From 520 to 650 in 6 weeks

[one85]

Hi everyone,
I just want to share my experience with the GMAT. Today I took the test (2nd attempt) and I got a 650. I´m so happy because my overall improvement was tremendous and, in my case, I´m not obsessed with breaking the 700 barrier, and I´m not thinking to apply to TOP business school.

My journey started the 2nd week of june, time in which I programmed the exam for July 2, so I just had 3 weeks to study. In this time, I did the whole official verbal review, practice questions from the Gprep software and the princeton review (cracking the gmat). I studied like for 4-5 hours per day, and parallel I took the tests from the GMAT prep software. In those ocassions I scored 570 and 590.

When the day of the real test came out, I got just a 520. I was so dissapointed, but inmediately I knew that I had to retake.
I took a week off for party, and then scheduled the test again for August 21.

I started to study seriously the second week of July, doing sessions of 3 hours per day the first two weeks. And then, I increased the amount of time to 8 hours per day.
I knew that I had to change my strategy, so inmediately changed the study materiales. In this opportunity, I did:

-The whole Official Guide 13 th edition
-GMAT Optimus 800 (an unknown book with lots of mistakes but some good advices).
-Gmat prep software (just erased my old scores)
-Kaplan 800
-Mcgraw Hill GMAT (not useful at all)

Initially, I was doing little sessions of 25 questions per area, and inmediately did the careful review of each answer (including the good ones). In addition, I was little by little doing my own flashcards with the most important keys (good advice from another test taker). However, in a point I felt very pushed and dissapointed because certain days knowledge did not flow very well. So, when you fell that you´re not improving at all, be careful, maybe you are overstudying.

Then I started to take full practice tests to build my stamina. First I took Mcgraws hill (I don´t recommend it...questions are so easy). Then I did Kaplan 800 (useful for sentence correction) and finally did the whole OG 13th -reviewing carefully the answers-.
When the day was approaching (week and a half ago), I took again the first GMat software prep tests , and I coud not believe it: I scored 570 again. I started to worry seriously.

I reviewed some things, studying the hardest exercises from the OG and then I took the 2nd test from the software (two days ago): I scored 590. That could be destructive, but I just stop to think in the exam. I was satisfied with my effort, independently of the result. So, in that mood I approached the test center today.

Finally I took the exam and I got a 650 (44Q, 35 V). I was so surprised -keeping in mind my performance during practice tests- so I´m satisfied with the whole process.

My advices as a average test-taker:

1. Do not be discouraged by people who tell you that you need to get more than 700. There are a lot of cases with successful entries to B-schools with not astonishing scores. In my case, 650 is sufficient.
2. I know that with more time I could retake and maybe improve my score. But you cannot waste so much time doing preparation for a test (it´s hard to believe that people takes 6 months preparing...too much time)
3. ALWAYS practice with watch in hand, and with the official materiales. Do not lose your head during the test, and never guess the last sentences. It is more convenient to skip a question in the middle than guess a row in the end.
4. MOST IMPORTANT: THE MOOD. I strongly recommend the day before the exam do nothing (watch a movie, sleep a lot) but remember that a single exam does not measure your intelligence or abilities.

Thanks for all the admin. that help us with our doubts in this forum.

Finally, by my side, I´m not thinking to retake.

[tejada.ronald]

Thanks for the tips! I too am in the same position in which I scored very low in the GMAT. I am now studying the OG Guide (redoing all the quant and sentence correction problems again!) .

Hopefully I get 650 like you :)

[brent.ricky]

what a great work.