Hello All, First, I want to thank Pagalguy and its members for the invaluable resources and support that helped me to achieve my target GMAT score. Although I was not a regular visitor of this site, I started my journey with Pagalguy and got…
Hello All,
First, I want to thank Pagalguy and its members for the invaluable resources and support that helped me to achieve my target GMAT score. Although I was not a regular visitor of this site, I started my journey with Pagalguy and got lot of information from this site.
I gave the test yesterday and scored 730 (Q49, V41). My target was 720+, so there it is. I was expecting 50 in quants and 39-40 in verbal but I guess my one point moved from quant to verbal (I have no regrets with this move though 
)
I started my prep in mid May this year. In all, my study period was 3 months; I gave nearly 5 hours a day Mon-Fri (I reserved weekends to take care of my family responsibilities).
Following are my prep test results:
GMAT Prep 1 - 580 (Q49, V21); 06-June-2010; left 6-7 verbal questions un-answered
GMAT Prep 1 - 710 (Q50, V35); 26-June-2010; few repeated questions
GMAT Prep 1 - 720 (Q50, V37); 15-July-2010; few repeated questions
GMAT Prep 1 - 730 (Q50, forgot verbal score); 08-Aug-2010; few repeated questions
GMAT Prep 1 - 780 (Q50, V47); 11-Aug-2010; many repeated questions
GMAT Prep 2 - 720 (Q49, V40); 15-Aug-2010; only few repeated questions
MGMAT Test 1 - 660 (Q43, V37); 02-July-2010; left last verbal question un-answered
MGMAT Test 2 - 690 (Q47, V40); 09-July-2010
MGMAT Test 3 - 710 (Q47, V40); 03-Aug-2010
MGMAT Test 4 - 680 (Q47, V40); 05-Aug-2010
MGMAT Test 5 - 740 (Q46, V45); 13-Aug-2010; left last quant question un-answered
MGMAT Test 6 - 760 (Q47, V45); 14-Aug-2010
Note: I had solved few RCs ealier and few of those RCs appeared on MGMAT tests. Hence, MGMAT verbal score is little inflated. Also, MGMAT 5 and MGMAT 6 were much easier as compared to other MGMAT tests.
Kaplan online free test: - 610 (Q42, V34); 14-July-2010; Free test's scoring algorith is not convincing, Ok for practice
Kaplan online free test: - 610 (Q42, V34); 14-July-2010; Free test's scoring algorith is not convincing, Ok for practice
Kaplan Online CAT # 1 - 690 (Q54, V29); 31-July-2010; left last verbal question un-answered
Kaplan Online CAT # 1 - 690 (Q54, V29); 31-July-2010; left last verbal question un-answered
Kaplan Online CAT # 2 - 760 (Q52, V4Kaplan Online CAT # 2 - 760 (Q52, V4
; 04-Aug-2010
Kaplan Online CAT # 3 - 690 (Q51, V32); 06-Aug-2010
Kaplan Online CAT # 3 - 690 (Q51, V32); 06-Aug-2010
Kaplan Online CAT # 4 - 710 (Q53, V35); 12-Aug-2010
Note: If you are surprised to see Q54 and Q53 on Kaplan Online CAT # 4 - 710 (Q53, V35); 12-Aug-2010
Note: If you are surprised to see Q54 and Q53 on Kaplan tests, don't blame me; please contact Kaplan tests, don't blame me; please contact Kaplan for explanation Kaplan for explanation
I highly recommend all these tests. Even taking GMATPrep tests multiple times helps as we still get many fresh questions. Moreover, one gets the feel of real questions. Quants of MGMAT tests is unarguabley tougher than actual GMAT but it is very good for practice. On the other hand, quants of Kaplan is little easier but their RCs are very dense. Again, they are very good for practice.
I want to add few points that might help others:
1. As been said millions of times, pacing is very important. I always struggled to finish my verbal sections on mock tests (and Kaplan is little easier but their RCs are very dense. Again, they are very good for practice.
