700 on my first shot

[noogles]

Cheers folks. I just took my GMAT and scored a 700 (47Q/39V) on my first take. Made the 80/80 split that B-Schools love, too. I really wanted a to score at least a 720, but am happy nonetheless. Before I explain what worked for me, I'd like to give some background information.

I'm an African-American male with a very unique and successful business background. Neverless, I am aware that admissions is only half of the game, especially if you're a minority. Prospective employers want to hire qualified individuals, not admissions charity cases. Most of the top companies that recruit from top 10 business schools will ask an MBA for his or her GMAT score in order to weed out candidates that may lack the skill sets needed for the job. This means that simply getting into a good school is not a sufficient condition for career success. Your GMAT sticks with you even after the admissions process, and if it's low, it can haunt you long after you've received your MBA diploma from Stanford or Columbia. Not only do you want to avoid suffering from a lack of confidence about how your skill set ranks against your peers', but, more importantly, you don't want to pay a good school's high tuition and then get a low-paying job after graduation. So do you best, all it takes is time and dedication!

So that's some realness from me. Now, if you're in the sub-700 camp and want to get over the 700 hump, the good news is that's entirely possible. The bad news is that it will take dedication. Your score is a function of your intellectual ability and your experience with the concepts test by the GMAT. The smarter you are, the quicker it will take you to master the concepts; the tougher, more never-say-die you are, the higher the chances you will reach your top score. If you're not a braniac a 700+ is surely possible, you'll just need to work your *** off.

I frequently read forum postings that say of people that are close to their target score. If you are serious about your GMAT score, then you need to do anything and everything possible to perform. That means taking a month or two off of work to study everyday if your verbal is weak. It means that if you need a math tutor but don't have the money to pay, then it's time to borrow money from your friends or family. Think of the GMAT as an investment in your future. Every 10 points you score not only increases the odds that get into a great school that will help your career, but also looks more favorable on your resume when McKinsey or Credit Suisse is poring over it.


Here is my recipe for success:

1) Start of with all the bunk tests

Crap tests include 800score, Kaplan and Baron's. I call them the crap tests because the tests will not be reflective of your true GMAT score. However, they do provide value because they reveal your weaknesses. You can probably skip the essays.

2) Get a *private* tutor and focus on your weaknesses*

Don't have the money? Too bad, find a way. A good businessman/woman finds always a way, especially when it comes to start-up capital. This might be your first true business test, one that if you fail, may be telling you that the non-profit sector is more suited for you.

Some of the areas of the GMAT may be painful and daunting - don't worry, they just take time to master. The GMAT tests your "toolkit", one that can only be filled with experience in math, editing and logic. A tutor will not only provide you will the toolkit, but can reduce the time it takes for you to assemble one. Make sure your tutor has scored in the 99th percentile, preferably a 780+, otherwise you may be wasting your time and money. Also, skip the group classes because they are tailored for a group (eg. students targeting a 600) and it's too easy to doze off or be lazy when you're not in a one-on-one environment.

*If you are the son of a NASA physicist and English professor you probably can skip this step.

3) Hit the OG and retired tests
The OG and retired tests are good, however you must understand that the majority of the questions, especial quant questions, in *both* materials are not 700 level. Nevertheless, I found that the scoring of the retired tests are quite accurate.

4) Get all the Manhattan Books, CATs and
Manhattan books are even better than the OG, in my opinion. As for the CATs, they're just about the best and most accurate out there, save for the GMAT prep CATs themselves. Some people complain that they "got 10 wrong and still scored a 50 on quant". That's actually pretty accurate for the new GMAT . Manhattan's quant questions take longer than the real GMAT's, and as such, are probably a little bit more difficult. Nevertheless they force you to understand how important timing is to a good GMAT score and they ramp up the difficulty level quickly - something the real CAT does.


5) GMAT Prep
Save them for last, but don't be afraid to take them again. I scored a 660 on my first GMAT prep. The score told me I wasn't ready for the real GMAT, but provided me with a score-floor. If you can score 740-770 on retaken GMAT prep Cats then you will likely score at the 700-720 level.

Thank you forum, and good luck to all.

