First attempt at GMAT -- Got 720 Q48 V41

[AS]

Not the score i had hoped -- was scoring 740-770 on GMAT prep, but i guess i had a bad day in quant section.(my lowest was 49)

Do i care really -- no. I just didnt want to bother giving the exam again :twisted:

Just wanted to share some things, maybe it might help someone.

First MGMAT is awesome:

- their SC book is fabulous..read it, understand it, absorb it.
- do the geometry and number properties book well, if only to refresh.
- take the advanced SC online course.
- Read posts, especially by Ron Purewal and Stacy Koprince.
- Use the OG stopwatch, again and again.

Now one customary gripe:

MGMAT math is not representative of the real test. I felt i got more penalized for silly mistakes in earlier Qs in the real GMAT. MGMAT had trained me to be aggressive about MATH. In their tests math is hard and normally difficult to finish quickly. If i had one recommendation to MGMAT it would be to bring the MATH level close to the real test. That said, if you intend to score in the 48-51 range the last 50 Questions in OG 11 ed are your best bet. You not only have to solve them but also be able to finish them under 2mins.

The main materials that i studied from:

1) OG 11 -- all problems timed using OG Stopwatch (all to be done under 2mins)
2) OG Verbal -- all problems timed using OG Stopwatch (same)
3) OG Math -- all problems timed using OG Stopwatch (same)
4) MGMAT SC, Geometry, Num props
5) MGMAT CATs
6) Advanced 750 - online SC (awesome!)

When do you know you are ready?

That question confounded me. I never felt ready -- always felt i could study more. My total "real" prep time was two months (2 hrs weekdays, 8hrs weekends). The real answer i feel is, that you never know. I took a date 2 months down the line and just worked towards it. I knew one thing in the end-- i had done the OG so many times that i reached the stage where in 50% of the problems, i knew the answer before i solved the problem. In case of verbal questions i even knew "why" the other answer choices were wrong. I guess when you run out of "official problems" to solve you should just give the exam. I never could finish all the mgmat ones i.e. question banks, but what do i know? maybe if i did, i would get more?

Again, if you are getting 700+ always on GMAT Prep and Power prep(yes.. i gave that too...so what if it is obsolete, it was official) then just give the exam -- unless ur targetting 800 (more on that below).

For those who consider multiple attempts:

I had a interesting conversation with some of my friends in the top 5 US Bschools: GMAT is just one part of the app -- if u scored a 690 or above you dont really need to give the exam again. Once ur above a threshold(which varies per school) GMAT score is just a checkbox on ur app.

There are a lot of 780-800's who get no accepts while there are quite a few 680-690s who make it in. That said, if you do get below 680 and are targetting the top 5 with potentially weak experience or are in a competitive field(i.e. "tech"), then sure give it again. Going from a 690-740+ only buys you brownie points in dinner conversations and is a poor substitute for time that could be spent on writing awesome essays (those words are actually from a current top 5 B-school student). A lot of people i know learned it the hard way. Avoid repeating this mistake.

On the whole, i was quite please with MGMAT and would recommend it -- thanks guys. You are definitely a cut above other test prep companies (i have K800 and cracking the gmat -- but threw them away immediately after my first read).

[ankitraheja]

Now i am feeling better with my 690 :-)...

but this is just the starting for an uphill task for me i guess..

can you drop me your email id "AS" if you dont mind because , I wanted to discuss things abt apps .

[mdinerstein]

Hi AS,

Thanks for the positive feedback! A 720 is an excellent score and it would appear that you are all set going forward! Also, thanks for the feedback on the quant section of our practice exams. I do see this complaint, but I also notice that the feedback comes from from students that are already quite strong in the quant section of the exam. We'll certainly look into the matter.

As for ankitraheja, we have a "Ask an Admissions Consultant" section on our forums that you could try to get your application questions answered.

Best,

Michael Dinerstein
Marketing and Student Services Associate
michael@manhattangmat.com
800-576-4628
212-721-7400