I started GMAT prep early last week with little prior knowledge of the GMAT whatsoever.
My current goal is min. 720 and I secretly aim for higher marks...
To give me sufficient time to prepare, I will study for 3 months before my 1st real GMAT test (end-April 2021).

According to the advice I have seen here on GMAT Club, I jumped into the 1st CAT test with Manhattan Prep Interact. Then I realized that my Quant score was lower than I deserve, due to my ignorance of the very basic GMAT 101 (never looked at the tutorials giving an overview of the GMAT exam). After 5 days of self-study focusing on understanding tricks of DS (the "AD/BCE" grid) and basic steps to follow when dealing with SC, I brought myself to the 2nd CAT test on GMAT Official Prep. Here is the comparison table of the two diagnostic CAT results:

For better readability on screenshots, see attachments below
Test Date CAT Provider Total Quant Verbal IR
21.01.2021 MGMAT 600 Q39 V34 IR 5.2
26.01.2021 Official Prep 650 Q45 V35 IR 2 (I bailed 10/12 IR questions because I was too tired)

Help Please:

1. Suggestions on Study Plan

2. Suggestions for a non-native speaker to improve Verbal? And, generally, what scores are realistic? It appears CAT results from both MGMAT and GMAT Official Prep indicate my Verbal is stable at 34-35. To be certain that these scores don't factor in any 'luck' when I bailed, I reviewed the questions and concluded that approx 95% of the time I was wrong when I guessed. So 34-35 is where I am now.

3. Does GMAC Official Prep not offer explanations to the CAT test questions? To gain more out of the official tests, how do I know where I got wrong/right and what review topics (e.g. what kinds of math? what kinds of grammar?)??? At the moment, my mind is completely blank... I don't recognize the tested "topics" by looking at the Correct or Incorrect summary on the Official Prep.

4. Anyone uses the MGMAT Review Tracker? There are videos on MGMAT Interact (Pre Session) explaining how to fill out the Tracker (attached below FYI). Accordingly, I worked through the 'reviewing' process for hours religiously, only to find that I don't have any particular strength points that don't need prep on... If you look at the "Quant" sheet (starting from Row 130) and the "Verbal" sheet (starting from Row 145), what insights would you offer please?

Thanks!!!

PS: EMPOWERgmatRichC please advise if you would be so kind... Thx

Hi emmaluo,

This recent CAT results makes sense (based on what we discussed in your prior post - here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/recommendati ... 46513.html). It's worth noting that each CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to learn the necessary Tactics and put in the proper practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. In addition, the process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically should not take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day.

Since we have just these 2 CAT results to use as a reference, it's tough to say exactly what your current 'ability level' is right now (as you may have gotten a bit 'lucky' or 'unlucky' on one or both of these CATs). That having been said, there's a reasonable chance that your current 'ability level' is in the low-600s to mid-600s). Statistically-speaking, raising a 630 to the point that you can consistently score 720+ will likely require that you commit to at least 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you will have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level - and you have given yourself 3 months of potential study time, which is great!

If you've already purchased a course, then you might be fine working through it. Since you have several months, you might consider using it for a month to see how well it helps you to hone your Quant and Verbal skills and improve (and you should take a NEW CAT every 1-2 weeks to track your progress). After a month, if you don't find the material to be helpful, then we can discuss how you might best adjust your studies from there. It's likely that all of the questions that you saw on the GMAC CAT have been discussed in the forums here, so if you are interested in any additional information on any particular questions, then you can simply 'Google' them and jump into the various discussions.

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