[jordan23VT]

congrats on the great score!!!

can you please compare the gmat quant/verbal difficulty to the gmatprep and Manhattan GMAT cats?

I have my test in a few weeks and plan on using Manhattan GMAT extensively for 1 week. I have found it tough but quite good thus far.

[Otori Takeo]

Noogles,
Congratulation.
Excellent score.

[noogles]

ShakeVT,
I recommend giving yourself about 5 extra minutes when you take Manhattan GMAT's CATs. MGAT even acknowledges that their test require too much time. The tests' quant sections may at first seem impossible, but they are scored very similarly to the actual GMAT CAT quant section. In the PowerPrep, one wrong answer more or less corresponds to a 50. With the new GMAT CAT (GMAT Prep), you can get about 10 wrong and score a 50, granted the wrong answer occur after the first half of your test. Manhattan GMAT's CATs are more or less the same in that respect. My tutor mentioned that if you miss only 6 quant questions you still can go home with a 51. This is probably accurate.

I think that Manhattan GMAT's verbal is fairly representative of the actual GMAT verbal in terms of time required to complete questions as well as the level of diffulty and scoring. Manhattan GMAT's verbal may err on the high side though, so if you're scoring in the 97th percentile on Manhattan GMAT's verbal, don't be suprised if you score a little lower on the actual GMAT verbal.

Originally Posted by ShakeVT

congrats on the great score!!!

can you please compare the gmat quant/verbal difficulty to the gmatprep and Manhattan GMAT cats?

I have my test in a few weeks and plan on using Manhattan GMAT extensively for 1 week. I have found it tough but quite good thus far.

[mastert61]

Yay Noogles!! Good score!!

I agree with you about working hard for the GMAT and attacking weaknesses.

I was and always am surprised when I read about companies that ask for the GMAT of candidates. From what I heard, that's just in consulting and investment banking. I mean, shouldn't they be thinking about the GPA of the MBA, the school brand, the personality in the interview, the business case in the interview, and the pre-MBA experience?

I've spent long months with the GMAT, and I've been talking about it so much that my best friend told me to shut it with that , but even then I wouldn't think that the GMAT is important beyond the application process of the MBA. In consulting, personality is super important and cannot be evaluated with the GMAT, and intelligence is equally important. I don't know if intelligence can be evaluated though through the GMAT. I think a good business case on the spot would do a better job.

[Perrin]

Noogles,

Congrats on your score. The 80/80 split is money. I need some help in Quant and was wondering what you think the best approach is to get my Quant to the mid to upper 40's? I don't really have a Quant background but my Verbal is very strong. How many CAT's do you recommend taking? Do you think ManhattanGMAT is the best source for increasing Quant ability? I have been pretty much just studying the OG books for Quant. How many hours of studying do you think it takes to hit a score like yours in Quant? Anything else is greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot and good luck,

[noogles]

If your verbal is very strong you probably have the intellectual raw material to hit the upper 40s. GMAT math is about having an expansive toolset to attack each question the exam throws at you, and the most efficient way to get a quality toolkit is to have a math tutor give you one. I think Manhattan GMAT is the best source for practicing quant, especially when it comes to timing, but I recommend building your toolkit with a tutor that has scored a 51Q before you hit the Manhattan GMAT CATs. Figure on spending 2 hours a day with the tutor, for about 10 to 12 days.

I recommend taking all the Manhattan GMAT CATs, and I even recommend taking them again, especially if they fluster you the first couple times. Their math is just way too time-consuming.

Originally Posted by Perrin

Noogles,

Congrats on your score. The 80/80 split is money. I need some help in Quant and was wondering what you think the best approach is to get my Quant to the mid to upper 40's? I don't really have a Quant background but my Verbal is very strong. How many CAT's do you recommend taking? Do you think ManhattanGMAT is the best source for increasing Quant ability? I have been pretty much just studying the OG books for Quant. How many hours of studying do you think it takes to hit a score like yours in Quant? Anything else is greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot and good luck,

[jaybird]

Good job, Noogles.

[hjafferi]

Good score Noogles!!

[surya167]

congratulations!!!

wish you all the best for next phase!!!