I want to add few points that might help others:
1. As been said millions of times, pacing is very important. I always struggled to finish my verbal sections on mock tests (and MGMATs quant sections too, of course). I used to make mistakes towards the end if I had even little less time. For example, if I had 5 minutes and 4 questions to do, I would get almost all of them wrong. Hence, I decided to speed up from the beginning or at least in the middle. This way, even if I make few mistakes in the middle, I will have enough time to tackle the last questions. Additionally, I read in some posts (How to approach Actual GMAT vs. various Preps ) that logically, there should be fewer experimental questions towards the end of the section. This may not be true, but giving more importance to last few questions (as we do for initial few questions, though for different reasons) worked for me, because I was not tenses towards the end and thus avoided mistakes.
2. Practice, practice and practice. I was weak on verbal section and improved mainly because I did many practice questions. Be careful to choose the practice questions - practice with official questions and questions reputed sources.
3. Test day is very important. Try to make strategy for the test day. How will you react if you get a tough moster like RC? What will you do if you a probability or geometry question that scares you most. Have a strategy to handle/skip all the hurdles rather than getting stumped by them. If you lose the focus on the test day, your score will be hampered badly. There are few good posts on different forums to form the strategy (I liked Stacey's post: The Last 14 Days: Building Your Game Plan ). In general, I do not like to make strategies, but I did one for my test day. It was simple. Stay cool and focused, try to solve tough question if you have enough time, else move on to next question, don't waste time on one question. Whatever happens, try to focus on the question on the screen and forget about everything else (except to keep an eye on timing).
I will be glad to be of any help to fellow test takers.
-Balraj.
Balraj,
Very happy to see you score well! As I can see now (from last time we interacted) SC is definitely a beast you slayed 😃 Do share with others how you were able to improve on your accuracy, what you did in practice etc. Do spread some GMAT Gyaan for other test takers - very important to contribute to society 
All the best for your applications!
Arun
+Hi. Abhishek here. Congratulations on your score. I liked your experience and it will hold me in good stead as I have my exam too on Monday. This is my second attempt. Scored a 650 in the first one.
I agree with you on the Kaplan scoring algorithm. Cant be comprehended at all.
A few queries here and would be great if you could help:
1. How was the difficulty level of questions in your exam? Comparable with the OG?
2. The "Yes/No" type DS questions, the tough ones, keep giving me a problem sometimes. Any strategy for that?
3.I am a little worried about the verbal portion of the exam. Can you throw in some tips on how you approached CR and RC?
In the next 2 days, I am only planning to go through the corrections of all mocks that I have given and revise the basics in quant and verbal. Any thing else that you suggest I should do?
I liked the "strategy" tip that you gave. I will follow your advice and devise something similar for test day.
Thanks a lot!
Abhishek
Hello All,
First, I want to thank Pagalguy and its members for the invaluable resources and support that helped me to achieve my target GMAT score. Although I was not a regular visitor of this site, I started my journey with Pagalguy and got lot of information from this site.
I gave the test yesterday and scored 730 (Q49, V41). My target was 720+, so there it is. I was expecting 50 in quants and 39-40 in verbal but I guess my one point moved from quant to verbal (I have no regrets with this move though
I started my prep in mid May this year. In all, my study period was 3 months; I gave nearly 5 hours a day Mon-Fri (I reserved weekends to take care of my family responsibilities).
Following are my prep test results:
GMAT Prep 1 - 580 (Q49, V21); 06-June-2010; left 6-7 verbal questions un-answered
GMAT Prep 1 - 710 (Q50, V35); 26-June-2010; few repeated questions
GMAT Prep 1 - 720 (Q50, V37); 15-July-2010; few repeated questions
GMAT Prep 1 - 730 (Q50, forgot verbal score); 08-Aug-2010; few repeated questions
GMAT Prep 1 - 780 (Q50, V47); 11-Aug-2010; many repeated questions
GMAT Prep 2 - 720 (Q49, V40); 15-Aug-2010; only few repeated questions
MGMAT Test 1 - 660 (Q43, V37); 02-July-2010; left last verbal question un-answered
MGMAT Test 2 - 690 (Q47, V40); 09-July-2010
MGMAT Test 3 - 710 (Q47, V40); 03-Aug-2010
MGMAT Test 4 - 680 (Q47, V40); 05-Aug-2010
MGMAT Test 5 - 740 (Q46, V45); 13-Aug-2010; left last quant question un-answered
MGMAT Test 6 - 760 (Q47, V45); 14-Aug-2010
Note: I had solved few RCs ealier and few of those RCs appeared on MGMAT tests. Hence, MGMAT verbal score is little inflated. Also, MGMAT 5 and MGMAT 6 were much easier as compared to other MGMAT tests.
