Hello All,

Today I took the diagnostic test at IMS institute here in Bangalore. I got a meager 620 with Quant 28 and Verbal 21. I was very surprised with this score. I took several practice test with self study and I was able to score between 640-680 with quant upto 48 and verbal 40.
What was surprising were the individual scores of quant and verbal. 28 and 21 corresponds to the percentile 22% and 23 % for quant and verbal respectively.
However, overall score of 620 corresponds to 70%. How are these contrasting results possible?

I feel that the institute has deliberately lowered my scores so as to convince me to join their instt.
Am I right in thinking this?
Any experiences with IMS?

Regards
A.Quadeer

I cannot say that they have fiddled with your result, but as far as your question about the section scores Vs. total score goes, this is the explanation:

You can get lower %les in sections yet get a higher total score %le. Because you were among the people who did fairly well on both sections as against people who did well only i one section. So you were behind many people in quants section. But out of them many people did badly in Verbal. And vice versa.

And my advice to all gmat takers is:

Don't worry about the percentiles. Don't compare different test scores. You shud worry about the no. of corrects and incorrects. A good target is not more than 3 mistakes in each of CR, RC, and SC...thats 9-10 maximum mistakes in Verbal. And 4-5 mistakes in Quants.

If you could manage that, you are golden!

HOpe that helps.

M

GMATing: How I made it to an Ivy League B-School!!How I got a 770!!

pravinmc Says

Hi friends.......does the real gmat have the same difficulty level as that of quans que from problem solving section in OG 12 ???...the reason for asking this query is...i find the quans que in OG 12 to be of low-medium difficulty level....waiting for your replies :)

You are right. The OG's level is indeed lower than the actual test.

But it's also not CAT (IIMs) level. You are well off reading targeted chapters from a CAT package and doing medium level difficulty problems.

M

GMATing: How I made it to an Ivy League B-School!!How I got a 770!!

Hello All,

Today I took the diagnostic test at IMS institute here in Bangalore. I got a meager 620 with Quant 28 and Verbal 21. I was very surprised with this score. I took several practice test with self study and I was able to score between 640-680 with quant upto 48 and verbal 40.
What was surprising were the individual scores of quant and verbal. 28 and 21 corresponds to the percentile 22% and 23 % for quant and verbal respectively.
However, overall score of 620 corresponds to 70%. How are these contrasting results possible?

I feel that the institute has deliberately lowered my scores so as to convince me to join their instt.
Am I right in thinking this?
Any experiences with IMS?

Regards
A.Quadeer

Just after my mba I want to work for some company that would give me some insight into managing business, and later want to start my own company.

Hi friends.......does the real gmat have the same difficulty level as that of quans que from problem solving section in OG 12 ???...the reason for asking this query is...i find the quans que in OG 12 to be of low-medium difficulty level....waiting for your replies

Have you decided, what role you want to get into post-MBA??
If yes, your Branch is already decided
If No, do not bother about it now!!

gmat10dulkar Says

One last thing I want to ask is how to decide on the branch of management that would be suited to me?

One last thing I want to ask is how to decide on the branch of management that would be suited to me?

if that is the case, then max you can hope for is a 700-720 kind of with current level of preparation. The two areas you mentioned, are not actually verbal!!
what i mean is that CR, is only reasoning, nothing to do with verbal.. and RCs just test your ability to read b/w passages, get the central idea.. that kinda stuff.. so it is nothing Specific to English (which SC checks)

If you want to improve RCs.. read a lot more US magazines, newspapers etc.. avialable online.. u'll get comfy with those articles, so u ought to improve your performance. In CR.. it is just a case of learning Syllogisms.. Once you know them, CR should be a easy...

The coaching bit is really up to you.. If you feel you will benefit from some external mentoring, then go ahead.. but its your call..

Cheers,
Nirav

if that is the case, then max you can hope for is a 700-720 kind of with current level of preparation. The two areas you mentioned, are not actually verbal!!
what i mean is that CR, is only reasoning, nothing to do with verbal.. and RCs just test your ability to read b/w passages, get the central idea.. that kinda stuff.. so it is nothing Specific to English (which SC checks)

If you want to improve RCs.. read a lot more US magazines, newspapers etc.. avialable online.. u'll get comfy with those articles, so u ought to improve your performance. In CR.. it is just a case of learning Syllogisms.. Once you know them, CR should be a easy...

The coaching bit is really up to you.. If you feel you will benefit from some external mentoring, then go ahead.. but its your call..

Cheers,
Nirav

The scores were between 680 and 720 in about 10 mocks that I took. I find my verbal to be really weak(specially RCs and CRs). Can you suggest some good materials to go through or shall I take coaching particularly for verbal part?

I plan to retake the test in Dec-Jan since I will be applying next September. One imp thing I want to ask is whether the 2-year work-ex is necessary at the time of application or can it be just before the course commences?

The scores were between 680 and 720 in about 10 mocks that I took. I find my verbal to be really weak(specially RCs and CRs). Can you suggest some good materials to go through or shall I take coaching particularly for verbal part?

I plan to retake the test in Dec-Jan since I will be applying next September. One imp thing I want to ask is whether the 2-year work-ex is necessary at the time of application or can it be just before the course commences?

In that situation, you ought to do a good self analysis.
What were your scores in the mock GMATs that you took?

Were they drastically different from your actual score?

