From a 490 - 710 My Trip to Glory

Question

Today I retook the GMAT for the 4th and final time and I can say with pride that I have finally defeated the beast. A little over a year ago I took a Kaplan practice test on my lunch break at work - I was contemplating applying to b-school and wanted to get an idea of what to expect on the GMAT. At the end of the test I scored a 490, but I was confident I could improve my score with practice so I enrolled in the Kaplan course.

My teacher was awesome, and my score did improve to the 590 level on the Kaplan CATs, and my GMATPrep score was around the same level - never breaking the 600 level. At the time I would have taken a 640 and been happy. After taking some time off at the end of my Kaplan course, I began meeting with a private tutor and soon was up to a 640 on the GMATPrep.

I took the official test in April of 2006 and scored a 640 Q38 V40- but the quest for 700 was now in my blood and I had also discovered the GMAT Club. Meeting so many driven people really pushed me to strive for the 700 level - Rhyme I would specifically like to point you out as my main inspiration for this quest. 

After meeting with the same tutor for 2 more months, I retook the GMAT and my score dropped to a 610 - although my quant went up to a 43 my verbal dropped to a 32. Needless to say, I was shocked - but far from done.

For the third round with the beast I did my studying on my own, using the OG11, the Verbal and Math supplements, and the PR CATS and Kaplan book. Feeling more prepared then ever before - I took the exam and scored a 630 Q44 V33 - I decided to pack it in and apply because the effort wasnt paying off.

In December of 2006 I was wait listed at my top choice and their recommendation was to try my hand at the GMAT one more time. While I did not love the idea, I knew I could get a 700. Unfortunately work had just given me a promotion and my schedule along with applying to schools meant the GMAT would have to wait. 

Fast forward to February and I started to get serious about the test again. I met with a different tutor for 4 weeks (once per week), took GMATPrep about 6 times, Powerprep twice, a PR CAT, and a Manhattan CAT. My lowest score came on the PR cat (580 - an eye opener considering how I have been doing on the real thing and other CATS). On the Manhattan I scored a 640 but those tests are worthless as predictors. On Powerprep I scored a 690 and a 720. Finally on GMATPrep I started at a 680 and the final two days before the test I scored a pair of 740's. 

I attribute my increased scores to meeting with my tutor and reviewing the exams, as well as focusing on the OG11 for practice, and also focusing on my weaknesses. I kept making similar errors in SC and on the DS problems in the quant section.

Finally - today I showed up at the Pearson Center and took what I consider to be the hardest test of my life. The Quant section threw some brain twisting questions at me and the verbal section was rough. I covered my face, prepared to see another score in the mid 600's and to my shock and delight - I scored a 710 - Q48 V 38.

This truly has been a learning experience for me and I will talk more specifically about my prep later - but I just want everyone out there who is struggling with the test to know that it can be done - you can master this test - through hard work and perseverance. Dont give up, trust your instincts, and have confidence. Best of luck to all - now I need to get off that wait list!

trivikram · Answer

Wow...So many inspiring stories around Congratulations on a well deserved achievement :-D

!!

nervousgmat · Answer

Wow! Great job! I can't even imagine how you feel! You have to go out and celebrate with your friends

ChillusHermitus · Answer

This is really good, OasisNYK!! Your motivation and self-belief are commendable. Congratulations !

I am a newbie here. I want to know that when there are multiple attempts at the GMAT then is it necessary to inform the school about all of them or can we pick and choose the ones we want to use?

pelihu · Answer

That's great! I knew you could do it. Congratulations!

Rupstar · Answer

congrats that is awesome
i myself was someone averaging 580-620 and somehow managed to break the 700 barrier
congrat...

OasisNYK · Answer

Thank you all - this is truly an amazing feeling - I hope it pays off but it was WELL worth the effort.

buckkitty · Answer

Congratulations Oasis! That is a great story of determination. I appreciate your persistance, I am considering a 3rd attempt after failing to meet my personal goal score twice now. I look forward to your test synopsis and any advice you can give to the rest of us. 

What kind of tutor did you get and would you recommend using one?

Again, well done! I hope you get into your dream school

jonnyjersey · Answer

buckkitty, i'd be wary of taking the test for the 3rd time. i'm sure you've spoken with different ppl about this, but how far off are you from your desired score? from what i've learned on this forum, schools don't look very generously at scores that had to take 3 times to achieve...

OasisNYK · Answer

Want to bet?

necromonger · Answer

oasisNYK - that's fantastic! congratulations - and another example for a lot of other test takers that it's very possible to beat the test with perseverance and discipline!

Enjoy and feeling and good luck for whatever you are up to next.

