Result: 760 (49Q/44V)

Since I'm packing for a holiday, I'll make it short (for now). Just came back from the test centre. I'm thrilled to say that I scored 760 (99th percentile)!

3 days to go

It was a bit ambitious of me to think that I could do a full practice CAT and 170 questions from the OG. I only got about 50 questions done (1.5 hours), so there's still another 120 to go.

Not long now!


Today

• Finish the 120 outstanding questions from the OG.
• Go to the Veritas Prep class on AWA (possibly - might skip this).
• Input all results into MGMAT Archer, and go through a few questions targeting weak areas only. Spend some time on the really tough ones.

2 days to go - Tuesday

• Visit Pearson Vue centre.
• Go to the Veritas Prep class on Advanced Word Problems and Quant Review (possibly - might skip this).
• Using MGMAT Archer, go through a few questions targeting weak areas only. Do about 100 questions max. Spend some time on the really tough ones.

1 day to go - Wednesday

• Possibly do one final test. Pack for holiday. Otherwise take it easy. Get sleep etc.

Running tally to date:

• 183.5 hours of prep work (including going through materials, doing practice questions, attending class, and checking answers and mistakes; does NOT include taking practice CAT exams) since 3 January 2011.
• 7 CAT exams.
• 620 (40Q/35V), 05.01.11 [GMATSim1]
• 610 (33Q/41V), 12.01.11 [800Score1]
• 660 (42Q/40V), 29.01.11 [GMATPrep1]
• 700 (51Q/37V), 26.02.11 [GMATLife1]
• 650 (36Q/44V), 20.03.11 [800Score2]
• 670 (46Q/35V), 03.04.11 [MGMAT1]
• 760 (48Q/47V), 17.04.11 [GMATPrep2].

4 days to go; 760(!!) in seventh practice CAT

I tried as hard as I could but I could not do more than about 145 questions from the OG yesterday. Knocked out Days 13-14 (Word Problems), 15-16 (Geometry), 17 (Statistics) and 35 (Critical Reasoning). Got to sleep at about 5am and woke up at 10am and then again at 12pm. Since my test is at 9am, I have to wake up at about 6.30am on test day, so I've got to shift my sleeping patterns. About 5.5 hours of productive work.

That leaves me about 170 questions to go on the OG (mostly verbal).

Sixth practice CAT - using GMAT Prep

Earlier today, I decided to go back to the 'real' GMAT Prep software because this might be my last practice CAT. The quant section seemed pretty challenging but I got through with about 4 minutes to spare. The verbal section was also challenging but I finished with about 20 minutes to spare (note to self: eat more during the second break).

I was expecting low 700s but was pretty ecstatic when I saw 760 (99th percentile) pop up on the screen. The reason: I absolutely killed the verbal section, scoring a 47 with 6 incorrect (anything from 46-51 is in the 99th percentile). I didn't actually do that well on the quant section, scoring a 48 with 12 incorrect (82nd percentile) - so there's still room for improvement there.

This is the best that I thought I would end up when I started my preparations - kill verbal, and score OK on quant - finally I've done it.

If only this were the real exam! With this practice score, I'm going to aim for 730 (ie, anything over 730 and I'll be extremely happy with; anything around mid 700s will depend on luck and the stars aligning for me).

Now the challenge is to keep it all together in the last 4 days, and stick with my plan:

Today

• Finish off the last 170 or so questions in the OG.

3 days to go - Monday

• Go to the Veritas Prep class on AWA (possibly - might skip this).
• Using MGMAT Archer, go through a few questions targeting weak areas only. Do about 100 questions max. Spend some time on the really tough ones.

2 days to go - Tuesday

• Visit Pearson Vue centre.
• Go to the Veritas Prep class on Advanced Word Problems and Quant Review (possibly - might skip this).
• Using MGMAT Archer, go through a few questions targeting weak areas only. Do about 100 questions max. Spend some time on the really tough ones.

1 day to go - Wednesday

• Pack for holiday. Otherwise take it easy. Get sleep etc.

Running tally to date:

• 182 hours of prep work (including going through materials, doing practice questions, attending class, and checking answers and mistakes; does NOT include taking practice CAT exams) since 3 January 2011.
• 7 CAT exams.
• 620 (40Q/35V), 05.01.11 [GMATSim1]
• 610 (33Q/41V), 12.01.11 [800Score1]
• 660 (42Q/40V), 29.01.11 [GMATPrep1]
• 700 (51Q/37V), 26.02.11 [GMATLife1]
• 650 (36Q/44V), 20.03.11 [800Score2]
• 670 (46Q/35V), 03.04.11 [MGMAT1]
• 760 (48Q/47V), 17.04.11 [GMATPrep2].

5 days to go

I had another fairly productive day yesterday. I managed to get through Days 33-34 and 37 (Critical Reasoning), 38-40 (Reading Comp) and part of Day 13 (Word Problems) of the Beat The GMAT 60 Day Study Guide - about 150 questions from the OG in total. About 5.5 hours of productive work, I reckon.

