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Businessconquerer thanks for this comprehensive reply! I know I dumped a ton of questions in there so thanks for taking the time to go through each one.

To answer your questions: I was born in China but raised in Canada. I wouldn't worry too much about my nationality because I am Canadian, which is definitely a way less competitive pool than China.

Second question: I have OG 2016, OG Verbal and Quant 2016, all the MGMT books by topic, and two Kaplan books as part of a bulk package I got from a friend. I sometimes feel like I have too much materials.

This is a really interesting approach you mentioned. The 2:1 strategy, it's a little counterintuitive as I think native English speakers rely much more on the verbal than the quant to get a high score. But to your point I do believe raising the quant score is much easier than doing the same for verbal. Just a little bit more detail: I have been doing very well on RC and CR (near 100%), and it seems like its just the SC that's bringing me down. So I will definitely focus on building my math and tackling SC in more detail.

Just because I am personally very curious - is there benefits to studying both quant and verbal everday? Is that because it's easier to get into the mindset of the test day?
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madgmat2019 good tip! I cancelled my score but I realized I can still get my ESR on it after you mentioned it. There's a glitch in the system where I'm not able to apply the code but I'm in contact to get that resolved.
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stanleyelnats
Businessconquerer thanks for this comprehensive reply! I know I dumped a ton of questions in there so thanks for taking the time to go through each one.

To answer your questions: I was born in China but raised in Canada. I wouldn't worry too much about my nationality because I am Canadian, which is definitely a way less competitive pool than China.

Second question: I have OG 2016, OG Verbal and Quant 2016, all the MGMT books by topic, and two Kaplan books as part of a bulk package I got from a friend. I sometimes feel like I have too much materials.

This is a really interesting approach you mentioned. The 2:1 strategy, it's a little counterintuitive as I think native English speakers rely much more on the verbal than the quant to get a high score. But to your point I do believe raising the quant score is much easier than doing the same for verbal. Just a little bit more detail: I have been doing very well on RC and CR (near 100%), and it seems like its just the SC that's bringing me down. So I will definitely focus on building my math and tackling SC in more detail.

Just because I am personally very curious - is there benefits to studying both quant and verbal everday? Is that because it's easier to get into the mindset of the test day?
Personally I don't believe in any material other than official Material.
When I said what materials you've got left I forgot to mention that what all you've used

Anyhow, you have dual citizenship, one plus point. Canadians have a better chance to enter with a 690 than Chinese with a 730, feeling the difference?
I know right

About the Quant part, I'd suggest you go through all the questions in the new Official Guide and review
Other than that finish the advanced questions official book
I have done kaplan too but that is not up to the mark nor is any other. Official is official, I can feel the difference in the type of questions made by GMAC and others.

In your case, I suggested the 2Q 1V aproach because your score is completely unbalanced, Check the percentiles, you're at an 85th percentile in Verbal. Quant is quite behind
A well Balanced score would be Q49/50 V40

I see a lot of students
What most of them do is so common that I can almost predict what a student will do if I don't warn him about this

Let's understand it by a real life scenario
Assume that Quant is your mistress
Verbal is your wife

So what you'll do is go after making your mistress happy by giving her more time and leave the wife alone for short time.
The wife is someone who demands daily attention, even a day's neglect will affect your chance to have a peaceful sleep the next day you see her.
See where I'm going with this?
Verbal and Quant require daily attention. You can experiment too but I'm giving you results of so many experiments I have had over the years.

I can give you a link to an Indian coaching that will clear up your basics and also give you the toughest questions that exist, also their verbal quizzes are completely official questions based. You just need to get the access to their website, they got it all for I think 49 USD. Tell me if you're interested in that, I'll suggest the name. I could ask you to join mine but your needs are quite different.

Playing to your strengths is a good strategy and it got you to a V38
All you need to do now is maintain that.
However, the next increment will be to 94th or 99th percentile, not a cookie

In Quant, on the other hand, there's no way but up. ;p
Getting from Q 43 to Q 48 is easier than going from V38 to V44

Staying in touch and still giving time will maintain your marriage with verbal and Giving more time to Quant will bloom your affair with Quant into a meaningful relationship.

