600 to 700 in 4 weeks, is it possible? what is the best plan?

Question

I have been preparing for GMAT for almost a year and reached around 600. I am aiming to appear for exam in 4 weeks, is it possible to improve 100 points in a month? I can spare 5 hrs a day for the preparation. Due to deadlines of my desired B schools, I have to be ready with the score by Mid of January 2021. I am somewhere near Q44 & 30 V. What is the best plan at an affordable rate? I used paid course from e-gmat quant and verbal in the initial days (for 6 months), 4 months ago, which improved my score from 340 to 540. For the last two months, I have been practising through gmatclub and other free tests and OG.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi gayatri259,

To start, raising a 340 to a 540 is a significant improvement - and it shows that you have the capacity to learn, adapt and improve. That having been said, the skills needed to raise a 600 to a 700 are 'higher level' and take some time to develop. By extension, that type of improvement in just 4 weeks is probably too difficult to be considered realistic. While I understand that you want to apply for the mid-January deadline(s), if you ultimately 'need' a 700+ Score, then THAT Score Goal has to come first - and you might need to consider pushing back your planned Test Date and applications.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Over the last 3 months, how many hours have you typically study each week?
2) What specific study materials have you used besides the course that you mentioned? What 'brands' of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) Over the last 3 months, on what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi gayatri259,

Improving by 100 points in just one month is a pretty tall order. Is there a particular reason why you must take the GMAT in just one month?

vamshikaithi · Answer

H Gayatri, I can completely relate to you. I scored 570 on my first GMAT attempt. I wondered if I could ever reach that 700 mark. But I took the guidance from a mentor, used the right resource, did my prep in the right way and finally improved my score to 720. I have made a detailed a detailed debrief regarding the same. Debrief of my journey from 570 to 720 https://gmatclub.com/forum/my-journey-f ... l#p2648110 I suggest you to get in touch with an expert or a mentor, know your weak areas and then prepare in the right way using the right resource. I did not find e-gmat to very great for quant, CR and RC. I found GMATWhiz to be better. So, you can check it out. All the best

gayatri259 · Answer

Thank you for sharing your experience. I completely agree with you regarding e-gmat. I am planing for a mentor/subscription and exploring options.

gayatri259 · Answer

Thank you Scott, I did some research and came to the conclusion that I definitely need more time. I was planning to take GMAT in one month because I had deadlines from the desired universities.

gayatri259 · Answer

Thank you for your response. I ve been studying almost 25-30 hrs a week for last two months. Before tha,t it was about 15-20 Hrs/week for almost a year. I used e-gmat to learn basic concepts for verbal and maths (6 months ago), also almost done with OG, given almost 10 mocks -one mock/week for last two months. I am planning to apply for PhD in management, no preference. Now a days I am primarily using materials from gmatclub and OG. In last three months I studied books such as Manhattan Maths, Manhattan SC, Manhattan RC, Powerscore CR.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hi gayatri259 At the outset, we are happy to come across someone who seems to be so dedicated and persistent to achieving her vision!

Given your current score and the timeline at hand (in case you stick to it),seem slightly off the mark on a practical level, it surely is not impossible if you put in the following ingredients with the same dedication that you have been working with. A level of 700 from 600 is more than basic knowledge and needs very good hold of application abilities. We hope that the following pointers may help you. However, if you plan to schedule the test later, you will have a relaxed and comfortable prep with a positive and healthy mindset. POINTERS TO ASSIST YOU ACE YOUR GMAT TEST (Based on your inputs): (i) Make sure that not only you understand the concepts but also INTERNALISE them with relevant practice questions associated with every concept. (ii)Practice ADVANCED questions with a time pressure so that your accuracy is improved with no cost cutting on time. So, ACCURACY & TIME EFFICIENCY goes hand in hand and none is compromised for the other. (iii) Analyze your errors in Mocks(since you have already given them).Practice with a few more Mocks and make sure you maintain a score upgrade in them.Fine tune the process and plug your loopholes. (iv) Analyze your errors in OG and make sure you don't repeat them if a question on those lines appear. Make your STRONG areas STRONGER! (v)Practice daily from GMAT Club/Application Videos. Think on questions when you cant solve them. Figure out a way. That is how you would train your abilities to be better everyday. Its always quality over quantity Gayatri! (vi) Revise on everything you do in a week extensively. This step should not be negotiated. (vii) Take breaks between studies to accommodate your learnings. (viii)Finally, maintain a positive mindset during the prep. Enjoy the process of learning and be confident on the day of your paper. That said, we wish you all the very best for your paper.

