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16 Sep 2016, 17:05
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Hey!
Right, so I took the GMAT prep #1 today and that's the score I got. On quant I actually had around 16 minutes to spare when I was done. I have the exam booked on the 13th of December and my aim is a meager 650. I am not applying for a top program, or even an MBA, but rather a MSc in management in an European university. I am graduating with a BBA in HRM in the spring, so there has been essentially no math in my life in the last 5 or so years.
So far, I've only reviewed around half of the MGMAT Foundations of Math book in the last couple of days and around 40 PS questions in the OG as well as Magoosh. I know my quant score is bad, but my question now is what is the most efficient way of improving it? I have all the MGMAT books, their CATs, OG 2016, PowerScore CR and a premium Magoosh subscription. I have essentially cleared my schedule for the next three months just to study for the GMAT.
As you can tell, I am not a math person in any shape or form. I also understand that just brute forcing math problems over and over is not necessarily the best way to approach the issue. Now, I do believe that I can improve quite a bit since my baseline is so low and I just couldn't figure out what to do on most of the quant questions, hence the 16 minutes to spare on the prep. From what I understand, it's more important to know the underlying logic of the questions rather than memorizing all the possible theories.
I am pretty happy for my verbal score since I've done maybe 20 questions in the OG/Magoosh with minimal prep and I am not a native English speaker. I think most of my wrong answers on the prep were either RC or CR (I haven't had the time to review the scores yet) because for some reason SC comes pretty naturally for me just by figuring it out by ear. I am going to be reading the Economist, WSJ, Smithsonian Maganize etc in the next couple of months daily as well as study the PowerScore CR diligently.
With 650 I am fairly confident that I'd get admitted to the program I am applying for. With 670 it's basically 100 %. Is that 650 attainable though? What about 670? Should I aim higher/lower? How should I approach my quant deficiency? Should I just hammer through all the questions in FoM and start moving through the MGMAT books in order? There's so much material that I think I won't have the time to internalize all of it. A tutor is basically not an option, since where I live the GMAT is generally unheard of. I have so much free time yet I am afraid I am going to use it sub-optimally and get a lower than 650 score. Re-scheduling my exam is also not an option, since the applying period ends in January and it is possible to apply with an incomplete degree, granted I have it completed in July.
Any and all suggestions are welcome. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask.
Right, so I took the GMAT prep #1 today and that's the score I got. On quant I actually had around 16 minutes to spare when I was done. I have the exam booked on the 13th of December and my aim is a meager 650. I am not applying for a top program, or even an MBA, but rather a MSc in management in an European university. I am graduating with a BBA in HRM in the spring, so there has been essentially no math in my life in the last 5 or so years.
So far, I've only reviewed around half of the MGMAT Foundations of Math book in the last couple of days and around 40 PS questions in the OG as well as Magoosh. I know my quant score is bad, but my question now is what is the most efficient way of improving it? I have all the MGMAT books, their CATs, OG 2016, PowerScore CR and a premium Magoosh subscription. I have essentially cleared my schedule for the next three months just to study for the GMAT.
As you can tell, I am not a math person in any shape or form. I also understand that just brute forcing math problems over and over is not necessarily the best way to approach the issue. Now, I do believe that I can improve quite a bit since my baseline is so low and I just couldn't figure out what to do on most of the quant questions, hence the 16 minutes to spare on the prep. From what I understand, it's more important to know the underlying logic of the questions rather than memorizing all the possible theories.
I am pretty happy for my verbal score since I've done maybe 20 questions in the OG/Magoosh with minimal prep and I am not a native English speaker. I think most of my wrong answers on the prep were either RC or CR (I haven't had the time to review the scores yet) because for some reason SC comes pretty naturally for me just by figuring it out by ear. I am going to be reading the Economist, WSJ, Smithsonian Maganize etc in the next couple of months daily as well as study the PowerScore CR diligently.
With 650 I am fairly confident that I'd get admitted to the program I am applying for. With 670 it's basically 100 %. Is that 650 attainable though? What about 670? Should I aim higher/lower? How should I approach my quant deficiency? Should I just hammer through all the questions in FoM and start moving through the MGMAT books in order? There's so much material that I think I won't have the time to internalize all of it. A tutor is basically not an option, since where I live the GMAT is generally unheard of. I have so much free time yet I am afraid I am going to use it sub-optimally and get a lower than 650 score. Re-scheduling my exam is also not an option, since the applying period ends in January and it is possible to apply with an incomplete degree, granted I have it completed in July.
