So here is my GMAT Debrief that I put on GMAT Club :)
I took the real GMAT yesterday and got a 630 (Q42, V35). Though I was expecting a higher score, should say that I appreciate the precision of these scores because I never scored anything above 690 on my GMAT Prep. I want to share this GMAT debrief because I think I owe the improvement in my scores mainly to GMAT Club members, GMAT Club Tests and debriefs of other members.
A quick background on me. I am a Japanalogist and unlike typical Indian GMAT enthusiasts, have a liberal arts background. Many of my friends mentioned that my background would be quite interesting for B-schools and any GMAT score above 670 would lead to a compelling profile. Naturally, I was expecting to improve my Quant skills and was fairly confident on the Verbal aspect. So the target that I set for myself was somewhere around 670+. However, the real GMAT scores that I got are off by about 40 points. Needless to say, I will be taking the GMAT again to at least reach 680+ score, mainly trying to improve the V35.
I took the first GMAT Prep in April this year, and got a 540. Since I had practically not prepared for any aspect of the exam, I decided to devote more time. Juggling work, family and GMAT Prep left me with only fragmented patches of time to study. Got a 640 on GMAT Prep around June and then lingered on that score for a couple of months. In the mean time, I had already postponed my real GMAT a couple of times to make sure I was better prepared before taking it. Finally around October, I got two GMAT Prep scores which showed 690 (though many questions were repeated), and I decided to take the real GMAT. The real GMAT scores show a different story though.
Let me share the details with you:
Books & materials used:
1. GMAT Official Guide
2. MGMAT Guides
3. Kaplan Premier and Kaplan CATs
4. GMAT Club Tests
GMAT Official Guide: I was doing pretty well on RC and PS (75 to 80% correct answers). The areas which were most difficult were DS, CR and SC. Honestly speaking, I did not work to the level that I would know each and every question in detail.
MGMAT Guides: Really helped me during my phase to learn basic concepts. Just used those parts which I was not confident about (Coordinate Geometry, Combinatorics, Probability, SC, CR, etc.). I think a good strategy for resuming my preparation will be to go over again.
Kaplan Premier and Kaplan CATs: I came across Kaplan in August and really found it to be a great help towards improving my test-taking skills. I focused mainly on PS, DS, SC and CR. The bad part, however was the scores on my Kaplan CATs. Will discuss them further in the debrief.
GMAT Club Tests: These were fabulous, making me get a feel of what 700 level problems looked like. I heavily relied on the Quant tests and did only 1 complete test for Verbal. I am still left with at least another 10 tests and can use them as practice.
Test scores:
GMAT Prep (April) : 540 (Q30, V32)
GMAT Prep (June) : 640 (Q42, V37)
GMAT Prep Re-test (July) : 600 (Q39, V34)
GMAT Prep Re-test (July) : 640 (Q44, V34)
Kaplan CAT 1 (September): 530 (Q32, V31)
Kaplan CAT 2 (September): 570 (Q35, V33)
GMAT Prep (Re-installed): 690 (Q47, V39)
GMAT Prep (Re-installed): 690 (Q47, V39)
Kaplan CAT 3 (October): 590 (Q37, V35)
Length of study:
Studied from June to October but in patches. So there was a good patch in June, and also a good patch in October, but on the whole the whole process was pretty patchy.
General strategy:
I thought I should focus more on improving my Quant, since the last serious quant questions I had taken were about 13 years ago. I found MGMAT Guides extremely helpful. At the same time, after I came across Kaplan, I got a real taste of the required test-taking skills for GMAT.
I should say that the general strategy was first to get a general overview of all the topics for Quant and Verbal, then focus simultaneously on SC, CR, DS, PS and RC.
I tried to take as many tests as possible, and thought that if I can hit somewhere up to 700 on practice tests, it would lead me to my required 670+ score.
Learnings:
1. Consistency:
As is in any game, consistency pays off. I could see consistent patches of study (even though it was for 1 hour per day) warmed up my grey cells to perform better.
2. Simulation:
It is common knowledge that professional players simulate actual conditions in order to prepare for real matches. I started only by taking the Quant and Verbal sections (without AWA), but in the final month, took all sections (starting with the Kaplan CATs). It really helps.
3. Preparation:
A week before the test, visited the test center to avoid any hiccups. There are some really good videos on mba.com website about what to expect on exam day.
