GMAT Debrief: 730 (51 Q, 38 V), AWA – 5.0

[Guest]

Today I received the official scorecard...achieved my target of a 700+ score with a 4.5+ on the AWA. Following are the highlights of my journey till now:

1. Prepared for close to three and half months. Studied daily for close to two hours..including weekends. Took tests on weekends

2. Concentrated on verbal....quant was not much of a concern as I have an engineering background. Really struggled with getting verbal in order... much of my preparation was focused on building competency in the verbal section..

3. Began my preparation..thoroughly confused with the excess of materials available..finally zeroed on the following material..

a. OG 11, OG Verbal & OG Quant
b. Kaplan Premier & Kaplan 800
c. Manhattan SC and CR Guides...priceless for verbal
d. Kaplan & Princeron Verbal Workbooks

Avoided all the clutter and noise of material available on the web & in book stores (1000 SC, CR’s etc .. and all other books on GMAT.. I think they are good if you have excess time on your hands..but anyway...I guess it comes down to taking your pick and sticking with them till the end...also I have realized that one can be completely prepared for the test.. and one has to bite the bullet

4. My Test Scores:


Peterson Free Test : 560 , 50 Q, 22 V
Crack GMAT Free Test : 645, 54 Q, 21 V
Princeton Free GMAT Test : 710, 48 Q, 40 V
MGMAT 1 : 660, 47Q, 33V
MGMAT 2 : 49Q, 34 V
GMAT Prep 1: 720 , 50 Q, 38V
Kaplan Premier ( Paper Pencil) : 700, 53Q, 41V
GMAT Prep 1 ( Reset) : 760 , 51 Q, 41 V
MGMAT 3: 690 , 49 Q, 35 V
MGMAT 4: 720, 49 Q, 39 V
GMAT Prep 2 : 770, 50Q, 45 V

As you can see I started at the average score and worked my way to 700+.. no success formulas..just working on weaknesses.. Gave free diagnostic tests on the web and then moved on to MGMAT CAT’s.. Planned my GMAT Prep Tests for the end..

GMAT Prep Tests are a close indicator of not only the scores you can expect at the actual GMAT, but also the look and feel of the Actual GMAT.

MGMAT CAT’s come next best close...needless to say MGMAT Quant is way above actual CAT on difficulty levels. Verbal scores are more or less on the dot.

Gave the last 4 Tests full length..with AWA..just to build the endurance.. GMAT is a marathon and endurance counts more than what you know .. there is no sadder thing than knowing all concepts but phasing towards the end..

5. GMAT Appointment: Plz make sure you take an appointment well ahead in time..else you may not get the time slot you prefer..i wanted a morning slot..ended up with the afternoon slot...also I realized that it helps to take an appointment upfront by creating the urgency and deadline pressure...

6. Test Day: Test day was pretty smooth. AWA topics were routine..i did not exert my self on AWA.. sold four paragraphs each...for AOA and AOI...kept last 5 mins for proof reading..and for gathering my thoughts for further course of action...Quant was routine.. got a combination and probability question towards the end...Verbal had four RC’s rest was as expected... received a score of 730..


Hope my briefing helps...and All the very best to all aspirants...

Tushar

[Guest]

Today I received the official scorecard...achieved my target of a 700+ score with a 4.5+ on the AWA. Following are the highlights of my journey till now:

1. Prepared for close to three and half months. Studied daily for close to two hours..including weekends. Took tests on weekends

2. Concentrated on verbal....quant was not much of a concern as I have an engineering background. Really struggled with getting verbal in order... much of my preparation was focused on building competency in the verbal section..

