Gave GMAT (660- Q49 , V32) today !!! Need Help !!!

Hi ThePlayer,

First off, a 660/Q49 is a strong score (it's right around the 80th percentile overall), so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi Rich ,

Thanks for your reply . I am planning to apply for ISB , INSEAD , LBS , Kelley , Emory , and was planning to apply in August/September , however (correct me if I am wrong) these schools are pretty out of my reach as of now , and I don't want to give up too easily (given that it was my first attempt) on my dream b schools. What can really help me is improvement in my Verbal Score and for that I am thinking of giving a shot to other gmat courses.

Hi ThePlayer,

While I'm sure that a significantly higher GMAT score would probably help your overall application, I can also tell you that your 660 is 'in the range' of what all of those Schools are looking for (albeit at the lower end of the range).

If you are set on retesting though, there are some resources that you could use that could help you to hone your Verbal skills and score higher in that section in a relatively short period of time.

1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used so far during your studies?
3) When would you be thinking about retaking the GMAT?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi Rich ,

Below are the answers to the questions.

1) How long have you studied? - I have given roughly 6 months - started preparing for GMAT in Jan'16.
2) What materials have you used so far during your studies? - Plethora of materials -
Started with Official Guide (Verbal + Quant) , Jamboree's GMAT course , MGMAT books , E-GMAT (Verbal Live Prep) . For tests - GMAT prep , MGMAT tests , 800 score tests.
3) When would you be thinking about retaking the GMAT? August'16.

Hi !! Congratulations on scoring 660 on your first attempt.

A initial prep. time of 6 months is good. Every person has a different pace of study hence your first question is inappropriate. You need not worry about that.

You may have used GMATprep tests/ MGMAT tests to access your score. What is important is to reconcile the errors in these mock tests. The most important aspect of your study henceforth should be to analyse the pattern of mistakes you make on any particular topic/ Subject.

Its evident your score plunged due to Verbal.
There may be many points, which may require a perspective change/ approach.
Instead of just picking the best answer, try to understand why the other four are wrong.

Your life would be a lot simpler, if you follow the link : how-to-improve-verbal-from-v30-to-v40-142361.html

Once you understand how to proceed, review the notes posted by moderators and experts.
all-sc-rules-official-qs-by-experts-legendary-club-members-145563.html#p1167269

Goodluck
=========================================================================================
"If a street performer makes you stop walking, you owe him a buck"
"If this post helps you on your GMAT journey, drop a +1 Kudo "

Thanks Nightfury14 , I will go through these links and will try to focus more on analyzing mistakes . Meanwhile would you also suggest joining any other course during this prep time ?

I am sorry that the test day did not go as planned.

1. Were you mentally or physically exhausted before the test?
2. Did you sleep properly the night before the test?
3. Did you take both breaks between the test?

Treat bygones as bygones and start a fresh. Take out those books/course material that you have been following and go through the concepts again. You can improve a lot from V32. I would recommend you to take another 2 - 3 months to prepare and then give test. You can buy the Exam Pack 1 and 2 and the Question Pack 1 from mba.com for additional practice.

1. Did you complete the OG and the Verbal Review?
2. Did you prepare an error log?

Try to drill down deep in each problem type

SC: The questions test various concepts such as S-V agreement, modifiers, parallelism etc. Find out what troubles you.
CR: There might be certain types of questions that are troubling you. May be Assumption, may be conclusion, inference etc.
You need to find that out and then practice them
RC: This again can be drilled down into different types of questions and also different topics. See what questions and topics trouble you the most and then practice accordingly.

As an addition, start preparing an error log and keep a note of all the mistakes you made and the lessons you learnt from the problems. This will ensure you do not make the same mistake again.

If you want, you can opt for our money back guarantee. We offer a 50 point score improvement or full money refund. Our guarantee shows our confidence in the course.
You can find the details of the course here: https://www.optimus-prep.com/gmat-on-demand-course/

Hi!!
I am not sure about the rest of the schools, but unless you are looking to submit your application with the request for a scholarship, you are safe for INSEAD and ISB.
The INSEAD 1st round of Application date is in September followed by another two rounds.
The only importance of the first round is that if you wish for a scholarship grant - you should submit in the early rounds.
The same follows for ISB.
Check the dates online for the application submission and revert incase you find any new info.

Goodluck
=========================================================================================
"If a street performer makes you stop walking, you owe him a buck"
"If this post helps you on your GMAT journey, drop a +1 Kudo "

Well, i have not used any of the courses so my opinion would be invalid.

That said, i do have a suggestion, revisit the 700+ problems/ review the answers you have attempted incorrectly.
Try and understand the concept of the answers.
Like i said in my previous post - "knowing why an answer is correct is important, but its equally important to know why the other four are wrong".
I say this because i have had a chance to review the online resources. If your concepts are already strong, then proper application is what your need.

Go through each of the video's thru the link on this post.

This itself is a mammoth task. If you already know all or most of the concepts - "Enrolling into a course will not open up Pandora's box for you".
Think over it and realize your need accordingly.

hope this helps. Moreover any new info you get or my thought process is flawed, do let me know (shall improvise as well).

Goodluck
=========================================================================================
"If a street performer makes you stop walking, you owe him a buck"
"If this post helps you on your GMAT journey, drop a +1 Kudo "

Hi ThePlayer,

With a 660, you're closer to a 700+ score than you probably realize, so It wouldn't take much to pick up those missing points. However, you will have to learn some new Tactics and make some fundamental changes to how you 'see' (and respond to) the Verbal section. After 6 months of study, you've likely developed some 'bad habits' that are keeping you from scoring higher - and it will take time to fix those habits (and replace them with new 'good habits'). In theory, with the proper materials you could be ready in a month (or less) depending on your study routine.

1) How many hours do you study during a typical week?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi Rich , I am able to spend 2-3 hours everyday. I think one of the bad habits that I have got into is not analyzing mistakes thoroughly , I should start making error log and track down my mistakes.

Hi ThePlayer,

While you don't have to study every day, the fact that you're studying in 'small chunks' throughout the week is good. Given your timeline and everything that you've described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Verbal Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients finish that Study Plan in under a month, so it would fit your schedule perfectly. We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an Account.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi ThePlayer,

I am in the same boat as you are/were. Scored 660 q50 v28 in my first attempt. I took egmat verbal online. I am planning to write GMAT again and planning to go for verbal live this time. Let me know your views on verbal live.

I am aiming 730+ for this time. What course did you choose?

Pranav