If so, then your actual score might be an aberration and you can hope to do better by retaking the test in a couple of weeks.
If not, then it points to a knowledge gap that needs to be bridged, which would take some time for sure.. You will then have to delve into specifics as to whether Quant or Verbal is the problem area..
If Quant, is it PS or DS??
If Verbal, is it SC, CR or RC??

The data points for this analysis are going to come from your OG-Answers, Mock Tests Review and of course your gut feel regarding your comfort level in each of these sections..

Once you have done that, then you can zero in on your root problem(s) and plan a strategy to counter/overcome it(them)

What would you consider safe??
An 800??
If you think you can get that, go ahead and write it again.. If it is 730-750, do you really think it can be a deal clincher??

There are many ppl with 760+ who have got rejects from ISB!!
The focus ought to be on the application and profile and not the score..

xx000xx Says

Hi Puys! I have a 710 in GMAT. I know this is not a low score, but to be on the safe side for ISB, should I retake? Thanks!

Hi Puys! I have a 710 in GMAT. I know this is not a low score, but to be on the safe side for ISB, should I retake? Thanks!

Absolutely, seems like old days are back and started off today with my favourite Quant, just to put things on track and to get a hang of it all over again.

Now I can imagine what mistakes I did and shall try to improve them with a more focussed and result oriented approach and hopefully this time the scoreline might read what I want to see :-)

Hey Vicky,

Glad that you finally decided to face your purported demons!! :thumbsup:
If you are looking for verbal preparation, the one thing you need to realize is that out of the 3 types of questions asked: SC, CR and RC, only the first one actually tests Grammar.
As long as you can read and understand English, you ought to be fine in the other two!!

Since it has been a long break, I suggest you start off with something like like the Princeton Review, then move on to OG, Manhattan etc..
The Manhattan book that you are looking for is the Manhattan GMAT - The Verbal Strategy Guide.

All the best dude...

Cheers,
Nirav

Hey Vicky,

Glad that you finally decided to face your purported demons!! :thumbsup:
If you are looking for verbal preparation, the one thing you need to realize is that out of the 3 types of questions asked: SC, CR and RC, only the first one actually tests Grammar.
As long as you can read and understand English, you ought to be fine in the other two!!

Since it has been a long break, I suggest you start off with something like like the Princeton Review, then move on to OG, Manhattan etc..
The Manhattan book that you are looking for is the Manhattan GMAT - The Verbal Strategy Guide.

All the best dude...

Cheers,
Nirav

Hi Puys,

My story is totally different. I took my first GMAT in September 2008 and scored so miserably that I lost all hope and gave it up. During preparation, I used to score in the range of 710 to 730 but I dont know what struck me on the examination day that I ended up scoring a miserable 540 (Q47, V1.

I again booked a date in Nov 2008 but couldnt study becase of the shear trauma that haunted me every time I used to open the book. I shifted the date to Jan 2009 but again failed to concentrate and that where I planned to let it off my brain and concentrate on my work.

Now again after 3 years, I am feeling a strong urge for it and a lot has happened during these 3 years. The feeling was so strong that I booked a date (Aug 2011) first before thinking of anything. Now I want to start the preparations ASAP. I still have OG10 and the supplementary Quant and Verbal guides.

I know I can perform good in Quant but want help from fellow puys for the Verbal part because I want to make an all out effort this time. Can somebody tell me the exact title of the Manhattan SC guide and does it come with the Full Length Tests?

Waiting for ur response.

Vicks

Hi Puys,

My story is totally different. I took my first GMAT in September 2008 and scored so miserably that I lost all hope and gave it up. During preparation, I used to score in the range of 710 to 730 but I dont know what struck me on the examination day that I ended up scoring a miserable 540 (Q47, V1.

I again booked a date in Nov 2008 but couldnt study becase of the shear trauma that haunted me every time I used to open the book. I shifted the date to Jan 2009 but again failed to concentrate and that where I planned to let it off my brain and concentrate on my work.

Now again after 3 years, I am feeling a strong urge for it and a lot has happened during these 3 years. The feeling was so strong that I booked a date (Aug 2011) first before thinking of anything. Now I want to start the preparations ASAP. I still have OG10 and the supplementary Quant and Verbal guides.

I know I can perform good in Quant but want help from fellow puys for the Verbal part because I want to make an all out effort this time. Can somebody tell me the exact title of the Manhattan SC guide and does it come with the Full Length Tests?

Waiting for ur response.

Vicks

fire.starter Says

Hi Guys ! I gave my GMAT in November, done with the admission process and will be pursuing Full Time MBA in US in fall 2011 intake. However, I have some good GMAT Study material with me which really helped me get a good score. Now I intend to pass on these notes to someone hardworking and serious about achieving a good score. Do PM me if interested. Please note, I am not selling these notes, just intend to help someone who needs it. Cheers !

Hi,
Please can you give the material that you have?? I am planning to give my GMAT in sep and just startd my prep. Only have the GMAT 12 OG and so additional material would be of great help

In that situation, you ought to do a good self analysis.
What were your scores in the mock GMATs that you took?

Were they drastically different from your actual score?

If so, then your actual score might be an aberration and you can hope to do better by retaking the test in a couple of weeks.
If not, then it points to a knowledge gap that needs to be bridged, which would take some time for sure.. You will then have to delve into specifics as to whether Quant or Verbal is the problem area..
If Quant, is it PS or DS??
If Verbal, is it SC, CR or RC??

The data points for this analysis are going to come from your OG-Answers, Mock Tests Review and of course your gut feel regarding your comfort level in each of these sections..

