Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Apr 2711:00 AM EDT
-12:00 PM EDT
Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors
Apr 2808:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.
Yesterday I took the GMAT for the first time and received a 630 (Q43/V34). I'm a bit lost moving forward and am hoping to get some good advice.
Test Day-
Everything went fine, the Quant section I thought was easier than many of the problems I had been practicing, obviously I made some mistakes if I only got a 43 but I wasn't disapointed with that score since that it was in my normal score range. Verbal - I ran COMPLETELY out of time, my last RC section came in my last 8 minutes and I started flipping out. I got so anxious that I ended up briefly skimming the last 10 questions and trying to make an educated guess but it just didn't work out for me.
Feelings about my prep-
I have to say I feel most confident with SC but - I am not an ace at it, especially when I am in a crunch for time. Reading Comprehension is a hit or miss, either I get the passage or I don't - I have issues usually with the science passages. CR I go up and down with. I've practiced problems SO much, went through the entire OG11 - and with SC I was getting most of them right up until the day of the test (however; because I am so familiar with them, I ended up memorizing the answers subconsiously). The difficult CRs throw me during my practice.
The number properties questions always get me a little stressed, some of the difficult geometry throws me - and complicated word problems. I want to focus on raising my verbal a lot - but dont' want to lose the progress I've made with my math -> but still would obviously like to increase that score as well.
Does anyone have any recommendations with my prep moving forward? I would be happy with a 680 or 690, and would be ecstatic hitting 700. So 700 is my end goal, which means I should aim for 730 during my prep. I am looking to retake the test in the last week of August, so that gives me almost 3 months. Ideally I want to be scoring in the 40-42 range for verbal and around the 48 range for Quant. I'm losing next weekend because I am going to an out of town wedding, and I'm also losing another weekend in July for another wedding.
My GMATPrep software is buggy so I don't think I should use it anymore unless I can get my hands on the previous version. I have the powerprep software that I haven't used yet. I guess I would like to know what you all think I should be focusing on, and how, like how many tests a week should I take, how I should focus my prep since I have gone through much of the OG11 (are there any additional books I should purchase-should I get the books that focus on higher scores?), and how I should work on my timing.
I truly believe if I had enough time, I could have scored a 670-680. I got so anxious my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest!
A brief history of my studies and test scores:
Books Completed:
OG11 - Gone through about 95% of the problems in the book
MGMAT SC (read through this twice and redid problems a couple weeks ago), CR, Number Properties, Geometry, Inequalities/Vic/Fractions, Word Translations
Basic PR Book
Basic Kaplan Book
CATS:
Kaplan - 550 - last year
PR1 - 570 - around Jan this year
(The past 2 months)
PR1 - 640 34/45
PR2- 570 30/39
PR3 - 650 37/43
GMATPrep1 - 680 42/44
PR4 - 600 31/42
GMATPrep2 - 630
GMATPrep1 - 620
GMATPrep2 - 600
GMATPrep1 - 700
I didn't keep record of the past few GMATprep breakdown scores, and the very last two tests the software didn't record my actual answers in the review mode so I'm not even sure if the test correctly graded my performance. My scores consistently keep my Quant in the 40-43 range and my verbal flucuates a lot.
If anyone has any advice for me and for my strategy I would really really really appreciate it. At this point I know I just have to get my butt into gear and drive it home - which I can DO, I just need a little bit of help figuring out how I should proceed with a new plan..
Thank you!
Test Day-
Everything went fine, the Quant section I thought was easier than many of the problems I had been practicing, obviously I made some mistakes if I only got a 43 but I wasn't disapointed with that score since that it was in my normal score range. Verbal - I ran COMPLETELY out of time, my last RC section came in my last 8 minutes and I started flipping out. I got so anxious that I ended up briefly skimming the last 10 questions and trying to make an educated guess but it just didn't work out for me.
