Dismal GMAT Score help

Hi jcallahan6,

Raising a 480 to a 600+ will require some serious work, but that is an achievable goal in the timeframe that you've listed. There are a variety of different score 'combinations' that will lead you to a 600+ score, but you would likely find it easiest to pick up points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Before I can offer the pointed advice that you're looking for, I need to know more about your studies so far and your timeline/goals:

1) How long have you been studying? I studied for two months before I took the test.
2) What materials have you been using? I was using MGMAT Math Foundations, Kaplan Math Workbook, OG 13, and forums.

3) When are you planning to apply to Business School? I plan on applying in November.
4) Do you know which Schools you plan to apply to? I am applying to CU Boulder and CU Denver as well.

Thankfully, the GMAT is a predictable, standardized Test, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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

Many Test Takers who use a 'book heavy' study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level, so you might find it beneficial to invest in a non-book-based GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led).

I have seen you give this standard advice to a lot of members asking for help to break out of a plateau, so I think it would be beneficial to the forum if you could explain the advantages of an online GMAT course over GMAT books. For example, I remember you saying that a book cannot force a student to follow a suggested approach, but how exactly can an online GMAT course do that?

Hi jcallahan6,

Since you have a decent amount of time into your studies, I think the biggest issue affecting your GMAT progression is “how” you have been studying. Thus, you may consider adjusting your study routine.

When considering how to adjust your study routine, you must realize that the GMAT is such a challenging exam because there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next. Have you been able to study in this way? I have not. But this is a good note for my studying that I am doing now. Do you happen to have any advice on how to group subjects in a way that will allow me to master one at a time? Looking through this forum's breakdown of the quant subject questions seem to be throwing me off. In other words, how should I approach trying to learn one subject at a time and how should I group these subjects?

For example, if you are learning about Number Properties, you should learn everything possible about that topic, e.g., LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. After that, be sure that you practice with a lot of questions (50 or more) just on Number Properties. The results of that practice will help you to determine how well you have truly mastered that topic.

For verbal you will want to follow a similar study routine; focus on learning one section at a time: reading comprehension, sentence correction, or critical reasoning. For example, when learning about critical reasoning, you want to be able to cover all aspects of critical reasoning: strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc. Follow up your learning with focused critical reasoning practice so you can determine your specific weaknesses within that topic. You should follow a similar routine for sentence correction and reading comprehension.

I also, see that you have mostly been using books for your GMAT prep. Have you considered using a self-study course? In comparison to GMAT prep books, self-study courses typically provide detailed study plans and have granular analytics, so you can easily track your progress as you move through the course. By being able to track your progress, you will remain more engaged, and you’ll be able to forecast when you are ready to take your real GMAT. If you would like to learn more about what online resources are available, check out the verified course reviews here or on. After doing some research you should be able to find a course that is a good fit for you.

Lastly, feel free to read my article that provides some actionable steps that you can follow
Good luck!