Been studying for a year, still scoring between 570 and 590

Question

Hello all! Raghav here...

I have been preparing for the gmat exam for the past one year...by studying all the Manhattan gmat books first and then moving on To using the egmat course (after scoring 550 in my first mock test veritas prep). Despite creating error logs and practicing about 20 questions each day with timing for quants and verbal (scoring about 80% for medium and 50 to 60% for hard questions) I am still not able to make it to the 700+ score line. I have done 4 egmat mock Exams and have consistently scored between 570 to 590... My quants improved a bit from Q39 to Q45..but my verbal has still.been hovering between V22 to V25. Here are my observations from my prep and Exam results =

General :
1. I tend to spend more than 3 min per hard questions...thus cutting my time available for answering the remaining questions.
2. I get anxious while doing my mocks when compared to.timed 10 question practice tests.
3. I am almost always left with 4 to 5 questions at the end with only a few minutes to spare, and thus I end up guessing and randomly marking the answers.

Quants :
1. I find it tough to answer complicated permutation and combination and probability questions.
2. I.have to frequently revisit and recollect formulaes and concepts for algebra, number properties and certain time/distance word problems.

Verbal:
1. I am.not able to prethink answers for critical reasoning questions, and I end up reading each answer and choosing the option that makes sense to me...often getting it wrong for even medium level questions.
2. Sentence correction is generally ok but I falter when I encounter tough questions testing modifiers, parallelism, idioms and pronouns.
4. For reading comprehension, I am able to answer the questions correctly in time for passages that I understand...for the tough passages I spend atleast 5 min just to read the passage and understand it, but end up getting the answers wrong.

I have reread my notes for both quants and verbal several times and have also exhausted most of the practice questions for gmat and egmat portals...conceptual wise I feel I have a good understanding but applicationwise I find it difficult to answer mostly hard and some medium level questions within 2 min each.

Should I go for private tutoring? or should I continue practicing timed problems for.each Quant and verbal concept, revise the concept files from egmat and take additional mocks?

Based on my mock performance I really am losing confidence and keep on delaying the date period when I need to take the actual gmat exam.

I work 12. Hrs a day for an oil and gas company, get up early at 4:30 to 5 am to study for about 1.5 to 2 hrs (before I leave at 6:30 am.for work) and about 1 to 1.5 hrs after i come back from work (7:30 pm onwards) . I spend around 6hrs per weekend day studying.as.well. I only get about 5 hrs asleep per day due to gmat prep.

The past three months have been very stressful for me because of work stress (increased workload due to added responsabilities) and I have been helping out my wife with daily chores and cooking ( my wife's expecting in a couple of months). We both live abroad and can't afford to get a maid during this pandemic period.

I do not know what to do and I feel like giving up. I sometimes get up in the middle of the night sweating like crazy just because of the fact that I am.getting nowhere with my gmat prep. I have wasted one whole year...excluded myself from outings and meeting freinds (most of whom I haven't spoken with for more than a year) and have only stayed at home with my wife...going to work and returning back home to study and take care of the house . To be honest I have not even visited my parents and brother for 2years now. I feel that all these sacrifices were endured for nothing.

Any advice from you guys will help me...and boost my confidence...awaiting your reply thanks.

Posted from my mobile device

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  RRaghavendran ,

If I were you, I'd take a break (from the GMAT). Your responsibilities and lack of sleep have probably led to burnout.

RRaghavendran · Answer

Ok sir noted..thanks for your quick reply 🙏

Posted from my mobile device

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello Raghav,

GMAT club is one of the great platforms to get information about the GMAT official test, Study plan, Section wise instructions, and many more.

I fully understand your frustration. Many test aspirants are unhappy with their initial practice test scores. We have observed that this is due to either lack of a detailed study plan or some unreliable resources.

We have also observed that the test takers are not aware of the GMAT pattern, which is indeed a must to know before the start of the preparation. Raising the score by 150 to 200 pointers is not tricky, but at the same time, it is not easy too.

Don’t give up. You can surely do better.

You can schedule a Comprehensive counseling(https://calendly.com/mathrevolution/1-on-1-session) session for 30 mins with one of our experts to have detailed advice on your current study plans.

A couple of things that can be a noticeable barrier to your scores would be some or all of the below.

• Not detailed knowledge of GMAT Math pattern and Question types
• Inefficiency by using time-consuming Conventional method to tackle DS and PS questions still
• No expert support (maybe) who can tutor, analyze, and guide you during your learning
• Lack of many updated questions and practice in the recent exam trend
• Not well aligned with time to solve questions.

Precisely, there has to be one end-to-end solution encompassing all the points mentioned above. We also want to understand your approach to solving PS and DS questions. You can try our free diagnostic test https://www.mathrevolution.com/diagnostic/dtExamMember and receive a comprehensive study guide by topic. This test will clearly help you understand your weak areas.

Your study plan will now change as you are already ready with the vital concepts and their application. The diagnostic test report will give us detailed insight into various topics and your performance. After an in-depth analysis, we will draw out the category of the topics in which you are already better and those where you need more improvement. Also, we will be able to compare your performance while solving the PS and DS questions

Also, make a note of various possible combinations to achieve a score of 700 or 700+. The possible scores will help you track your performance after taking the mock or practice test. It will also help you maintain balance in both the sections, and you will always be in a great position to allot the study hours to a specific area accordingly.

The possible score combinations for 700 or 700 +: Q should be Q 46, 47, 48, and V should be V38, 39, 40.

