How to improve from 380 to 650 in 1 month?

Question

Hi All,

I scored only 380 in my first practice test (Q32 V12 IR1)

Q: 27 Questions, 14 incorrect
V: 28questions , 18 incorrect

I got only one month left to go. I am full-time study GMAT now.
Can anybody help ? I'm not a english native speaker & need to score 650 in order to get the target college admission. Thanks a lot

pushpitkc · Answer

Hey kellychen4721

Welcome to GMATClub!

The first thing that you must remember while taking a test for the second time is
to complete the test(just run through the last questions for which you don't have
time with some random answer). This alone with help you cause a jump in your
score(which should have been in excess of 400)

Coming to the second part of your question, You will need to work considerably
hard for 2-3 months for the jump of 250 points. Of this, you should spend around
one month in understanding the basic concepts that are tested in GMAT. IMO, the
Manhattan Strategy guides definitely solidify your understanding of the concepts.
Once the concepts are clear you should practice questions for a time. It always
makes sense to follow up theory with relevant practice.

These are some links which might help with improving your score
SC: https://gmatclub.com/forum/sentence-cor ... 29750.html
CR: https://gmatclub.com/forum/critical-rea ... 28861.html
RC: https://gmatclub.com/forum/reading-comp ... 29341.html

In order to get a broad understanding of RC, you could read the below-given post
https://gmatclub.com/forum/guide-to-rea ... 21112.html

Last but not the least, you should try and focus on giving tests once you have are
confident with your preparation to iron out the small deficiencies that you may have.

Hope this helps you!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi kellychen4721,

Unfortunately, the goal to raise a 380 to a 650 in just one month is likely too challenging to be considered realistic. That type of score improvement will likely require at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

It sounds like your timeline is based on an upcoming application deadline; you have to remember your REAL Goal though - to get into your first-choice Program. There is no benefit in 'rushing in' an application if it is not strong enough (you would likely end up just getting rejected), so you have to give yourself enough time to properly put together a competitive application - and that might mean pushing back your Test Date and application plans. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Arro44 · Answer

Hello mate,

I would honestly take some more time to study, while it is not impossible to get from 380 to 650 - doing so in only one month is likely going to end up in a lot of stress and an eventual dissapointment.

Best regards,
Chris

kellychen4721 · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC

1) How long have you studied?
Around 1 month

2) What study materials have you used so far?
OG 2018 Quant (Finished all of the questions, but only 50% of the answers are correct)
OG 2018 Verbal
OG 2018 Main

3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
The best would be at the begining of of 2019. But if I got all rejected, then will apply for the 2019 Fall admission

4) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
USC - MBA
USC - Social Entrepreneurship
UC Berkeley - MBA
UC Davis - MBA
San Jose State University - MBA

Most likely I wish to study in/near San Francisco. MBA is like a personal asset in my country that can earn more salary while Social Entrepreneurship is what I'm interested about. My goal is to start a profitable business and do sth meaningful.

ccooley · Answer

I agree with Rich. Improving from 380 to 650 in one month is almost certainly unrealistic. That said, how quickly you improve depends on why your score was low in the first place. It sounds like you didn't finish either section of the test. If you don't finish, the test algorithm 'pretends' that you missed all of the remaining questions, which causes your score to drop quickly. It's important to finish the whole section, even though that means you'll need to guess. (It's better to guess on hard questions throughout the test than to guess only at the end, too.) Just finishing the test will probably give you some extra points, but not as many as you need. Once you're able to finish an entire practice GMAT without pausing or running out of time, you should analyze it and start looking at your strengths and weaknesses to decide what to study first: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... ts-part-1/

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi kellychen4721,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores. If you've been studying for just 1 month - and you plan to study for just 1 additional month - then there will likely be a limit to how much you could improve.

From what you describe, you're actually considering the Round 2 application deadlines (not the Round 1 deadlines) for those various Programs - and that would give you 4+ months of additional potential study time. This is all meant to say that you appear to have that necessary study time, so you should plan to take advantage of it.

Your studies so far appear to have been "book heavy." Unfortunately, that type of study approach can sometimes be problematic. Even the best books are limited in what they can teach you; they also can't force you to approach questions in a certain way and their explanations are often one-sided. As such, you might find it beneficial to invest in some new, non-book resources - such as an online GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led). Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at our site (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

With the proper time and resources, you should be able to score a lot higher than this current 380. It's important to remember that the GMAT will always give you the score that you EARN though; you have to give yourself the necessary time - and put in the necessary efforts - to earn that higher Score.

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

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

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