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Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+

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Zoomzoom952
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Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   01 Oct 2017, 20:23
Hello,

I am currently in a bit of a rut trying to understand the best way to move my score into the upper 600s or above. I am curious what a good 2nd level prep course/strategy would be? I heard e-gmat is helpful but I am not certain what would be of the most benefit (any experiences?). I took a Mprep class in person starting early march 2017, ending May 2017. Because of a hectic work schedule and outside obligations I struggled to keep up and didn't get a full dive into all of the concepts. When the class ended I tried to clean up loose ends and scored a 630 on my Official cat in mid July. Q44 (personal best) V33 (on par with what i was scoring). Please note my prior 5 practice tests were all around 590, and Q44 was my highest to date. After taking the test I took a break for a month and a half to take care of some personal business. At this point I started to review again in early Sept, leading to an Official cat2 on 9/30. To my dismay, I ended up with a significantly worse score of 590 Q37 (lowest ever) V35 (personal best). Obviously at this point I am a bit frustrated and unsure of what is generally the best way to go about moving forward. I would look to take this test again in early November (have a two week vacation in the end of Oct dedicated to studying as well as dedicating nearly all of my free time to this) with the intention of moving my score to a 670+. For those who have dealt with a similar plateau or a decrease in score from one to another, how did you go about fixing this? My fear is simply doing problems over and over without tangible progress moving forward. I feel like at this point I might just be spinning my wheels. One core issue I noticed on both sections was my pacing was not up to par and I had to sacrifice 3 questions on each section to the luck of guessing. This I do understand can be fixed by doing more and more practice test (something I definitely did not do enough of during my prep)

Is there a structured prep for this time frame (5 weeks?), in particular one that focuses heavy on the quant side? Whether it is a course or a forum strategy guide, any insight is appreciated.

Sorry for the narrative - but I would like to use my time going forward in the most productive way and not bouncing around different ideas, leading to subpar progress (something I had done in the past).

Thanks,

Tom
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cutie29pi
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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   02 Oct 2017, 02:23
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Zoomzoom952 wrote:
Hello,

I am currently in a bit of a rut trying to understand the best way to move my score into the upper 600s or above. I am curious what a good 2nd level prep course/strategy would be? I heard e-gmat is helpful but I am not certain what would be of the most benefit (any experiences?). I took a Mprep class in person starting early march 2017, ending May 2017. Because of a hectic work schedule and outside obligations I struggled to keep up and didn't get a full dive into all of the concepts. When the class ended I tried to clean up loose ends and scored a 630 on my Official cat in mid July. Q44 (personal best) V33 (on par with what i was scoring). Please note my prior 5 practice tests were all around 590, and Q44 was my highest to date. After taking the test I took a break for a month and a half to take care of some personal business. At this point I started to review again in early Sept, leading to an Official cat2 on 9/30. To my dismay, I ended up with a significantly worse score of 590 Q37 (lowest ever) V35 (personal best). Obviously at this point I am a bit frustrated and unsure of what is generally the best way to go about moving forward. I would look to take this test again in early November (have a two week vacation in the end of Oct dedicated to studying as well as dedicating nearly all of my free time to this) with the intention of moving my score to a 670+. For those who have dealt with a similar plateau or a decrease in score from one to another, how did you go about fixing this? My fear is simply doing problems over and over without tangible progress moving forward. I feel like at this point I might just be spinning my wheels. One core issue I noticed on both sections was my pacing was not up to par and I had to sacrifice 3 questions on each section to the luck of guessing. This I do understand can be fixed by doing more and more practice test (something I definitely did not do enough of during my prep)

Is there a structured prep for this time frame (5 weeks?), in particular one that focuses heavy on the quant side? Whether it is a course or a forum strategy guide, any insight is appreciated.

Sorry for the narrative - but I would like to use my time going forward in the most productive way and not bouncing around different ideas, leading to subpar progress (something I had done in the past).