Once you have done that, then you can zero in on your root problem(s) and plan a strategy to counter/overcome it(them)

gmat10dulkar Says

No, actually its the 3-4 months window that I have before the deadlines of various colleges start popping up. In quant, 47 marks was most probably because I could not mark the last answer and the timer went off. So, even considering that I don't make such mistakes again, there is no guarantee that my overall score will improve. So, presently I cannot make out where my actual shortcomings lie or where I made blunders. Would be of great help to me if you could suggest something.

Any specific reason you want to wait for 2-3 months??
Are you planning on preparing from additional material that you had not used before??

If you believe that your less than expected score was because of some errors by you and not on a lack of preparation, a 2-3 week window might be better than 2-3 month..
In 2-3 months u would have cooled off a bit, may not be preparing with the same intensity as now.. and worst of all have lost touch with the concepts GMAT tests...

So if it is not a big knowledge gap, a shorter time frame might be a better option.

Cheers,
Nirab

No, actually its the 3-4 months window that I have before the deadlines of various colleges start popping up. In quant, 47 marks was most probably because I could not mark the last answer and the timer went off. So, even considering that I don't make such mistakes again, there is no guarantee that my overall score will improve. So, presently I cannot make out where my actual shortcomings lie or where I made blunders. Would be of great help to me if you could suggest something.

Just wanted to ask how the skewed score in favor of one section is percieved? Say for the above case, our fellow PG has a great score of 710, but the breakup shows that its skewed towards QA (51QA/35VA).
Is there any implication of such a breakup? Does it matter, or its just the total score?

What is the option? Can you retake and score a 51Q 42V i.e. 770? If so then please do by all means

Else though it will hurt you but don't bother too much!

Arun

Any specific reason you want to wait for 2-3 months??
Are you planning on preparing from additional material that you had not used before??

If you believe that your less than expected score was because of some errors by you and not on a lack of preparation, a 2-3 week window might be better than 2-3 month..
In 2-3 months u would have cooled off a bit, may not be preparing with the same intensity as now.. and worst of all have lost touch with the concepts GMAT tests...

So if it is not a big knowledge gap, a shorter time frame might be a better option.

Cheers,
Nirab

Hi
I took my GMAT yesterday and got a meagre 660 (QA-47/ VA-35). I was aiming for 700+ but due of some mistakes on my side could not cross the line. I had put up a lot of hard work (2 months of it) besides my office work. I plan to re-take the test 2-3 months down the line, but will it improve my score further? Also, can I get decent colleges with this score? I will have 2 years exp by the end of july next year and I am eyeing a 2012 fall intake.

Hi
I took my GMAT yesterday and got a meagre 660 (QA-47/ VA-35). I was aiming for 700+ but due of some mistakes on my side could not cross the line. I had put up a lot of hard work (2 months of it) besides my office work. I plan to re-take the test 2-3 months down the line, but will it improve my score further? Also, can I get decent colleges with this score? I will have 2 years exp by the end of july next year and I am eyeing a 2012 fall intake.

Take it again if you think you are going to smash a 750+. It will help if you apply to the very top + it will help in scholarships.

If you even feel remotely close to doing the same (i.e. a +/- 10/20 point difference) then don't retake it.

Arun

Just wanted to ask how the skewed score in favor of one section is percieved? Say for the above case, our fellow PG has a great score of 710, but the breakup shows that its skewed towards QA (51QA/35VA).
Is there any implication of such a breakup? Does it matter, or its just the total score?

Hi Guys,

gave my GMAT today... scored a 710(q51/v35)

Take it again if you think you are going to smash a 750+. It will help if you apply to the very top + it will help in scholarships.

If you even feel remotely close to doing the same (i.e. a +/- 10/20 point difference) then don't retake it.

Arun

HI Fellow Puys,

Gave my GMAT yest. Scored a decent 690 (Q 47/ V 37).

Now I need some guidance regarding my options ahead of me vis-a-vis programmes which I can apply to (both in India and outside )

Congrats! A good GMAT score is one that gets you into a school of your choice. The world is your oyster so you need to figure out where you want to go and then apply to schools which will get you there!

Here is a basic plan to get you started.

Hi All
i am in mid way of my preparations for gmat and i am worried about SC. My accuracy is only 50%.

There are 2 things that could happen here (a) your approach is totally offtrack in which case practice alone will not help (b) you were actually getting better but you ran out of the book when you got there

Hopefully it is the latter Take the GMATPrep test a few times and then hit at a document (available on GMATClub I think) which contains 100s of GMATPrep questions. This will be the closest you can get to solving "standard" and "tough" questions. Just a warning that after doing this document it will be useless to take the GMATPrep test.

fire.starter Says

Hi Guys ! I gave my GMAT in November, done with the admission process and will be pursuing Full Time MBA in US in fall 2011 intake. However, I have some good GMAT Study material with me which really helped me get a good score. Now I intend to pass on these notes to someone hardworking and serious about achieving a good score. Do PM me if interested. Please note, I am not selling these notes, just intend to help someone who needs it. Cheers !

Firestarter - I really appreciate your noble intentions. You are the man! :cheerio:

Hi Guys
I am very weak in math portion.
Could u let me know which books should i go through to learn basics?

Quant series from MGMAT is good. Else any decent book such as Arun Sharma which explains the basics of maths. Infact any CAT material would do too (not for the questions - just the theory).


Arun - CrackVerbal

Hi Guys
I am very weak in math portion.
Could u let me know which books should i go through to learn basics?

