Aim for 800 on the GMAT, with 800score.com
Written: Aug 24 '04 (Updated Jan 28 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The actual tests; The test pacer; The tips and advice; Low cost
Cons: The 24- hour tutor
The Bottom Line: This is a very good course for the money and it WILL make a difference on test day.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: 800score com Complete GMAT Prep Package |
Gaining acceptance into a prestigious graduate- level business school requires a solid academic background and impressive resume of accomplishments. It also requires one other thing: a high score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test, or GMAT. Earning a high score can sometimes be achieved by reading books about the GMAT but if an individual is really serious about the GMAT, then he/she will likely turn to a more thorough, more rigorous mode of training. And one place that supplies this more in- depth training is the web- based service 800score.com, a site named after the highest possible score on the GMAT.
What Does This Service Offer:?
This is a complete GMAT prep course that includes everything except a live, in the flesh instructor. With the 800score.com Complete GMAT prep course, you get:
GMAT Math and Verbal Guide- This is a full guide to two of the three main GMAT components: the math and the verbal. This guide explains what the GMAT will test, how to spot tricky questions, and how to best manage your time. Also, there are separate guides that explain the ins and outs of the different types of questions covered on the GMAT: data sufficiency, critical reasoning, reading comprehension, and mathematics.
GMAT Essay Guide- This part of the test prep explains how to approach the third part of the test: the analytical writing assessment area of the GMAT. There are two written sections on the test, an analysis of an argument and an analysis of an issue. This guide explains how to organize your thoughts, create a quick outline, and then assemble the pieces together to compose the highest scoring essays possible.
Sample GMAT Tests- With this course, you get a total of five full GMAT tests to take, each with different questions and with simulation similar to the actual test, to make it as realistic as possible.
24 Hour Tutor- When you purchase this course, 800score.com includes a 24- hour tutor. This permits you, the customer, to e-mail any question you wish about the test, with a promise that you will get an answer back within 24 hours. This feature is good for one year from the date of purchase.
Test Pacer- This system is built into the sample tests. It tells you what question you should be working on, based on the time elapsed, the time remaining, and the question number you are on. In the early part of the test, correct answers are more critical, so the Test Pacer gives you more time here. When you get to the middle and then the end of the test, this built- in pacer will start to speed up because on the actual GMAT these questions are usually a little easier and do not require as much of your time to complete.
Costs for Usage:
Last time I checked, this full on- line course was selling for about $29. This is much less expensive than the cost of attending a full- service testing center or hiring a private tutor- options that can cost students hundreds of dollars or more in fees. If you want to write practice essays and have them professionally graded by 800score.com, you can purchase this service for another $15. The service hasn’t changed much in price over the last two years, and it really is a bargain when you consider the difference it can make.
Final Thoughts:
Taking a test like the GMAT requires a good amount of preparation and patience. I have taken this test twice- once in 1993 and then a second time in 2003 (I had to take it over because the scores are good for only five years) and I wrote a lengthy essay here in Epinions about how to take the test (Go to http://www.epinions.com/content_3421544580). Many things had changed since my first encounter with GMAT. The most important change is that the test is now administered by computer, which presents an entirely new set of challenges. With the new computerized format, you cannot go back to a past question; you must attempt to answer everything, even if you have to guess or else be penalized (a skipped answer will count against your score more than a wrong answer); you have to stare at a pc screen for nearly three hours; you have to write two essays (something that didn’t exist in the past); you have to write every note on scrap paper, including notes on the reading comp (you can’t very well place underline marks on a screen); and the computerized test responds to correct answers with more difficult ones (vice versa for wrong answers), which means it is critical to get questions correct in the beginning.
With all of these changes, adequate preparation is more critical now than it was in the past. When I took the test in 2003, one of the places I turned to for support was 800score.com and its test prep package. My situation was a little different than other people. I didn’t necessarily need an exceptionally high score to get where I wanted to go, but I did want and need at least a respectable score. I wanted to score at least a 650 (top 15 percent, 85th percentile), so I felt that utilizing a low cost on- line prep guide would suit my needs. I was proven correct on test day with a score that placed me in the top ten percent, and I have never regretted using 800score.com.
What people need to remember about tests like the GMAT is that strategy is just as important (some say even more important) than general knowledge. And with this course, strategy enhancement is what you get. Yes, there are some good, useful tutorials on algebra, geometry, grammar, etc., and for some people these alone can prove to be invaluable. But these types of tutorials are things that you can find elsewhere, without the use of a test prep course. With 800score.com, you get these tutorials and much more. You also get access to samples of questions that are very similar to the actual GMAT, access to tools that help you spot trick questions, and access to tools that help you learn to pace yourself, so that you don’t run out of time when test day arrives.
Probably my greatest personal obstacle on a standardized test is the time factor. This was one of the primary reasons why I signed up for this service. I wanted to find a good way to manage my time so I didn’t leave any questions blank on test day. With 800score.com, I utilized the Test Pacer system and gradually (it took more than one attempt) learned to better pace myself. I was especially concerned about pacing in the math section because I tend to get very stubborn when I take a math test. I don’t want to quit one question and move on to the next unless I’m certain I have properly solved the problem at hand. But this is something you really cannot afford to do on the GMAT. You have roughly two minutes on average to work each math question. You can spend a little more time on some questions than others and still get through the entire 37 question set. But you can’t allow yourself to dwell on problems for very long lest you run out of time. 800score.com helped me learn to overcome this problem of stubbornness and pace myself properly so I could finish the entire 37 question mathematic section before time expired.
I like the fact that this service gives you five full GMAT verbal and mathematical tests to take, each with different questions. After each test, the computer scores your responses and allows you to review each wrong answer, with a full explanation for each problem or question. The test simulates an actual GMAT, with the clock ticking away as you sweat through each question, so it is very useful for getting in the proper frame of mind for taking this computer based test.
One thing that I wished was a little bit better with this course is the 24- hour tutorial support. Don’t get the wrong idea about this (like I did at first)- it is not a 24- hour live support system that answers questions immediately. Instead, it is a promise from 800score.com that one of its professional tutors will get back with you within 24 hours if you e-mail a question. Considering the low cost of the program, I guess I shouldn’t have complained about the lack of a live tutor. But the title "24 hour tutor" led me to believe that it was something much greater than it really is.
800score.com is a good alternative for those who cannot afford the person-to-person test prep courses offered by Kaplan and other testing companies. I am an instructor for Kaplan Test Prep Centers, and one of the classes I teach now is the GMAT prep. In my opinion, the Kaplan classroom test prep system is the best one offered, but it’s also very expensive. It’s intended for those who really want/need a very high score on test day. For some, the classroom option is the way to go and the money often turns out to be a wise investment. For others it is either unnecessary or too expensive.
With the GMAT, just like with other college prep tests, there isn’t much room for error. True, you can always go back and take the test again, but why not prepare properly and get a high score the first time? This is why I recommend taking a test prep class. The personal tutoring offered by the major test prep centers is the best way to go, if you can afford it. But if money is tight, then I recommend at least paying for a test preparation service like 800score.com. There is more to getting a high score than just having a high level of knowledge, and 800score.com will inform you about these other important factors. It’s very inexpensive, relatively speaking, and it will likely make a substantial difference on test day.
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Recommended:
Yes
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