710 Gmat (Q-49 , V-38)

[gmat_prep_id]

Hey all ,

I gave my GMAT about a week back - although the score is nothing to get excited about when compared to many of the other members here , i must say that it is a great relief to have gotten over with the exam itself.


The beginning :

I've been a silent spectator as far as this forum is concerned - primarily because my exposure to this exam and the related schools is very limited. I began my prep by buying the OG11 after an abysmal score of 580 on a diagnostic test. Although the book looks huge - it has very limited , but extremely significant, content. About 10 days into my prep , I decided to book a date. I chose a date that gave me around 2 months to prepare. I hardly went through any of the other books (Princeton , Kaplan or Manhattan) - which may have been a mistake. I got my hands on the ManhattanSC pdf just a week before the exam - and it was a little too late to be pouring over 150 pages of SC. The book , though, is extremely well compiled and a must-have for those who find SC hard.

I hardly studied the first month , apart from working on the OG11 occasionally.I was also working full time in shifts, and would often get home well past 10 in the nights.But by the beginning of the second month I realized that I had so much to do and so little time. I took up quite a few tests - 5 800score tests, 4 Princetons , 1 Kaplan, and 2 of the Gpreps, apart from 2 MGMATs.

Scores :

Here are some of my scores:

Princeton : 580 , 640 , 710 and 700
Manhattan GMAT : 670 and 690
Kaplan : 590
GPrep1 (1 month before the D day) - 700
GPrep2 (10days before the DDay) - 700
GPrep3 (6days before the D Day sans repeats) - 690

I found the 800score quant relatively easy when compared to the GPrep but the marking was strange. The verbal was a bit difficult when compared to the Princeton tests. Manhattan GMAT was certainly on the tougher side - but the lenientscoring made up for some of the tougher sums, while the Princetons were more like practice tests that helped get a feel of the exam pattern.

The D-Day :

I woke up by 8 in the morning. Finished my morning chores and looked thro very few basic sums and RCs just to get into the groove. I slept again for a short while in the afternoon - before getting up and ready by 3.30. I left home by about 4.15 for my test that was at 5.30.

The test centre conducts the exam very professionally. The environment is conducive to test writing although the occasional whispering by the test admin to the other test takers was quite distracting.After my photo and fingerprint were taken, i went in and finished the essays. By then the knots in my stomach had eased a bit. I quickly raised my hands and got out for a short break. I wolfed down half a bar of dark chocolate, drank some water , relaxed for a bit and then went back in.

The quant section was fairly easy, and i must've made a number of silly mistakes in the DS questions (which reflects in my score). towards the end though, i was rushing for time for the last 2 or 3 questions. I took another break , had some more of the chocolate and some fruit juice. After splashing some nice cold water on my face , i went back in hoping to stay awake for the verbal.

The verbal questions were a bit ambiguous and i wasn't too sure of the answers that i had marked. I finished the section with close to 7mins to spare. Went on to fill the questionnaire (to which i hardly paid any attention). My heart was in my throat when i clicked to see my score and the 710 flashed on my screen. I was a bit dissapointed, as i was expecting a 730-740.

The GMAT is definitely not a tough exam. Although it involves some luck and mindgames , it can be won over by just 2 or 3 months of hardwork! Maybe a more organized study plan and some serious studying would've helped me reach a better score.But alls well that ends well. Maybe next time. To those of you who are preparing for the exam - don't let the nervousness get to you.Get a good nights sleep and you will be fresh and ready the next day to kick ***

Do you guys think i should retake the test?? Will i be able to apply to the top few schools with this score?

Please do get back to me if you want any material/info. I will be more than happy to help.

Thanks again!
VP

[Prawler]

I scored 670 -690 in MG Prep CAT1 and CAT2 but I scored 610 in GMATPrep recently. Do you have any opinions why there is such a big gap?

Do you have any suggestions for critical reasoning and reading comprehension?
Thanks and congrats.

[gmat_prep_id]

Hi Prawler ,

Wot were thy splits like??

I felt that the MG Preps were slightly more lenient in the scoring than the GMATPrep. But thy score was probably just an aberration. Don't get weighed down by it. If you can handle MG Preps you will be able to face the GMATPrep questions too!

1000CR and 1000RC may help you gain some confidence wrt critical reasoning & reading comprehension. But i worked only on the OG.

[agamemnon]

awesome score GMAT_PREP_ID, whats important is that you cracked the 700 barrier. thats what most of us aim for . so congrats

[aru4912]

Congrats VP. I think 710 is above the average score required for many top schools. So you can focus on the next part of the application process. However, congrats again !!

[Prawler]

Thanks for suggestion.
What do you mean by splits?

[sandeep_142]

Congrats man!!!

Do you anything to share on Number Properties ??

[Divin]

Congrats dude !

[ashugupta17]

congrats 710 is a good score..

u need not to take it again

[jpwindsurfer]

congrats and thanks for sharing