You can learn Sentence Correction from e-GMAT, Jamboree, or yourself or me lol I charge section wise. I don't remember a coaching in china whose name starts with "K", tell me if you get that name. It is a great forum/ coaching

Well another logic would be, who are good at Quant ? India & China, so learn from them
World has gotten too small, leverage it
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For improving quant, just purchase gmatclub test (1500 questions). practice and learn how the questions are solved.

For improving verbal, I think you need to do OG thoroughly, especially Sentence Correction (see the answer explanation on why each WRONG answer is wrong).

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Hi stanleyelnats,

To start, study for the GMAT now - far in advance of when you will actually 'need' your Score - is a smart choice. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so while you made some nice improvements over the last month, it's likely that you just have not put in the proper training time to have scored higher yet. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.
Raising this 660 to the point that you can consistently score 740+ will likely require at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections.

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) On what 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)?
2) Do you want to try to retake the GMAT before the end of this year? I only ask because you are not facing any immediate application deadlines, so you don't have to 'rush' through this next phase of your studies?

While the Enhanced Score Report doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
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My suggestion for how you should prepare to go from 660 to 740 depends entirely on your ESR. So, please share your ESR so that we can analyze the same and give you a milestone-driven plan. I suggest you schedule a mentorship call with our strategy experts as soon as you receive your ESR by clicking here.

Three stages of learning and excelling in GMAT


There are three stages of learning - in Stage 1, you learn the concepts and methods. In Stage 2, you cement them, and in Stage 3, you do test readiness by ensuring that you can switch your mind from solving one type of question to solving another type of question. I have explained this in detail in the video below:



Personalized Study Plan Required


Let's take Quant first - You have improved from Q38 to Q43 - so definitely there are some sub-sections in quant in which you may already be at stage 2 and definitely some areas in which you are in Stage 1. Knowing this information is very important since the plan of action for each will be different. Let's say that you are in Stage 2 in Geometry/Algebra but in Arithmetic, you are in Stage 1. This means that you need to do a targetted practice to cement your methods and concepts in Geometry/Algebra whereas you need to study and learn concepts in Arithmetic. So, please share your ESR here so that we can analyze the same and create a personalized study plan for you.

Likewise in Verbal, you have improved from V34 to V38 - which sub-sections contributed to this improvement? Once again obtaining these sub-sectional abilities from your ESR is very important. Here is why: Here are some sample score combinations (percentiles) that will yield V38. As you will see, how you prepare to get that V42 to achieve that 740 depends on what your current levels in each of these sub-sections are.

Combination 1: 81 - 78 - 80 = balanced scores across all 3 sub-sections.
If this is your score combination, then you need to spend maybe 2-3 days on each sub-section to cement your concepts and methods. You can see this video here in which I explain how you can do cementing of methods - i.e. Stage 2.

Combination 2: 57 - 93 - 90 = SC is the weakest of all and CR and RC are at similar high level
If this is your score combination, then you need to spend about a week or so building your methods for SC. Remember, your goal is to solve difficult questions accurately. For that purpose, you need to learn the consistent way of solving SC questions. Once you finish learning concepts and methods, then you move to stage 2 in which you cement the methods and get to that 90 percentile ability.

Combination 3: 73 - 93 - 76 = CR is the best of all and SC and RC are at similar average level
If this is your score combination, then you need to maintain CR - and cement SC and RC.

So, as you can see, what your study plan should be depends entirely on what your current level is.


Do not solve hundreds and hundreds of questions



Improving by solving numerous questions is a thing of the past. You do not need to prepare for GMAT in that same archaic manner - not in the world in which you get feedback every step of the way - for example - 87 feedback points while doing Stage 1 of Sentence Correction, not in the world in which you have analytics that tell you exactly what you need to work on and what you have mastered, not in the world in which the solutions are so detailed that you get to know what step of the process you faltered on, and I can go on and on.

