Debrief: GMAT 760 V44 Q49

[anoop.rawat.113313173]

Took the GMAT on Nov 17 2010 and received the official score. Here is the debrief:
GMAT: 760(99), V44(97), Q49(86), AWA6(91)

First, I want to say a big Thank You to the MGMAT folks.
Their prep material (especially the sentence correction guide) is of a top-notch quality. If you buy the 6 online test package (a diagnostic plus 5 CATs) then you get a whole lot of other stuff - question banks, flash cards, access to forums, etc. Use all such tools. The MGMAT CATs are tough, especially some of the quant questions, but I think MGMAT prepares you well for the actual GMAT. The only advice I can give the MGMAT folks is that they should increase the number of questions (especially of the 700-800 level variety) in the CAT pool. I hardly got any new questions when I 'reset' my MGMAT CATs.

MGMAT Diagnostic Test: 650, V35, Q44
MGMAT CAT#1: 740, V45, Q47
MGMAT CAT#2: 720, V40, Q48
MGMAT CAT#3: 730, V41, Q49
MGMAT CAT#4: 740, V42, Q50
MGMAT CAT#5: 770, V45, Q50
MGMAT CAT#1(Reset): 770, V45, Q50

Official GMAT Prep Test#1: 760, V44, Q50
Official GMAT Prep Test#2: 740, V42, Q48
Official GMAT Prep Test#1(Reset): 780, V47, Q51

I took my first practice test (the free MGMAT Diagnostic Test) in April 2008. For various reasons, I didn't think seriously about GMAT until the summer of 2010. It was only in July that I decided that I wanted to take the GMAT and so I began to study for it. I took most of my practice tests in October. I took the official GMAT prep tests during the first two weeks of November.

Here is the list of prep-materials I used:

MGMAT guides - #1 to 5 (Quant); #6 to 8 (Verbal)
Official Guide GMAT Review 12th ed
Official Verbal Review, 2nd ed
Official Quant Review, 2nd ed
AWA Essays (Timed) - from 800 Score website (There are 10 timed essays that you can write; Its free but if you want feedback and analysis you have to pay. I tried a four of them to feel comfortable with the timed nature of AWA)
Online Sample GMAT Math Section Test - from 800 Score website (this is free; its timed and its a nice practice if not anything else)


Here are some tips or advice or just my observations:

Pacing is important: This was my Achilles' heel when I started off with the practice tests, especially in Quant. I had to learn how to "let go" of a question, make an educated guess, and move on. I used the OG Tracker tool MGMAT has on their website. I used it with the Official guides and learnt how to pace myself. I learnt another trick from the MGMAT online forum. I would write down 'time-milestones' in a corner of the notepad:
at question#1 -> 75mins left
at question#7 -> 60mins left
at question#15 -> 45mins left
at question#22 -> 30mins left
at question#28 -> 15mins left

I would check my progress during the test against this table. This trick really helped me in the practice tests and the actual GMAT. You can write down the two columns just before beginning the section. Additionally, my personal preference is to have ample time towards the end of a section. From my practice tests I had noticed that I do better when I have a good amount of buffer time for the last few questions. On the actual GMAT, I had about five minutes for the last quant question and about ten minutes for the last verbal question.

The 'generate assessment report' tool on MGMAT website: I think that this tool is brilliant. Once you start scoring above a certain level, you will notice that your performance has reached a 'plateau' and then you can score higher only if you can pinpoint your weaknesses and eliminate them one by one. The 'assessment report' is a nifty little tool from MGMAT that helped me find out topics or question types where I was 'wrong' as well as 'slow'. I would then take the official guide and work on questions from that area and try to do better the next time.

MGMAT online forums: There is a lot of information in these forums. I used these forums extensively while reviewing my MGMAT practice tests. You will get a lot of information there, some of it not directly related to the question you were searching for but still very useful.

Warm-up your mind on the test day: I solved about ten questions on the morning of the GMAT day. That warmed-up my brain and boosted my confidence. I recommend doing this if it helps you.

About resetting MGMAT CATs and Official GMAT Prep Tests: I am agnostic about resetting MGMAT CATs if you are scoring mostly at the 700-800 level. I hardly saw any new questions when I reset my MGMAT CATs. On the other hand, resetting (or rather, reinstalling) the GMAT Prep Tests definitely helped. After I reinstalled the official GMAT Prep Sw, there were only seven questions in verbal and six in quant in the official GMAT Prep test#1 that were repeated from the previous two tests.

About the GMAT test booklet: It took me a few minutes to get used to the booklet and the dry erase pen that Pearson provides for the GMAT. It didn't affect my performance adversely but I definitely felt odd trying to solve quant questions on laminated sheets. Its just a personal thing for me. I am more used to pencil and paper. If this is an issue then MGMAT sells a simulation booklet that you might want to use.

Overall, I am satisfied with my GMAT performance. I wanted a 99 percentile score and thats what I got. So, I am glad. I wish everyone here the best of luck for their GMAT. And once again, Thanks to Manhattan GMAT folks. You guys are brilliant!