Thanks

Hi Guys ! I gave my GMAT in November, done with the admission process and will be pursuing Full Time MBA in US in fall 2011 intake. However, I have some good GMAT Study material with me which really helped me get a good score. Now I intend to pass on these notes to someone hardworking and serious about achieving a good score. Do PM me if interested. Please note, I am not selling these notes, just intend to help someone who needs it. Cheers !

HI Fellow Puys,

Gave my GMAT yest. Scored a decent 690 (Q 47/ V 37). Not something to rave about but I am happy considering that I gave it only a month of serious prep and did it alongside heavy workload at office. Now I need some guidance regarding my options ahead of me vis-a-vis programmes which I can apply to (both in India and outside ) given that I have tons of excellent qualitative experience( 6 yrs+ ) and a moderate set or excurriculars. Any pointers to online resources for such research will also be appreciated. :cheerio:...

Keep rocking Puys ...

congrats for your score...
...as far india is concerned your score is compititive enough for any B- schools like IIM,s,ISB,XLRI,SPjain....for abroad i don't have too much idea..

Hi All
i am in mid way of my preparations for gmat and i am worried about SC. My accuracy is only 50%. i have covered Manahattan SC and OG 12. about to complete OG 10 also. the thing that is making me tense is that i am about to complete the authentic material(og and manhattan SC) and still my accuracy is not improving.
I will practice from other sources but is my approach rt? is this ok to have low accuracy(50%) after covering OG 10 and manhatan sc.
no problem in rc
Pls suggest me some good quant material and CR material for practice which is representative of difficulty level of gmat. OG math is too easy.
thanks

HI Fellow Puys,

Gave my GMAT yest. Scored a decent 690 (Q 47/ V 37). Not something to rave about but I am happy considering that I gave it only a month of serious prep and did it alongside heavy workload at office. Now I need some guidance regarding my options ahead of me vis-a-vis programmes which I can apply to (both in India and outside ) given that I have tons of excellent qualitative experience( 6 yrs+ ) and a moderate set or excurriculars. Any pointers to online resources for such research will also be appreciated. :cheerio:...

Keep rocking Puys ...

stranger13 Says

I think it's better if you use some other tests since anyways 2 tests won't be enough.

Each practice test can be taken 2-3 times and each time you will see new questions coming. Just a couple of questions may repeat so there may be slight increase in the score. You make use of the test to make sure you come across as many GMAT questions from the software. Thus one GMAT prep software gives you about 4 tests.
You can search online for an older version of the official GMAT test and if you do come across one then you have another 4 attempts.

casmba Says

I am preparing for 2nd attempt...i got 570 in my 1st attempt...i have already used both of preparation software...may i used it again foOr testing my preparednep.

I think it's better if you use some other tests since anyways 2 tests won't be enough.

Reinstall GMATPrep, u can give both the tests again,
but, u might encounter the same questions again, so the scores can get a little skewed.

casmba Says

I am preparing for 2nd attempt...i got 570 in my 1st attempt...i have already used both of preparation software...may i used it again foOr testing my preparednep.

I am preparing for 2nd attempt...i got 570 in my 1st attempt...i have already used both of preparation software...may i used it again foOr testing my preparednep.

Thanks varsha for your valuable suggestions. I would like to keep them in mind. Rt now I am going through Manhattan SC.

thanks again

Hey...
Firstly I suggest do not practice online tests if you have not already worked on your speed and accuracy from the material that you are practicing. You will only get a score below your expectation. So start timing yourself while you practice fm books.
Secondly, I do understand when you practice fm OG its easy but you are unable to do well in the test. This may be beacuse you are only used to solving questions while looking at the computer. Start using the soft copies of materials/OG to practice. Solving from the computer and from a book does make a difference.
Thirdly, verbal is not easy yet not difficult. You must have the best strategies to get a fantastic score. For example, a lot of ppl end up reading and understanding SC questions and waste time but one must realize its Sentence CORRECTION where you correct the sentences using rules. It does not matter whether you understand the sentence. So check if you are using correct strategies giving quick results.
Lastly, taking GMAT prep test from mba.com is important. It gives you authentic questions. Other tests may not give you a correct judgement of your performance.
I am sure you can get a good score so practice strategically.

Dear All,

I am new to this wonderful forum.

Background: I am an engineer and working in public sector since last 7 years. As,nowadays our job demands more management than technical, I decided to go for Gmat.

I started preparing last month and given the mock test Gmatprep with a dismal score of 540. After preparing for another two weeks I finished my mock MGMAT-1 with a very poor result of 580. I am really disheartened. I am quite weak in verbal. Even when i did my quant questions through OG i found them easy but during test I realized that they are slightly tougher. In GMATprep I was not able to keep my pace so, 10-10 questions were left unanswered in both the sections. I tried to improve my speed in MGMAT test, still with the same result 7 and 9 questions left unanswered.

I really dont know how to overcome with the issues. I dont have much time to prepare. My work schedule is very hectic and I like to appear for the Gmat within two months . Kindly guide me.