I am sure you must be wondering why the hell this guy is writing so much if he scored a paltry 630 on the score.
The problem is probably my experience at the exam
I started off the day badly, because I was too anxious to take the exam. I would suggest all those who are taking the exam to get a good night's sleep, and that was exactly what I did not do. Was not able to sleep well and was already sleepy when I reached the test center. In spite of this, AWA started well. I could tackle both the argument as well as issue essays well. Quant started with an interesting question on number properties. The level of difficulty was almost similar to the questions faced on GMAT Prep. I should say that GMAT Prep is a very accurate indicator of scores as well as difficulty levels of problems. I also got a couple of probability problems, a combinatorics problem and was expecting a good Quant score. Verbal started off well, but somewhere around the 21st question, I started showing signs of fatigue. A weird headache had started and I just made sure I cross-checked my answers before moving ahead and completed the section. I also remember there was one SC question that was probably taken right out of the OG, or that is what I feel.
I thought I had done well on the exam and moved ahead. The questions that ask for your information basically have some information that you have already entered when registering on mba.com, so you just need to confirm the information on most pages. Finally, when I pressed the button to report my scores, I saw this 630 (Q42, V35) which left me with mixed feelings. I should say I cannot cry as the level of preparation I put in deserved this score, but at the same time, I also was surprised that though Quant gave me indications that I would get a good score, things just did not go my way.
One thing I would like to share with all is that I depended too much on chance and thought I could reach 700 even though I did not hit those scores on GMAT Prep. This is probably the biggest mistake on my part. Will start preparing again with more concentrated efforts from tomorrow, and will make sure I hit 700 at least on one of the exams.
I just wanted to make sure this message goes to everyone, so that others do not make the same mistakes as I made. I lacked consistency, did not keep a track of my weak areas (No error log), did not take mock tests seriously (should have hit 700 on at least one Non-GMAT Prep CAT) and goofed up the run-up to the test. I would love to get more suggestions from people who have been able to overcome these difficulties.
And of course, I will keep you all posted on my progress on retaking the GMAT Really want to thank GMAT Club for motivating me in many ways, and hope this debrief helps fellow gmatters
I took the real GMAT yesterday and got a 630 (Q42, V35). Though I was expecting a higher score, should say that I appreciate the precision of these scores because I never scored anything above 690 on my GMAT Prep. I want to share this GMAT debrief because I think I owe the improvement in my scores mainly to GMAT Club members, GMAT Club Tests and debriefs of other members.
A quick background on me. I am a Japanalogist and unlike typical Indian GMAT enthusiasts, have a liberal arts background. Many of my friends mentioned that my background would be quite interesting for B-schools and any GMAT score above 670 would lead to a compelling profile. Naturally, I was expecting to improve my Quant skills and was fairly confident on the Verbal aspect. So the target that I set for myself was somewhere around 670+. However, the real GMAT scores that I got are off by about 40 points. Needless to say, I will be taking the GMAT again to at least reach 680+ score, mainly trying to improve the V35.
I took the first GMAT Prep in April this year, and got a 540. Since I had practically not prepared for any aspect of the exam, I decided to devote more time. Juggling work, family and GMAT Prep left me with only fragmented patches of time to study. Got a 640 on GMAT Prep around June and then lingered on that score for a couple of months. In the mean time, I had already postponed my real GMAT a couple of times to make sure I was better prepared before taking it. Finally around October, I got two GMAT Prep scores which showed 690 (though many questions were repeated), and I decided to take the real GMAT. The real GMAT scores show a different story though.
Let me share the details with you:
Books & materials used:
1. GMAT Official Guide
2. MGMAT Guides
3. Kaplan Premier and Kaplan CATs
4. GMAT Club Tests
GMAT Official Guide: I was doing pretty well on RC and PS (75 to 80% correct answers). The areas which were most difficult were DS, CR and SC. Honestly speaking, I did not work to the level that I would know each and every question in detail.
MGMAT Guides: Really helped me during my phase to learn basic concepts. Just used those parts which I was not confident about (Coordinate Geometry, Combinatorics, Probability, SC, CR, etc.). I think a good strategy for resuming my preparation will be to go over again.
