Anatomy of a 780 (Q50, V47) courtesy Scoretop

I hadn’t planned to write a debriefing. But some of my friends here on ScoreTop seem to think that such a summary might be useful’so here it is. Fair warning, this is a long one.

I’ve never been much for standardized tests. I can’t say why. My marks in school (all 20 years of it) were fine, but my various board scores, while sufficient, were never particularly impressive. Frankly, standardized tests scare me. They scared me then and they scare me now. Why? I think that it has to do with what seems to be their essentially arbitrary and judgmental nature on the part of these exams. I suppose they may be necessary. Still, there?’s something elemental about the exclusionary purpose of the entrance exam that bothers me on a visceral level. The point is that, in approaching the GMAT, as in most everything else, fear is bad. Fear makes people do all kinds of stupid things. Regardless of my attitudes and opinions in this regard, I had to confront these demons, in their territory, and find a way to neutralize them. I did this through my interaction with all of you here on ScoreTop.  So, whatever you?’ve got to do, be it meditation or exercise or baking cookies or knitting socks or posting verbal A&E for 20 GMAT Sets, find a way to manage your fear.

I bought a couple of the commercially available prep books, along with OG10, in the last week of June and started studying. I have stated, on more than one occasion, that these prep materials are basically worthless. Actually, that?’s not entirely true. Instead, let’s say that these materials are INSUFFICIENT. They do offer a reasonable introduction to the ?’world?’ of the GMAT?athe structure of the exam, the general content, and some light strategies on how best to approach the various question types. If one is looking to score in the 600 to 700 range, then these materials are probably adequate for preparation. However, IF, one is looking at the scoring 700+, generally speaking, the commercially available preparatory materials, AND THAT INCLUDES THE OFFICIAL GUIDE, are simply not enough. Most everyone on ScoreTop already knows this, so I mention it for the benefit of any guests who might happen upon this post.

I studied diligently for 6 weeks, and then took the GMAT for the first time. Afterward, truth be known, I was madder than hell. Oh, I did well enough, I suppose, but I just didn’t feel that the result was representative. Moreover, I didn’t get what I wanted, which generally makes me mad. Anyway, my thought was that the main reason the result was not representative was because the preparatory material had not been representative (REALLY irritating!). In addition, my preparation was haphazard, since I didn?’t know any better and didn’t really have any sort of ?’GMAT support network?’ to learn from and grow with. On my way home after that first test experience, I re-solved to re-tool, re-load, and re-test. Also, the notion occurred to me that when hunting GMAT bear, it’s best to walk softly and carry an armored tank division (i.e., where the GMAT is concerned, If something is not a strength, then it’s a weakness.). The only question that remained was Where do I get one (the tank division, that is)? The day after that first exam, I found the answer?­that’s when I joined ScoreTop as a VIP member.

At first, not really knowing what I needed to do, I flailed around a bit. I was lucky enough to get some very good advice early on from Stone, Tianlong, and Spiderman. They gave me some direction and helped me learn how best to use the VIP material. They were patient, supportive, and generally encouraging. I’m very grateful for their guidance I ­thanks, guys! So, with their invaluable assistance in mind, here are a few suggestions regarding what, exactly, to do to prepare for this exam using the materials available on this site:

(1)  There’s no rush, so don’t be in a hurry. Fast and foolish doesn’t work on the GMAT.

(2)  Don’t worry about timing your responses in the beginning. Learn how to get to the right answer first. THEN learn how to get there fast. Fast and flawed doesn’t work either.

(3)  Start doing the JJ’s (JJ = Jungle Juice = material that IS representative, and I mean EXTREMELY representative). Hit the ‘Forum’ button in the ‘Community’ drop-down menu, then choose the appropriate sub-forum.

(4)  Participate in forum discussion. It’s a great way for everyone to learn. A couple of asides, in this regard’(a) ONE question per post makes it a lot more likely that you’ll get meaningful discussion on any particular question. (b) DO NOT post the reference answer (OA) until AFTER there has been some discussion, otherwise there may not be any discussion at all; (c) When responding to someone’s post, keep in mind that he (or she) ALREADY KNOWS the reference answer. So, for the benefit of everyone, POST YOUR REASONING as well as your answer. Posting a single letter (A, B, C, D, or E) as a response is really no response at all.

