Thank you ManhattanGMAT

[RahulAnand]

I appeared for my GMAT on the 11th September. Was a pleasant surprise I must say to see a great score [ 760, Q49/V44 ]. I was aiming a 740+ based on my GMATPREP scores but was thrilled to see the result! My sincere thanks to MGMAT [I had subscribed for 6 CATs]. Wanted to share some insights based on my experience.
Total Work ex: 9.5 years,
Time to prepare: About 3.5 months (Jun-Aug)
English is not my native language.

With less time to prepare I went for a course here in Chennai and it helped gain a lot of momentum with some invaluable confidence boost I badly needed since I had been out of touch for long. My mentor there suggested I take the MGMAT practice tests for sure.
When I bought MGMAT I took some practice section tests which come along with the package ( I bought the full CAT package). Felt confident of getting 710+. I was shocked when the MGMAT CATs knocked me off. I gave 4 out of the 6 CATs due to lack of time [must say its very difficult to balance Family, work and intese prep].
My MGMAT CAT scores went 660,690,700,690. I was getting close to 700 but barring 1 test in which I scored a 700 I never got beyond that. The MGMAT re-calibration did not help me as I felt I was doing well, a lot of questions were in the 700-800 range for me, but my scores were frustratingly below expectations. But I was still aiming 740.
GMATPrep Test 1(from the DVD)- 700(Q49, V35)
GMATPrep, ver from 2010 test1 - 730 (Q50, V40)
These kept me in the hunt I must say.
GMATPREP Test 2 (From the DVD) -710 (Q49, V38).[Sep 9th]
GMAT (Actual) - 760 (Q49, V44).

Key thoughts:
1. MGMAT is comparitively tougher by about 20%. IT definitely helps build stamina. Most of the tests in Quant esp I was running short of time. Verbal is definitely tougher and the questions are closest to the tough questions you get in the actual test.
2. Give all your MGMAT tests under strictly timed conditions and add some pressure by reducing breaks and taking all sections. You are bound to improve by atleast 30 points in the actual test.
3. If you are scoring close to 700 in MGMAT you should most likely get more if you can keep your cool, and if you have given practice tests sincerely under strict conditions.
4. GMATPrep is the closest to the actual test, and expect your score to be +- 30 points. Keep this for last before d-day.
5. Attempt every question with equal importance. But the first 15 questions are critical.
6. OG is truly the bible. Pratice. I took off from work on the last 7 days and did about 40SC, 20 RC and 40 CR [from OG13,12 and various sources] every day until 1 day before d-day.
7. Practiced verbal everyday, atleast 15-20 questions so that you dont lose momentum. Never ignore quant. I did that to some extent- was aiming at 50 but got a 49, not that it matters but still.
8. Aim high and back yourself and pray for some luck!

All the very best to all and a big thanks to MGMAT CATs for building my stamina. I had about 3 minutes extra in quant and verbal each, because of you!

Anand Rengarajan

[shreerajp99]

Congrats on getting a 760!
Can you please answer my below queries:
What kind of questions did u encounter during the exam,especially in quant.Which topics u feel one should stress more on in quant?
Do u think the level of difficulty was the same as that of gmatprep exam?

Thanks,
Shreeraj

[RahulAnand]

Hey Sreeraj
I think you should pay equal attention to all the chapters. Order of importance based on the toughness of questions:
-Number theory,Ratio proportion, Work
-Inequalities, Number line questions
- Geometry and Mensuration
- Probability, P&C You might not get extremely tough questions here but you will get 1,2 medium tough, which you can do right if you prepare well. So you should not neglect probability or P and C.

I think every question should be dealt with equal importance. I sacrificed additional time (20-30 seconds avg.) for the first 15-20 questions in both maths and verbal- to ensure I did very accurate there. That said I did pay importance to other questions which followed. Also in both Verbal and Quant I had to sacrifice (intelligent guess or random guess) 2-3 questions to catch up at couple of places.

Best of luck!
Anand

[shreerajp99]

Thanks a lot and best of luck for ur applications!