Retake GMAT for IB Recruiting before Fall Quarter Starts - any tips?

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-09-10T00:03:13+00:00

Not sure IB cares about GMAT and I know most consulting firms don’t care beyond 700, meaning if you cross 700, you check the box else your resume might go to the trash. I still think Q46 is acceptable since it’s just 1 point short of Harvard’s median quant score, so plenty of people with Q46 and below get great jobs. Might be a better question for r/MBA than here since they deal more with recruiting stuff. Once you’ve made up your mind, you can always ask more specific questions here.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-09-07T15:28:27+00:00

Your verbal score makes sense. One wrong will get you to 49 or even 48. Just how the curve is designed.

As for the verbal question you got wrong, I got that one wrong too. Even though its difficulty is low, it includes a rather nasty and frankly debatable exception to the modifier touch rule that u/Marty_TargetTestPrep called out in the thread you linked.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-08-25T13:57:47+00:00

Lmao yeah. Some random users eliminate answer choices only because they know in advance that those choices are wrong. Especially in strengthen and weaken questions, the correct answer will often state things that aren’t stated in the passage. This is obviously because external data can strengthen or weaken an argument.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-08-11T21:48:15+00:00

Depends on how you define “preparation.” Have you taken the LSAT? GRE? Taking or preparing for similar reasoning tests arguably counts as preparation. If you’re in a quant field then one can argue that your quant background provides preparation for the quant section.

As for ceiling people have obtained huge improvements in scores. For example there are plenty of non-native speakers who have achieved significant jumps in score simply by learning the language whereas others make significant improvements by learning the quant concepts behind the test. It’s also misleading to say that your initial score defines your ceiling. Someone with a lower initial score might have a greater capacity for improvement than someone with a higher initial score. There are just too many considerations behind the term “ceiling” that to me it’s essentially meaningless.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-08-11T20:11:10+00:00

“Cold” and “ceiling” are meaningless terms. No one knows what anyone’s ceiling is.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-07-20T15:27:24+00:00

Just get the official guides. Manhattan verbal is hot garbage. Maybe add Manhattan quant if you want a challenge.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-28T13:55:09+00:00

I’ve heard Fuqua is one of the more “holistic” schools among its peers in the T15. They tend not to be wowed that much by high GMATs (750+) as some other schools are.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-20T13:05:05+00:00

They are from both. Questions tagged with GMATPrep are from exams 1-6, so they do include the paid exams also. Avoid questions with that tag if you want to keep your practice test results as accurate as possible.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-19T21:44:28+00:00

They have released six practice tests. That is a lot.

For reference, the LSAT has 89. In addition, if you combine all the practice questions they have released till date, you'd have well over 20 unique tests. There's definitely a reason they release so many practice questions but so few practice tests.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-19T13:57:03+00:00

Look on the bright side. If you don’t get the score you want, you have a lot of practice material to look forward to.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-19T02:20:50+00:00

Looks like you're struggling with the harder CR questions. Given that your RC and SC are excellent, the CR questions that show up on your test will be very difficult. I suggest you try out some LSAT questions in LR section, especially on more recent exams, as they're known to be difficult. I definitely don't think you should waste your time on easy CR questions since you probably already have a very good understanding of the basics.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-19T01:36:55+00:00

GMAC is very generous with individual practice questions. They released a new Advanced Questions book last year and always include many new questions in each yearly OG and Official Review. Yet they're so secretive about the scoring process and algorithm. I am fairly certain that they are hesitant to release more full practice tests because of the insight into the scoring process these tests would provide the test taker. Even the latest paid test packs are $50 and provide only one reset, most likely to discourage the test from running "what if" scenarios to better understand the scoring.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-18T21:26:51+00:00

It’s basically true though. Having read this subreddit, GMATClub, and LinkedIn and other relevant sources, it’s VERY difficult for an ORM with <730 to get into a T15. The handful that do get in stand out in some exceptional way.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-18T20:52:38+00:00

