The GMAT - Anyone Taken/Taking It?

[rhsgolfer33]

Just wondering if anyone else out there has taken or is taking the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)? What was your experience like? How was the test in comparison to any practice you did? What kind of practice did you do? Did you score as well as you wanted or expected to? I've been browsing the internet and other forums about it, but wanted to see if any one on my favorite forum had any experience with the test.

Personally, I've been studying for a while and have seen about a 70 point improvement in my practice scores and would like to gain about another 70 points. I've got a month left until the my test date... I'm applying at Masters in Accounting/Taxation programs so my test score isn't as crucial as if I were applying at top MBA programs, but I'd like to score high enough so that in a few years, if I decide to do an MBA or Ph.D., I can just use this test score.

Thanks for any insight everyone!

[emt1]

I'm going to be taking the MCAT around April, so I've been reading up on studying/test taking tips. Make sure you don't over do it the week before you take the exam. Do some light exercise the days before and get good sleep the night before.

[rhsgolfer33]

Originally Posted by emt1

I'm going to be taking the MCAT around April, so I've been reading up on studying/test taking tips. Make sure you don't over do it the week before you take the exam. Do some light exercise the days before and get good sleep the night before.

Yeah, I'm going to try to keep it light the week before the exam, or at least the three days leading up to it. I don't want to use all my mental energy preparing and then crap out on the actual test, haha.

CAT exams play such cruel mental tricks. On the GMAT, the way the algorithm works, you pretty much miss half the questions. So you can score well over 700 (out of 800) and feel like you did terrible.

Good luck on your MCAT!

[InvalidUserID]

I bought two GMAT prep books a good while before the actual test just to prepare myself to the types of problems and took some prep class in a business center in Manhattan (last I looked, they were temporarily closed or moved though).

The class was basically a live version of the books so if you absorb better in a class environment, that might be a better option. And yes, definitely don't overdo it the night before. In fact, I didn't even review or anything the night before, I just relaxed and rested up. You don't want to psych yourself out!

I didn't find the test very hard and scored well (710) although I had to retake it AGAIN to satisfy the university. I think if you prep well enough, you'll be fine. Like I said, I expected it to be harder.

[emt1]

I also take Adderall to study, so that will probably be a huge plus for me.

My EMT test was also computerized like the MCAT/GMAT. The questions started easy, then got harder until I got a few wrong, then got easier, then got MIND BLOWINGLY HARD until I kept getting them wrong. I passed the first time, but I was 70% sure I somehow failed. I knew that I knew my stuff though.

[John Jacob]

I took the GMAT way back in 2003. (In my whole life to date, I have taken the GRE twice, the LSAT once and the GMAT once - I wonder what was wrong with me ). I mostly practiced the Princeton Review and Barrons practice tests on my computer. I think I did get a little bit better over time. My final score (740) was in line with my practice results.

[rhsgolfer33]

Originally Posted by InvalidUserID

I bought two GMAT prep books a good while before the actual test just to prepare myself to the types of problems and took some prep class in a business center in Manhattan (last I looked, they were temporarily closed or moved though).

The class was basically a live version of the books so if you absorb better in a class environment, that might be a better option. And yes, definitely don't overdo it the night before. In fact, I didn't even review or anything the night before, I just relaxed and rested up. You don't want to psych yourself out!

I didn't find the test very hard and scored well (710) although I had to retake it AGAIN to satisfy the university. I think if you prep well enough, you'll be fine. Like I said, I expected it to be harder.

Yeah, I've been taking a class for the last nine weeks and prepping with Manhattan GMAT test prep books and a whole bunch of retired official GMAT problems. The class was helpful, it was nice to get explanations and be able to ask questions.

710 is an excellent score, I'm hoping for a 700, but I've got a little work to do to get there. My verbal score is pretty good, but (ironically for an Accounting major), my quant score is low. I've done terribly on all the Geometry questions in my practice CATs, so I think just by studying the Geometry stuff I'll be able to get a couple more questions right on the test.

Originally Posted by emt1

My EMT test was also computerized like the MCAT/GMAT. The questions started easy, then got harder until I got a few wrong, then got easier, then got MIND BLOWINGLY HARD until I kept getting them wrong. I passed the first time, but I was 70% sure I somehow failed. I knew that I knew my stuff though.

Yeah, you just have to go into the CATs knowing you're going to feel like you missed a lot I guess. I can usually tell when its a harder question, but you never know.

Originally Posted by John Jacob

I took the GMAT way back in 2003. (In my whole life to date, I have taken the GRE twice, the LSAT once and the GMAT once - I wonder what was wrong with me ). I mostly practiced the Princeton Review and Barrons practice tests on my computer. I think I did get a little bit better over time. My final score (740) was in line with my practice results.

That's a lot of tests right there! Good to here that final scores are in line with your practice results!