380 to 650, any possibility in 2 months?

Question

I've just completed the first practice test from Gmat Prep and I scored 380. Here are the stats:

https://i.imgur.com/Mruyh8S.png

I have to say that all I did before the practice test was to review the GMAT's structure and then I reviewed some basic concepts about geometry, prime numbers, etc.

And after having completed the test this is more or less how I feel:

- Couldn't finish on time the Integrated Reasoning.
- Finished the Quantitative section (4 minutes left)
- I couldn't answer many stupid questions about geometry that I was able to answer when I was 14yo (Is the Quantitative Review 2015 book enough? I also have the OG15 and Verbal Review 2015)
- I answered randomly to 5-7 questions in the Verbal section because I ran out of time at the end (answered 38/41) 
- Verbal questions make me feel much more tired than the quantitative ones (at the end I didn't even care what I was reading)

Do I have any chance to get somewhat around 650? I'm on my last year of the Bachelor of Economics right now and I think that I can spend around 2-3 hours/day on this for the next 60 days.

I have to say also that I've always been really bad at math and you can also deduct from my poor English that I'm not a native speaker (Spanish).

I don't know if I should continue or not. If I do and I don't succeed, then I just hope that this effort would allow me to get some math ability because I always wanted to have it.

Where should I start? My plan now is to go one by one on all the answers and get them all right and start to understand the concepts that I need to focus on.

Any suggestion is highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

chetan2u · Answer

hi,
firstly believe it that reaching 650 from your present score is not very tough..
just few words of advice...
1)verbal:-
 a) SC- sentence correction is one which will give you that extra time for completing verbal in time. SC tests you on very limited topics so yes one can improve drastically on it. it nowhere tests our vocabulary. so just check this club and also try to get hold of notes of people in SC. when you do a question, look for reasons for the reasons it is wrong or right and add anything new to your existing notes...
b) CR- it is to do more with logical reasoning than verbal proper. there are again set patterns of question. it requires time and effort to improve..
c) RC- yes this is the most boring topic for even native speakers. and practice ofcourse is most important but if you get hold of above two, you will soon find yourself improving in this with the confidence that builds in..

2) quant:-
 a) brush up your 12th std maths and basics because it rarely goes above that.
b) yes DS requires to look at the question much more closely than one should feel..
c) just a point for DS, whenever you see two variables x and y, both can have same value, can be negative, can be 0 or can be fraction, unless specified..

start your preparations and 650 should not be a tough task.. all the best

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

I have to disagree about that. It's very rare to see a 270 point improvement in 2 months. In fact, while such improvements do happen, it's very challenging to achieve them in any amount of time! I'm not trying to be discouraging; I just want to provide a realistic response to your question.

So, let me fire a question back. If you don't hit 650 in 2 months, what's the backup plan? Do you absolutely have to have to that score ready in 2 months?

So, let me fire a question back. If you don't hit 650 in 2 months, what's the backup plan? Do you absolutely have to have to that score ready in 2 months?

Xenion7 · Answer

Thanks for replying!

It's a bit confusing, but I think that I get the point from both replies. It's a matter of consistency, work and patience in order to get the score I want.

I was asking on how to prepare in order to get the best possible score from the stats that I got on the first prep test (considering that I didn't even look at any of the exercises before). And if you think that it's near to impossible to get something around 650, then I think that my GMAT journey would end today and I'd move on to another thing.

Well, my plan is to study a MSc in Finance right after my bachelor of Economics. I've already been accepted to a very good program in a top business school in Spain. But I wanted to try also at another school in France because it apparently places theirs students very well in London, but they require a GMAT score (the mean is 650).

If couldn't get into the school in France that wouldn't be a big problem since I was very happy when I got accepted to the program I wanted at the business school in Spain (CUNEF). But if I got accepted to both, then I'd change my mind probably.

What I want to avoid is taking the GMAT, get a score of 550 and get rejected. That would be a waste of time...

Thanks a lot again!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Xenion7,

There are a number of important factors in your situation, which I'll go into. First though, the immediate answer to your question is probably NO - you're not likely to improve 270 points in 2 months. However, you could possibly improve that much with MORE time and the right combination of resources.

