19 Months of Dedication (1600+ hours studying) = GMAT 540

[samwong]

I’m a 32 year-old non native English speaker. I graduated with a science degree in 2003 from a top 25 US college. Doing MBA has been my life-goal and I am thrill about the opportunity to achieve my dream. My GMAT journey began in October 2010. Berkeley is my dream school and so I knew I needed a spectacular GMAT score to go along with my application. Thus, I set my GMAT goal to 750. I knew that score was going to take a lot of hard work and dedication. Nevertheless, I was determined to accomplish my goal. In 2010, I had been out of school for seven years so I knew I needed to refresh my math and English skills. Thus, I purchased the MGMAT 8-book set.

I learned the basic structure of the GMAT from Princeton Review: How to Crack the GMAT and also from gmatclub.com. When I was in college, I kept track of the amount of time that I spend on each subject. This method allowed me to manage my time more efficiently. From the beginning, I kept track of the amount of time that I spend on each section. For the first few months, I was only spending about 40-50 hours a month. Then, I gradually increased my study time as the test date approached. Three months before the test, I was studying about 100 hours a month. On the last month before the test, I used my vacation time from work to get extra study time. I spent about 40 hours a weeks, about 150 hours a month. Toward the end of the process, I spend over 1600 hours studying. My attitude throughout the process was very positive. I enjoyed learning and I was very motivated because I wanted to do well on the test. In addition, I exercised on a regular basis and I had a healthy diet. I was trying to put myself in a good position, mentally and physically, to achieve my goal.

Study Method:
Below is a list of all the materials that I studied for GMAT. At the beginning of the process, I was having problems comprehending what I read. For example, the first CR problem took me more than 10 minutes to solve and I still got it wrong. I was reading the sentences over and over and I could not comprehend the meaning of the sentence. Thus, bb, founder of gmatclub, recommended reading fictional and non-fictional books on a regular basis. Thus, I have also included a list of books that I read over the years. The amount of time that I spent reading these books are NOT included in the 1600+ hours of studying because I did not keep track of time that I spend on reading these books. As I read these books, I tried to apply the strategies that I learned from the CR, RC, and SC. As a result, my comprehension was greatly improved and it further solidified the concepts that I learned from the guide books.

I meticulously went through all the guide books, including the MGMAT 8-book set, by taking notes on all the important concepts. At the end of each chapter, I would do all the problems and go through all the explanations. In addition, I would do all the OG questions listed at the end of the chapter. This process took me about a year to complete. At the end of the process, I had at least 300 pages of notes. To illustrate, I had 34 pages of notes (front and back) for MGMAT SC. Then I would review these notes on a regular basis. I used GMAT Toolkit (Apple App) to keep track of all the problems that I did in the OG. The Toolkit kept track of all the questions that I got wrong and the amount of time that I spend on each question. Needless to say, I was not going to take any shortcut through this entire process.

Study Materials:
OG 11 (completed only Verbal questions)
OG12
Verbal Review 2nd ed.
Quantitative Review 2nd ed.
Princeton Review: How to Crack GMAT
Kaplan Premier 2012 (Only RC)
MGMAT 8-Book Set

Quantitative:
GMAT Club Tests (only 1-15)
MGMAT Quantitative Advanced Guide (did not have time to do practice section)
Veritas Prep Probability and Combination (did not have time to go through)

SC:
Aristotle Prep SC Grail
e-gmat SC course
GC Grammar

RC:
LSAT Reading Comprehension
Aristotle Prep RC99 (I did about 80 passages)

CR:
PowerScore CR Bible

Other:
GMAT Toolkit (error log)
MGMAT Notepad and markers

Fiction/ Non-Fiction (in order):
1) Grapes of Wrath (464 pages) by John Steinbeck
2) The Fountainhead (752 pages) by Ayn Rand
3) Atlas Shrugged (1200 pages) by Ayn Rand
4) Guns, Germs, and Steel (512 pages) by Jared Diamond
5) Collapse (608 pages) by Jared Diamond
6) The Remains of the Day (256 pages) by Kazuo Ishiguro
7) The Omnivore’s Dilemma (450 pages) by Michael Pollan
8) In Defense of Food (256 pages) by Michael Pollan
9) The Information (544 pages) by James Gleick
10) Unbroken (496 pages) by Laura Hillenbrand
11) Seabiscuit (399 pages) by Laura Hillenbrand
12) Killing Lincoln (336 pages) by Bill O Reilly