We recommend that you must learn the Variable Approach for solving DS questions and the IVY approach for solving PS questions in order to improve your accuracy and save time while solving the question types.

The most important for you will be learning and commanding the Variable Approach for DS questions and IVY Approach for PS questions. These approaches are the robust self-designed time-saving techniques that will help you learn efficiently, thus raising your score in the quick nick of time.

Register with MathRevolution https://www.mathrevolution.com/member/signup to get access to our 7-day full on-demand course (27 topics, 490 subtopics, and 1,500 questions) for free trial lessons.

700+ level questions https://www.mathrevolution.com/gmat/questionbank are separately available, too. Start with the learning of the concepts. Make a habit of taking notes during the initial learning of the concepts.

After registering, you will have access to the practice section. Initially, try solving the DS and/or PS questions from very easy and easy category questions on the topic(s) you have learned. You may also connect with one of our experts to get one of the best tutoring supports, which will help understand the topic(s) and solve questions and learn how to manage time and accuracy.

Adding to the same, mastery of the Variable Approach to solve DS questions and the IVY approach to solve PS questions would add a feather to the cap. Below is the useful link we will recommend you to visit on GMAT club to experience the power of DS and IVY approaches.

Ultimate Q51 guide: https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-ultimate ... l#p1613600

Breakdown of GMAT math questions and types: https://gmatclub.com/forum/overview-of- ... l#p1641411

Regular tests will reflect the positive change in the score, and hence, your confidence will boost up. Gradually, with the help of mock tests, you will be able to compete with time and hence will be able to learn time-management.

We appreciate your time and patience in reading this reply.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@mathrevolution.com

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!

Punit Joshi
Math Revolution Team

RRaghavendran · Answer

Thank you Punit for your recommendation...will.contact your team soon.. But do you have any advice for improving verbal?

Posted from my mobile device

vv65 · Answer

Good advice from Ajitesh Arun sir: do take a break.

The GMAT is demanding. It's hard to do well in a state of mental and physical stress. So reclaim your life. Get enough sleep, connect with friends and family, spend time on enjoyable activities, start yoga (or walks or jogging or anything), start reading stuff that interests you, ....

When you get back to thinking about the GMAT, you will probably need to re-assess things and change how you prepare. Whatever you decide, remember that taking care of yourself and family is important. Think of it as preventive maintenance that is essential to keep the machinery working and to avoid burnout.

Posted from my mobile device

vamshikaithi · Answer

Hi RRaghavendran, I completely understand how you must be feeling after studying the entire thing for so long and still not able to improve your score. I was once there in the similar situation. I took a classroom coaching, solved 'N' number of questions, did OG, took mocks but still scored a mere 570 in my first GMAT attempt. I was very discouraged. That' when I got in touch with a mentor and realized that there's much more to GMAT than just learning concepts and practicing questions. I started focusing on the methodology to solve questions. I focused more on the process of solving than on practicing questions. The results started showing. I could eventually improve my score to 680 and then finally to 720. The key here is to do your prep in the right way and to use the right resource which can help you with the methodology and which can help you to work on your weak areas. I personally used GMATWhiz online course and improved my score. Not only their course structure but their mentorship guidance has also played an equal importance in my improvement. GMAT preparation can be very tricky if not done properly. So, seek an expert's advice and choose the right resource which can help you to improve your score. You can go through my debrief to understand what I did differently. Debrief of my journey from 570 to 680 to 720: https://gmatclub.com/forum/my-journey-f ... l#p2648110 Hope it helped. All the best

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi RRaghavendran,

Lack of a proper structure and consistency can be the reasons for the score being stagnant. The key to scoring well on GMAT is doing the prep in the right way. And how to do your prep in the right way? Make sure to tick all the below boxes.

Learn the concepts of the topic 
 Learn the methodology to solve questions of that topic (Most important) 
 Practice questions of that topic to get used to the methodology (No need to time yourself at this stage) 
 Move to the next topic only if you get a decent accuracy while practicing. If not, revisit the concepts and the methodology and make sure to understand them perfectly this time

This is the right sequence to deal with the topics. Repeat the same process for every topic. And once you are done with all the topic, you can start taking timed quizzes.

The reason for score being stagnant: 
Now, ask yourself whether you have done your prep in the right way. Your score indicates that you have faltered in the first two steps of the preparation. You still have conceptual gaps in a few topics and are highly struggling with the application part.

As there are multiple weak areas, I will just concentrate on CR for now and we can discuss the plan of action in detail over a call. If you are not able to pre-think the missing link, it means that you are probably getting deviated in the process. And if you are facing difficulty in eliminating answer choices, it means that you are either having trouble in understanding the argument and identifying the conclusion or not able to pre-think properly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZP1tJ_e-4I

In GMATWhiz, we teach you a solid framework, which will help you pre-think the missing link in a more structured process. As I said earlier, structure and consistency are the key for GMAT prep. So, make sure to do your prep in the right way and start focusing on the methodology part.

The path ahead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiQlDg0bhaI

As there are many weak areas in both Quant and Verbal, I think it would be better if we have a detailed discussion on your study strategy and how to go about it. We can get in touch over a call and discuss the same. Knowing more about your weak areas and about your GMAT preparation will help me guide you in a better way. You can use the below link to get in touch with me.

Click here to schedule a call

SANCHIT1111 · Answer

hey  RRaghavendran  its 2024 and im seeing this what you wrote 3 years ago. I am just curious to know where are you know ? did you ace the gmat or left it ? waiting for a reply !! .

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Been studying for a year, still scoring between 570 and 590

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