Hey...
Firstly I suggest do not practice online tests if you have not already worked on your speed and accuracy from the material that you are practicing. You will only get a score below your expectation. So start timing yourself while you practice fm books.
Secondly, I do understand when you practice fm OG its easy but you are unable to do well in the test. This may be beacuse you are only used to solving questions while looking at the computer. Start using the soft copies of materials/OG to practice. Solving from the computer and from a book does make a difference.
Thirdly, verbal is not easy yet not difficult. You must have the best strategies to get a fantastic score. For example, a lot of ppl end up reading and understanding SC questions and waste time but one must realize its Sentence CORRECTION where you correct the sentences using rules. It does not matter whether you understand the sentence. So check if you are using correct strategies giving quick results.
Lastly, taking GMAT prep test from mba.com is important. It gives you authentic questions. Other tests may not give you a correct judgement of your performance.
I am sure you can get a good score so practice strategically.

Dear All,

I am new to this wonderful forum.

Background: I am an engineer and working in public sector since last 7 years. As,nowadays our job demands more management than technical, I decided to go for Gmat.

I started preparing last month and given the mock test Gmatprep with a dismal score of 540. After preparing for another two weeks I finished my mock MGMAT-1 with a very poor result of 580. I am really disheartened. I am quite weak in verbal. Even when i did my quant questions through OG i found them easy but during test I realized that they are slightly tougher. In GMATprep I was not able to keep my pace so, 10-10 questions were left unanswered in both the sections. I tried to improve my speed in MGMAT test, still with the same result 7 and 9 questions left unanswered.

I really dont know how to overcome with the issues. I dont have much time to prepare. My work schedule is very hectic and I like to appear for the Gmat within two months . Kindly guide me.

Experts @ GMAT. I have a question I am about to start my preparation for GMAT. I will give 2 months for the preparation as i appeared for CAT already and scored 83%ile (yey I know not a great score). I gave a mock GMAt today and scored a dismal 450...as I left studying after mid December 2010. However I am not disappointed as it was done without any practice whatsoever. I am aiming 690-710 in GMAT. I request puys who are friendly with and have done well in GMAT to recommend me studying/practicing material. Now the problem is that I bought and went through a few GMAT books before (dont remeber the names) to prepare for GMAT but only discovered that they have very less practice questions. Most of the books that I check in book store like OM Book Shop/Landmark are these types. Questions kam hote hai, baat zyada karte hain.
I need to work on all sections - Problem Solving, Data Sufficiency, SC and Reasoning. I need to know specific books for all these topics which can provide me with rigorous practice questions and explanations both. Somthing like Arun Sharma of CAT types. For quant if you recommend Arun Sharma..then I'll happily stick to it as he is the best guy around in for quant prep. If you dont then please let me know what can provide me as detailed/rigorous practice on Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency for GMAT as Arun bhai does for CAT. Also since I am a beginner in GMAT i need a lot of practice on SC and Reasoning..what books do you recommend? Websites?? There a lot of them. Please let me know what should I start with as too many resources and too much material only ends up confusing me. Also where can I purchase/get those books from?

One last thing to get a score of 700, how many wrong answers can I afford in Quant and Verbal section of GMAT, given that I attempt all 37 and 41 questions.

Please do reply urgently I dont want to waste a day in starting the preparation.

1. Read the 1st thread of this post for most of your questions regarding prep. Typically the Official Guide aka OG should suffice. Is mein aapke ruchi anusaar baat kam aur kaam zyaada hai

2. For scoring algorithm you can read this: GMAT Scoring Demystified partly! | CrackVerbal

HTH,

Arun

Experts @ GMAT. I have a question I am about to start my preparation for GMAT. I will give 2 months for the preparation as i appeared for CAT already and scored 83%ile (yey I know not a great score). I gave a mock GMAt today and scored a dismal 450...as I left studying after mid December 2010. However I am not disappointed as it was done without any practice whatsoever. I am aiming 690-710 in GMAT. I request puys who are friendly with and have done well in GMAT to recommend me studying/practicing material. Now the problem is that I bought and went through a few GMAT books before (dont remeber the names) to prepare for GMAT but only discovered that they have very less practice questions. Most of the books that I check in book store like OM Book Shop/Landmark are these types. Questions kam hote hai, baat zyada karte hain.
I need to work on all sections - Problem Solving, Data Sufficiency, SC and Reasoning. I need to know specific books for all these topics which can provide me with rigorous practice questions and explanations both. Somthing like Arun Sharma of CAT types. For quant if you recommend Arun Sharma..then I'll happily stick to it as he is the best guy around in for quant prep. If you dont then please let me know what can provide me as detailed/rigorous practice on Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency for GMAT as Arun bhai does for CAT. Also since I am a beginner in GMAT i need a lot of practice on SC and Reasoning..what books do you recommend? Websites?? There a lot of them. Please let me know what should I start with as too many resources and too much material only ends up confusing me. Also where can I purchase/get those books from?

One last thing to get a score of 700, how many wrong answers can I afford in Quant and Verbal section of GMAT, given that I attempt all 37 and 41 questions.

Please do reply urgently I dont want to waste a day in starting the preparation.

@ Aman : Dont get dishearten with this score. at times we are not in test temperament at times while reading the question mind sways a lot, so even when we complete and read the stuff we fail and dere goes nthg except lack of concentration n positive frame of mind.. so cheer up and move ahead
secondly do analyse the areas were yiu r weak make them ur strength and sustain your strengthen areas .. then success would be at your doors..

My serious prep started 1 month back and I booked a slot without knowing where I stand i.e never gave a mock exam. I gave my first mock on 13th Nov and scored just 570. Though disappointed I thought I will improve in the due course of time but the progress was not impressive.

In short you took a shot in the dark

I think you already are mature enough to understand where you have gone wrong. The only thing is to work hard for the next 2 months to improve on it. Do not take the test till your practice scores are in the 700+ range (if that is your target).

