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490 Diagnostic Test. Want At Least 650. 700 Ideal

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hellostranger57
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490 Diagnostic Test. Want At Least 650. 700 Ideal [#permalink] New post   28 Jan 2016, 11:29
Hello! I have been following this forum for quite a while now - even way before I started studying for the GMAT.

A little background about me:
Communication major - 3.7 GPA
I work in Marketing for a Tech/IT company
4 years full time work experience

Math has always been my weakness even in high school but i always managed to get a B+ at the very least due to my study habits. I'm mainly worried about the quant section. Currently, i'm in the MGMAT Interact course. I started studying only 2 weeks ago and I'm following MGMAT's syllabus. I have taken 2 CATs so far. Results below.

MGMAT CAT 12/30/15 - 490 (Q23, V32) - took this one cold - I have not done any Math (aside from basic computations at work, etc. since high school).
Veritas CAT 1/22/16 - 410 (forgot the %) - Really disappointed and frustrated :( I took the 2nd CAT after about a week of reviewing basic quant concepts using MGMAT Foundations of Math & a bit of FDP strategy guide. I was also very tired that day - not sure if that was any factor. I thought my score would go up even a bit but it went down drastically.

Looking for some advice now. Aside from MGMAT and OG books, what else do you think are must-have materials that will help me achieve my goal score of 650+? Am I setting the bar for myself too high? I study about 3-4 hours on weeknights and about 4-8 on weekends (it varies).

I have not scheduled to take the GMAT yet but basing from where I am right now, i am planning to take it mid-May. I will go on a family vacation in March for 10 days so i doubt I will be able to do some intense studying at that point and will lose about 1 or 2 weekends from now until May due to prior commitments.

Please help! I feel so discouraged right now.
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Re: 490 Diagnostic Test. Want At Least 650. 700 Ideal [#permalink] New post   28 Jan 2016, 12:10
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Hi hellostranger57,

With a planned May Test Date, you have plenty of time to study and improve, which is good. Taking a CAT every week in the early part of your studies isn't really necessary. As you continue to study, you will get to the point that taking a FULL CAT every 1-2 weeks will be a must (and when you get closer to Test Day, taking 1 CAT every week will be advisable). For now, you should focus on your training - re(learning) the concepts and learning/practicing Tactics. You should also plan on doing a full review of each of these CATs so that you can define WHY you were getting questions wrong and work to improve in those areas.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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OptimusPrepJanielle
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Re: 490 Diagnostic Test. Want At Least 650. 700 Ideal [#permalink] New post   28 Jan 2016, 21:32
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hellostranger57 wrote:
Hello! I have been following this forum for quite a while now - even way before I started studying for the GMAT.

A little background about me:
Communication major - 3.7 GPA
I work in Marketing for a Tech/IT company
4 years full time work experience

Math has always been my weakness even in high school but i always managed to get a B+ at the very least due to my study habits. I'm mainly worried about the quant section. Currently, i'm in the MGMAT Interact course. I started studying only 2 weeks ago and I'm following MGMAT's syllabus. I have taken 2 CATs so far. Results below.

MGMAT CAT 12/30/15 - 490 (Q23, V32) - took this one cold - I have not done any Math (aside from basic computations at work, etc. since high school).
Veritas CAT 1/22/16 - 410 (forgot the %) - Really disappointed and frustrated :( I took the 2nd CAT after about a week of reviewing basic quant concepts using MGMAT Foundations of Math & a bit of FDP strategy guide. I was also very tired that day - not sure if that was any factor. I thought my score would go up even a bit but it went down drastically.

Looking for some advice now. Aside from MGMAT and OG books, what else do you think are must-have materials that will help me achieve my goal score of 650+? Am I setting the bar for myself too high? I study about 3-4 hours on weeknights and about 4-8 on weekends (it varies).

I have not scheduled to take the GMAT yet but basing from where I am right now, i am planning to take it mid-May. I will go on a family vacation in March for 10 days so i doubt I will be able to do some intense studying at that point and will lose about 1 or 2 weekends from now until May due to prior commitments.

Please help! I feel so discouraged right now.


Since you have just started your preparation, you need not worry much about the score. This an certainly be improved.
Your mock score shows a clear lack of fundamentals. In your preparation so far, how did you study? What material did you follow?

1. Did you take the test including AWA and IR?
2. Did you complete both the sections? (There is a high penalty if you do not complete a section)

Also, I would recommend you to refrain from taking tests until you have gone through all the fundamentals.
You need to build the concepts/fundamentals before you jump in solving the problems. You can do so by choosing one of the following ways:

1. In person classes/private tutoring
2. Online classes
3. Self paced online preparatory course
4. Book heavy approach

Whatever you choose, make sure that you choose one. Because GMAT tests you on some concepts and fundamentals that you can learn from a course. Most of the prep companies including ours offer a free trial of the course. You can take the trial and see if the course suits you.

In addition to the preparatory material, buy the Official Guides too and the 4 official mock CATs. They should be an indispensable part of your preparation.

You need close to 3 months to prepare well for the GMAT, so a date in May is perfect.

1. Understand the concepts and fundamentals before jumping into problem solving
2. Solve full length CATs including AWA and IR. You can get two free GMAT Prep mock CATs and can purchase two more from mba.com
3. Make sure you solve the official questions from the Official Guide

You can certainly achieve the score of 700. So buckle up and start working!
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GMATPILLBILL
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Re: 490 Diagnostic Test. Want At Least 650. 700 Ideal [#permalink] New post   30 Jan 2016, 00:52
Hey hellostranger57,

With a test date in May, there is plenty of time to study. Try using this customized 2-3 month study plan to help boost your score: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... study-plan

Use this as a guideline. You don’t have to follow it exactly but the structure of the study plan should be the same structure that you take in your approach. This helps to optimize your retention and learning.

As you study, we recommend that you focus on one particular subsection for multiple consecutive days before moving onto the next. You can see this in our study plan where we recommend 5 days on nothing but SC -- before moving onto CR and then RC.

Here is a sample SC video to help you start your journey: https://www.gmatpill.com/sentencecorrect ... ythons.mp4

Best of luck - we are here to help.
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: 490 Diagnostic Test. Want At Least 650. 700 Ideal [#permalink]
30 Jan 2016, 00:52

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