Amardeep Sharma · Answer

Well done Oasis... you dont know how many you inspired... thats a great job too....

I scored 640 in my first attempt and now gunning to cross that 700 mark... your story has really inspired me...

All the best for getting B school of your choice
regards,

Amardeep

GMAThopeful · Answer

Good show Oasis.
Your efforts and dedication have borne fruit - I wish you all the very best for the app process.
I'm sure you will get into your school of choice... now that you have tasted blood :cool

OasisNYK · Answer

How I did it:

First of all - thank you everyone who has read my story and congradulated me. It was definitely a long hard road and I know many of you are currently on it so I wish you all the same luck.

Most of you are already familiar with the GMAT - so a course such as Kaplan or Manhattan is really unecessary. The most important tools are:

OG11
Verbal and Quant OG Supplement Guides
The Kaplan Course Book (has some valuable lessons in it)
The GMAT Club
A good tutor if you have the means

Outside of materials, you need to make sure you are taking care of yourself physically. Exercise 3-4 days per week, mostly cardio to keep your blood flowing and your stress down. Increasing circulation is a good thing for your brain and will only benefit you in the long run. I also tried to eat a lot of vegetables and took a multi-vitamin. Of course I had a little wine now and then, ate Chinese food, and pizza - but for the most part I tried to be good.

For prep - take a GMAT Prep to see exactly where you stand. The last time I took the exam was August so I had taken a long break. Figuring I had mostly forgotten the material I took a test and scored a 680 - so I knew improving was going to be possible since my skills were still there. I did the entire SC section in the OG verbal supp, and the problem solving and DS section in the OG quant supp. I reviewed my errors and tried them again. 

Then I met with my tutor - saw him once per week for 4 weeks of prep. It took me about a month to pull this off (after almost a year of being in the mid 600's). I took both powerprep exams within 4 days of eachother - scoring a 690 and a 720. The 720 really boosted the confidence although the test itself is pretty easy compared to the real GMAT. I went over all the errors I made with my tutor when we met. 

Then I went through the Kaplan course book - did every math problem in it - avoided the verbal because only the official verbal will truly tell you where you stand. I also started hanging out in the verbal section of this forum and answering questions - trying to understand why the correct answers were correct and how to tell when something is wrong.

My tutor also helped me see that I was making the same errors on every test in both the math and verbal section. I had problems with modifier SC's which are some of the more common SC questions. So once that was pointed out I worked to improve on that area. I also had trouble on the DS and he showed me how to use Algebra even on questions that didnt look that complicated - and it really helped.

I also retook the GMAT prep about 6 times before the exam. The week of the exam I took one per day almost just to get my brain used to the timing and the endurence needed to do well. I also like the fact that the math section seems to be different every time although the verbal has many repeats. I even did the essays once just to get the idea of a full sitting. The key is to just keep retaking it, both sections, and reviewing your mistakes. The two days before the test I scored a pair of 740's so I felt confident but of course in the back of my mind I was nervous.

Another key is to believe in yourself. Know that you are intelligent enough to pull this off and envision yourself doing it - over and over. When doubt slips into your mind, fight it. You can beat this thing, with a consistent prep effort and a positive attitude you will do well.

You need to hit the materials for 1-2 hours per day during the week and probably 5+ per day on the weekends (including at least one practice test per week and pick it up near the end to force your brain to be ready). But keep in mind we all learn differently - so look at all the other stories here and pick what works best for you.

This is like the mental olympics - if you train correctly you will get your score. If you have any questions let me know - best of luck.

amorica · Answer

wow!..awesome!..

you make me want to take the test again too!

Congrats.

rakesh.id · Answer

Hi,

which chapters/topics are valuable in Kaplan? I don't want to go thru the whole book, since I am going through the PR guide.

OasisNYK · Answer

I think they do a great job on combinations/permutations, and doing all of the math topical quizzes in the back of the book are great as well. But I am talking about the course book - the one you get when you take the class, not the one sold in stores. I am not sure what the differences are in that case.

Also - it is VERY important to go through the OG11 and do every PS, DS, and SC - and if you have issues with CR do those too. The week before the exam after you have done all of those, redo all of your errors, understand the explanations for them, and also retake the last 1/3rd of each section since those are the hardest questions. Again, keep track of your errors and redo all of the ones you get wrong, read the explanations, and do your best to userstand how to solve them.

Fig · Answer

Such a perseverance ! :D

.... Congrats for your great score :D

OasisNYK · Answer

Small Update - they were very quick to grade this and get my official score out - I took the exam on the 8th and had my official score on the 10th - 5.5 on the AWA which I am a little disappointed with but will survive.

TheCloakedMonk · Answer

Super awesome. Thanks for the inspiration.

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