In January, I took the MGMAT CAT #1 un-timed without AWA. I got 780, but it took me about 6 hours to do the Quantitative section and about 3 hours to do the Verbal section. Obviously, I needed to work on my timing. In March, I took MGMAT CAT #2. My mindset before taking this CAT was that I was going cut the time that I spent on the previous CAT in half. This time I got 670, but it took me about 3 hours to do the Quantitative section and about two and half hour to do the Verbal section. In both cases, I was having timing and accuracy problems on SC. Thus, I enrolled in e-gmat SC course. The course was extremely helpful. It further solidified the concepts that I learned from MGMAT SC. In addition, the course placed a heavy emphasis on meaning analysis. Thus, I became very comfortable with SC.

Two months before the test, I got MGMAT Advanced Quantitative guide. Again, I took notes as I went through the book, but I did not have time to do the practice section at the end of the book. The principles and strategies discussed in the book are exceptional. I would used those techniques on every math problems. For example, when I solve a PS problem, I would go through the process of Understand, Plan and Solve.

About 4-5 weeks before the test, I started to take more CAT to improve my timing and stamina. I also did about 15 GMAT Club Tests. In fact, I did GC Test #1-12 twice. The GMAT club tests are non-CAT Timed quantitative tests. These tests are extremely tricky and they are supposed to help the student to achieve Q50. At the end of each CAT (except for Princeton Review CAT, because I felt those questions did not represent GMAT questions) and GC tests, I would go through each problem. For the problems that I got correct, I would check to make sure that I didn’t get it correct by accident. In addition, I would check the explanations to see whether there is a better approach to solve the question more efficiently. Obviously, I would also go through the problems that I got incorrect. Going through the problems was extremely time-consuming. For every hour that I spend on CAT, I would spend about 3 hours reviewing. In fact, I went as afar as copy and print out all the problems that I had trouble with, and review them on a regular basis. Again, I was not going to take any shortcut to achieve my goal.

In terms of reviewing GMAT Prep, I would come to this forum and look for Ron’s and Stacey’s explanations. Their explanations are the best in the business. I learned so much from them. Ron’s SC explanations are superb! I also read and printed many of Stacey’s articles ( Last 14 days before the test, How to Solve SC, Everything about Timing) Furthermore, I wound read and print out debriefs from people who succeed on the test and who failed on the test. I would read these debriefs on a regular basis and identified factors to imitate and factors to avoid.

On the week before the test, I was very nervous. But at the same time, I was confident because I was making improvement on timing and stamina. I picked out my GMAT outfit and snacks. Then, I went to the test center to make sure on the day of the test I would be able to find it easily. Then, I came back from the test center and took GMAT Prep #2 in Test conditions. After I saw 590, I almost postpone my appointment, but I decided not to so because of the new IR. Nevertheless, I took 2 more GMAT Prep (retry) and I got 710 on both of them. I knew the scores were inflated because there were about 4-5 repeats per section. However, I used these two tests to mainly practice my stamina and timing. On that week, I continued reviewing all the notes that I took from the guide books and CAT. I redid all the questions that I got incorrect listed in the GMAT Toolkit Error Log.

CAT Result:
09-03-12 PR CAT1 640 Q43 V36
09-17-11 PR CAT2 590 Q43 V28
01-21-12 MG #1 780 Q51 V45
03-25-12 MG #2 670 Q45 V36
04-07-12 PowerPrep #1 550 Q45 V21 (Test Conditions)
04-14-12 PowerPrep #2 650 Q49 V30 (Test Conditions)
04-22-12 MG #3 690 Q47 V37
04-28-12 GMAT Prep #1 610 Q45 V29 (Test Conditions)
05-12-12 MG #4 660 Q45 V35 (Test Conditions)
05-16-12 MG #5 580 Q35 V34 (Test Conditions)
05-22-12 GMAT Prep #2 590 Q46 V26 (Test Conditions)
05-26-12 GMAT Prep #1 Retry 710 Q49 V38 (Test Conditions)
05-28-12 GMAT Prep #2 Retry 710 Q50 V36 (Test Conditions)

05-30-12 GMAT 540 Q42 V23

Test Day Experience:
My test day appointment was at 10:30 am. That is the most optimal time of the day that I can perform well on a test. That is also the time of day I took most of my mock tests. On the night before the test, I went to sleep at midnight, so I can have eight hours of sleep. However, I was not able to sleep until 2:00 am. Nevertheless, I felt OK in the morning. I did my routine exercise and had a nice breakfast before I went to the test center. The test center staffs were so nice. Thanks Pearson Vue! When I was in the testing room, all the cubicles were taken, so I was put into a private room. I felt very lucky because I was not going to be distracted by other test takers and also the room was more spacious compare to the tiny cubicles. I felt everything was going my way. The administrator gave me a pair of ear plug, two markers, and a notepad. The markers and notepad used in the test center were the exact replicas that I used in my mock tests. Thus I was very comfortable using them.