Kaplan Premier and Kaplan CATs: I came across Kaplan in August and really found it to be a great help towards improving my test-taking skills. I focused mainly on PS, DS, SC and CR. The bad part, however was the scores on my Kaplan CATs. Will discuss them further in the debrief.
GMAT Club Tests: These were fabulous, making me get a feel of what 700 level problems looked like. I heavily relied on the Quant tests and did only 1 complete test for Verbal. I am still left with at least another 10 tests and can use them as practice.
Test scores:
GMAT Prep (April) : 540 (Q30, V32)
GMAT Prep (June) : 640 (Q42, V37)
GMAT Prep Re-test (July) : 600 (Q39, V34)
GMAT Prep Re-test (July) : 640 (Q44, V34)
Kaplan CAT 1 (September): 530 (Q32, V31)
Kaplan CAT 2 (September): 570 (Q35, V33)
GMAT Prep (Re-installed): 690 (Q47, V39)
GMAT Prep (Re-installed): 690 (Q47, V39)
Kaplan CAT 3 (October): 590 (Q37, V35)
Length of study:
Studied from June to October but in patches. So there was a good patch in June, and also a good patch in October, but on the whole the whole process was pretty patchy.
General strategy:
I thought I should focus more on improving my Quant, since the last serious quant questions I had taken were about 13 years ago. I found MGMAT Guides extremely helpful. At the same time, after I came across Kaplan, I got a real taste of the required test-taking skills for GMAT.
I should say that the general strategy was first to get a general overview of all the topics for Quant and Verbal, then focus simultaneously on SC, CR, DS, PS and RC.
I tried to take as many tests as possible, and thought that if I can hit somewhere up to 700 on practice tests, it would lead me to my required 670+ score.
Learnings:
1. Consistency:
As is in any game, consistency pays off. I could see consistent patches of study (even though it was for 1 hour per day) warmed up my grey cells to perform better.
2. Simulation:
It is common knowledge that professional players simulate actual conditions in order to prepare for real matches. I started only by taking the Quant and Verbal sections (without AWA), but in the final month, took all sections (starting with the Kaplan CATs). It really helps.
3. Preparation:
A week before the test, visited the test center to avoid any hiccups. There are some really good videos on mba.com website about what to expect on exam day.
I am sure you must be wondering why the hell this guy is writing so much if he scored a paltry 630 on the score.
The problem is probably my experience at the exam
I started off the day badly, because I was too anxious to take the exam. I would suggest all those who are taking the exam to get a good night's sleep, and that was exactly what I did not do. Was not able to sleep well and was already sleepy when I reached the test center. In spite of this, AWA started well. I could tackle both the argument as well as issue essays well. Quant started with an interesting question on number properties. The level of difficulty was almost similar to the questions faced on GMAT Prep. I should say that GMAT Prep is a very accurate indicator of scores as well as difficulty levels of problems. I also got a couple of probability problems, a combinatorics problem and was expecting a good Quant score. Verbal started off well, but somewhere around the 21st question, I started showing signs of fatigue. A weird headache had started and I just made sure I cross-checked my answers before moving ahead and completed the section. I also remember there was one SC question that was probably taken right out of the OG, or that is what I feel.
I thought I had done well on the exam and moved ahead. The questions that ask for your information basically have some information that you have already entered when registering on mba.com, so you just need to confirm the information on most pages. Finally, when I pressed the button to report my scores, I saw this 630 (Q42, V35) which left me with mixed feelings. I should say I cannot cry as the level of preparation I put in deserved this score, but at the same time, I also was surprised that though Quant gave me indications that I would get a good score, things just did not go my way.
One thing I would like to share with all is that I depended too much on chance and thought I could reach 700 even though I did not hit those scores on GMAT Prep. This is probably the biggest mistake on my part. Will start preparing again with more concentrated efforts from tomorrow, and will make sure I hit 700 at least on one of the exams.
I just wanted to make sure this message goes to everyone, so that others do not make the same mistakes as I made. I lacked consistency, did not keep a track of my weak areas (No error log), did not take mock tests seriously (should have hit 700 on at least one Non-GMAT Prep CAT) and goofed up the run-up to the test. I would love to get more suggestions from people who have been able to overcome these difficulties.
And of course, I will keep you all posted on my progress on retaking the GMAT
Really want to thank GMAT Club for motivating me in many ways, and hope this debrief helps fellow gmatters 
