rcharchar wrote:
I've been studying for a mid September GMAT test day for the past 6 weeks. My progress is as follows:
June 18 GMAT Prep Diagnostic- 560 (32Q 35V) | Spent the next four weeks using the Princeton Book and OG from last year doing only Quant problems. Studied 2hr/d.
July 11 MGMAT CAT 1 - 650 (40Q 38V) | Spent the next two weeks going over
MGMAT books. Finished Geo, FDPR, part of alg, part of number prop, part or word prob, all of argumentation. Worked on practice problems from current version of OG. Studied 3 hr/d.
July 29 MGMAT CAT 2 - 650 (43Q 36V) | Planning to spend the next week finishing the rest of the MGMAT math books and reviewing already finished books). Upping study to 4 hr/d.
I was somewhat disappointed with my lack of increase in quant score from MGMAT CAT1-CAT2. I don't really mind that my verbal score dropped because I haven't been focusing on that yet. I'm aiming for a composite of 700 and figure that if I get to 47Q 40V I will be right around my goal.
Is this a realistic plan? For those of you that have scored above 700, what do you suggest I do in order to achieve this 700+ score given my past study methodology? I have a 3.74 Undergrad GPA after majoring in finance. Will this help my chances of getting into a top b school if my Quant score is somewhat lacking?
Heya! Generally speaking, past a certain point simple practice isn't enough to improve your score. At some point the questions start coming out in formats that you may not be familiar with, and you will need to have a very good handle on the concepts that the GMAT tests, and be able to decipher each question and figure out which concepts are relevant.
With regard to your undergraduate major - I'm no admissions consultant, but my own research on the matter has indicated that having a quantitative undergraduate background can indeed put adcomms' minds to ease when it comes to whether you will be able to handle a given program's quantitative material. If your GMAT Q score isn't quite at the 80% mark, they might take a look at your undergraduate transcript, or at certifications like the CFA/CPA, or the field you work in, and so on.
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Hi, I'm DonQuixote, a former GMAT Pill student who scored 780. I'm very grateful for this score and have now joined their staff 
My account of my GMAT experience can be found here.
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