At the beginning of the test, I was very nervous. However, at the end of the first AWA, I calmed myself down. I was very comfortable with AWA because I have done it many times during the mock tests. After AWA, I went out of the test room for an 8-minutes break and came back on time.

Overall, the Quantitative section was easier than any questions that I had done in the past. However, there were two questions on fraction with negative exponents that I probably got them incorrect. Now looking back, those mistakes probably decrease my Q score considerably. Toward the 2/3 way of the section I got couple questions on probability, but they were very easy. My timing benchmark on Quantitative section: 10q-55m, 20q-35min, and 30q-15m. I reached all three benchmarks on time. I went out for another 8 minutes break and came back on time.

Verbal is my favorite part of the test and it is also the section that I spent the most amount of time studying. Even though I did not sleep well the night before the test, I was still very focus in the Verbal section. My timing and stamina were greatly improved from the practiced mock tests that I did the week before the test. My Verbal timing was perfect: 11q-55m, 22q-35m, 33q-15m. Again, I met all my benchmarks in this section. In fact, I remembered that I was ahead of my benchmarks for a couple minutes. I was able to comprehend everything that I read. However, the entire verbal section was surprisingly easy. For example, the SC was not only short, but also obvious. The incorrect answer choices were so easy that I can’t believe it. The CR incorrect choices were also clearly out of scope. Thus, the only possible error mistakes that I could have made were on RC. However, the passages were not that difficult to comprehend. Thus, when I saw my verbal score, I was shock. How could I have missed all those easy questions?

My overall score was 540 Q42 V23. I was devastated! Over 19 months of hard work and 1600+ hours of studying, I could not believe it. It completely shattered my confidence. That score is clearly not acceptable. I have never worked so hard as I did for this test. When I saw my parents after the test, I cried. My parents have been very supportive throughout my life. I felt that I let them down and I also let myself down. I lost a golden opportunity. The new IR will greatly increase the difficulty of the test.

I took a few days off from GMAT and now I feel refresh. I decided to take GMAT again. I have come too far to give up my dream. I want to give myself one more chance. My retake journey starts by coming into this forum and ask for help. There is something wrong with my study plan, but I don’t know what I did wrong. This time, I’m going to set the goal at 730 Q50 V40. That is nearly a 200 points improvement (I know this is going to be a challenge). I want to apply in the first round, thus I would have to take the exam again sometime in August. That would only give me about two months to prepare (250-300 hours). I need to work more efficiently and more effectively because two months will go by very quickly. I feel I can accomplish my goal because I know the materials and I already have more than enough resources to accomplish the goal. However, I need help to achieve my goal.

1) What is wrong with my study plan?
2) What kind of adjustments do I need to make?
3) How do I improve my verbal score with the fact that I don’t have anymore Verbal questions to practice?
4) What is the first step that I need to do?
5) Do I need OG13?

Here is a list of materials that I have left:
MGMAT CAT#6
New GMAT Prep #1 and #2 (I know the CAT are the same ones as the previous GMAT Prep so they don’t really count as new materials.)
OG11 Q
MGMAT Quant Advanced Practice questions
GMAT Club tests (10)

I want to get MGMAT IR and also GMAT Prep questions pack #1


Thanks for reading and any advices would be greatly appreciated!

[davetzulin]

your actual score is so far off from your practice scores that I think there is a fundamental problem you may not have considered... This may sound strange, but I am even wondering if how you drew the lines for verbal might have caused you to select the wrong answer choice repeatedly (i've done this before in two practice tests, so it's not impossible). I'm assuming you wrote ABCDE and then drew lines across the page to cross out answer choices.

in any case, your practice scores look similar to mine and also, like you, i enjoy the verbal section.. my strength on the verbal section came from lots of reading, and apparently you also share the reading aspect. the score you received appears to be a complete fluke.

one thing about the quant though.. i'm fairly certain the exponent/fraction type problems are not high level problems. so yes, getting those wrong could really hurt you. it is an easy fix for you though.. the fact you knew you got them wrong is already an indication that you should be fine once you review.