(5)  Do the GMAT Sets. Which ones? ALL OF THEM. I repeat, do ALL OF THE GMAT SETS.

(6)  Don’t try to choose the right answer. Instead, learn how to get rid of the WRONG answers. I call this the ‘Throw the Bums Out’ technique and it is critical.

(7)  Do the SC1000. I would suggest 30-50 questions per day until complete. It would probably be a good idea to do this with the CR1000 and the RC3000, too, but I can’t in good faith make this recommendation since I didn’t do it myself.

(8)  Keep an error log when doing the Sets and the 1000-1000-3000 documents. Revisit the questions that gave you trouble, then revisit them again.

(9)  Identify areas of primary weakness within each question type. I don’t mean, ‘Well I’m weak in Verbal’or I have problems with Sentence Correction’etc.’ This is the sort of haphazard approach that did me in the first time around. What I do mean is that if you don’t understand the mechanics and usage of relative pronouns, then you should become the expert on relative pronouns. If the bold-faced question makes you nervous, then get comfortable with it’become the expert on the bold-faced question.

(10)          In the weeks before your actual exam, do the MJJ’s DAILY, as they are posted, so that you don’t get behind (and end up trying to do 150 questions in a single day’not a great idea, I’m telling you). Suffice to say, it is a VERY GOOD IDEA to know the current month’s MJJ’s cold when you sit down to take the GMAT. Oh, and did I mention to make sure that you KNOW THE CURRENT MONTH’S MJJ’s when you walk into that exam room.

(11)          Put some thought and a little effort into preparing for the AWA essays. The reason that I believe this is important (and it depends to some degree upon the personality of the individual) is that it is a great benefit, psychologically, to start the exam strong. The first thing you’re going to see is the essays. If you are unprepared, it can be problematic’trust me on this.

(12)          Take the day before your exam to COMPOSE YOURSELF and control your fear. Fine, do the MJJ’s and maybe a few questions of each question type, but DO NOT spend 14 hours on the final day before the test trying to ‘learn’ what you either know or you don’t.

(13)          Take every possible variable out of the equation’visit the testing center beforehand and on the day of the exam, get there ON TIME. There’s no point in having to worry about being late; you have enough to worry about, already.

I took the GMAT yesterday at the same facility at which I tested previously. I listened to Social Distortion’s Bad Luck and I Was Wrong at the highest possible volume on the way to the test center. I recommend that you do the same, as this should counter any hexes, curses, black cats, or the like, that might otherwise prove troublesome. I arrived at the facility ON TIME, signed in, and was ushered to my testing terminal in short order.

I started the AWA Section with the ‘Analysis of an Issue’ essay. I chose to champion the ‘Maybe-Maybe Not’ position. I have a feeling that the graders probably consider this approach scholarly, but who knows. I wrote 5 paragraphs relatively easily, proofed the essay, and moved on. The ‘Analysis of an Argument’ essay went pretty smoothly, too. I picked on a couple of ridiculous assumptions and the associated logical fallacies. Wrote 4 paragraphs for this one, proofed it, and took the first break. This was the first time that I actually felt comfortable with the essays that I was writing, as I was writing them. I went into the first break in great shape, psychologically. Going into that first break in the best possible state-of-mind is far better than the alternative’I've done both’feeling good is definitely a better lead in to the quantitative and verbal sections than is feeling lousy (read ‘worried’) about having screwed up the essays.

The following link gives an excellent summary of the general approach(es) one might take in addressing the essays. I recommend working up a general template for each essay in your own words and tailoring it to your own individual style (and this can easily be worked into your final week of preparation’that’s final week, not final day:

800scoreAWAGuide.pdf

Lindt Chocolate, some water and back to the quantitative section. This section also went surprisingly smoothly’didn’t draw a single blank. It didn’t hurt to have been current on the VIP material. Interestingly, I don’t recall seeing anything in the way of combinations, permutations or standard deviation, or any of that sort of thing. I did, however, see the usual suspects’number theory (in the form of the DS question), algebra, coordinate and Euclidean geometry. The math was not unreasonable on this particular day. If you are comfortable with the concepts covered in the MJJ’s, you’ll be in good shape. I finished the section with a couple of minutes to spare and it never occurred to me to wonder how I was doing while I was doing it. Left for the second break’

Another piece of chocolate and a Starbucks Double-Shot and back for the final section’Verbal.

