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480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed

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turnablecheese
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480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   14 Mar 2015, 08:02
A little back ground - I am an Indian with a full-time job in a reputed company. I have scheduled my GMAT for the 25th of April and have had very limited prep time due to crazy work days. My targeted score is anything above 700.

I started studying on during the first week of FEB with the aim of sticking to Magoosh's 3 month study plan. After 2 weeks of struggling to keep up with their schedule I started falling behind. It would take me around 3 days to finish 1 day of prescribed work.
I also, had to go out of town for work and had some other activities that led me to waste many days.
Essentially, not the best quality time was spent on the GMAT so far.
So I shelved the Magoosh plan and just started solving from the OG clocking in about 5 to 10 problems from each section per day after going through the introductory text.

My involvement in other activities have kept my weekends and some evenings tied up and I only had today to finally sit down and complete the first mock end to end. Only to reveal the disastrous fruits of my efforts so far!

My countdown shows only 41 days left right now and I am relying on the OG and the Magoosh premium membership as my only resources. I also have a copy of the Princeton GMAT 2014 book.

Tomorrow is my final volunteer commitment till the exam, which will render my day wasted (No GMAT studying).

I plan on cramming the Magoosh videos into the upcoming week (Mon to Fri) along with around 5 problems per section and then try taking on the mock again next Saturday in anticipation of an improvement.

Next week onwards, I shall have 2 hours every evening after work, and 1 hour every morning before work to prepare, and also have at least 8 hours free on each day of the upcoming 7 weekends.
This clocks up to about 187 hours of prep that I HAVE to stick to and I want each and every minute to count.

Any suggestions on how to make the best out of this would be most appreciated.

P.S.: I understand the my conditions and current mock score make me a potential candidate for a second attempt. But I do not want to consider this option right now since it would mean sacrificing a lot of planned activities and projects.

Also, a consideration: My main weakness right now is focus and concentration. An interesting RC problem tends to take me down a nice rabbit hole of imagination.
So any tips on that would be much appreciated as well.
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Re: 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   14 Mar 2015, 10:53
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Before you go to bed, try to make a mental note of your learnings from that day. When you wake up - recall those learnings once more. This helps you retain any insights and makes it easier for you not to make the same mistake twice.

For more psychological tips, please see: https://www.gmatpill.com/about/studying- ... trategies/
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Re: 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   14 Mar 2015, 11:18
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GMATPill wrote:
Before you go to bed, try to make a mental note of your learnings from that day. When you wake up - recall those learnings once more. This helps you retain any insights and makes it easier for you not to make the same mistake twice.

For more psychological tips, please see: https://www.gmatpill.com/about/studying- ... trategies/


Yes... I fully endorse the practice of logging your learning :) I made flash cards of what I learned from each question I solved and devoted half an hour a day to go through the flash cards...
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AmrithS
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Re: 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   14 Mar 2015, 09:15
Hi:
You're super stressed about the GMAT aren't you? Although as little bit of stress is good, too much of it does not bring the best out of you.

So let us start with some basic questions:
1. When are you applying for your MBA? (Very Important)

Regards,
Amrith
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Re: 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   14 Mar 2015, 12:02
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Hi turnablecheese,

You're not the first person to have a busy career/life and try to study for the GMAT (with a high score goal), so try to do your best to stay calm and organized about this whole process.

This first question is going to be a little 'tough' to think about, but it's important to define your situation. What's MORE important - taking the GMAT on April 25th OR scoring 700+?

I ask because it does not appear that you've given yourself enough time to do both. While there is no harm in taking the GMAT as planned (since Business Schools don't care if you take the GMAT more than once), your plan is not likely to succeed....and you're likely to just end up continuing your studies and taking the GMAT again at a later date. Improving 220+ points in under 40 days is not a practical goal. Most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on the process to hit their respective "peak" scores, so you really have to give yourself more time than you have.

By planning for a longer, more realistic study time-frame, you'll reduce some of the stress that you're feeling and increase your chances at success. You might also have to invest in some new GMAT resources.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   15 Mar 2015, 21:37
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turnablecheese wrote:
A little back ground - I am an Indian with a full-time job in a reputed company. I have scheduled my GMAT for the 25th of April and have had very limited prep time due to crazy work days. My targeted score is anything above 700.

I started studying on during the first week of FEB with the aim of sticking to Magoosh's 3 month study plan. After 2 weeks of struggling to keep up with their schedule I started falling behind. It would take me around 3 days to finish 1 day of prescribed work.
I also, had to go out of town for work and had some other activities that led me to waste many days.
Essentially, not the best quality time was spent on the GMAT so far.
So I shelved the Magoosh plan and just started solving from the OG clocking in about 5 to 10 problems from each section per day after going through the introductory text.

My involvement in other activities have kept my weekends and some evenings tied up and I only had today to finally sit down and complete the first mock end to end. Only to reveal the disastrous fruits of my efforts so far!

My countdown shows only 41 days left right now and I am relying on the OG and the Magoosh premium membership as my only resources. I also have a copy of the Princeton GMAT 2014 book.

Tomorrow is my final volunteer commitment till the exam, which will render my day wasted (No GMAT studying).