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time with the test.

There are three things jumping out at me from what you wrote:

(1) You had significant timing problems once upon a time (eg, taking 6 hours to finish a section that is officially timed in 75 minutes). Although you finished the real test on time and according to your benchmarks, it's still possible that you had timing problems. I talk to students every day who finish a section on time but still have timing problems - sometimes significant problems. In particular, I noted that you said you were actually ahead of your timing benchmarks on verbal - going too quickly can mean that you are making careless mistakes due to speed. This can kill your score.

Use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and tell us the results of your analysis. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)

(2) You list an enormous volume of study sources, practice problems, and practice tests, which make me think two things:
--A. The sheer volume was so high, that you may have learned a lot of things only somewhat well, rather than a more normal volume of things very well. You may have overwhelmed yourself, and you may not have spent enough time learning broadly applicable takeaways (takeaways that you can apply to many future problems).
--B. The length of time you spent studying may have caused you to place enormous pressure on yourself, which may have made it difficult to perform well on test day. You may not necessarily have been aware of the sheer stress or anxiety that you were experiencing.

(3) Your most recent practice tests show a concerning fluctuation in sub-scores. In a period of about a week, you went from Q45 to 35 to 46. Why? You also went from V34 to 26 to 38. Why?

That kind of fluctuation often indicates serious timing problems. At the least, if it's happening on a practice test and you don't figure out why, then there's no way to ensure it doesn't also happen on the real test. Sometimes you get lucky (your Q score ended up being towards the top end of your range) and sometimes you don't (your V ended up towards the bottom).

So we really need to try to figure out what was going on there. That will help us to figure out what might have gone wrong on the real test. And that takes me back up to my item #1 above: you need to do that analysis on your MGMAT CATs so that we can figure out what's going on.

Finally, I just want to say: the IR section is not as scary / terrible as many people think. Yes, you have to study for it, and it's going to feel very strange at first because the question types are going to be totally new to you. But you don't have to go for a great score on IR - you just need a "good enough" score (as you do on the essays). So it's really not going to be as terrible as you might be fearing, I promise. :)

[samwong]

Thanks Stacey for taking your time to read and respond to my concern.

You are definitely right about the amount of pressure that I had during my preparation prior to the test. Especially the last two weeks before the actual tests, the thought of failure affected the way I study.

After reading "Evaluating Your Practice Tests", I reviewed MG#4 and MG#5, which I took before my first attempt of the actual test. TIMING is the reason why there is discrepancy in Q score between MG#4 and MG#5. In MG#4 Quantitative section, there were 7 questions over 4:30. In MG#5 there were three Quantitative questions that I spent way too much time (5:24, 7:08, and 6:03). As a result, I got the last four EASY questions incorrect. For the verbal section, I had 7 CR questions over 2:30. Thus, the big takeaway is I need to learn to give up a question that is beyond my level.

What I have done for the last few weeks:
1) Finish MGMAT IR Guide
2) Finish MGMAT IR Question Bank (MSR, Graphs)
3) Review MG#4 and MG#5 (using "How to evaluate your practice tests")
4) All Questions from OG11 and OG12 ( using "How to analyze practice problems")
5) Develop 1 minute internal clock for PS and DS
6) Watch "Thursday with Ron" (I picked the study hall that cover topics that I had trouble with)
7) MG#1 (retry)
8) Review my previous notes from the guide books

I have developed the 1 minute internal clock by practicing multiple sets (10 questions at a time) of PS and DS OG problems. My intuition for the 1 minute mark is about +/- 10 sec. The 1 minute internal clock helps me become more relax when I do the problems because I know exactly how much time I have left. Now, I need to practice my 1 minute internal clock on the Verbal sections, especially for the CR questions.

Few days ago, I retook MG#1 under strict test conditions (AWA, IR, and 8 minute break). There were repeats throughout the test so the score is inflated. MG#1 690 Q48 V36 IR2.4. I definitely need to do more questions on IR. I was only able to do 6 questions and I left the other 6 questions unanswered.

When I was doing the quantitative section for the MG#1, I was using the 1-minute intuition that I have developed over the past few weeks. However, after the first 10 questions or so, I unconsciously stopped using the 1 minute intuition because I was too focus on the problem. I want to mention that as I do a problem, not only do I use the 1 minute intuition, but also I use the Understand-Plan-Solve method discussed in the MGMAT Advanced Q Book. The latter approach probably caused me to forget the 1 minute intuition. I believe toward the end of the quantitative section, I suddenly realized that I had stopped using the 1 minute intuition. So, I tried to use it again to catch up.

