Debrief 720 GMAT I have surprised myself :) !

[vishal_changrani]

Gave my GMAT today (first attempt).
Never thought I would be in a position to actually write this but here goes...
Ironically, yesterday I was googling "never scored above 650 GMAT in a day" to find some consolation that I will still do OK but couldn't find it :)).
My CAT scores are -
1. MGMAT - 550
2. MGMAT - 530 (this one I gave after I came back from work at 8:00pm..so don't count it against me :) )
3. GMAT Prep 600
4. MGMAT - 640 (after 2 weeks of rigorous Quant practice)
5. GMAT Prep 610 (4 days before the exam)
Didn't give any more CATs.

Most of what needs to be said is already said by many many folks already..hence I will just mention what I didn't read anywhere but learnt along the way...
1. MGMAT Quant strategy and GMAT Prep/real exam strategy should be different -
Manhattan is much tougher than the real thing. Don't get me wrong...I only used Manhattan other than the OG and it is an excellent source for learning but here is what happened to me. Manhattan tends to throw far more 700-800 level questions in the CAT and as a result even if you just manage to complete the text with several wrong you end up with a big score.
GMAT prep on the other hand gives you a much better mix of 700-800, 600-700 and 500-600. I applied the same strategy I used on the Manhattan CAT on the GMAT prep CAT and ended up with an extra 3 minutes on QUANT but ended up making a lot of silly mistakes since I didn't bother to check my answer before I hit Next. Moral of the story - these two tests - MGMAT CAT and GMAT Prep need two different strategies. So as you come close to your date use the GMAT Prep more as your performance yardstick. (I found MGMAT tough to the point that on the GMAT prep I use to doubt myself even if I solved that question correct...I kept asking myself .."how can it be so easy..there is definitely something I missed".
2. Sentence correction was my biggest weak point and the way I improved it was a "brute force" strategy. I just sat and solved around 100 questions back-to-back. For each one I wrote not only the answer I thought was right but also classification such as "S-V, Pronoun, Verb, Comparison etc" (Chapter topics from Manhattan). This helped me align my thought process.
3. There are these "humps" that come around near the end of each section. What I mean by hump is that around the 7th or the 8th IR question you will get a big three tab question or around the 36th question in verbal you will get a big RC. Now IMHO!! (just my personal thought) it is safer to skip (i.e hit next) those and attempt the one after them if you are running short of time. I read somewhere that the GMAC algorithm is much forgiving if you spread out you incorrect answers rather than have it all at once say maybe at the very end.
4. Study with a partner - I studied with a partner and that really helped me. Many a times your study buddy can show you faster ways of doing things or maybe help you align your thinking about a particular topic.
5. This I read somewhere else and I firmly believe in as well - Enjoy reading the passages. I like NPR (national public radio) and RC's seem to be text version of it for me. In general, take interest in the passage itself and you will find the answer then come naturally to you.
6. Lastly - Quality versus Quantity practice - I would suggest revising a fixed number of books over and over again rather than trying to solve all books under the sun. I only did the 13 OG, MGMAT 1-5, MGMAT SC, IR and Essay. Critical reasoning kinda came naturally to me so didn't bother reading the power score book that I bought.

Quite honestly, even though I used to find the GMAT material fairly straightforward I had never imagined ("had" - past of past :) ) crossing 720.
Special thanks to folks at Manhattan. Awesome work with the books.

thanks,
V