I last took the GMAT back in 2012 prior to doing a masters in management program. I did alright, getting a 680 with a 41Q and 41V. I'm looking to retake the exam because I'm considering going back for an MBA in a few years and I have time prior to starting up at my full-time position. When I took the GMAT I used Manhattan GMAT books, the GMAC practice books, Magoosh and Knewton. I have all of the GMAC and Manhattan material and Jeff sackmann's GMAT quant guide. Beyond GMATclub any other worthwhile resources or any advice to take to heart before giving the gmat a second go?
Trending Content
| +44 | Wharton Huntsman Program vs Yale vs Dartmouth | 53 | 18m | |
| +33 | Umich Ross vs Rice vs Notre Dame Mendoza | 17 | 2d | |
| +29 | LSE BSc Economics vs Cambridge BA Economics | 9 | 11h | |
| St Andrews vs LSE vs Middlebury | 19 | 1d | ||
| +26 | Succeeding at Penn CAS? | 8 | 10h | |
| +26 | Target School Kids Stop Complaining | 6 | 2d | |
| +25 | LSE MSc Finance vs Oxford MFE? | 8 | 7h | |
| +24 | Washu a target school now. | 46 | 2h | |
| +23 | Imperial College Finance Masters' | 5 | 3d | |
| +14 | Engineering vs Business degree? | 7 | 2d |
Career Resources
how much did you study for it the first time?
A moderate amount maybe eighty to one hundred hours all in
I was in a somewhat similar position as you. I took it the first time and got a 680. And then I had a bunch of life events happen that caused me to essentially hit the pause button for about 8-9 months. I began studying for it again and it was a tough slog - it felt like I was almost starting from square one again. It's amazing how quickly you can "get out of shape" for the GMAT. I am in the process of writing about my story on beattheGMAT forums and will link you to my post whenever I finish.
During your second go-round, you should focus on quant. Improving a 41V is going to be very hard to do, definitely much harder than improving a 41Q. I would get the latest version on the MGMAT quant books, the most recent OG guide, the most recent OG quant guide (the slim one), and all of Sackmann's quant stuff. Avoid the MGMAT Advanced Quant book. To improve your quant above 41, you need to start understanding the concepts behind the questions.
By the way, 100 hours is starting to reach the maximum as far as efficiency goes. Unless you missed some part or failed to delve deep enough into the quant questions, a 680 may be the highest that you can score. Good luck!
Focus on taking the test intelligently. I don't think 41q is anyone's maximum - it's 8th grade math at that level. What people do wrong is, they don't know when to guess or move on, and they waste too much time early on. They then have to rush through the last half of the test, and guess on the last 5-6 questions, which DRASTICALLY reduces your score due to the algorithm GMAT uses. Even people who score mid-700's, they are only getting ~60% of the questions correctly, due to the adaptive nature.
Whoa, is that right? Not calling you out, but if you know of any source for this, can you point me to it?
Manhattan GMAT professor told me. Likewise, I have personal experience with the above based on the practice exams I took back in the day.
Most people's problem (assuming they're somewhat intelligent and have studied for a whole) is NOT the material, it's pacing. People spend too long a few questions that they should've quickly skipped, and then have to do the rest of the test in panic mode with 1 minute per problem....then think the problem was their knowledge, when it was pacing. Also, due to the algorithm, the GMAT has a severe penalty built in for 1) not finishing a section and 2) getting a string of questions wrong in a row....both of which happens if you're pacing is off.
Remember the test is ADAPTIVE, think about what that means. Hypothetically, if you get the first 5 questions right, you're at ~760. From there on out, you get ever other question correctly, you will end up with around a 760, even though you only got barely more than half right. However, if you get the first 5 wrong, and then get every other one right, you'll probably be in the 400's, since the problem sets you were getting were so easy.
Amet nemo voluptas aut. Voluptatibus ab dolorem iure sunt. Ipsam rem facilis quia et vitae id voluptas. Expedita architecto possimus et id eius.
Saepe rerum vel dolorem. Mollitia sit quod aut aliquam nihil. Magnam optio ut deleniti ipsam itaque accusamus. Provident consectetur neque in nulla non sed aut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...