I plan to give GMAT again after 2 months or so and the Knewton is offering the course for more than 50% discount and would cost around 300$.
The deal is ending on 15th December. Please guys let me know if it's worth spending time with knewton online course to improve my score or should I continue with more focussed self study?

There was a thread somewhere around for Knewton maybe you can take a review from there. My take is - do a self analysis yourself and ensure you know what to take from the course. It could be Knewton or anyone else. But don't expect magic to happen i.e. your scores will "somehow" improve on the test day.

Don't get disheartened by your first attempt. I know many who have gone from where you are to a stellar 700+ score.

All the best and keep us posted on your progress!

Arun

Hi Puys,

I gave my GMAT yesterday and scored just 530. I was in a total state of shock after seeing my score. Though, I knew that I was not going to score high given the scores I was getting in my mocks but such a low score was never expected.

I need some serious advice for my second attempt. Following is my analysis till now and would like some guidance from experienced people out here.

My serious prep started 1 month back and I booked a slot without knowing where I stand i.e never gave a mock exam. I gave my first mock on 13th Nov and scored just 570. Though disappointed I thought I will improve in the due course of time but the progress was not impressive.

My Mock exams-

GMATPrep 1 - 570 (Q43; V2
4 GMAT exams - 610 (Q47;V2 , 630 (Q45;V32), 580 (Q43; V2, 630 (Q45;V32)
GMATPrep 2 - 590 (Q45; V27)

Books referred till date-
MGMAT Guides
Powerscore bible
QG 12

What I feel is that after giving the first mock exam I was not able to improve much on my weak areas. Most of the time I devoted to go throught the concepts. Given that I have not touched the maths for the past 8 years or so took some time to refresh.

1) In Quants my weak area are inequalities, tough prime number questions. In DS also my success rate is not very good.
2) For SC i took e-gmat course which was quite good and helped me to retain the rules which I had learned in MGMAT SC but I didn't practiced much. I an not having very good success rate with SC. I know this can be improved by more thorough analysis of QG.
3) Though I have gone through Powerscore CR but somehow I am not having much success in CR. I think its mostly due to the fact that I take lot of time to comprehend the argument and thus due to time lag I am not able to have a good success rate.
4) For RC I didn't prepare much apart from going through some passages in QG. Need to focus more on RC and I think it can be handled by more practice and reading.

Apart from this I am very disappointed with the kind of silly mistakes I do in Quants. Eg. I read ratio 3/2 in the question and end up solving with 3/4.

I think I need some guidance in terms of tricks and tips for Quants. Pls let me know whether knewton online course would be suitable for this?

Has anyone who has gone through the course suggest me if the knewton course would help in term of helping me to speed up in quants by providing some tips? Also whether this course would be a bet for my verbal which needs a lot of improvement?

I plan to give GMAT again after 2 months or so and the Knewton is offering the course for more than 50% discount and would cost around 300$.

The deal is ending on 15th December. Please guys let me know if it's worth spending time with knewton online course to improve my score or should I continue with more focussed self study?

Hi Ujjwalrock...Congrats for the 80 pts leap...
My best score in my mocks is 650 and least was 590..I too made a leap...but on the other side of the scale...:P
I am planning to take the test again in April...will work harder this time..hopefully to make a positive leap..

hey puys and pals. This is my first post on PG after being around for close to 2 years. I wrote my GMAT exam yesterday. I got 690(Q49, V35). I read a lot of people sounding very worried with their initial scores after their first mock tests.

Trust me most of us go through the same. So nothing to lose heart about. I took 4 MR mock tests. my scores were 550,570,590,610. I was surprised to see my score jump 80 pts from my best score in the mocks

I'd like to give my 2 cents about the exam. Like everyone understands, the two important factors are Timing and Accuracy. So always, always time your practice also. Solving 100's of problems will increase your accuracy, but you can improve timing only if you practice with the timer set.

and always remember dont loose your heart based on the mock scores. Trace the issue, address it and score!!.

Hope you find this helpful...

@Psychodementia : Thanks a lot dude..I have started my prep for the next attmept.I am trying to keep myself more organized this time.

For RC, I am trying to chart the strategy that works best for me,either to skim the passage once and then to read it in detail on basis of the questions or to read the passage in detail and frame a flow of the passage.

For CR, I have decided to use the Powerscore CR bible...and for the SC part, as per ur advice, I am gathering Qs from PG and will try to focus on my errors,along with regular prep from Manhattan SC guide.

Thanks a lot for ur time and timely advice..

Hi Puys,
I took my GMAT last saturday.:shocked:
Ended up with an abysmal score of 520(Q 40, V 22):banghead::banghead:

Out of the 3 critical success factors on GMAT - being on supreme mental and physical form is perhaps the most important since there is little you can do to fix that one. My advice has always been to take GMAT more than once if you feel that this part of the performance let you down.

I know I have not scored great in quants as well, But I am sure that I can improve this part.I lack knowledge in concepts related to inequalities,functions and graphs.

Try going through the Manhattan Strategy Guide for these topics.

In SC, I am able to easily eliminate 3 out of 5 options and zero in to the best option.My areas of concern in SC are
1. Usage of pronouns when given in a complex and long sentence.
2. Usage of correct idioms - I think I can make up with this part.
I used the Manhattan Sentence Correction and OG11th Edition for my SC part.