Back to back RC’s (4 questions each) early on, but they were approachable and things were on schedule. Around Q22, however, I came up against one long, dense, and seriously boring ‘Women’s Studies’ RC passage sporting a couple of incredibly obtuse questions. I must have read the thing three times trying to figure out what it was trying to say’one of the worst RC passages I’ve ever seen. I think I probably answered all of this passage’s questions correctly, BUT I got into time trouble as a result. Also, I got tired and began having trouble concentrating after this passage. I had to ratchet up the pace through the late-20’s and 30’s, as a result of having expended so much time on that one RC passage, but managed to finish the section with about 2 minutes left on the clock. You’ve heard it before a thousand times, but I’m going to say it again’TIME MANAGEMENT IS CRITICAL.

I distinctly remember that, at this point in my previous test experience, I had NO IDEA how I had done, or what sort of score to expect. This time around, however, I knew it was ‘in the can.’ I blew threw the questionnaire (sent notices to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Berkeley, and UCLA), viewed the on-screen score, took the Unofficial Score Report, and left the building (feeling rather good, I must say). I figure I probably missed one of the final RC questions, a couple of the CR’s late in the section, and maybe a random SC question, all due to less than perfect time management thanks to that awful ‘Women’s Studies’ RC passage. I saw NOTHING familiar (read no VJJ’s) in the verbal section. I have no idea which question(s) I dropped in the quantitative section.

I should note that prior to each of my exams, my GMATPrep 2 Practice Test score was EXACTLY the same as my actual exam score. GMATPrep 1 was close each time as well, but not exactly the same. I don’t think any other practice tests are worth the time and I think that trying to relate whatever score one might have attained on ANY of them to anything else is worth even less. Needless to say, I am thrilled with the result. My sister asked me if I was planning to re-take the exam one more time. She’s such a smartass. That’s why I love her. Well, that’s one of the reasons.

Final Thoughts:

(1)  On a given day, one’s score can probably vary by 20-30 points based on nothing more than how well (or how poorly) one manages test-anxiety (FEAR) and by maybe 10-20 points based on ‘the luck of the draw.’

(2)  Time management is critical.

(3)  I’m glad I didn’t get the score I wanted out of my first exam. Otherwise, I would have missed out on ScoreTop, and that would have been a shame’so many good people, so much good will, all united by a common interest and similar goal. I’m proud to be a part of it.

(4)  You can learn more and perform closer to maximum potential by working together than by going it alone. Teaching is, for me anyway, the best and most fulfilling way to learn any material.

(5)  I could not have done this without you. In a way, you were all there with me during the exam. So, for that and for everything else, I thank you, friends. If I may be of service, please do not hesitate to let me know’I'll be around.

(6)  My wife is a wonderful woman. I have no idea how she put up with me through this odyssey. I love her very much.

(7)  Valuable resources which have not already been mentioned:

‘     Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, ISBN 0-19-431197-X, for detailed explanations on grammar, mechanics, and usage.

‘     Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, edited by Sally Wehmeier, ISBN 0-19-431673-4, for general grammatical reference, particularly for word combinations and appropriate terminal prepositions (what ETS likes to refer to as ‘idiom’ even though the word actually means something else). This reference is, in a word, exceptional. It has all sorts of grammar and usage tips and examples included with each entry. A good dictionary is a far better resource for GMAT ‘idiom’ than any of the available dictionaries of idioms or collocations. The early combination of Practical English Usage and the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is an unbeatable combination for nailing down mechanics and usage in the ‘GMAT Sentence.’

‘     MathWorld for anything and everything you would probably ever want to know about any math topic’the only problem is that it’s written for nuclear physicists. Still, it’s worth checking out.

‘     Here is another really good math resource, which is a bit more accessible than some of the material at ‘MathWorld:  http://www.purplemath.com/modules/index.htm

In particular, I would suggest taking a look at graphic solutions to linear inequalities’I found this summary extremely useful and the method both faster and more elegant than plugging-in random numbers:  http://www.purplemath.com/modules/syslneq.htm

(8) And most of all, remember, this is only a test?