Kaplan online free test: - 610 (Q42, V34); 14-July-2010; Free test's scoring algorith is not convincing, Ok for practice
Kaplan online free test: - 610 (Q42, V34); 14-July-2010; Free test's scoring algorith is not convincing, Ok for practice
Kaplan Online CAT # 1 - 690 (Q54, V29); 31-July-2010; left last verbal question un-answered
Kaplan Online CAT # 1 - 690 (Q54, V29); 31-July-2010; left last verbal question un-answered
Kaplan Online CAT # 2 - 760 (Q52, V4Kaplan Online CAT # 2 - 760 (Q52, V4
; 04-Aug-2010
Kaplan Online CAT # 3 - 690 (Q51, V32); 06-Aug-2010
Kaplan Online CAT # 3 - 690 (Q51, V32); 06-Aug-2010
Kaplan Online CAT # 4 - 710 (Q53, V35); 12-Aug-2010
Note: If you are surprised to see Q54 and Q53 on Kaplan Online CAT # 4 - 710 (Q53, V35); 12-Aug-2010
Note: If you are surprised to see Q54 and Q53 on Kaplan tests, don't blame me; please contact Kaplan tests, don't blame me; please contact Kaplan for explanation
I highly recommend all these tests. Even taking GMATPrep tests multiple times helps as we still get many fresh questions. Moreover, one gets the feel of real questions. Quants of MGMAT tests is unarguabley tougher than actual GMAT but it is very good for practice. On the other hand, quants of Kaplan is little easier but their RCs are very dense. Again, they are very good for practice.
I want to add few points that might help others:
1. As been said millions of times, pacing is very important. I always struggled to finish my verbal sections on mock tests (and Kaplan is little easier but their RCs are very dense. Again, they are very good for practice.
I want to add few points that might help others:
1. As been said millions of times, pacing is very important. I always struggled to finish my verbal sections on mock tests (and MGMATs quant sections too, of course). I used to make mistakes towards the end if I had even little less time. For example, if I had 5 minutes and 4 questions to do, I would get almost all of them wrong. Hence, I decided to speed up from the beginning or at least in the middle. This way, even if I make few mistakes in the middle, I will have enough time to tackle the last questions. Additionally, I read in some posts (How to approach Actual GMAT vs. various Preps ) that logically, there should be fewer experimental questions towards the end of the section. This may not be true, but giving more importance to last few questions (as we do for initial few questions, though for different reasons) worked for me, because I was not tenses towards the end and thus avoided mistakes.
2. Practice, practice and practice. I was weak on verbal section and improved mainly because I did many practice questions. Be careful to choose the practice questions - practice with official questions and questions reputed sources.
3. Test day is very important. Try to make strategy for the test day. How will you react if you get a tough moster like RC? What will you do if you a probability or geometry question that scares you most. Have a strategy to handle/skip all the hurdles rather than getting stumped by them. If you lose the focus on the test day, your score will be hampered badly. There are few good posts on different forums to form the strategy (I liked Stacey's post: The Last 14 Days: Building Your Game Plan ). In general, I do not like to make strategies, but I did one for my test day. It was simple. Stay cool and focused, try to solve tough question if you have enough time, else move on to next question, don't waste time on one question. Whatever happens, try to focus on the question on the screen and forget about everything else (except to keep an eye on timing).
I will be glad to be of any help to fellow test takers.
-Balraj.
Hi,
Abishek, Congratulations!
Perfect performance.
Please share with us you prep strategies.
How did you improve the score in Verbal section?