Thanks,

Tom



Hi Tom,

I guess we share the same issue.
i'm also facing the same problems and frustration.

On a personal front, i'm taking a week's break and starting all over again.
This time i will try to be more consisent.

Wish you the best, :-)
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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   02 Oct 2017, 04:35
Thanks. My real concern is how to be the most productive in the next 5 weeks. I have a basic understanding of the material and what/how to review but I feel my time Studying can be used more effectively, hence my questions surrounding programs or guides that generally are successful in a time frame such as this.

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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   02 Oct 2017, 07:51
Hi zoomzoom

Considering your verbal score 33, if you improve your quant score from Q44 to Q50 , you are already near to 700

Read manhattan quant book advance section . Use GMAT club quant tests.
I raised my score to Q 50 using these tests only
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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   02 Oct 2017, 14:57
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Hi Tom,

GMAT skills can 'fade' over time, so if you truly had to step away from your studies for 1.5 months, then the drop in your recent CAT score isn't much of a surprise. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. While raising a 590 to a 670+ in 5 weeks will be challenging, it is possible if you're focused on learning and practicing the proper Tactics for the Quant section.

1) What is your exact Test Date?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
4) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   02 Oct 2017, 18:08
Hello,

Thanks for reaching out. Please find my answers below.

Thanks,

EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:
Hi Tom,

GMAT skills can 'fade' over time, so if you truly had to step away from your studies for 1.5 months, then the drop in your recent CAT score isn't much of a surprise. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. While raising a 590 to a 670+ in 5 weeks will be challenging, it is possible if you're focused on learning and practicing the proper Tactics for the Quant section.

1) What is your exact Test Date? TBD - Probably early November
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School? - Mid November - Round 2
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to? - Baruch / Stern
4) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week? 8-10 hours M-F Weekends 10-15 Depending on obligations

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   02 Oct 2017, 21:24
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Hi Tom,

Using your recent CAT Score as a gauge, you could pick up all of the missing points that you're looking for in just the Quant section, so you could focus most of your time on Quant (while still doing some Verbal work). In addition, many Business Schools view an Applicant's Quant Scaled Score as an indicator of how that Applicant might handle the 'academic side' of the Program, so you'll benefit in multiple ways by raising your Quant. That having been said, your current Quant Scores show that you're pretty good at most of the 'math' questions that you face, but you're making some little mistakes and you're missing out on LOTS of 'strategy-based' points. However you choose to proceed, you would likely benefit a great deal by working with materials that focus on Quant Tactics and patterns.

Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at our website (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional questions, then just let me know.


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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   04 Oct 2017, 10:10
EMPOWERgmatRichC wrote:
Hi Tom,

GMAT skills can 'fade' over time, so if you truly had to step away from your studies for 1.5 months, then the drop in your recent CAT score isn't much of a surprise. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. While raising a 590 to a 670+ in 5 weeks will be challenging, it is possible if you're focused on learning and practicing the proper Tactics for the Quant section.


Rich



hi!
how much do you think should ideally be preparation time for Gmat before giving the exam?
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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   04 Oct 2017, 11:46
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Hi cutie29pi,

When it comes to total length of study time, there's no 'one size fits all' answer. As a general rule, I tend to recommend that Test Takers spend 3 months of consistent, guided study - but they might need more or less time depending on a variety of factors. Your 'starting score', Goal Score, weak areas, amount of time that you can study each week, ability to learn/practice new Tactics, etc. can all impact how quickly you'll improve - and by extension, how long it will take you to properly train for the GMAT.

1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each)?
4) What is your goal score?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink] New post   10 Oct 2017, 18:12
Thank you everyone for the advice. I have since signed up for a new approach and will be taking the test in approximately 50 days. I will put all my free time into this prep and will post back with a great result!
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Re: Best way to conquer a plateau from ~ 600 to upper 600+ [#permalink]
10 Oct 2017, 18:12

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