GMAT 700 (Q47/V39) AWA 6.0

[kartik.money]

Happy to report about 3 hours after my GMAT concluded this morning that I got a score of 700 (Q47/V39) + AWA 6.0 with about 2 months of prep amidst a hectic travel schedule and job demands. A little disappointed that I didn't do as well as I would have hoped on the Verbal section but for what it's worth, I'm grateful that I got the score I did.

I had an epiphany 2 months ago that I wanted to pursue an Executive MBA program (I'm 35, have about 13 years of work experience, a masters in Computer Science and work as a software architect at the Walt Disney Co. in Cali). So I immediately went ahead and set my test date as Dec 20th in order to give myself the motivation I needed to start studying for the test.

I credit this forum, BeatTheGMat and GMATClub immensely for the volumes of information and inspiration I received along the way. Thanks in particular to Stacey Koprince for her words for advice in the weeks preceding the GMAT.

Here is a breakdown of my practice test scores in the order that I took them:

MGMAT 1 (With No Prep): 580 (Q37/V33)
Kaplan Practice Test : 620
GMATPrep 1: 670(Q46/V35)
MGMAT 2:670 (Q46/V35)
MGMAT 3:670 (Q46/V35)
MGMAT 4:650 (Q42/V38)
Knewton Practice Test: 640 (Q40/V39)
Veritas Prep Practice Test: 630 (Q40/V38)
Princeton Review Practice Test: 610 (Q39/V37)

As you can see the swing in scores on these last 3 were fairly dramatic and I began to panic (I was taking 2 practice tests every weekend) However, someone on this forum suggested that I stop taking practice tests and instead focus almost entirely on review. This was about 3 weeks before my actual exam. I took his advice and switched gears and created a cheat sheet for Quant and verbal that I kept adding to and reviewing every day. The results immediately reflected on the next 3 practice tests.

MGMAT 5: 700 (Q42/V42)
MGMAT 6: 700 (Q42/V42)
GMATPrep 2: 720 (Q49/V40)

Here's what worked for me:

Critical Reasoning: CR Bible is probably the best book out there for this. The explanations are top notch and really helped my understanding of how to attack this question type. Strategies such as Negation were super useful.

Sentence Correction: Manhattan's SC Guide is about the most comprehensive when it comes to SC. Even though my grammar is naturally good, I found the SC guide especially useful for idioms.

Quant: All the MGMAT guides are exceptional when it comes to refreshing yourself on fundamentals and they go through painstaking lengths to explain concepts and give great strategies on shortcuts. BIG props to MGMAT on these.

RC: I didnt find any guide particularly compelling as far as strategies for RC are concerned, but some of Stacey Koprince's tips here were very helpful. What I will say is that the key to getting these questions right is to train yourself to read quickly and understand what you are reading at the same time. Jot down key phrases as you are reading and refer to them as you answer questions. I applied a lot of the same principles I picked up in CR for RC - staying close to the passage when answering questions, not drawing inferences beyond what is almost explicitly stated in the passage etc - you guys know the drill.

I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention Grockit as an absolutely amazing resource especially towards the end of my prep period. Grockit's question bank is mostly recycled questions from old GMATs and from all the OGs and they have about the closest look and feel to what comes in the real test. In some cases (especially verbal), I found Grockit's Verbal Challenges and targeted practice immensely useful and really helped me hone in on my problem areas towards the end so I could spend a little extra time on those areas. Very, very useful site and a great value for the money (Only 20 bucks a month).

All in all, it's been a short but eventful journey for me and I am thankful that it is over and I can now enjoy the holidays. I hope this is useful for anyone going to take the test. Remember - half the battle is believing that you can do it. Keep the nerves down, stay calm while taking the test and get a lot of sleep the night before! They all helped me.

Good luck to all those still waiting to take the GMAT!

[pranabiitkgp]

Is there any new format in GMAT of reporting AWA score at the same time or at the end of the test ???

Thanks,
PM.

[dukesfolly]

Hi kartik,
I am also giving GMAT i want to know that which book you use for GMAT & can you share some of your tips that can be useful to me for preparing for GMAT.