720: In the ballpark

by **raghava_bharadwaj** Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:50 am

720 - 50, 38;
Thanks MGMAT - you have been great help. I would have loved to join your course, but couldnt. However, your materials and forum were great help. You have a great staff - I saw a lot of your detailed responses to the forum questions - Your people have a lot of patience with people and ,no doubt, excellent knowledge.
Was shooting for 750, but got a few toughies on Verbal and ended up with a 38. More than anything seeing a score below 40 is driving me up the wall.
For those who are eeking out few hrs a week for GMAT prep because you have a job and a new born child - it can be done.
I started preparing in earnest in Sep 2008. I studied for a month and then I had to shift my focus to another test - the PMP (a different type of nasty test) for a couple of months. Regrouped in December - spent most of my holidays preparing for GMAT. Once back to work, it was difficult to focus on GMAT yet again. Somehow, I managed a few hrs after work each day. Took a week off work last and took the plunge.

My scores: MGMAT - Round 1 - Pretty demoralizing. My main problem was that I was rusty and had trouble managing pace
630 (Dec07), 640 (Mar 08), 550 (Sep 08), 640, 630, 650
- Round 2 - 720, 700, 730, 750, 760, 780
- Round 3 - 780, 780
(There is a lot to gain by retaking these tests, Just to see a Score in 700s is a mental boost)
Then once I was confident, I took the GMAT Prep tests
Scored : 680, 720, 760, 760, 780, 780. To my surprise there is a big pool of questions. So you get to see many new questions even on your 6th attempt.
Study Material:
The only thing you really need - OG11, OG books , Prep Software...
Other Study Materials - Recommend - MGMAT (SC, RC, CR, Word Problems, OG11, OG Supplemtal books, Forum)
Do Not recommend going beyond to all the other sources -- Peterson's ARCOs (bad, IMO), Kaplan (average quality), Veritas online Free (horrible test), 800 GMAT ( quality and type of questions are off!), GMAT Club (helps a bit, but i did not end up taking all 25 math tests)
The problem with going to so many resources is that you can end up losing confidence. The questions are of different types and you have to adjust to those styles. Moreover, the quality of GMAC questions are just plain different. Only MGMAT comes close.

GMAT day - was pretty relaxed. I had to take an 8 am test; and I couldn't sleep much the night before (being a Friday, college students were noisy and partied all night in my neighborhood). A good night sleep may mean a difference of 30- 40 points.
I dont think I need a retest or anything. I am shooting for the top 10 schools. Good Score, good work Experience. All I need is some good luck !