We cant wait to see you out with passing colours to your dream B-School! Thanking You Prep Team CrackVerbal

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi gayatri259,

A quick improvement is possible, provided that you can dedicate good number of hours for studies. As you say you can spend 5 hours a day for studies, I'm sure you can extend that a little more on weekends. So, it's seems possible that you have enough time to work on your weak areas.

Having said that, I would like to know a few more details such as your way of preparation till now and the way you approach questions so that I can guide you in a better way. Because the first step in the process of improvement is identifying the weak areas. So, it would be great if we can get in touch over a call, have a detailed discussion and work out a proper study plan that would suit you for the coming weeks. You can use the below link to schedule a call with me.

Click here to schedule a call

StudyingTree · Answer

This is a great thread, thank you all for making this very informative.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

You are welcome

. We hope you keep learning ! All the best

Thanking You Team CrackVerbal

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

So now your plan is to give yourself more time than just one month?

gayatri259 · Answer

Yes, a little, by end of January I am planning to take test. Since I have deadlines (for PhD applications) I can't shift further. I have gone through few chapters and tests in 5 days free trial from Target test prep. I really liked the structure and enjoyed doing quiz while learning on every slide. I will definitely consider this. Let me get back to you in few days.

mc93 · Answer

I improved my score by 90 points in a month, so it is definitely possible, but don't set an arbitrary deadline. Your improvement thus far is remarkable; the verbal section can be brutal. You may want to work with a professional who can guide your studying, however. An affordable option may be the Kaplan self-paced program. I paid ~$800 for it, and I used their adaptive question bank to improve (there's probably close to 1,000 verbal questions with detailed explanations).

gayatri259 · Answer

Hii, Thanks for your inputs, I am doing good with quant (Q 45) and I am confident that I can touch Q 48 mark. the problem is verbal section, I am at V30 currently. I took e-gmat and studied verbal for 4 months but ddnt find it good enough for CR and RC. At this point only practice can help me for RC but for CR I guess I have a scope of improvement. I am good at SC.

I dont want to spend much for verbal (already done e-gmat). Maybe I should stick with OG and Qs from gmatclub. Please advise about CR or anything which can help me achieve in 35-38 range from current 30, I have deadlines for PhD application (done with MBA).

egmat · Answer

gayatri259 – Here are a few questions you need to ask. What caused that 180-point improvement? Why did you not improve to 700 till date despite solving 100s (possibly thousands) of questions? Lastly, where do you need to improve in Quant and Verbal to improve from 600 to 700.

Clear and precise answers to the questions above will give you guidance and ensure that you focus on areas that help you improve both your Quant and Verbal.

Verbal Improvement: You need to improve on CR and RC. You need to master prethinking. You need to follow reading strategies in RC. If practice were all that people needed, then we would not be the only company here with 1000+ reviews (now 2000 actually).

Quant Improvement: Try the new quant course. You would be blow away. Read the feedback by our beta user here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/quant-2-0-an ... 30147.html

You already have experienced 180-point improvement. You have seen more evidence of students improving to 700+ scores using e-GMAT’s courses than using another course – whether it is reviews, success stories on Share GMAT Experience, or YouTube interviews. Look at the link below if you need more evidence.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... caQTR6mAia

Bottom line – if you start with a low score then you will take longer and will likely need to revise significant portions of content again (some possibly three times). You may choose to go with something completely new, however I don’t think it would be the most efficient approach.

Try out the new NP course free of charge for 7 days (write to the support team) and see for yourself.

Cheers!!

Rajat

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Great! I'm here if you need me.

600 to 700 in 4 weeks, is it possible? what is the best plan?

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