Best strategy : 1 month from exam

Question

Hi All,

I have been studying for past 3 months for GMAT and now I have scheduled my exam 1 month later.
So far,I have not been able to devote fixed amount of time and have had lot of gaps in between my preparations.

Resources:
I have completed OG once (approximately 3 months before when I started). 
Quant - Kaplan Premier
Verbal - Manhattan (SC,RC,CR)

Tests:
First test- GMAT prep: 580 (approx 2 months before)
Second Test - Veritas Prep : Total/Percentile :590 / 46 Q Score/Percentile:45 / 59 V Score/Percentile:25 / 40 (More than 1.5 month)
I had occasionally taken separate Quant and Verbal Tests. I quant score around has always been around Q45-48.
My Verbal at the same time has been very unpredictable. In terms of number of incorrect answers -- Test 1: SC(8)CR(3) RC(8) Test 2:SC(8)CR(9)RC(3)

After a long gap. I have been working on my SC(since last week). I have not given any test recently. 
My target is around 740. I know it's high compared to what I have scored so far. I am ready to put in time and effort but I am feeling a little lost and I don't know how to how to start all over again.

What should be the strategy to get the best out of this 1 month period? 
How much time one needs to give everyday? (I understand it differs from person to person but approximately?)

Thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ruchu01,

Since you admit that you have been studying inconsistently - and If you have not taken any FULL-LENGTH CATs in some time - then we have no idea what your current 'ability level' is right now. As such, you should plan to take a new, FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the essay and IR sections) sometime soon. Once you have that score result, you should post back here and we can discuss how best to proceed. Until we have that score, we won't know what you need to work on. Based on your prior practice scores, and your goal score, you will likely need MORE than 1 month to hit that goal.

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

ruchu01 · Answer

Hi Rich,

I took a full length CAT test, over the weekend
I scored 660, It turned out my speed in solving quant questions have reduced I was unable to solve last 7 questions,
I gave Kaplan Diagnostic test:
Q:41 - Poor Performance in Number Properties and statics( both 50%)
V:39 - Poor Performance in RC: 35% then sc:61% CR:71%

a. I am planning to apply for B-schools for fall 2019.
b. I have not done a lot of research on B-schools yet, My only concern is work exp, I currently have 1+ year of work exp. so I need check on which b-schools are lenient cut off for work exp, or else I may choose to postpone by a year.

Currently I am focusing on my GMAT test. So that I have enough time to do research on colleges based on different criteria.

Any suggestions for effective preparation? Is my exam date too early for my target score?
If you could advice me the best strategies to follow at this time, it will be really helpful

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ruchu01,

It sounds like you have plenty of time before you plan to apply to Business School, so you should consider pushing back your Test Date (as doing so will save you some money and likely some aggravation). Based on this recent CAT score, you will likely need at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study to get up to a 740+.

This 660 is a nice improvement over your prior practice CATs. I have a few questions about this performance though:
1) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores?
2) Did you actually answer the last 7 Quant questions (by 'guessing') or did you run out of time and NOT get to them at all?

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

ruchu01 · Answer

Hi Rich, In the last cat: 1. I scored (Q41,V39) 2. I was able to check upto Question number 31 post which I was left with no time. Although, I did not solve AWA and IR.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ruchu01,

On the GMAT, any questions that you do not physically answer are 'penalized' (and the penalty is WORSE than if you had simply guessed and gotten those questions wrong). As such, you MUST make sure to answer every question (even if you're just guessing). It's tough to say exactly what the penalty would have been on this CAT, but it would have been significant. That having been said, a Q41 means that you're making lots of little mistakes on 'gettable' questions and you're missing out on LOTS of 'strategy-based' points. To hit your goal score, you will have to put in some significant effort to hone the necessary math skills, work on your organization/note-taking and practice the proper Tactics. All of that training will likely take at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - so again, you will likely need more time than you have currently planned for.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

ruchu01 · Answer

Hi Rich,

I can spend 3 hours per day on week days , 6 hours per day on weekends. Sums up to 27 hours per week. I have tried following my schedule for about two weeks now. I can follow this schedule till end of november. I have some commitments in first week of december in which I might not be able to put in the same amount of effort.

Thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ruchu01,

With a Q41, you're performing reasonably well on most of the 'math' questions that you face - but you're making a lot of little mistakes throughout the section (so there's some question as to how well you know the content) - AND you're missing out on LOTS of 'strategy-based' points. The training needed to hone all of the skills to raise this 660 to a 740 will almost certainly take more than the 1 month that you've planned for. You don't have to make any decisions on this just yet, but you will likely need more time than you've allotted.

Based on everything that you've described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in under a month, although the amount of time that you'll need to master all of that content might vary. We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an account.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

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