Taking stock of where I'm at, my preparation has comprised of the following:

January - February

• Attended all Veritas Prep classes and (eventually) did all the homework. Did all the Veritas Prep classes using the 'On Demand' videos too.
• Went through the MGMAT Foundations of Math book.
• Took four practice CATs, starting from low 600s and peaking two days after my last Veritas Prep Class at 700.

March - now

• Got really busy at work and dropped preparation pretty badly. Started scoring lower on practice CATs but still in the mid-high 600s.
• Re-did nearly every Veritas Prep class (other than the last 2 classes, which are set for next week) either through attending in person or using the 'On Demand' videos' and re-did all the homework questions that I got wrong the first time around. Got most, but not all, of these right the second time around.
• Currently going through the Beat The GMAT 60 Day Study Guide (for guidance on going through the OG only - I'm not using the Kaplan resources) as quickly as possible. So far I've done:
• Days 1-12 (Quant)
• Days 24-28 (Sentence Correction), 30-34 and 37 (Critical Reasoning) and 38-40 (Reading Comp)
• I'm not too worried about Days 42-60 as they are all about re-doing questions, attempting questions from Quant2 and Verbal2 and reviewing stuff. 
• Using the MGMAT Archer tool and the Beat The GMAT OG error log to track progress. According to the logs, I've done 493 questions from the OG with 314 questions to go. 

Last 5 days - plan of attack

5 days to go - Today (Saturday)

• Get another 200 or so questions done on the OG.

4 days to go - Sunday

• Do my last practice CAT using GMAT Prep's own program. 
• Finish off the last 110 or so questions in the OG.

3 days to go - Monday

• Go to the Veritas Prep class on AWA (possibly - might skip this).
• Using MGMAT Archer, go through a few questions targeting weak areas only. Do about 100 questions max. Spend some time on the really tough ones.

2 days to go - Tuesday

• Visit Pearson Vue centre.
• Go to the Veritas Prep class on Advanced Word Problems and Quant Review (possibly - might skip this).
• Using MGMAT Archer, go through a few questions targeting weak areas only. Do about 100 questions max. Spend some time on the really tough ones.

1 day to go - Wednesday

• Pack for holiday. Otherwise take it easy. Get sleep etc.

6 days to go

Yesterday was fairly productive.

I managed to go through Days 11-12 (Equations and Inequalities), 26-28 and 30 (Sentence Correction) and 31-32 (Critical Reasoning) of the Beat The GMAT 60 Day Study Guide. All up, I did almost 150 questions from the OG. I'd say I put in 5.5 hours of productive work.

Today, I want to step it up half a notch and do 200 questions.

I didn't get to go to the Pearson VUE centre, but instead asked them a few questions over the phone. What I learned was:
- The breaks are 8 minutes each;
- If you finish an essay in 20 minutes, and you choose to move on to the next question, you don't get that extra 10 minutes back in break time;
- Pearson VUE will provide a laminated board and those special pens. They will also provide ear plugs. You can't take anything in; and
- You can leave the building during the breaks but only for a cigarette break.

I forgot to ask them what I need to bring on my test day, but I said I would drop in on next Tuesday to check the place out, so I'll ask them then.

7 days to go

For once I actually (pretty much) got done what I wanted to do. Yesterday, I:

- Went through Days 10 (Algebra) and 24/25 (Sentence Correction 1,2) of the 60 Day Study Plan. 2.5 hours.
- Attended Class 12 (Combinatorics and Probability) and re-attempted the wrong/guessed questions. 4 hours.
- Went through the remainder of the Beat The GMAT Flashcards. 2 hours. I just realised that ManhattanGMAT's flashcards are probably better. Oh well...

Today, I didn't get to do the "run through" of the exam (couldn't wake up that early). Instead the aim is to finish off as many days of the 60 Day Study Plan as possible, and do about 150-200 questions from the OG.

Also, I discovered ManhattanGMAT's "OG Archer" tool, which is a cool and very detailed tool to track performance on the OG, Verbal2 and Quant2 books. It works sort of like an error log. Since I don't have a pre-made error log for Verbal2 and Quant2 (whereas I'm already using the Beat the GMAT error log for the OG), I'll probably use it for those books. However, I might not get on to the Verbal2/Quant2 books as time is running out and I don't want to be doing too many fresh questions after Monday of next week.

8 days to go

Yesterday, I finally finished the questions in Class 14 (Advanced Word Problems & Quant Review) (there were about 130 questions in all, and I started from about question 50). For good measure, I went through the class using the On Demand video, and I also went through the "last minute tips" On Demand video. All told, there was about 6 hours of work.

I didn't get to go through any of the 60 Day Study Plan. Today, I will:

- Go through as many days of the 60 Day Study Plan as possible in the next 2 hours. Realistically I'll only get through 1 or 2 days.
- Attend Class 12 (Combinatorics and Probability) and re-do the wrong/guessed questions again.
- Go through the remainder of the Beat The GMAT Flashcards.