I want to review some of the information that you've provided, since it impacts your situation and potential:

1) You basically did no practice before taking the GMAT. It doesn't sound like you had taken many (if any) practice CATs before this Test, so you were unprepared to face the Official GMAT. The average score on the Official GMAT most years is right around 540-550 (and that is a large group of people; most put in some serious study before taking the Test). We have no idea of your "peak" score is yet. This score is just a "starting score."

2) That prior point having been said, you have a LOT of work to do to raise those scores. You'll need to learn (or relearn) the content as well as the tactics, patterns and 'secrets' to the Test. Most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time preparing for the GMAT; during that time, it's common to spend 10-15 hours per week (or more) on the process.

3) There are some non-content areas that you also need to work on. The pacing and 'energy' problems that you faced in the Verbal section have to be dealt with. If you did NOT answer those last 3 Verbal questions, then they were automatically marked as Incorrect AND were then PENALIZED. Going forward, you have to make sure to answer EVERY question, even if you're just guessing.

4) You mentioned that the MEAN score at the School in France is 650. That does NOT mean that you need a 650 - it means that you need to be "in range" of what that School considers an acceptable GMAT score. A 550 would probably be too low, but since neither you, nor I, work for that School, we can't say that for sure (especially if the rest of your application is strong).

You don't have to make any decisions about all of this just yet, but given your goal (and the 380 that you're starting with), you're likely going to need to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or Instructor-Led). Most Test Takers can't make huge score leaps on their own.

When do you have to decide about whether you'll attend the School in Spain (or not)?

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

sarahrs · Answer

Your most important aim is passing your undergrad. GMAT can wait. Often for masters. Schools will take admissions up to start of term. Check what the school does admission wise.

Good luck.

Posted from my mobile device

Xenion7 · Answer

Hi guys,

Good news.

I got a response from the French school today and they told me that I can provide the GMAT score after the deadline for submitting the documents. That means that now I have like 3-4 months to prepare.

1) Thanks for that info, I didn't know how it worked.

2) I can study for 15 quality hours a week, no problem.

3) I knew about the penalization and I really have to work at it. I guess that the best way to do so is by practicing as many times as possible with mock tests no? One question, if you have 3 minutes left and 3 questions left, what is the best strategy? Answering randomly to the 2 first and then deposit the rest of the time on the last one?

4) That's why I said something around 650. To be honest I think that a score of 620 would be enough since I have previous experience in Investment Banking and I speak a bit of French as well. But I wouldn't prepare for the GMAT test if I'm now certain that it's almost impossible to go from 380 to ~650 because I have to also consider that on the test day I'd be nervous, and many other aspects may affect negatively my real score.

If I do this I'd do it by myself. In fact, I've always been an autodidact person and I prefer it this way.

I'll have to decide on May.

So now you recommend me to review all the answers and to create a some sort of an error log to introduce the things where I should focus on? Or first read the books and then assess the questions answered on the GMAT Prep test?

Thank you very much!

I agree and in fact I should improve a little bit my GPA. But I want to do a master's degree in Finance next year and I consider both programs to be really good for my career.

Thanks!

techitytech · Answer

Considering how far you need to improve your score, I would try to put in more than 15 hours per week.

Also, I wouldn't keep doing practice tests. With a starting score that low, you really need to work on fundamentals and the practice tests are going to be a stress inducing waste of time. Plus, you are going to run out of practice tests long before you get to the score you want. You really need to pick up the Manhattan GMAT guides and get that content down (You also get 5 CATs when you buy the Manhattan guides). Learn the fundamentals and build from there. I didn't take my first full practice test until I had put in over 100 hours with the guides. Also pick up the Official guide, the official quant guide, and the official verbal guide. Even with 3-4 months, you are going to have to stay focused and put in the time if you want to get to 650.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Xenion7,

Since you have not done much work yet, it's too early to focus on an Error Log (you'll introduce that into your studies a little later). For now, you need to put in some time familiarizing yourself with the content/knowledge and tactics needed to improve your score. You should not take a lot of CATs just yet, since a CAT is just a "measuring device" - it gives you an approximate score and points out your weaknesses. Going forward, you should plan to take 1 CAT every 1-2 weeks to gauge your progress.

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

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