Feelings about my prep-
I have to say I feel most confident with SC but - I am not an ace at it, especially when I am in a crunch for time. Reading Comprehension is a hit or miss, either I get the passage or I don't - I have issues usually with the science passages. CR I go up and down with. I've practiced problems SO much, went through the entire OG11 - and with SC I was getting most of them right up until the day of the test (however; because I am so familiar with them, I ended up memorizing the answers subconsiously). The difficult CRs throw me during my practice.
The number properties questions always get me a little stressed, some of the difficult geometry throws me - and complicated word problems. I want to focus on raising my verbal a lot - but dont' want to lose the progress I've made with my math -> but still would obviously like to increase that score as well.
Does anyone have any recommendations with my prep moving forward? I would be happy with a 680 or 690, and would be ecstatic hitting 700. So 700 is my end goal, which means I should aim for 730 during my prep. I am looking to retake the test in the last week of August, so that gives me almost 3 months. Ideally I want to be scoring in the 40-42 range for verbal and around the 48 range for Quant. I'm losing next weekend because I am going to an out of town wedding, and I'm also losing another weekend in July for another wedding.
My GMATPrep software is buggy so I don't think I should use it anymore unless I can get my hands on the previous version. I have the powerprep software that I haven't used yet. I guess I would like to know what you all think I should be focusing on, and how, like how many tests a week should I take, how I should focus my prep since I have gone through much of the OG11 (are there any additional books I should purchase-should I get the books that focus on higher scores?), and how I should work on my timing.
I truly believe if I had enough time, I could have scored a 670-680. I got so anxious my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest!
A brief history of my studies and test scores:
Books Completed:
OG11 - Gone through about 95% of the problems in the book
MGMAT SC (read through this twice and redid problems a couple weeks ago), CR, Number Properties, Geometry, Inequalities/Vic/Fractions, Word Translations
Basic PR Book
Basic Kaplan Book
CATS:
Kaplan - 550 - last year
PR1 - 570 - around Jan this year
(The past 2 months)
PR1 - 640 34/45
PR2- 570 30/39
PR3 - 650 37/43
GMATPrep1 - 680 42/44
PR4 - 600 31/42
GMATPrep2 - 630
GMATPrep1 - 620
GMATPrep2 - 600
GMATPrep1 - 700
I didn't keep record of the past few GMATprep breakdown scores, and the very last two tests the software didn't record my actual answers in the review mode so I'm not even sure if the test correctly graded my performance. My scores consistently keep my Quant in the 40-43 range and my verbal flucuates a lot.
If anyone has any advice for me and for my strategy I would really really really appreciate it. At this point I know I just have to get my butt into gear and drive it home - which I can DO, I just need a little bit of help figuring out how I should proceed with a new plan..
Thank you!
08 Jun 2008, 15:48
Kudos
Bookmarks
Dont lose heart, there's nothing in your practice scores that indicated that you'd hit 650+ unfortunately 
. I'd recommend a strong course of verbal. If you can get that upto 40+ level you'll see optimum benefit. Its great that you've identified one weakness (number properties) already. You would have 6 practice tests from MGMAT (that you get courtesy of your books), use those. They are far tougher than the real GMAT, if you can consistently score 670+ in those, you'll certainly hit 670+ in the real thing. Also try the gmat club challenges. They ask a ton of number properties questions. You will certainly improve that aspect of it.
Good luck.
. I'd recommend a strong course of verbal. If you can get that upto 40+ level you'll see optimum benefit. Its great that you've identified one weakness (number properties) already. You would have 6 practice tests from MGMAT (that you get courtesy of your books), use those. They are far tougher than the real GMAT, if you can consistently score 670+ in those, you'll certainly hit 670+ in the real thing. Also try the gmat club challenges. They ask a ton of number properties questions. You will certainly improve that aspect of it.Good luck.
I am trying to not be glum right now, it's hard! I feel so deflated. I will try doing that, thanks a bunch! 
. 