3. Began my preparation..thoroughly confused with the excess of materials available..finally zeroed on the following material..

a. OG 11, OG Verbal & OG Quant
b. Kaplan Premier & Kaplan 800
c. Manhattan SC and CR Guides...priceless for verbal
d. Kaplan & Princeron Verbal Workbooks

Avoided all the clutter and noise of material available on the web & in book stores (1000 SC, CR’s etc .. and all other books on GMAT.. I think they are good if you have excess time on your hands..but anyway...I guess it comes down to taking your pick and sticking with them till the end...also I have realized that one can be completely prepared for the test.. and one has to bite the bullet

4. My Test Scores:


Peterson Free Test : 560 , 50 Q, 22 V
Crack GMAT Free Test : 645, 54 Q, 21 V
Princeton Free GMAT Test : 710, 48 Q, 40 V
MGMAT 1 : 660, 47Q, 33V
MGMAT 2 : 49Q, 34 V
GMAT Prep 1: 720 , 50 Q, 38V
Kaplan Premier ( Paper Pencil) : 700, 53Q, 41V
GMAT Prep 1 ( Reset) : 760 , 51 Q, 41 V
MGMAT 3: 690 , 49 Q, 35 V
MGMAT 4: 720, 49 Q, 39 V
GMAT Prep 2 : 770, 50Q, 45 V

As you can see I started at the average score and worked my way to 700+.. no success formulas..just working on weaknesses.. Gave free diagnostic tests on the web and then moved on to MGMAT CAT’s.. Planned my GMAT Prep Tests for the end..

GMAT Prep Tests are a close indicator of not only the scores you can expect at the actual GMAT, but also the look and feel of the Actual GMAT.

MGMAT CAT’s come next best close...needless to say MGMAT Quant is way above actual CAT on difficulty levels. Verbal scores are more or less on the dot.

Gave the last 4 Tests full length..with AWA..just to build the endurance.. GMAT is a marathon and endurance counts more than what you know .. there is no sadder thing than knowing all concepts but phasing towards the end..

5. GMAT Appointment: Plz make sure you take an appointment well ahead in time..else you may not get the time slot you prefer..i wanted a morning slot..ended up with the afternoon slot...also I realized that it helps to take an appointment upfront by creating the urgency and deadline pressure...

6. Test Day: Test day was pretty smooth. AWA topics were routine..i did not exert my self on AWA.. sold four paragraphs each...for AOA and AOI...kept last 5 mins for proof reading..and for gathering my thoughts for further course of action...Quant was routine.. got a combination and probability question towards the end...Verbal had four RC’s rest was as expected... received a score of 730..


Hope my briefing helps...and All the very best to all aspirants...

Tushar

Hi Tushar,

Many congrats for a great score.

Can you please help with the other concern I have :

I gave some tests :
GMATPrep 1 - 710
Powerprep - 790
GMatPrep 1 again - 760(very few questions repeated)
Princeton Review - 720
Manhattan GMAT CAT 1 - 640(I really am down morale wise as this is the last test I gave last Sunday)
Manhattan GMAT CAT 2 - 670(gave yesterday - not too sure what's going on)

Am not sure what to do and how to proceed - I did OG11,OG10, Manhattab SC guide, Kaplan 800 and Powerscore CR Bible. But have not been able to muster the courage to take a date as yet.

Kindly help me , I think I am ready but the Manhattan score really showed me the stars.

Thanks.

- Regards,
Girish Malik

[Guestt]

Please note my inputs:

1. Take a date.. its a must. remember no person can be completely ready for tests like GMAT. U have to bite the bullet and taking a date helps in create urgency and seriousness.

2. MGMAT test score work accoring to its own scoring algorithm..its a tool to prepare and it sure keep one on ones toes. Maths is way above GMAT levels , but verbal is very indicative of what you can expect in the real test. MGMAT scores tend to improve as you take subsequent tests.

3. I think preparation wise u are looking at the right material. I would recommend you to concentrate more on OG as its very close to the actual GMAT.

4. Use the GMAT Preps judiciously. They reflect your preparation in the best way. I would also caution you to take the reset scores with a pinch of salt.

Hope my inputs help. All the very best for your GMAT.

Tushar