In the Quantitative section, I had 8 questions over 3:00 (one question at 3:54). Out of those 8 questions (all 700-800 level, from different categories), 5 questions were incorrect. So on this test, even though I did not spend too much time (as I did in MG#5) on any particular question, I have way too many questions over 3:00. The questions that I got incorrect were spread out.

In the verbal, CR timing is affecting my overall performance. I had 6 CR questions (different categories) at 2:30. I had to guess toward the end of the test, as a result I got the last 5 questions wrong. I used the strategies discussed in Powerscore CR to do CR questions. I would read the prompt first (~40 sec), read the question, read all the answer choices (~40 sec), and then go through the answer choices (~10 sec) that I did not eliminate in my first read. That is about 1:30. So, where did that extra minute come from? My problem with CR is that sometime I had to read the entire prompt the second time. Especially for inference questions that contain so many details. I would have to go back to the prompt to verify each answer choice. That is an area that I need to improve on.


My Verbal Timing Strategies:
SC 1:00
CR 1:30
RC 10:00 (Reading the passages and answering all the questions)

Current:
SC 1:30
CR 2:30
RC 10:00

Things need to work on:
1) Practice 1 minute intuition over a set of 37 Q problems
2) OG 13
3) GMAT Questions Pack #1
4) Reduce CR from 2:30 to 1:30
5) MGMAT IR (the other two question banks)

Stacey, thank you for your support and advice!

[StaceyKoprince]

Good - this is great. You're really digging into the data and using that to figure out what to do. Nice work.

It's great that you've developed the 1-minute time sense. As you've discovered, there's then the next level - being able to maintain that throughout a test section. Don't expect to get it perfectly right on the 1st test - this is going to take time and practice. You were able to do it for at least part of the test - that's a great start.

For your next practice CAT, you might even go so far as to write "1 min!" on your hand, someplace where you'll be looking practically right at it while you're writing. A constant little reminder every time you look down to write something.

So, where did that extra minute come from? My problem with CR is that sometime I had to read the entire prompt the second time. Especially for inference questions that contain so many details. I would have to go back to the prompt to verify each answer choice. That is an area that I need to improve on.

And remember that, sometimes, you're going to say - eh, this one's not worth it. I'm going to make a guess and move on.

Also, it's okay to go up to 2m30 on some Qs, as long as you do have others that are in the 1m30 timerange - that'll still average out, right?

My Verbal Timing Strategies:
SC 1:00
CR 1:30
RC 10:00

These are not the numbers I would typically recommend. I'm willing to explore the idea that you need to work with something outside of the norm, but we need to discuss. :)

I would typically recommend *average* times of:
SC: 1m15s
CR: 2m
RC readthrough: 2-3m (closer to 2 for a short passage on a topic that's easier for you, closer to 3 for a long passage on a harder topic)
RC general Qs: 1m
RC specific Qs: 1.5 to 2m (leaning more towards 1.5, but certain ones, such as EXCEPT questions, can merit 2m)

For RC, that could range from about 6m total (short passage, easier topic, 3 questions) to 10m (longer passage, harder topic, 4 questions).

Again, I'm willing to adjust these numbers for people who have certain very specific strengths and weaknesses - in other words, when the situation warrants. Why do you think you should spend more time on RC overall relative to the other two?

[samwong]

Hi Stacey,

I have postponed the real GMAT from early September to the end of the October, so I have about four more weeks left for studying.
Here are the mock test scores since the last time I posted on the forum:

(All test taken with AWA, IR, and 8-minute break)
08-07-12 MG #2 710 Q48 V39
08-28-12 GPrep #1 640 Q47 V31
09-12-12 MG#3 670 Q45 V36 (after MGMAT recalibration)
09-26-12 GPrep #2 660 Q47 V34 (PS7/18, DS3/19, SC6/16, CR3/11, RC2/13)

I have adopted your Verbal timing for each type of question. Even though I still need to work on my timing for CR and SC, I feel more comfortable using the average time that you suggested. To improve RC, besides reading fiction, I do 4 RC passages a day for 5 days a week, and I’m seeing improvement in terms of speed and accuracy.
For the Quantitative section, I have been doing GMAT Club Tests, OG questions that I got wrong, and also the new questions in OG 13. The new math questions in OG13 are brutal. They are more difficult than the math question that I saw in GPrep #2. I have purchased the OG Archer and the video explanations are exceptional. Stacey, your video explanation on PS218 is awesome, you picked the hardest problem :o)