Tomorrow, I'm going through a "run through" of the GMAT. This will include getting up at 6am, eating breakfast, and walking to the exam centre. I'll try to get a sneak peak into the exam centre, but who knows whether they'll actually let me in.


Running tally to date:

• 157 hours of prep work (including going through materials, doing practice questions, attending class, and checking answers and mistakes; does NOT include taking practice CAT exams) since 3 January 2011.
• 6 CAT exams.
• 620 (40Q/35V), 05.01.11 [GMATSim1]
• 610 (33Q/41V), 12.01.11 [800Score1]
• 660 (42Q/40V), 29.01.11 [GMATPrep1]
• 700 (51Q/37V), 26.02.11 [GMATLife1]
• 650 (36Q/44V), 20.03.11 [800Score2]
• 670 (46Q/35V), 03.04.11 [MGMAT1].

9 days to go - final countdown

I took this week and next week off work but I've come down with a cold. Although my preparation will be hampered, I won't / can't make this an excuse.

Progress

Since the last post I have:

- Re-taken Class 9 (Critical Reasoning 2) using On Demand + re-attempted wrong/guessed questions from the first time around. 2 hours.
- Re-taken Class 10 (Statistics & Problem Solving) using On Demand + re-attempted wrong/guessed questions from the first time around. 3 hours.
- Re-taken Class 11 (Sentence Correct 2) by attending class + re-attempted wrong/guessed questions from the first time around. 3 hours.
- Completed Days 8 - 9 of the Beat The GMAT 60 Day Study Plan. 2 hours. As mentioned, I have only completed (for now) the "TO DO" sections, and not the "Additional Reinforcement" sections.
- Gone through the Beat The GMAT flashcards on Sentence Correction and Quant - General. 3 hours.

This isn't too much preparation for 3 days, but I've been sick and for the most part trying to put in 8-10 hours of sleep per night.

Today, I plan to finish (for the first time) Class 14 (Advanced Word Problems & Quant Review), and do a couple of more days of the 60 Day Study Plan.

Running tally to date:

• 151 hours of prep work (including going through materials, doing practice questions, attending class, and checking answers and mistakes; does NOT include taking practice CAT exams) since 3 January 2011.
• 6 CAT exams.
• 620 (40Q/35V), 05.01.11 [GMATSim1]
• 610 (33Q/41V), 12.01.11 [800Score1]
• 660 (42Q/40V), 29.01.11 [GMATPrep1]
• 700 (51Q/37V), 26.02.11 [GMATLife1]
• 650 (36Q/44V), 20.03.11 [800Score2]
• 670 (46Q/35V), 03.04.11 [MGMAT1].

18 days to go; 670 (46Q/35V) for 6th practice CAT - MUST IMPROVE!

Progress

Since the last post I have:

- Re-taken Class 7 (Reading Comprehension) using On Demand + re-attempted wrong/guessed questions from the first time around. 2 hours.
- Re-taken Class 8 (Data Sufficiency) using On Demand + re-attempted wrong/guessed questions from the first time around. 2.5 hours.
- Completed Days 3 - 7 of the Beat The GMAT 60 Day Study Plan. 6 hours. As mentioned, I have only completed (for now) the "TO DO" sections, and not the "Additional Reinforcement" sections.

Work is getting very busy so I am doing a lot of this prep on little sleep and my concentration is definitely waning.

6th practice CAT - MGMAT

I tried out the Manhattan GMAT practice CAT. It was pretty tough and I ended up on 670 (89th percentile) with 46Q (79th percentile) and 35V (77th percentile) splits.

My scores in quant and verbal seem to have been see-sawing since my first practice CAT. On one test I'll go pretty well on quant and poorly on verbal, only to switch around in the next test. At least my percentile ranges are stabilising now - I just need to kick both quant and verbal into the mid 80s to early 90s in terms of percentile and I should be sweet.

All of this sort of hits home one important message - I have to just put aside time every day to practice. I have surges over the weekend and it's not doing my preparation any favours. I have forgotten a lot of stuff that I learned weeks (even months) ago, although re-doing the lessons using On Demand has helped.

Let's see if I can get up to Day 15 on the Beat The GMAT 60 Day Study Plan by the end of the week. That would be ideal.

Running tally to date:

• 138 hours of prep work (including going through materials, doing practice questions, attending class, and checking answers and mistakes; does NOT include taking practice CAT exams) since 3 January 2011.
• 6 CAT exams.
• 620 (40Q/35V), 05.01.11 [GMATSim1]
• 610 (33Q/41V), 12.01.11 [800Score1]
• 660 (42Q/40V), 29.01.11 [GMATPrep1]
• 700 (51Q/37V), 26.02.11 [GMATLife1]
• 650 (36Q/44V), 20.03.11 [800Score2]
• 670 (46Q/35V), 03.04.11 [MGMAT1].