2 Months Left, Working Full-Time, Accuracy Dropped.

Question

Hi everyone,

I need help and guidance from people who have been through this.

I am working full time and most weekdays I barely get time to study. Because of that my prep rhythm keeps breaking and my accuracy has dropped. I am using E?GMAT (I am already done with Verbal and Quant part, I saw a very little improvement) along with OG. Concepts taught at E?Gmat are ok but the lessons and explanations are usually lengthy and quite long. For me they are not suitable for exam conditions because I end up reading so much instead of training myself to think quickly and solve under time pressure. I feel I am falling behind.

Current situation -> Target score: 705
-> Exam in about 2 months
-> Accuracy down in both Quant and Verbal (Currently at 70% in medium)
-> Slow during mocks. I get stuck and time goes very fast
-> I know concepts and traps but still freeze or second guess
-> Weekdays are almost lost due to work. Weekends are my main study time
-> Already using OG

I do not want to lose this attempt. I want a more efficient approach that fits limited time.

What I need -> Study material that is short and straight to the point
-> Practice sources that help with both speed and accuracy
-> A 2-month plan designed for weekend prep
-> A weekday plan for 1 to 2 hours max
-> Advice on whether I should now move away from long lessons and focus more on timed practice + error log and review

My goal is to hit 705. I just need the right plan and efficient material to make these two months count.

If anyone has been in this position and crossed 700, your guidance and resource suggestions would really help.

Thanks a lot.

pintukr · Answer

Need to achieve focus through organized various difficulty-level questions available on the Forim Quiz. All the Best.

Kshitij1122 · Answer

Can u mention which filters to use for GMAT like questions?

ManifestDreamMBA · Answer

Do conscious practice - see where you falter, read through the posts by others and internalize the concept to not get the same kind of question wrong again. Try forum quiz and move to sectionals. All the best!

bb · Answer

Sometimes scores go down before they go up - here is one topic about some of the reasons it may happen: https://gmatclub.com/forum/why-do-gmat- ... 85544.html

hr1212 · Answer

If I am brutally honest here, and I generally don’t like to say this but I feel it’s nearly impossible to achieve your target within the given time unless you start compromising. Whatever I say next doesn’t hold true, if you are already near your target or 30-40 points away, because then you might have some fair idea on what needs to be done.

But if not, then you are targeting somewhere around 98% overall, needing an average of 85 sectional score across all three. And to get there you atleast need to start hitting 70-80% accuracy at hard level questions within 16 days (weekends).

So in case if you are looking for 70-100 points improvement, my first advice is to start making feasible milestones next. Ask yourself if you would be able to score an avg 655 consistently by end of next 2 weeks, avg 685 in 4 weeks and avg 705 in 6 weeks? As you might not be able to learn anything new in the last week. Realistically this is possible if you spend good time on your practice, but with your schedule, if you ask me can I get there without spending the required time, then unless you are quite sharp, it’s super difficult.

Next question you need to ask yourself is how important is it for you to get that 705? Your answer to this will help you reach to what’s feasible. I know that job could be demanding but then you need to evaluate the ROI you will get from spending more work hours now vs needing that high score? There’s no right answer here, but it will help you decide what you want to prioritise as it would be hard to give enough time to both and come out on the better side. As it’s true with work where good time investment gives you better outcomes, GMAT prep is also not that different.

I agree that these prep courses might seem lengthy if you are running tight on time, I gave up too multiple times after starting as I didn’t have that much patience. My solution to this problem was to get hold of books like Manhattan Prep where I can learn all the fundamentals quickly and then learn by practice by solving questions on GMAT Club for months until I was clear with most of the concepts in that topic and was hitting good timings on them.

Now this kind of practice alone might take hours, like if I have to put a number, it’s easily 3-4 hrs consistent daily practice for 8 weeks to improve somewhere b/w 50-100 points on the higher scale. And considering you have still work to do in DI, you need to add in the learning curve for one of the most challenging section in GMAT.

Take some time to think through these points and decide what feels like a realistic target for you based on your current state. I’m happy to share my thoughts whenever you want.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

When it comes to test prep resources, it’s important to find the one that best suits your learning style. 
This article explains the different prep resources you can use:  GMAT Focus Study Resources: Your Guide  
This article explains what to look for when choosing a prep course:  Best GMAT Focus Edition Prep Courses Online: What to Look For

Regardless of which resources you decide to use, my biggest piece of advice is to ensure you are studying in a topical way. In other words, be sure you focus on just ONE topic at a time and practice just that topic  until you achieve mastery . If you can study that way, I’m sure you will see improvement.

For each topic:  
 
  carefully review all of the rules, strategies, properties, formulas, and techniques related to that topic  
  locate and answer dozens of questions that test that topic.

For each question you answer incorrectly, ask yourself:  
 
  Did I make a careless mistake?   
  Did I incorrectly apply a related formula/property/technique?   
  Was there a concept I did not understand in the question?   
  Did I fall for a common trap? If so, what exactly was the trap?

By carefully analyzing your mistakes, you will be able to fix your weaknesses efficiently and, in turn, improve your skills. This process has been proven to be effective for all topics.

For more tips, check out these articles:  
 
   How to Increase Your GMAT Quant Score: Top 20 Tips    
   How GMAT Students With a Growth Mindset See Their Mistakes   
   Improving Your Accuracy on the GMAT   
   GMAT Error Log: Do I Need One?

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