First mock Gmat Official Prep 640

Hi arincovic,

Assuming that you took this CAT/mock in the last day or two, then you should NOT take another CAT so soon. A 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. As such, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week. If you panicked during the Verbal section, then you need more Verbal practice (so that you can become more familiar/comfortable with the content, Tactics and necessary 'work' needed to answer Verbal questions) before you take your next CAT.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?

Goals:
3) What is your goal score?
4) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
6) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Hi arincovic, have you been preparing for GMAT or was it a cold attempt?

If it was a cold attempt, 640 is a great score to start with.Verbal is obviously something that you need to put in bit of an extra effort.

Hi arincovic,

I’m happy to help, but until I know more about your situation with the GMAT, it’s difficult to comment on your V28 test score. Once you respond to the questions already asked, I can provide some detailed advice.

Hi there guys,

Since this one is the most comprehensive one I will directly respond the "EMPOWERgmatRichC"'s questions.

Studies:
1) I have been preparing for maybe 4 months, But at the same time I am a senior student(Bachelor's Degree) and I am an intern at a corporate company, so I studied after work. (after 5 PM usually) And sometimes during my prep I had to pause for midterms, finals and some occasional events.
2) At the beginning I had OG 2019 Official One I completed it totally, then I used MGMAT Sentence correction (around 250 questions), afterwards I finished KAPLAN 800's verbal part. Moreover finally I completed the OG 19 Verbal Review. I also have GMAT-Club CAT's and Quizzes, I took around 5 or 6 CAT's each Q and V.

Goals:
3)My goal is to have something more than 650 actually, I would be surprised If I can make it up to 700.
4)I already took an appointment for 17th of January,
5)After I finish the exam I will be collecting documents for application right away. Then I will apply.
6)I am planning to apply MIM programs in UK and USA (Mostly UK) one of my highest target is LSE.

I forgot to mention, that Prep test that I took 640 from was almost 2.5 weeks ago, so I took the second one and got worse 600 (2 days ago Q49 V24) .

Anyway my finals are over and I took 3 weeks of from work. And I will be full time working for GMAT until the exam. So I will keep it high until the big day.

About Quant part I have no problem I guess, at the 2nd prep I had again Q49 with 10 WRONGS (Silly Mistakes again if I can be a little bit more carefull I can easily hit to Q50-51)

What I feel is now I started to understand the logic of the verbal questions, and I will spend the rest of my time to improve my verbal score to 32 or higher.

And my question is; is there any kind of study to boost verbal? What is the hardest but the fastest technique that can be applied in my case?

Throughout my all life I've been a hardworking one, therefore I think that I can make it, if I am shown the right way.

Thanks in advance.

Hi arincovic,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, these 2 CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 620 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes.

Since you are only 1.5 weeks away from your current Test Date, you have to be specific about your Score Goal. If your Goal is a 650+, then you probably have the skills to earn that Score right now - meaning that you might just need to continue honing those skills (and working to eliminate little mistakes from your work). However, if your Goal is notably higher (such as 700+), then you would likely need at least another 1-2 months of consistent, guided study to get to the point that you were consistently scoring at that higher level.

1) Do you have the flexibility to push back your Test Date? What is the latest that you think you can take the Exam?

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

Since I believe that my other qualifications besides GMAT are quite well, (Work Exp. , GPA etc.)

I think I will take it without postponing the exam.

What I really want to know is that is there a method that hurts but works ? (In such a time interval)

Hi arincovic,

Since your Test Date is quickly approaching, you really have to be definitive about your Goals so that you can make the proper choices right now about how to proceed.

1) What is the lowest GMAT Score that would satisfy you (to the point that you would not choose to retest)?

If that score is in the high-600s or 700s, then you almost certainly need more study time than you have allotted. By extension, if you're just going to choose to retest anyway, then you can save some time and money by simply pushing back your Test Date now. If you would be satisfied with a Score in the 600 - 650 range, then you appear to have the necessary skills to earn that type of Score right now, so sticking with your current Test Date would be fine.

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

I think you’re making a mistake. There are no ways to quickly gain points in a test like the GMAT — you need to build your skills over time.

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arincovic

1) make sure that you really need 700+... because if your dreams school doesnt require it, there is no need to study this hard.
2) Obviously no need to kill yourself over the quant score. I wouldnt even study quant anymore. Try doing like 5 PS and 5 DS or so quant questions per day. This should keep you sharp.
3) Your verbal is sub par --> focus on it.
4) If you are willing to spend $$$, then you might want to hire a private tutor. If not look at option 5.
5) Do OG Sentence Correction, Reading Comp, and Critical Reasoning questions all the time. keep an error log. If you get it wrong, go to the answer choices and read carefully the original explanation. Try to fully understand what made you make that mistake. Make sure that your reading speed is good and that you are reading for meaning. There are a ton of good videos on GmatClubs youtube channel. Might worth looking into them. If you have all of the Manhattan Verbal Guides, then read them all over again. It is very clear that your approach to each question is not a good one.

I might also suggest to take some time off school and work (skip call/call in sick). You need to prioritize the GMAT studies if you really want to get close to 700.

Best of luck!