But I will stop here and let you do the analysis that you should do to ensure that you get that 740+ score. Read this article in which I have collated data from successful students and the not so successful students and compare the number of questions each group solves.

My closing comments


Consider preparing for GMAT as a project - set metrics, measure data, and take actions accordingly and share your ESR so that we can create your personalized study plan.
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Hi stanleyelnats,

Thank you for providing the details of your journey thus far. I agree that one month of prep is not nearly enough time for most folks to substantially increase their GMAT scores. So, I'm glad to see that you plan to slow things down and give yourself more time to prep.

To answer some of your questions.

1) I think at least 3 months of studying (if not more) would be necessary for you to hit your score goal.

2) Since you are looking for an 80 point increase, I’d study both quant and verbal to maximize your score gain. Also, regarding when to study quant and verbal, if possible, study quant and verbal each day or at a bare minimum alternate between quant and verbal every other day.

Regarding your other questions, would you like some general advice on HOW to improve your GMAT quant and verbal skills?
Also, you may find it helpful to read the following articles:

The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT

[url=https://blog.targettestprep.com/gmat-learning-tips/]How to Learn More, Learn Faster, and Retain More Knowledge While Preparing for
the GMAT[/url]
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For improving verbal (SC and CR), I think you need to do SC1000 and CR1000 thoroughly. Such resources are available and searchable in old posts.

Good luck

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chondro48
For improving verbal (SC and CR), I think you need to do SC1000 and CR1000 thoroughly. Such resources are available and searchable in old posts.

Chondro, Thank you for making this recommendation. Yes, solving questions is an important piece of the puzzle, but to score 730+, you first need to master the methods and then perfect them.

Here are some data points for you:

Jim - 700 to 770 in 3 weeks
Jim Yi improved from V34 to V42 in a mere 3 weeks - he did that by doing three things:
1. Making sure that he follows the right approach - prethinking and meaning based approach.
2. Solving a few questions but doing a strategic review of each question.
3. Making notes, such that he does not repeat his mistakes.

Quote:
Quantity doesn’t matter without quality. Solving lots of practice questions is not the best way to prepare GMAT. Achieving V40+ is very difficult just by memorization and repetition."

Rohit Malan - V27 to V41 by mastering methods
Rohit scored 760. He solved very few questions in each sub-subsection. Rohit had upwards of 90th percentile in SC. He only solved 76 questions in Scholaranium (after going through the e-GMAT SC course) but he solved each and every question using the right method. In Rohit's own words:

Quote:
" I was understanding the structure and genesis of sentences and passages so much better. Instead of looking at raw pieces of information that would feel like a maze, difficult to find your way through; I was able to break things down to my own comfort. It was a good feeling."

Recipe of success - 'methods' and a 'journey guided by data'
We recently wrote an article "What causes success on the GMAT". In this article, we analyzed the attempts of 600 students (300 successful, and 300 unsuccessful), and we concluded, the following.

1. Students who are successful (i.e. score 730+) solve spend just as much time preparing for the GMAT as students who fail (i.e. score 650 or lower). Note, in most cases, their starting points are also similar.
2. In general, students who fail, solve more questions than those who are successful.

Read the article to see data of not just those who succeeded but also those who failed.

Practicing questions is not bad.. But blindly solving questions is.

I would like to pose some questions so that we can all understand how would the student learn by blindly solving these 1000s of questions?

a. Are there detailed solutions that help students understand which step did they falter on so that they can improve their skill set?

Remember, most of the times when you falter it's not because of a conceptual gap but because you faltered while applying. Unfortunately, without a detailed solution, you cannot make that determination… and no root-cause analysis == little improvement.

Check out this solution to see how e-GMAT students do the strategic review.

b. Are there detailed analytics for these questions that tell the student that he/she has now mastered abc type of questions but still needs help with xy type of questions?

I was just corresponding with saunak123 so will quote what he said in his debrief.

Quote:
Scholaranium. This is one of the best platforms to apply your learning and understand your weaknesses. The background analytics specifically spots out your weakness in certain types of questions and you need to work on that.

It is true for everyday life and GMAT is not different. It's worth mentioning that I didn’t work out a single OG question during my preparations for my 2nd attempt nor had I open the OG book even once. Such is the power of scholaranium.


My closing comments

In the end, it is important to remember that the GMAT is a test of ability and those who build high ability in various sub-sections score high. To build ability, most students need to excel in three stages of learning. These stages are – Learn concepts and methods, cement methods, and achieve test readiness. 

Equipped with the right foundation and having learned the methods, successful students typically need to practice 150 or fewer questions in stage 2 to reach their target sub-sectional ability. A strategic review of every mistake is an integral part of their strategy. Hence, with each question they solve, they grow more confident.

So to score 730+, make sure that you 1) use the right methods, and 2) leverage data to guide you to excellence.

-Payal.
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Thanks everyone! I'm loving the amount of feedback I'm getting on this. I have finally gotten the ESR for my exam and attaching it here. Any feedback again is appreciated.

Perhaps surprisingly - I thought I was doing well in CR, but I didn't realize I only had a 40% accuracy in construction / plan (what is this?).

On Quant - seems like I have a pacing problem. Getting most of the questions right in the first section and then running out of time in the last quarter. Additionally, I'm having trouble getting time on my PS questions down - currently spending 2:40 mins on those.

Let me know your thoughts! egmat EMPOWERgmatRichC + anyone else
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ANON__ESR.pdf [500.25 KiB]
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stanleyelnats
Thanks everyone! I'm loving the amount of feedback I'm getting on this. I have finally gotten the ESR for my exam and attaching it here. Any feedback again is appreciated.

Perhaps surprisingly - I thought I was doing well in CR, but I didn't realize I only had a 40% accuracy in construction / plan (what is this?).

On Quant - seems like I have a pacing problem. Getting most of the questions right in the first section and then running out of time in the last quarter. Additionally, I'm having trouble getting time on my PS questions down - currently spending 2:40 mins on those.

Let me know your thoughts! egmat EMPOWERgmatRichC + anyone else
Just saw the ESR
Dude, you got the skills
You ran out of time in quant I think
Good job on inequalities though
Don't worry.
Relax and take another attempt.
Just go all official on verbal
Use the free manhattan and other quizzes here on GMAT Club for quant
There's math revolution to help you if you need
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Hey stanleyelnats - You can probably improve to 740 by the second week of December. You just need to put your energy in the right places, track your improvement, and hit the right ability scores. I would recommend focussed effort in each sub-section rather than switching between sub-sections.



Take a look at the video above. Here is the success story I referenced.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/trust-the-pr ... 07942.html

Here is how he improved on his CR.



I hope this helps.

-Rajat
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wow Rajat egmat thank you for that! I now have a very clear study plan ahead of me and I know exactly what I need to work on. To your point, I have decided to double down on my quant for the next three weeks, and evaluate my progress. I've started a test trial on Target Test Prep and so far it seems very helpful. The reason I chose this is because I feel like there is a gap between my Manhattan books (focusing very much on theory) and the application to actual GMAT questions, I'm having trouble translating theory to real problem-solving strategies - which is why my foundation in math is weak. I will keep monitoring to see if the TargetTestPrep questions are indicative of the ones that will be shown on the exam.

A wrinkle in my plan is that unfortunately I have a vacation booked already for two weeks starting in the middle of November. I imagine it will be hard for me to study even 1-2 hours per day on this trip. So my plan is to push hard for the next three weeks, and if I'm not ready, I will take it during Christmas. It's bad timing but this was booked a year in advance so not much can be done.

Thanks everyone for your help! I only wish I'd posted sooner and I'll definitely provide an update my progress once I take my next exam.

Best,
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