My scores on GPrep#1 and GPrep#2 are really concerning. I was not able to go over GP1 because once I closed it, I could not review the questions that I missed. However, I did record the number and the type of questions that I missed. I missed 18 questions in Q and 18 in V. Furthermore, toward the end of each section, I missed about 4-6 questions, consecutively. Thus, that was something that I tried to avoid as I did MG#3 and GPrep#2. As a result, my timing for both Q and V in GP2 was better than my timing in GP1. In GP2, I missed 10 questions in Q and 11 questions in V. The questions that I missed were all spread out. In fact, I did not have any three consecutive wrong answers. So even though I missed 21 questions in GP2 compare to 36 questions in GP1, that only translate to a 20 points improvement. That is very concerning! I feel I need to get every questions correct in order to get 700+. Also, I noticed something in verbal that may help me improve my score. I tend to start very slowly in the Verbal section, even though in my mind I want to speed up. Then toward the end of the section, at about q30, my reading speed tends to be faster and my comprehension tends to be better (GP#2 q30-41, I missed 32, 33, 40, and 41). If I can get into that "zone" at an early stage, I think it would help my verbal performance.

With only 4 weeks left, I can study about 36 hours a week. I have three more MG tests left and I can retake the GP tests. What do I need to focus on for the next four weeks. Do I need do new problems or do I just review the problems in my error log?

Thanks Stacey for taking the time to read my concern.

[StaceyKoprince]

Let's see - your last three tests are in a similar range, so we'll assume that the first test is an outlier (unfortunately). So you're scoring in the 640 to 670 range right now.

There's some variability in verbal scores there - from 31 to 36 - so we want to try to figure out why. Are you having some timing problems? That can often result in score fluctuations. Alternatively, were you feeling more fatigued on some of those days? That can often lead to variability in verbal (since it's the last section).

Certainly, we know from your history that timing was an issue, and you're continuing to work on that, so that's good. When you're doing your practice RC passages, remember to go back over them afterwards and ask yourself, "How should I have done this differently? Where did I read too much / get too much into the details? Where did I write down too much or not enough? Where did I get caught up in the answers and spend way too long? Why did that happen?" etc.

Furthermore, toward the end of each section, I missed about 4-6 questions, consecutively.

Running out of time? Mental fatigue? Both? Did you time yourself per question for GMATPrep? (If not, do so if you ever take these again in future.)

Stacey, your video explanation on PS218 is awesome, you picked the hardest problem :o)

That problem is brutal, isn't it? It took me a while to figure out how to teach it. Glad you liked the explanation. :)

I feel I need to get every questions correct in order to get 700+.

Wrong lesson. If you approach the test this way, you WILL mess up the timing and that WILL kill your score. The issue isn't how many you answer correctly, it's how difficult the questions are. Note: this doesn't mean that you're trying to get all of the hardest questions right either. it means that you're trying to get all of the easier ones right ("easier" = easier for you), while giving your best shot within normal time constraints for the rest.

Also, I noticed something in verbal that may help me improve my score. I tend to start very slowly in the Verbal section, even though in my mind I want to speed up.

That's very interesting. How can we get you into the zone faster? Unfortunately, you can't study on the breaks - if you could, then I'd say to read a passage or two on the break before verbal. (Do NOT do this - they'll cancel your test. You can't have any study materials with you, even in the break room.)

You could try bringing a book with you - nothing to do with the GMAT, a novel or a biography or something. Ask them whether it's okay for you to read it on the break.

Altnernatively, you could set up some mental exercises for yourself - picturing a passage, thinking about how you're going to read it and take notes. Make this an actual passage that you've studied. Try this (and other things) in practice and see what you think is the best to help you warm up.

You should be doing a combination of review and new, with the proportion or review increasing as you get closer to the test date. For roughly the next two weeks, continue to tackle weaknesses and try to improve. For roughly the final two weeks, use this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... an-part-1/

(Note: that's a 2-part article; make sure to read both parts!)

Overall, you're close to your goal (700) but obviously still have more work to do to get there. If you're still struggling with timing, that's critically important - fixing significant timing problems can boost you 20-30 points at this stage, even without learning new stuff!