Idioms are a pain point no doubt. Just have to keep working. For pronouns I suggest you just revise and try to understand what concept you are missing out on. There are a lot of online forums where questions are discussed by experts - including PG itself.
Here are a few examples:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/og-verbal-review-sc-19-t878.html

Also google is your friend. Here is what a few minutes of searching around helped me:
Pronouns: miscellaneous

In RC section, I always to fail in questions related to inferences.

Inference are the trickiest of the lot - so no surprises here! I think you need to search online for strategies to counter this. Then use that in your practice. Knowing where you lag is the tough part - fixing it is easy.

In CR section, I am totally in darkness.I can hardly be certain about an answer for a CR question.
I am totally clueless about the CR section.To admit, I have not concentrated much in this section so far.
I am expecting serious advices to improve my range in Verbal,especially in the CR part.Please tell me what are all the materials to be covered for each section.

CR has to be approached in a very methodical manner. Like a Lawyer you need to be careful about 3 things (a) knowing which points can go against you/for you (Assumption, Strengthen, Weaken) (b) knowing how to read between the lines (Inference, Main Point) (c) knowing what part of the argument plays what role (BF, Parallel reasoning)

I don't know what you have studied already so don't know what you have done so far. If you say you just went in BLINDLY then my suggestion is to pick any good book, start understanding the basics and go from there.

Arun

@ kapsdeep : Thanks a lot for ur concern....
Kapsdeep and other beloved Puys - It would be of great help if u can throw some light on what should I do to improve my Verbal part.What all materials should I refer to do an effective preparation.I am trying to gather the related data from the previous posts,but it would be even more encouraging when the advices are posted for my queries.

Thanks in advance..

hey sabby !!
don't be heart-broke .....it happens
Even I scored 610 in first attempt.....but I concentrated on my mistakes and improved to 730
Just do thorough analysis...u'll be through

hey sabby !!
don't be heart-broke .....it happens
Even I scored 610 in first attempt.....but I concentrated on my mistakes and improved to 730
Just do thorough analysis...u'll be through

Hi Puys,
I took my GMAT last saturday.:shocked:
Ended up with an abysmal score of 520(Q 40, V 22):banghead::banghead:
I am unable to recover from the shock.I have never scored so low like this in any of my mocks.I have maintained my range from 600 to 660 in my mocks.
My Quants score has never been less than 40 and in Verbal, I have maintained a constant range from 33 to 35 in all the 5 mock tests that I took before giving my actual test.
The mocks which I took include one GMAT Prep and 4 Manhattan CAT.

I know I have not scored great in quants as well, But I am sure that I can improve this part.I lack knowledge in concepts related to inequalities,functions and graphs.

But as far as verbal is concerned, I am weak in all the 3 sections.
Below is the order of the 3 sub sections in decreasing order of scores.
SC --RC -- CR
In SC, I am able to easily eliminate 3 out of 5 options and zero in to the best option.My areas of concern in SC are
1. Usage of pronouns when given in a complex and long sentence.
2. Usage of correct idioms - I think I can make up with this part.

I used the Manhattan Sentence Correction and OG11th Edition for my SC part.

In RC section, I always to fail in questions related to inferences.

In CR section, I am totally in darkness.I can hardly be certain about an answer for a CR question.
I am totally clueless about the CR section.To admit, I have not concentrated much in this section so far.

I am expecting serious advices to improve my range in Verbal,especially in the CR part.Please tell me what are all the materials to be covered for each section.

I have decided to take my second attempt in the month of March or April.

Thanks in advance.

boston university

ajeesh87 Says

GATECH is awesome.. Michigan states SCM is ranked in top 10 US.. kelley is a good bet too..purdue nd boston should be safe for you. visit usnews ranking and select the specialization. you will get the ranking u want. u cn buy the 13$ usnews access to ranking if u want..its worth it..gvs u loads of info

Ok. I only thought of Ross when you said Michigan which obviously would not even look at my application. Broad too might be a good try for me. I guess I'll buy the usnews access.

By Boston, do you mean Carroll? I thought their fee was too high.

Thank you so much for replying.

GATECH is awesome.. Michigan states SCM is ranked in top 10 US.. kelley is a good bet too..purdue nd boston should be safe for you. visit usnews ranking and select the specialization. you will get the ranking u want. u cn buy the 13$ usnews access to ranking if u want..its worth it..gvs u loads of info

ajeesh87 Says

i tink 660 is a very good score.. nt sure wdr enuf fr georgia tech..u cn gv it a shot.. try eller, TAMU, USC, Michigan state..worth a try.. nd if u r intrstd in UK..u cn apply to warwick, manchester...worth a try.. chances r gr8

Thanks for the quick reply Ajeesh.

Frankly, I have no idea about what colleges to apply and whether the ones I've listed above are really good. I only chose them because they were listed in top 30Unis in rankings and they still have time for either first or second round of application submission.

I initially thought I'd get a score around 700 and then decide on colleges. But now that the G-Day is over, I need to search for the college information now.

A friend currently doing an MBA didn't give me good reviews about TAMU. But about USC, dont you think 660 is low? No idea about Michigan too though.

i tink 660 is a very good score.. nt sure wdr enuf fr georgia tech..u cn gv it a shot.. try eller, TAMU, USC, Michigan state..worth a try.. nd if u r intrstd in UK..u cn apply to warwick, manchester...worth a try.. chances r gr8

Hi All,

I just gave my GMAT today. Even though I am disappointed, I guess I have no choice but to apply with my current score.

Is 660 (Q49, V31) a low score to apply for the following Universities?

