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3rd Attempt - New Approach/Strategy needed

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jenks88
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3rd Attempt - New Approach/Strategy needed [#permalink] New post   02 Jul 2017, 07:56
Good afternoon,

I am about to embark on studying for my third attempt at the GMAT and am looking for inspiration for how I can change my approach and do something different for this attempt.

I need a 100pt increase in my last score ideally (640) and am struggling with what I can do differently. I scored well in practice exams but seemed to fall apart on game day.

I did all 6 GMATPrep sample papers, 400 questions as well as Veritas papers and questions (took the weekday online course) and have been through their materials thoroughly. I found myself remembering the answers for a lot of questions I had seen before which isn't helping my studies.

I don't seem to have a particular weakness in one area (making it more difficult to find where I am going wrong, so i think its general approach/strategy rather than knowledge), just on some tests I bomb one section or the other. I also find it difficult to work out good take aways for verbal questions and log my errors effectively.

Any help greatly appreciated
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Re: 3rd Attempt - New Approach/Strategy needed [#permalink] New post   02 Jul 2017, 10:49
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Hi jenks88,

First off, a 640 is a strong score (it's a bit shy of 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:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admission ... tants-124/

If you're certain that you want to retest, then it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long did you study before each of your GMATs?
2) How did you scored on each of your GMATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each)?

Goals:
3) What is your goal score?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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jenks88
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Re: 3rd Attempt - New Approach/Strategy needed [#permalink] New post   03 Jul 2017, 00:05
I studied from mid Feb to mid May. Studied fairly relentlessly most weekends and evenings around 12hour work days. After my first attempt, i stepped it up a gear as much as i could and i genuinely don't think I could have spent more time studying. Leads me to believe that its the quality / strategy of my studying and not the effort i put in.

Score 600 (Q 40 / v 32), 2nd attempt 640 (Q 41 v 36)

These scores were of the lows of the practice exams i did close to the exam (ranged from 650 - 700, and Q scores of mid 40s and V scores of mid-late 30s).

Looking at my scores its been difficult to consistently get a high score on both sections. Tend to only do well on one

Ideal score would be 730 as i would like to go to a top school (Berkeley type of quality, HBS/SBS are out of reach but next tier)

Appreciate your help
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Re: 3rd Attempt - New Approach/Strategy needed [#permalink] New post   03 Jul 2017, 19:20
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Hi jenks88,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. As such, your two Official Score are 'closer' than you might think - and they imply that you performed at the same general level both times you took the GMAT (about 620 +/- a few points). Based on the inconsistencies that you described in your Quant and Verbal practice scores, you probably don't know the content (and the necessary Tactics and patterns) well enough to score higher. With a score goal of 730+, you will likely need at least another 2-3 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.

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: 3rd Attempt - New Approach/Strategy needed [#permalink] New post   04 Jul 2017, 12:03
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Seems you may want a stronger "takeaway" after reviewing verbal questions.

One tip could be before you go to bed - make a mental note of what you want to do differently next time for a few specific verbal questions -- so you don't make the same mistake next time.

Then when you wake up the next morning - try to re-attempt these questions with these mental notes in mind.

The idea is that by sleeping on it - when the material is fresh in your mind - your ability to absorb/change to a new way of thinking can be stronger than it might be at other parts of the day.

Also, we recommend a divide and conquer approach.

Maximize improvement first by focusing - -then mix it up to test your ability to toggle between various question types.

For more practice, visit: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-test

You can learn more about us at: https://www.gmatpill.com/testimonials
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Vivian001
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3rd Attempt - New Approach/Strategy needed [#permalink] New post   22 Aug 2017, 03:54
It really strange and difficult. Sorry, I have no idea.
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3rd Attempt - New Approach/Strategy needed [#permalink]
22 Aug 2017, 03:54

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