[samwong]

Hi Stacey,

I took the GMAT again on Oct 30, 2012, and failed miserably: GMAT (2nd attempt) 590 Q42 V29 IR4 AWA 5.5.

On the day before the test, I was very relaxed and I did not study much. I took a melatonin before I went sleep to make sure that I would get at least 8-hours of rest before the test. In the morning, I was a bit drowsy from the melatonin, but I felt refresh after I had some breakfast. That was the first time that I had ever taken a sleeping pill and so I was a bit nervous about how my body would react to the medication. Luckily, nothing bad happen. Unlike the first attempt when I only had about 6-hours of rest, this time I had 8-hours of rest. Lesson #1: to other test takers, don’t do anything different on the day of the test. I should have taken the melatonin a week before the test to see how my body would react to the medication. Looking back now, that was a risky move.

I went to the test center and check-in as I had done in my first attempt. AWA went well. Then my timing for IR was horrible. I was comfortable with all the question types except MSR. I could not comprehend the MSR passage, so I had to randomly guess all three MSR questions. I definitely need to practice more MSR questions.

After IR, I went out for an 8-minute break, and I went over the break limit by 30+ seconds.

My heart started pounding because the test started at 74:2ish. I looked over the first question, and I could not understand it. I read it again, and I just randomly guessed it. That was a rough start. Lesson #2: DO NOT go over the break limit! By question #10, I was back at my benchmark 55 min. Then I got a DS that look pretty simple so I tried to test the numbers in my head, but I was testing it over and over again. I must have spent 4 minutes on that question and at the end I just guessed it. Lesson #3: write out all your work on the notepad. I was not able to use the 1-minute sense throughout the quantitative section because it was hard for me to give up a question when I knew my time limit was up. It was especially difficult for me to give up a question that looked very easy. Lesson#3: do not spend 4 minutes on a question. I got 2-3 sequencing questions that I could not do within the time limit. Then, I got a geometry question that I was able to solve, but my answer did not match any of the answer choices. I tried to check whether the answer choices were disguised, but at the end I had to guess. Toward the end of the last two questions, I had about four minutes left, but I had to guess on those questions because I was so focus on the timer that I could not comprehend the questions.

I went out for another 8-minute break. This time, I did not go over the limit.

I was very relax throughout the verbal section because as I said before, I like verbal more than I like quant. The first ten questions went smoothly. I double checked my answers to make sure that I didn’t make any silly mistakes. But the second RC passage that I got threw me off track. It was very short but very complex. I tried to read it again but I still could not understand it. So, I just guessed on all three of RC questions from that passage. Then, the third RC was easy to comprehend but it was extremely long and full of details. As a result I had to guess on all three of those questions. There were couple difficult CR and SC questions, but other than that I would said those two RC passages decreased my verbal score. Again, toward the end of the verbal section, I had enough time to do the last two questions, but I had to guess because the timer made me nervous.

I took couple months off and now I’m preparing to take the GMAT again for the third time. I took the test twice and both times I got below 600 points. Thus, I lack the fundamentals. Currently, I’m reading the MGMAT Roadmap and I really like the concepts discussed in the book. I think my biggest problem is identifying the type of question and applying the concepts, taught in the strategy guide, on to the question.

For the third attempts, I’m going to start studying from scratch. I have signed up for the MGMAT Live Online course. Stacey, I’m going to be one of your students in the Online course. I feel so dumb for failing this test twice. I hope I don’t scare you away from teaching the class.
I have a couple questions about the Online class:

1) Should I used the 4th edition MGMAT Guides for the class since I’m familiar with the content and I had taken extensive notes on them or should I start from the beginning and use the 5th edition MGMAT Guides?
2) Do you have a 4th edition syllabus?
3) Currently, I can not log into Elluminate by using my MGMAT email and password. Do I need another username and password?
4) The Welcome Letter suggests that I take a CAT before the class start so I will do so. What else do I need to do for the next two weeks to prepare for the class?
5) On the day of the class, do I need log into Elluminate to join the class or can I join the class directly from link listed under the Student section?

Thanks Stacey. Happy New Year! I’m looking forward to be in your class. =)

[abhitechie]

Hi Samwong,

Sorry for bumping your thread. However after seeing your momentous effort couldnot help but comment. Your fundamental approach to GMAT is flawed. You are measuring your efforts in terms of hours studied rather than enjoying the process. Would you record the number of hours you spend watching movies in 2012, dating with your significant other. You need to engage in the process of GMAT rather than seeing it as a mechanical thing/obstacle."Its very difficult to reach the destination if you are not enjoying the process". Following someone's advice(reading non fiction) to drastically change your plan without self-introspection is misleading. This is because we all learn in a different method and we need specific strategies. Since you did your undergrad in US, reading non fiction was probably not applicable to you. Few suggestions:

- Taking 6 hours to complete quantitative section implies you are not using the correct problem solving process. For example can you solve a quadratic inequality in 30 seconds ? Can you set up two variable two equations in 1 min ? You should read forums for how people have attacked the problems.

