I just Beat The GMAT!

Hi all,

I just passed my GMAT and got a 700, from the first time and after studying for a mere 10 weeks. I would like to share with you how I did it, maybe it could help someone.

Books I studied: Manhattan GMAT prep set + Princeton Strategy Guide + OG 13

I started studying in Mid March, first using the Princeton Strategy Guide. I honestly don't know if you should do the same. Princeton has some nice tips but lacks, in general, depth regarding the topics covered in the GMAT. In the exam, I used only a few of the material learned in Princeton. Princeton got me in my first GMAT prep software (after 2 weeks) almost 600. It is therefore the Manhattan GMAT books that really propelled me to the 700 score (90% percentile). I studied every book of the Manhattan prep set and subsequently tested myself on the OG 13 exercises, which are the best practice tools before the GMAT. I also did the exams offered by Manhattan and they are in fact, as I experienced, harder than the GMAT (I never got a 700 on them). All my studying was done in a period of almost 10 weeks. Further, I did not take one day off from work, which is a very demanding job as I never get home before 8:00 PM. My study hours were regularly between 9 and 12 PM mid week, while in the weekend I would study almost 4 hours per day.

My main advice to anyone tackling the GMAT are the following:
1- Focus on quality, not on quantity. You really are better off doing one exercise, understanding how it's properly tackled, writing down the concept learned rather than performing 10 exercises just for the sake of putting hours in the preparation.
2- Put a plan. GMAT is a war; you can't win a war without a proper plan. A plan can be simple and not written, such as mine, or detailed, in whatever way that suits you. The plan should take into consideration how much time you have, and how many books you can afford. My plan was simple: Finish studying the M Books and than tackle every problem of the OG 13, in a proper way. In the last few days before the exam, I performed 3 or 4 sample tests. Finally in the last 2 days, I didn't do anything.
3- Believe in yourself and pray that you be lucky. Luck is a fundamental element in the GMAT equation.

Thank you all for reading

Chady

Chady, congrats on joining the 700 club. What was your score breakdown?

Also, you credit the MGMAT books for propelling you from 600 to 700. Do you think those guides helped you in specific areas (i.e. did you focus more on verbal than quant or vice-versa)?

Congrats! You hit the level that everyone targets! Time to celebrate a bit before applications...

Hi NextGreatLeader,

Sorry for replaying late but I wasn't aware you posted something. My score breakdown is the following: 38/84% verbal, 47/73% quantitative, 700/90% total. The MGMAT books helped me in every specific area of the GMAT in quite honestly; I can't name you one specific topic. I can say though that I noticed from day 1 that I was doing quite well on the verbal part. In fact, i didn't practice any exercise from the verbal part of the OG13. Therefore, you could probably assume that the MGMAT lifted my quantitative score more than the verbal part.

Thanks Jim, I am about to start my applications, party's over.

Hey dude!!............This is quite an inspiration for me!!.........
Even I have a 12-8 job!........a demanding one too.......but could not find time to study!!.......
But now I will study the way you did it!!....

Thanks for this! I think I will be using this as a guide for my personal study plan. I hope I make it to the 700 club also.