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09 Jul 2018, 00:30
Kudos
Bookmarks
Some background:
I took a practice test with the Economist GMAT tutor, and scored a 350. This was two days ago. I had not studied for the GMAT at all, did poorly as a high school but ok in college (I was very lazy), so have very little foundation to work off of. I don't believe I am stupid, as may be indicated by this test. I am coming down from the initial discouragement, but my personal consolation is "you don't know what you don't know", so I am not taking this initial score too seriously.
My first official test will be about five to six months from now, and I have built a plan around that timeframe using recurring recommendations from this site. I am older now, and feel that I have the work habits necessary to stick to my plan.
I am currently on deployment, and have two months left. During this time I will be able to dedicate only about 2-3 hours a day to preparation. Upon returning I should be able to dedicate an average of 6 a day. Assuming days off, this puts me somewhere in the ballpark of 650+ hours of deliberate practice.
I am going to take another practice test after completing the economist GMAT course, which I estimate will take a little over a month, and from there will schedule my practice tests more regularly. I will use this score to adjust my plan.
I wanted to post this to get thoughts from the community here at GMAT club. Does anyone have an experience like this one?
I took a practice test with the Economist GMAT tutor, and scored a 350. This was two days ago. I had not studied for the GMAT at all, did poorly as a high school but ok in college (I was very lazy), so have very little foundation to work off of. I don't believe I am stupid, as may be indicated by this test. I am coming down from the initial discouragement, but my personal consolation is "you don't know what you don't know", so I am not taking this initial score too seriously.
My first official test will be about five to six months from now, and I have built a plan around that timeframe using recurring recommendations from this site. I am older now, and feel that I have the work habits necessary to stick to my plan.
I am currently on deployment, and have two months left. During this time I will be able to dedicate only about 2-3 hours a day to preparation. Upon returning I should be able to dedicate an average of 6 a day. Assuming days off, this puts me somewhere in the ballpark of 650+ hours of deliberate practice.
I am going to take another practice test after completing the economist GMAT course, which I estimate will take a little over a month, and from there will schedule my practice tests more regularly. I will use this score to adjust my plan.
I wanted to post this to get thoughts from the community here at GMAT club. Does anyone have an experience like this one?
09 Jul 2018, 01:12
Kudos
Bookmarks
Welcome to GMAT Club!
Kudos for posting and sharing a low score result. People sometimes assume that the GMAT indicates a mental evaluation but it does not. Many high IQ individuals (to their shock and disgust) score quite low on the test because it is not a logic or mental capacity test. Rather it is a test of high school math and grammar.
So all those things that you thought were useless at school and got skipped are now calling your name. Sorry. All the shortcuts you took and things you skipped, will now have to be in- taken and un-skipped. That’s the only way, and you can no longer afford it or allow yourself to take shortcuts or cut corners. That’s the only way, and you can no longer afford or allow yourself to take shortcuts or cut corners.
Before you dive into the economist course however, I would recommend getting some background info to cover things such as basic geometry, arithmetic, and other things that may not be covered in detail in a course. (Courses assume a certain level of proficiency). I would recommend the mgmat math foundations and mgmat Verbal foundations. The two books specifically designed for folks who skipped parts of high school curriculum or have not used it for a long time.
It would be more efficient to start with the basic material and then go through the course rather than vice versa. You should consider the course as your final training and culmination of which will be taking the test. Don’t consider it as the beginning - it is not dipping your toe in the water. For that you can get a general book and be done.
PS. One last suggestion - work to get a perfect or near perfect score on each section. Don’t just blast through the course thinking that you will catch up later or cover the material later or it will somehow appear later. It won’t. There is no “later”. Do it now and then and don’t move past the chapter, section, or quiz until you get at least 90% of questions correct. Also because you have skipped quite a bit of basic high school math, if you run into a question and you don’t know why a solution worked one way or another, make sure you investigate that. It may seem like a rabbit hole but at this stage you need to chase all those rabbit holes and to the bottom of as many as possible. Remember, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Good luck!
Posted from my mobile device
Kudos for posting and sharing a low score result. People sometimes assume that the GMAT indicates a mental evaluation but it does not. Many high IQ individuals (to their shock and disgust) score quite low on the test because it is not a logic or mental capacity test. Rather it is a test of high school math and grammar.
So all those things that you thought were useless at school and got skipped are now calling your name. Sorry. All the shortcuts you took and things you skipped, will now have to be in- taken and un-skipped. That’s the only way, and you can no longer afford it or allow yourself to take shortcuts or cut corners. That’s the only way, and you can no longer afford or allow yourself to take shortcuts or cut corners.
Before you dive into the economist course however, I would recommend getting some background info to cover things such as basic geometry, arithmetic, and other things that may not be covered in detail in a course. (Courses assume a certain level of proficiency). I would recommend the mgmat math foundations and mgmat Verbal foundations. The two books specifically designed for folks who skipped parts of high school curriculum or have not used it for a long time.
It would be more efficient to start with the basic material and then go through the course rather than vice versa. You should consider the course as your final training and culmination of which will be taking the test. Don’t consider it as the beginning - it is not dipping your toe in the water. For that you can get a general book and be done.
PS. One last suggestion - work to get a perfect or near perfect score on each section. Don’t just blast through the course thinking that you will catch up later or cover the material later or it will somehow appear later. It won’t. There is no “later”. Do it now and then and don’t move past the chapter, section, or quiz until you get at least 90% of questions correct. Also because you have skipped quite a bit of basic high school math, if you run into a question and you don’t know why a solution worked one way or another, make sure you investigate that. It may seem like a rabbit hole but at this stage you need to chase all those rabbit holes and to the bottom of as many as possible. Remember, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Good luck!
Posted from my mobile device
09 Jul 2018, 09:08
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi gmatmuggle,
Many Test Takers are unhappy with their initial practice scores, but you really shouldn't be. It's just a measure of your skills right now - and you're going to be improving those skills in the coming weeks and months of study. You've also given yourself plenty of time to study - which is good. Since you have an immediate plan in place, I suggest that you work through that Course to the best of your ability. Once you've completed it (and you've taken a few practice CATs), you should post back and we can discuss your scores and how to best continue your studies.
I'd like to know a bit more about your overall timeline and your goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Many Test Takers are unhappy with their initial practice scores, but you really shouldn't be. It's just a measure of your skills right now - and you're going to be improving those skills in the coming weeks and months of study. You've also given yourself plenty of time to study - which is good. Since you have an immediate plan in place, I suggest that you work through that Course to the best of your ability. Once you've completed it (and you've taken a few practice CATs), you should post back and we can discuss your scores and how to best continue your studies.
I'd like to know a bit more about your overall timeline and your goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
