400 score on GMAT practice test (first time) want to get it to 590ish

I think 6 months is more than what most test takers spend preparing for the GMAT, so 2-3 months is not bad at all. That said, the larger point about keeping your options open is a good one. If you've just started preparing for the exam, that 400 might not be very representative of what you're capable of (you might see large increases in your score with just a little more prep).

Hi 600gmat,

From what you describe, there are some 'variables' in terms of what you could potentially achieve (and when). To start, raising a 400 to a 590+ will likely require at least 3 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. As such, you should certainly consider pushing back your current Test Date.

If you would be satisfied with a score in the low-500s (530, for example), then you could potentially hit that mark in 2 months (or maybe less) depending on how quickly you can learn the content, Tactics and patterns of the GMAT. If you are dead-set on taking the GMAT by early August ("at the latest"), then that would give you about 2.5 months of study time - and that might place a limit on how high you can score. No one here knows what you are capable of though (as far as the GMAT is concerned) so there's no way to 'guarantee' that you would hit any of those higher levels by a particular date. You will certainly want to be efficient with however you choose to approach this process, so you would likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led).

1) Based on the timeline you've described, I assume that you're looking at the Round 1 application deadlines. What are those exact deadlines? What are the Round 2 deadlines?

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

Best Books

For Concept Learning

Manhattan Quant Guides
Manhattan Verbal Guides
For CR: The Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible
For RC: Aristotle RC Grail

For Practice

The Official Guide for GMAT 2015-18
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review 2015-18
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2015-18

Strategies

You can start with Quant or Verbal which suits you. If you have started with Quant then Start with the Arithmetic but if started with verbal then start first with Sentence correction. One month for learning Quant concepts and one month for practicing question and same practice for Verbal. During you Practicing question don't forget to make an error log to track your weak areas after practice. Once you know your weak areas revise your Concepts related to those areas and do some more Practice. 6-8 CATs are enough for practice the real tests. Make your Stamina for sitting 3 hours in the test and don't study more than 2 hours in one sit and 4 hours per day

Top CATs for Practice

1. Official GMAC CATs
2. Manhattan CATs
3. Kaplan CATs
4. GMAT Club Quant CATs

Good Luck

Hi 600gmat,

I would highly encourage you to aim a little higher. Even if you are scoring low right now it doesn’t imply that you will not get better. I have met several people who started really low but have nonetheless scored enviable scores and made it to top business schools. It’s a good thing you have taken your GMAT Mock once. You now know your weaknesses and work on them. If you are willing to study dedicatedly for Three months, you are sure to achieve your goal. I believe you may benefit from taking a GMATPREP course. If you are willing, there are some great GMAT prep companies that can help you with your preparation.

In order to make an informed decision I would highly encourage you to go to their websites and try on their free trial and decide for yourself which one do you like better. You try out free access to EmpowerGMAT, Magoosh and Optimus Prep as they have great reviews on GMATCLUB.

Also for verbal, I would highly encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses especially designed for non-natives. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market. You can easily track your progress in that you can identify your strengths and analyze and improve on your weak areas.

You can also try out the MGMAT guides they are phenomenal and cover the entire syllabus really well. MGMAT foundation of GMAT Quant anf foundation of GMAT verbal will particularly help you solidify your base. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in Quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them.

Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas.

Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that.

I would also encourage you to purchase the latest version of OG and the verbal review for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... ml?fl=menu

Lastly, you can check out a very interesting article by Mike McGarry from Magoosh detailing a 3 month study plan

https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-g ... -students/. You will find it very helpful as it gives out a study plan as per your needs.

Hope this helps. All the best.