Any and all suggestions are welcome. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask.
17 Sep 2016, 08:35
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Rasse,
Based on the results of your last practice exam, I agree that quant seems to be your biggest weakness. When devising a study plan to learn GMAT quant, you must realize that the GMAT is such a challenging exam because there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next.
For example, if you are learning about Number Properties, you should learn everything possible about that topic: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. After that, be sure that you practice with a lot of questions (50 or more) just on Number Properties. The results of that practice will help you to determine how well you have truly mastered that topic. Thus, I would consider following this method of prep rather than diving into practice questions.
To help diagnose your GMAT quant strengths and weaknesses, I welcome you to take my free 37-question quant diagnostic. After completing the diagnostic, you will be provided with a detailed analysis of your proficiency level of all GMAT quant topics, as well as an opportunity to discuss your diagnostic results with me or another TTP instructor/coach.
Also - once you take an official practice exam, please report back with your score breakdown and we can provide some further advice.
Based on the results of your last practice exam, I agree that quant seems to be your biggest weakness. When devising a study plan to learn GMAT quant, you must realize that the GMAT is such a challenging exam because there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next.
For example, if you are learning about Number Properties, you should learn everything possible about that topic: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. After that, be sure that you practice with a lot of questions (50 or more) just on Number Properties. The results of that practice will help you to determine how well you have truly mastered that topic. Thus, I would consider following this method of prep rather than diving into practice questions.
To help diagnose your GMAT quant strengths and weaknesses, I welcome you to take my free 37-question quant diagnostic. After completing the diagnostic, you will be provided with a detailed analysis of your proficiency level of all GMAT quant topics, as well as an opportunity to discuss your diagnostic results with me or another TTP instructor/coach.
Also - once you take an official practice exam, please report back with your score breakdown and we can provide some further advice.
17 Sep 2016, 10:48
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi rasse,
To start, a 500 is a decent 'baseline' score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). You've also given yourself plenty of time to study and improve, which is good. With these Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores, you have a great opportunity to pick up points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections - and there are a variety of different score 'combinations' that would get you a 650+. A 670+ isn't really that far from a 650+ either, so if you can hit that first goal, then you should be able to hit the second.
That all having been said, you'll have to be consistent with your studies, (re)learn a number of concepts and build up your knowledge of GMAT Tactics, patterns, etc. to hit your goal score. A 650 is NOT a 'meager' score - it's about the 80th percentile, meaning that 80% of Test Takers cannot score at that level.
For free math practice and help, I recommend that you set up an account at Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The site is completely free and makes the learning a bit more fun and 'game-like' (as opposed to the dry academic approach taken by most books). While the site is vast, you should limit your studies to basic Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. After spending a little time re-building those math skills, you would likely find the Quant section of the GMAT to be easier to handle.
Since you already have some study materials, I suggest that you study as you see fit for the next 2 weeks (including spending some time at Khan Academy) - then take a new, FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the Essay and IR sections). Once you have that score result, you should post back here - we'll then have a better idea of whether 'your way' of studying is leading to improvement or not and we can talk about how best to proceed from there.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
To start, a 500 is a decent 'baseline' score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). You've also given yourself plenty of time to study and improve, which is good. With these Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores, you have a great opportunity to pick up points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections - and there are a variety of different score 'combinations' that would get you a 650+. A 670+ isn't really that far from a 650+ either, so if you can hit that first goal, then you should be able to hit the second.
That all having been said, you'll have to be consistent with your studies, (re)learn a number of concepts and build up your knowledge of GMAT Tactics, patterns, etc. to hit your goal score. A 650 is NOT a 'meager' score - it's about the 80th percentile, meaning that 80% of Test Takers cannot score at that level.
For free math practice and help, I recommend that you set up an account at Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The site is completely free and makes the learning a bit more fun and 'game-like' (as opposed to the dry academic approach taken by most books). While the site is vast, you should limit your studies to basic Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. After spending a little time re-building those math skills, you would likely find the Quant section of the GMAT to be easier to handle.
Since you already have some study materials, I suggest that you study as you see fit for the next 2 weeks (including spending some time at Khan Academy) - then take a new, FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the Essay and IR sections). Once you have that score result, you should post back here - we'll then have a better idea of whether 'your way' of studying is leading to improvement or not and we can talk about how best to proceed from there.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