How is your performance in AWA? How much are you expecting?
Kishore
congrats...do post on the colleges you are applying!!! and have u given TOEFL YET...
Sorry Abhishek, I could not reply earlier as I am out of town and have limited Internet connectivity.
Hope your test went fine.
-Balraj
+Hi. Abhishek here. Congratulations on your score. I liked your experience and it will hold me in good stead as I have my exam too on Monday. This is my second attempt. Scored a 650 in the first one.
I agree with you on the Kaplan scoring algorithm. Cant be comprehended at all.
A few queries here and would be great if you could help:
1. How was the difficulty level of questions in your exam? Comparable with the OG?
2. The "Yes/No" type DS questions, the tough ones, keep giving me a problem sometimes. Any strategy for that?
3.I am a little worried about the verbal portion of the exam. Can you throw in some tips on how you approached CR and RC?
In the next 2 days, I am only planning to go through the corrections of all mocks that I have given and revise the basics in quant and verbal. Any thing else that you suggest I should do?
I liked the "strategy" tip that you gave. I will follow your advice and devise something similar for test day.
Thanks a lot!
Abhishek
MBA@US2011 Sayscongrats...do post on the colleges you are applying!!! and have u given TOEFL YET...
This year I will apply for EPGP of IIMB and ISB second round.
Balraj,
Very happy to see you score well! As I can see now (from last time we interacted) SC is definitely a beast you slayed 😃 Do share with others how you were able to improve on your accuracy, what you did in practice etc. Do spread some GMAT Gyaan for other test takers - very important to contribute to society
All the best for your applications!
Arun
Thanks Arun.
I would love to share my strategy to improve on SC.
I Studied MGMAT SC book twice as the grammer rules tested on GMAT were new to me and I did appear for any big test/exam for 9 years. After completing this book, I saw some improvement but that was not enough. I tried to get help from different sources but no luck. I looked at few grammer books but by this time I already knew most of the rules. I was puzzled! I knew most of he rules but my accuracy was still not up to the mark. After some analysis, I realized that I should be able to apply all the rules that I have learnt on each question, that too within 60-90 seconds. Then I did following:
1. Decided to practice as many SC questions as I could, so that the process of applying all the rules on each SC became quite normal and I got used to of doing that.
2. Nearly for 2 weeks, I noted down the errors on each option of the questions rather than just picking up the correct answer. It took lot of time to do this, but after doing this, I was easily and confidently able to eliminate wrong answer choices. I got this tip from couple of members on this forum and other forums and I feel I worked for me too.
3. Each time I solved a set of SC questions, I noted down the mistakes that I did. I classified my mistakes to come up with my weak areas. Next time I solved SC questions, I paid more attention on my weak areas. I did this nearly until last week of my preparation.
All these together, helped me a great deal to improve on SC.
Let me know if anyone need further details or has specefic questions.
- Balraj
Hi Balraj
Great score indeed! Bravo!
All your suggestions on preparing for the test seem very new and rewarding, will pursue your strategies for sure.
Although I would appreciate if you could advice me a bit here.
I am giving the gmat for the second time(1st attempt 530 (Q42 V22 ) and am getting the scores in the range of (590-630) in manhattan gmat tests. I got a 610 (Q45, V2 in gmat prep 1 ! My aim is 680+ but i have only one more week left to prepare!
My average individual scores are : (Q42, V30) (Manhattan)
Any suggestions...
Thanks 😃
Thanks Shubhankar.
As you have only one week left for the test, I suggest following (if I were you, I would do this):
1. Go thru short notes of SC and maths. Memorize formulas.
2. Analyze the error logs and try to remember them: try not to repeat those errors. At least try to come up with some way/ strategy to handle them.
3. Give 2 Gmatprep tests and implement strategies above on these tests. If you have given gmatprep many times and not getting fresh questions, you can use mgmat or kaplan online tests.
4. Prepare short strategy for test day to be calm and confident on test day. Don't loose the focus at any cost.
All the best.
Thanks balraj! I will put your suggestion to good use!
Posted by mistake. Removing it.
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