each day - no matter how tired you are.

[cybericy]

Congratulations Calvin !!!
Awesome score ... All the best for your applications.
What's the rest of your profile btw ?

Thanks for sharing your prep strategy.

Cheers
~icy

[fundoo1980]

Congrats Calvin !!
thanks fo sharing ur experience...

just a question-
How many hrs did u put in for preparation?

I am also preparing for GMAT and plan to give in Oct ... gave Kaplan test(first one) last week and scored 550... given the inordinate delays in certain questions leading to less time for questions in last, screwed up my score...
but i felt the verbal was too tough for me.. esp the SCs.... can u offer some advice to improve the same?

-fundoo

[tehcalvin]

Originally Posted by fundoo1980

How many hrs did u put in for preparation?

Not much idea - my prep schedule was pretty erratic. It was disrupted frequently by late office hours. There were some days (nights, actually) when I could just open the OG11 for around 20 minutes.

However, on Saturdays and Sundays, I used to put in around 8-10 hrs.

Theoretically, the numbers of hours shouldn't be relevant as an advice. , since the numbers of hours you need to put in for prep depends upon your individual background (e.g. if you're already quite strong in verbal, and have been regularly spotting mistakes in newspaper editorials, you don't need to invest in many hours in preparing verbal, etc.).

Originally Posted by fundoo1980

but i felt the verbal was too tough for me.. esp the SCs.... can u offer some advice to improve the same?
-fundoo

2-3 tips:

1. Use Manhattan SC guide along with OG11
2. Read economist.com and americanscientist.org articles - their style is good
3. Practice a lot of SCs. There's a site with dedicated forums for SC - sentencecorrection.com - you can start participating there.

[ahmadazeem777]

Congo Techy,

Great score.....

Yaar how to improve algebra & inequalities ???

Thanx
azeem

[tehcalvin]

Originally Posted by ahmadazeem777

Yaar how to improve algebra & inequalities ???

I don't know about current prep methods/materials or your current comfort level in the above topics, but here is what I'd suggest:

1. OG11 - solve the questions AND read the explanations to understand why the 'correct' answer is correct.
2. Kaplan - the questions are hard, but good for building clearcut concepts. However, don't spend too much time on it if you're on a crash course schedule.
3. Solve questions like those given by Manhattan here at pagalguy.com , also questions at testmagic.com and scoretop.com. Make sure you read the answer/explanation for each question you get wrong.

[amitnsitian]

congo dude

awesome performance

which colleges u r applying too

[tehcalvin]

Originally Posted by amitnsitian

which colleges u r applying too

All of them!

Just kidding. Haven't finalized things yet.

[link14]

Congratulations Calvin

[tehcalvin]

Thanks everybody.

I got my AWA score report today - got 6.0