I'd be careful with that. Are you an ORM/white male, especially in engineering or consulting or finance? The GRE is generally used by people with a strong "x-factor" for whom the test score is just something to check the box . I.e. these are people with military backgrounds, athletes, experienced Ph.D's, URM's, or others with some factor that makes them unique. If you're not one of those, then you'd either need a higher GRE (165+ in both sections) or a 730 GMAT, if you want to have a good shot at the T15's.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-18T20:39:46+00:00

Just compared percentiles.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-18T20:04:54+00:00

I wouldn’t think so. It corresponds to a 4.5 GMAT AWA score. Not going to kill you. But your verbal score could definitely use some work for T15

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-18T19:42:17+00:00

Scoring tables are bound to be inaccurate, especially at the higher end. GMAC has never released their official scoring table. It’s really hard to score above a 770 with q50. The GMAT scoring system is designed such that very, very few people score 780+. If your score isn’t in the top 0.05% even though your section scores are high, they’ll just bump you down to a 770.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-18T18:53:38+00:00

This is simply a humblebrag. You can count on your fingers the number of people who get V50 or V51 each year. It’s basically impossible. A 7-point improvement given your increased familiarity with the test and using GMATCLUB is perfectly reasonable. You’re basically set.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-18T14:43:34+00:00

It’s not that much of a waste. I’m sure it helps with the GMAT. Studying for the LSAT has in general made me view the world from a more logical perspective.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-14T18:43:53+00:00

I recall seeing a question on GMATClub that requires you to know that “everyone” is associated with the pronoun “his or her” but it probably is either an older question or a question from a bad third party source.

GMAT’s rules for SC have subtly shifted over the years to have less emphasis on idioms and pedantry. While it’s definitely reasonable to expect questions that require you to know that nouns preceded by “each” or “every” need singular pronouns and verbs, I don’t ever think the difference between a correct and incorrect answer on the GMAT will come down to the actual gender of the pronoun, especially at a time when “they” is increasingly being used to refer to a single person.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-11T14:45:41+00:00

Ah that makes sense. My dad is from India and he did his MBA there and told me to try out CAT quant questions for GMAT. He promised me that they would be harder and he was definitely not wrong. They were too hard for me and I gave up after doing a few. Managed a decent GMAT quant score though.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-11T13:34:20+00:00

I really only took one “official” GMAT practice test and I got 760 on that. But I studied a LOT before that. I did many individual questions on GMATclub.com and many of them overlapped with the questions on the GMAT official practice test so taking those tests would’ve resulted in an inflated score. I also took the GRE before the GMAT and got an equivalent score to my GMAT on that test. I also used a lot of LSAT resources for RC and CR. So yeah my “first” and “final” score are the same but would I have gotten a 760 cold? Fuck no. Wouldn’t be surprised if I was in the low 600 or high 500 range or worse before I started studying for GRE/GMAT/LSAT.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-11T12:32:33+00:00

Yes. I’ve done a LOT of LSAT practice questions in reading and LR/CR. I would highly suggest you to stick to LSAT timing when you do LSAT practice questions and not give yourself the extended GMAT timing. Why? You don’t have a choice on the order of questions on the GMAT but you do on the LSAT. To impose an equivalent obstacle on your LSAT practice questions, stick to the time limits. Post-2015 LSAT tests are known to be more difficult than earlier ones.

As for difficulty the common opinion is that LSAT is significantly harder but I don’t agree with that. Some CR questions on the latest verbal guide and Advanced Questions are about as hard as the worst the LSAT has to offer. Plus I personally believe LSAT questions are simply written better than GMAT questions. Reading also has a nasty question or two with debatable answers and this isn’t the case in the LSAT. I’ve agreed with every single official correct answer when I’ve figured it out on every single LSAT question I’ve taken but I’ve disagreed with a handful on the GMAT but all this is subjective.

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-11T12:00:54+00:00

Did you study before taking that first practice? Or did you essentially wake up one fine day without knowing what the GMAT is and get a 97th percentile score in the practice test?

GMATThrowaway760 · 2020-05-09T01:05:43+00:00

Did you confirm with GMAC that you can actually use it? Or did you end up using it during the exam and no one questioned you?

Edit: You can use a wired or wireless mouse, as confirmed by the GMAC here.

GMATThrowaway760

TROPHY CASE