- Donot tackle all your gorillas(weak areas) together. For example if you are studying CR, study only CR for several weeks (along with quant). Read strategy guides several times. Ensure that you are able to solve CR problems from OG in 2-3 mins with 80-90% accuracy. You can use OGV2 ,0G10, GMAT Paper Tests (If you have exhausted OG12). Similarly for SC. Once you hit 80-90% accuracy in Official Questions then only move to full length tests. This is because accuracy in CATs will always be less than topic wise sets.

PS: Have improved from 570-710 over 1 year.

[samwong]

Hi abhitechie,

Thank you so much for your great advice. You have very good points. Please don't feel bad for bumping my thread. To other people who are reading this post, please feel free to make any suggestion or comment. Your advice will be greatly appreciated.

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi, Sam - I'm sorry that you're continuing to struggle with this test but I'm looking forward to having you in class. :)

I do also want to note that you did manage to improve your score by 50 points - and that all came from the verbal. Really nice work. I realize you want a higher score and you also didn't improve on the quant side, but you are moving in the right direction. That's what matters right now.

From your most recent long post, it sounds like you were experiencing some pretty serious anxiety during the test itself, so that's something that we want to address before you get back in there. Take a look here:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

It also sounds like you're continuing to have timing problems. You mentioned not really being able to stick to the 1-min timing during the quant portion of the test - and that's probably a combination of anxiety and what I call "mindset."

Specifically, your mindset is still, to an important extent, focused on taking this test as though it's a "school" test: you're placing more importance on getting things right than on timing. Read the In It To Win It article again. Print it out and read it every day. (It's short; it won't take that long!) Buy a can of tennis balls, write "Nice Shot!" on them, and keep them with you while you're studying - in plain view.

Keep reminding yourself that you are NOT trying to win all of the points. I'm not just saying "oh, I don't expect to win all the points." I'm saying that I actively DO NOT WANT to try to win all of the points, because I know that if I try to do that, I will mess up the timing and hurt my score!

If you don't change this mindset, you are going to continue to find it a great struggle to improve on this test. This is critically important.

Re: your questions at the end, I would recommend that you go ahead and use the 5th edition books. The quant materials have been reorganized pretty extensively and the CR book has changed quite a bit. RC and SC are closer to the 4th edition, though. But if you really want to view this as a fresh start - start everything fresh. :)

When was your last CAT? If it was relatively recent, you don't need to take another now. We want you to get a sense of your current strengths and weaknesses. The other thing you can do is review material from the Foundations of Math and Foundations of Verbal books (you may not have physical copies but if you have already joined the class, I think you should be able to access the e-book versions - if you have already paid the balance for the class).

The other thing you can do, if you like, is to get a start on the weekly homework. There's a LOT to do each week, so if you can get a little bit ahead, that'll help later on.

For the technical questions... I don't know. :) Our student services team can help you though - either call 800.576.GMAT or email them at studentservices@manhattangmat.com and they'll be happy to help you.

[Big4Advisory]

Hi abhitechie,

Thank you so much for your great advice. You have very good points. Please don't feel bad for bumping my thread. To other people who are reading this post, please feel free to make any suggestion or comment. Your advice will be greatly appreciated.

Samwong- How did your third attempt go? I am in a similar boat as you.

[StaceyKoprince]

we'd love to hear from you, if you'd care to share.

[srinath.vrminds]

Hey .... Congrats you are almost done with preparation... just that need to know how to tackle the exam........

How i would have dealt with the exam if i was in same state of mind......

30 hours before exam...... go to place which is peaceful ... no one around and NO BOOKS... sit and think of your achievements for 10 minutes....

20 minutes think what you will gain if you crack GMAT....

Next step is really important for U.....
20 minutes close your eyes and think what all can happen if you don't crack GMAT.... prepare your self.....

Now you know what is best and worst can happen ... so your pressure will be less than half... sounds very silly... it worked for me when i was under pressure............

[StaceyKoprince]

thanks for sharing!