1. Kelley
2. Georgia Tech
3. Brigham Young
4. National University of Singapore

My background:
Acads: Avg
Extra Curricular: Good
Work Ex. : 3.5years - IT
International Ex: 3months (US) -> Not sure if this counts

Thanks in Advance,
-DD

Like your last statement, I wish there was an option to like someone's post on PG just like Facebook

I know, I gotta work on silly mistakes, however are there any strategies that you may suggest ?

Regards,
Hardik

Hardik !!
Jus kill the silly mistakes n see the magic probably it will inc ur score by 20
rest then u can focus on ur other weak areas.....take each step by step
In SC u cannot b equally weak in all areas....so jus find the killer(maybe modifiers or comparision or parallelism) ....hit it and raise ur score again :)
Believe "ITS EASIER SAID AND DONE":cheers:

Thanks Deepak, you're right.:cheers:

I just got done with analysis and these are the high level stats:

On quant, I had committed 19 mistakes: 13 of them are silly, 3 are tough questions to me, and I had a knowledge gap on 3 of them.

On verbal, I had committed 17 mistakes: Again 13 of them are silly ( Mostly SC and few CR), 3 are tough ( A long 4 para RC, while I correctly answered first question based on it , I fumbled on other three), and I am not sure about one of them. http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/gmat-and-related-discussions/20700-gmat-critical-reasoning-discussions-329.html Post 3287

My accuracy in descending order on verbal section : RC > CR > SC

While I solved OG as well, my weakness has been silly mistakes, both for quant and verbal, however the accuracy was far better.

How do I take it forward from here ? I will highly appreciate each and every suggestion by anyone of you.

Regards,
Hardik

Hardik !!
Jus kill the silly mistakes n see the magic probably it will inc ur score by 20
rest then u can focus on ur other weak areas.....take each step by step
In SC u cannot b equally weak in all areas....so jus find the killer(maybe modifiers or comparision or parallelism) ....hit it and raise ur score again :)
Believe "ITS EASIER SAID AND DONE":cheers:

Thanks Deepak, you're right.:cheers:

I just got done with analysis and these are the high level stats:

On quant, I had committed 19 mistakes: 13 of them are silly, 3 are tough questions to me, and I had a knowledge gap on 3 of them.

On verbal, I had committed 17 mistakes: Again 13 of them are silly ( Mostly SC and few CR), 3 are tough ( A long 4 para RC, while I correctly answered first question based on it , I fumbled on other three), and I am not sure about one of them. http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/gmat-and-related-discussions/20700-gmat-critical-reasoning-discussions-329.html Post 3287

My accuracy in descending order on verbal section : RC > CR > SC

While I solved OG as well, my weakness has been silly mistakes, both for quant and verbal, however the accuracy was far better.

How do I take it forward from here ? I will highly appreciate each and every suggestion by anyone of you.

Regards,
Hardik

hey Hardik !!
do the analysis......THE ONLY KEY
I did like dat to travel 610 to 730:cheers:

Thanks a ton Anuj and Abhi. :clap:

Indeed, throughout the day I was also thinking the same. Having known myself for years, I know that it'll be difficult to catch up once I lose track.I am gonna go at least till week prior to the GMAT. I am back to my error log to analyze the issues with a low score !!

Anuj,

I think you got me: It was excessive amount of stress that skewed my score to the left. I haven't been so stressed ever. Not even when I had close down my Start Up. May be it stems from the fact that I have pinned all my hopes on the GMAT and successive MBA plans. Thinking about a back up plan once in a while helps a great deal.

Abhi,

Thanks for your offer to help over PM Don't worry, I am gonna bug you !!



This might be little off but I am just left with CR, RC, and AWA.

I originally planned to go through PowerScore CR Bible for CR, a couple of RCs from OG and 1000 RC and a few AWA topics from OG . Surprisingly, my RC accuracy is best amongst all type of verbal questions.

Do you think it sounds like a good plan even now ?

I am asking this because of two reasons :
1. PowerScore Bible is out of stock at almost all majot stores in Bangalore
2. I read somewhere that PowerScore consumes a great deal of time.

Any alternate suggestions ? How do you recommend MGMAT CR Guide? It seem to be in stock.

Regards,
Hardik

hey Hardik !!
do the analysis......THE ONLY KEY
I did like dat to travel 610 to 730:cheers:

Hi Hardik,
Powerscore CR is the best book to go for CR. I took two months to prepare for GMAT and yes Powescore is a huge book to complete in that duration. So what i did was i tried and figure out the type of CR questions because of whom i mostly get stumped. And since Powerscore CR is very well categorized so I chose those particular type of questions and tried to improve upon them.
For SC i used Manhattan Sentence Correction, its techniques if you can put to use will definitely make you sail through the exam.
For RC all you can do is practice more and more so nothing is better than 1000 RC document after the OG.

Good Luck for your prep!!
Anuj

Here again i'll agree with Anuj that powerscore CR is huge...but if you search on net you will be able to find the 4-5 page notes which people have made from powerscore CR bible you can refer those and save time.

Rearding SC MGMAT is the best and you can also refer Sahil's spidy's Rajatnanda's notes to help you with idioms and otherstuff.

For RC i'll suggest u start reading the most boring stuff online on scientific american, wallstreet journel, newyorktimes, etc. i agree that you are short on time but this stuff will definetly help you improve on ur speed for RC as RC passages are almost always very boring and belong these major areas: biology, physics, business, history or some research...

:cheers: