660 to 670 - feeling horrible. Experts help plz

Question

Hi Experts,

I took my GMAT retake today, and scored a 670 (Q44, V38). My first attempt was in August 2014, and had scored a 660 (Q48, V33). Before starting my prep for the retake, my aim was to keep my quant score at 48 or 48+ and improve my verbal score to a 38+. I succeeded in verbal but failed miserably in quants.

I'm extremely distraught and frustrated after around 2 years of on and off prep, 2 attempts, and money spent on GMAT. I plan to take another shot at GMAT in a month - i don't want to waste the momentum by postponing it beyond the 1 month mark.

Situation:

- Working full-time in one of the top business consulting firms (think MBB)
- Can dedicate around 2-3 hours on weekdays, and 4-5 hours on weekends
- Target - 700+ (preferably 700+)
- Have very limited budget to spend on additional resources

Resources used in the past:

- OG 13 guides
- GMAT Club maths book
- Aristotle SC guide
- Veritas Prep IOS videos by Brian Galvin
- GMAT Prep mocks

Mock Scores (once every weekend over the past 1.5 months):

GMAT Prep 1 & 2 (with retakes) - 700, 710, 730
Powerprep 1 - 720
MGMAT - 590 (this one was a haze. I don't know what happened on this one - I hate MGMAT mocks because they're unnecessarily lengthy and complex)

Questions:

- What should be my prep strategy going forward?
- Any courses I can take for 1 month that are on the affordable side (or at least have a score improvement guarantee)?
- Any other suggestions?

Please help with any suggestions that might help me out.

Thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi getsunny,

First off, a 670/Q44 is a solid score (it's above the 80th percentile overall) and could very well be a high enough score to get you into your first-choice Business School. That having been said, I agree that you probably could score higher in your Quant (and thus higher overall). Retesting in the next month also makes sense (for the reasons you noted).

Given the 'parameters' that you described, I think that the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster would fit perfectly. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in under a month (and you'll still have access to the ENTIRE EMPOWERgmat Course so you can do some extra Verbal practice if you choose). If you're looking for new practice CATs, then the CATs from GMAC, Kaplan or Veritas should be fine (and they would be preferable to re-using CATs that you've already taken).

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

getsunny · Answer

Thanks Rich! One of the main reasons why I'm targeting the 700+ score is the basic requirement of the programs that I'm planning to apply to. (Indian 1-year programs with a lot of Indian applicants with 700+ scores). While I'm extremely confident with my profile, the program admission directors themselves ask for higher GMAT scores. Sigh!

For the EmpowerGMAT score booster content, I did go through its content and found it quite good. My concern is that would I be able to complete it within the timeframe that I have in mind (1 month). Also, what is the cost of the quant booster and the overall booster (i can't see the page with the pricing on the website). Finally, due to the budget constraints that I have, I must ask about the score improvement guarantee. Can you please explain how it works?

Thanks again for your help!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi getsunny,

Each of the individual Score Booster Study Plans was designed with this exact scenario in mind: wanting to focus on one section of the Test and having a month (or less) to go before Test Day. The Overall Score Booster combines the Quant and Verbal Score Boosters, so it would obviously take longer to complete (usually 1-2 months, depending on the individual).

The EMPOWERgmat Course is a monthly subscription (similar to a gym membership), so you can end your account whenever you choose. There are actually special discounts for the Course here at GMAT Club, which you can take advantage of. The Score Guarantee is relatively simple - submit evidence of your last Official Score (so that we have a 'baseline' for comparison) and take the GMAT again. If your Overall score does not improve, then we'll refund you 1 month's enrollment AND an extra $50.

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

getsunny · Answer

Thanks Rich! I'll go through it and take a decision soon. Is the cost per month same for quants booster and total score booster? I checked out the schedule for both, and the quants booster was about 80 hours while the total booster was 110 hours. I'm just trying to figure out if I'll be able to finish the course in a month.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi getsunny,

The monthly subscription fee is the same regardless of which Study Plan you choose to follow and how often you study. In that same way, the amount of time that you need to get through any specific study plan will vary depending on how quickly you work, absorb the material, etc.

Here's something to keep in mind about the 'value' of putting in a bit more study time - Scholarships (which can be wroth thousands of dollars, tens-of-thousands of dollars or more) are often based heavily on an applicant's GMAT score. Spending just a little more time and money now to score higher on the GMAT can save you LOTS of money later.

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

getsunny · Answer

Hi Rich,

That's absolutely correct. I'm just trying to minimize the investment as I've already made a lot so far. For the same reason, I've been looking at the GMAT Club tests (which I can get by exchanging 25 kudos). As mentioned in your first reply, that I should get access to some new tests. Do you think GMAT club tests are good to be used as CATs? (I can include the IR questions from the GMAT prep tool which has 48 questions and also include an AWA topic. This would ensure that I have full mocks with all the 4 sections).

I do have access to MGMAT mocks, but I'm really not keen on using them. I find them to be extremely complex, unnecessarily lengthy, and they always lower my confidence level.

VeritasPrepBrandon · Answer

Hi getsunny,

I can understand how that would be frustrating. My guess is that you went overboard with the verbal in your studying, relatively speaking, and essentially neglected the quant. This is a common mistake that students make, focusing on their weak areas excessively while essentially neglecting their strengths and just assuming that they will remain solid. Maybe that is not what you did, but either way make sure you spend a pretty even split of your time over the next month between quant and verbal.

For resources, it sounds like you are working on a shoestring budget. You may want to consider doing some research about different test prep companies books, and then buying some to study solo for the areas that you would like to improve. It looks like you have used a pretty variable array of resources in the past. I recommend choosing one test prep company's resources (at least for the more strategic takeaways) and using them consistently over the next month; alternating between different test prep companies with different fundamental test taking strategies can be detrimental.

I hope that helps!

getsunny · Answer

Thanks Brandon! Actually I had focused equally on quants, but just didn't have a strategy for question types. I had gone in with a strategy for verbal, and it worked to a good extent. Also, standardized tests have always been something that I just can't do - the test anxiety always gets to me, no matter how prepared I am. I couldn't even finish my breakfast on morning of the exam. If I can just do these 2 things - curb the anxiety and develop a strategy - I think I can do really good in the GMAT.

Back to the grind again from today. Let's see how it goes.

1991sehwag · Answer

Give it an another shot man :-)

RichEconomistGMAT · Answer

Hi getsunny,

While I'd like to reiterate that your 670 is a very solid score, here's a link to try Economist GMAT Tutor for 7 days: https://bit.ly/1aKYX0U. GMAT Tutor is customizable based on your specific needs and time frame, and although you'll need to complete 90% of course material to be eligible, the suite does offer a score guarantee of up to 70 points.

Best,
Rich

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi getsunny,

I think that the GMATClub Tests are a great practice resource (and you should certainly take advantage of them), but there are enough differences between those Tests and Full Adaptive practice CATs to make CATs the better way to accurately gauge your score.

Have you decided on an overall plan yet? 
Have you scheduled another Test Date?

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

660 to 670 - feeling horrible. Experts help plz

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