I plan on cramming the Magoosh videos into the upcoming week (Mon to Fri) along with around 5 problems per section and then try taking on the mock again next Saturday in anticipation of an improvement.

Next week onwards, I shall have 2 hours every evening after work, and 1 hour every morning before work to prepare, and also have at least 8 hours free on each day of the upcoming 7 weekends.
This clocks up to about 187 hours of prep that I HAVE to stick to and I want each and every minute to count.

Any suggestions on how to make the best out of this would be most appreciated.

P.S.: I understand the my conditions and current mock score make me a potential candidate for a second attempt. But I do not want to consider this option right now since it would mean sacrificing a lot of planned activities and projects.

Also, a consideration: My main weakness right now is focus and concentration. An interesting RC problem tends to take me down a nice rabbit hole of imagination.
So any tips on that would be much appreciated as well.


Here is my evaluation of your situation from the available data:

1. You are working full time in a reputed Indian firm - this makes me assume that you have had a decent education. If yes, then I refuse to believe that your basic "Math" is bad. You haven't given your Quant/Verbal split but I would assume that once you "review concepts" thoroughly, many more questions would come easily to you. So if you invest 10 days in the Quant curriculum of a test prep company, you should see major improvements. I think 600 level questions should be do-able for you after that.

2. Your "English" doesn't seem bad either. There might be issues in grammar but reading comprehension should be pretty ok. Critical Reasoning is extremely logical and process oriented and is one of those topics that I love to teach because a 3 hr session makes a world of difference in people's ability to handle CR questions. Again, it's about getting your basics right - something in which OG cannot help you.

So my suggestion is that you should get the complete curriculum of a test prep company and start from scratch. Ensure that your basics are in place. That itself will take care of half of the problem.
Also, we have an immersion course coming up in India. It's a 7 day dedication to GMAT - basic and advanced concepts. Check it out here: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/gmat-im ... rse-india/
It could be just the thing for you!
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torontobound
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480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   Updated on: 16 Mar 2015, 06:05
Not an expert, but you're probably going to have to do the exam again. If you're not committed to studying for the intensive exam that is the GMAT, then you need to make the time. I know work can be crazy, but unfortunately, it's clear based on your first mock that you need more time and more practice. Most people usually end up taking the GMAT twice anyway.

And listen, unless there's a time crunch or something (e.g. applying to schools), just take it easy and apply next year.

Source: am full time working professional

Originally posted by torontobound on 16 Mar 2015, 05:42.
Last edited by torontobound on 16 Mar 2015, 06:05, edited 1 time in total.
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1991sehwag
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Re: 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   16 Mar 2015, 05:45
Do not be in a hurry Bro ; I took twice , scored in 500's . This time going slowly and steadily
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Re: 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink] 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed   20 Mar 2015, 08:45
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turnablecheese wrote:
A little back ground - I am an Indian with a full-time job in a reputed company. I have scheduled my GMAT for the 25th of April and have had very limited prep time due to crazy work days. My targeted score is anything above 700.

I started studying on during the first week of FEB with the aim of sticking to Magoosh's 3 month study plan. After 2 weeks of struggling to keep up with their schedule I started falling behind. It would take me around 3 days to finish 1 day of prescribed work.
I also, had to go out of town for work and had some other activities that led me to waste many days.
Essentially, not the best quality time was spent on the GMAT so far.
So I shelved the Magoosh plan and just started solving from the OG clocking in about 5 to 10 problems from each section per day after going through the introductory text.

My involvement in other activities have kept my weekends and some evenings tied up and I only had today to finally sit down and complete the first mock end to end. Only to reveal the disastrous fruits of my efforts so far!

My countdown shows only 41 days left right now and I am relying on the OG and the Magoosh premium membership as my only resources. I also have a copy of the Princeton GMAT 2014 book.

Tomorrow is my final volunteer commitment till the exam, which will render my day wasted (No GMAT studying).

I plan on cramming the Magoosh videos into the upcoming week (Mon to Fri) along with around 5 problems per section and then try taking on the mock again next Saturday in anticipation of an improvement.

Next week onwards, I shall have 2 hours every evening after work, and 1 hour every morning before work to prepare, and also have at least 8 hours free on each day of the upcoming 7 weekends.
This clocks up to about 187 hours of prep that I HAVE to stick to and I want each and every minute to count.

Any suggestions on how to make the best out of this would be most appreciated.

P.S.: I understand the my conditions and current mock score make me a potential candidate for a second attempt. But I do not want to consider this option right now since it would mean sacrificing a lot of planned activities and projects.

Also, a consideration: My main weakness right now is focus and concentration. An interesting RC problem tends to take me down a nice rabbit hole of imagination.
So any tips on that would be much appreciated as well.


Hi turnablecheese

One quick tip to keep you out of "the rabbit hole of imagination" - take notes...ESPECIALLY for those long RC passages. When taking notes, be sure to note answers to the following questions:
What is the main idea of this passage?
What is the author's position and tone (neutral? critical? etc.)?
What is the structure of the argument (e.g. two opposing sides vs. one sided, informational vs. author's opinion)?

Best of luck,
Jessica
GMAT Club Bot
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Re: 480 on the first mock GMAT with the exam 40 days away - advice needed [#permalink]
20 Mar 2015, 08:45