Abdul29 wrote:
I blew the GMAT two years ago and decided to give it another go today by taking a GMATPrep test without brushing up on anything. I scored 610 (Q35,V38), which is quite close to my goal score as I only want 650.
What should I focus on at the moment? Re-study the quant section and give it another go in 1 month or so? Do I ignore the verbal section?
Dear
Abdul29,
I'm happy to respond.
My friend, I am going to begin by quoting a Chinese philosopher: "
In battle, the greatest misfortune is to underestimate your enemy." --Laozi. The same is very much true of the GMAT. Just because you have a "little" improvement to get from that 610 to 650, do NOT, do NOT assume that this will require just a little work. GMAT Prep is a reasonably good estimator, but many many people see a
huge drop from their GMAT Prep average to what they get on test day. Do not naively assume that a 610 on GMAT Prep automatically translates to a 610 on the GMAT. Do not be casual about this in any way. Do not take any section for granted or assume you simply can ignore part of the test. The absolute worst approach you could take would be to underestimate the GMAT. Give this absolutely your best shot. Much much better to over-prepare and overshoot a little, than to have a second bomb on test day.
Here are some free
GMAT Flashcards, for math & idioms. Much of that already will be familiar, but drill those cards until you know them all cold.
Also, see the
Magoosh GMAT Diagnostic Test.
You should know all the Quant basics cold: the formulas, the procedures, etc. In addition, you probably should start to integrate more sophisticated ways of thinking. See:
How to do GMAT Math FasterNumber Sense for the GMATThe
MGMAT books are all excellent. It would be worthwhile reading through that whole set. If you buy any volume, it comes with a code that gives you access to their practice GMAT CATs, which are the next best thing to GMAT Prep. They are great for further test-taking practice.
Magoosh also has a thorough product. Here's a sample math lesson:
Multiples Here's a sample SC question:
Having established a baseWhen you submit your answer, the next page will have a full video explanation. Each one of our 1000+ practice questions has its own VE: this kind of immediate feedback accelerates the learning process.
Even if you decide not to use
Magoosh, keep checking out the articles on that free blog: there's a lot there that can help you. The important thing is that you take this very seriously. Push yourself to be as well prepared as you have ever been in your life. If you always put forward your best effort, you will have considerably fewer regrets in life.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
Great response, it makes perfect sense. Thank you very much! I'll be sure to keep an eye on the blog.