First practice test 360…targeting a 650. Best strategy?

Question

Hi everyone, I’m planning on taking the GMAT for the first time after about 3 months of prep (end of June) and I am aiming for a 650. I took my first CAT exam through Manhattan GMAT and scored a dismal 360 (Q3/V29) :cry:

. Clearly quant is a MAJOR weak spot. I did not study at all before taking the exam and it has been ages since I have done any math. I decided to enroll in Manhattan GMAT’s Complete Course online after this, as I knew I needed the extra help and structured guidance. However, after starting the class I soon realized that I was in way over my head with the math and it was hard to keep up. I needed to spend more time covering basic math before the class started to get everything out of it. I attended the online classes through out the rest of the class, but did not take the CAT’s etc as I knew I would not be following through with taking the GMAT after the class was over. I have decided to restart from the beginning. So, my question to everyone is what is the best strategy for myself with a three month timeline? I can give myself more time if need be, but I would like to keep it under 4.5 months. I need to focus on Math big time and build my basics up to be comfortable enough to tackle the rest of the materials. My resources: 1. Barron’s E-Z Math 2. Manhattan GMAT: I have the complete book set, access to six practice CAT’s, all online resources and can access all of the classes again. 3. Magoosh Premium To start off with, I want to focus on the Barron’s E-Z Math and Manhattan GMAT’s Foundations of GMAT Math books. How much time should I spend on these books and are there other resources out there that I should be using to strengthen up my basic math skills? I found that even in the Foundations of GMAT Math book when I was using it, it took me a long time to really get and understand concepts. Since I have a full-time job, I was thinking of studying 2 hours a day M-F and then 4 hours each Saturday and Sunday. Any help, suggestions, tips, tricks, etc. are much appreciated. If you would like additional information just ask away and I will respond. Thanks ~M

GMATPill · Answer

Hi M,

Definitely keep it under 3 months -- try not to drag it out too long, especially if you are studying at high intensity. If you are studying casually, then longer is fine.

For a 2 month plan, take a look at: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... study-plan

Dedicate the last few weeks to taking practice tests -- including the ones from mba.com (GMATPrep software) and the GMAT PILL CATs: www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-test/practice-test/

But before that we recommend really focusing in on a particular subsection one at a time. Don't try to study verbal and quant questions in the same day -- or even different kinds of verbal questions -- because that may confuse you and prevent you from really absorbing all that there is to learn. So divide and conquer - so that you can maximize your retention and learning. This is a process that does require a sort of rewiring of your brain -- and our students tend to do well by watching and rewatching videos until their brain is effectively rewired to an efficient thought process that they can use to approach any test question.

Hope that helps.

KarishmaB · Answer

Put your GMAT Quant material away for a month, but keep working on GMAT Verbal material.

Get middle school/high school Math books. Check out all relevant topics - fractions, equations, number system, exponents, geometry (line, circle, polygons, co-ordinate geometry) etc. If you are unable to understand something, check it out on khanacademy.org. If you need more practice questions of a topic, find them at purplemath.com.
Revise all your basics. Your GMAT Quant books are a waste of time till you don't have a clear understanding of your basics. Once you are done with this, go back to your GMAT Quant books. Ensure that you solve every question till the end because you need practice. It will take you at least a month to go through your Quant material thoroughly. Thereafter, take a practice test and figure out where you need more work. Go back to those areas from all the above mentioned resources. Mind you, if you skimp on the basics, you will not be able to improve your Quant score.

RichEconomistGMAT · Answer

Hi jhchoi1,

I'm also curious to know more about how you're logging your weak areas. It sounds like you're off to a good start with tracking which levels of difficulty you're having more/less success with, but as others have already alluded to, you should also start keeping logs of which concepts you're struggling with and focus on those to start.

Best of luck!
Rich

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi TMBA,

Based on what you're describing, you might need more overall study time to achieve your goals than you've accounted for (even at the higher end). A certain amount of the work that you'll have to do on Test Day is based on your knowledge of the content (and your ability to 'manipulate' it); the rest is in your critical thinking skills, pattern matching, use of strategies, note-taking, etc. Building up your knowledge, skills and tactical abilities takes more time than most Test Takers realize, so this process might be more time-consuming than you want it to be. It's important to keep your focus on the GOAL. A 650 is what you're after, so you can't lose sight of that.

If you're looking for a great free resource to help you (re)-learn the necessary math, I suggest that you visit Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The materials there are very 'friendly', easy to use and 'game-like', so you'll likely enjoy the experience more than just reading books and doing drills. To score at a high level on Test Day, you really need to have a solid ability with basic Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry and Formula/Rules based math.

You might also find that the GRE is an *easier* option for you. If the Schools that you're planning to apply to accept a GMAT or GRE score, then you might want to investigate that Test a bit before you commit too much effort to the GMAT. You can read more about it and download some free practice materials from www.gre.org.

When are you planning to apply to Business School?
Have you thought about which Schools you want to apply to?

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

TMBA · Answer

Put your GMAT Quant material away for a month, but keep working on GMAT Verbal material.

Get middle school/high school Math books. Check out all relevant topics - fractions, equations, number system, exponents, geometry (line, circle, polygons, co-ordinate geometry) etc. If you are unable to understand something, check it out on khanacademy org. If you need more practice questions of a topic, find them at purple math com.
Revise all your basics. Your GMAT Quant books are a waste of time till you don't have a clear understanding of your basics. Once you are done with this, go back to your GMAT Quant books. Ensure that you solve every question till the end because you need practice. It will take you at least a month to go through your Quant material thoroughly. Thereafter, take a practice test and figure out where you need more work. Go back to those areas from all the above mentioned resources. Mind you, if you skimp on the basics, you will not be able to improve your Quant score.

Thank you for the response. I think this sound like the best thing I can do right now. My plan is to use Barron's E-Z Math book with Khanacademy and purple math. Thanks for the suggestion of Khanacademy and purple math, they will be a great help! Once, I am comfortable, I will switch over the that Manhattan GMAT Foundations of Math book. While using the Barron's book for math, I will use Manhattan GMAT Foundation for Verbal. I'm giving myself a month timeline for this. I will take a practice test afterwards and post here how I did to reassess. Hopefully, I can narrow down the areas that I need to concentrate on.

TMBA · Answer

Hi,

Not sure if this was meant for me or not? If it is for me, i haven't started logging my weak areas, but I will be keeping an error log and can share more of those details once I have some data.

TMBA · Answer

Thanks Rich for the advice. I’m ok with adding more time to my plan, but I wanted to keep it as short as possible as I would like to apply this Fall for enrollment in Fall 2016.

How long of a program would you recommend if I want to apply this Fall? I am planning on six applications. NYU, Georgetown, UConn, George Washington and two others, which I am still in the process of narrowing down.

I want to follow through with the GMAT, as I have invested a lot of money into it already, but you may be right about the GRE. Is the GRE really viewed the same as the GMAT in the eye of admissions?

Thanks,

TMBA

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi TMBA,

Most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on the study process; during that time, it's common to spend 10-15 hours per week (or more). After 3 months of studying "your way", your Quant score is in need of serious improvement. This might mean that you need to learn to deal with the material in a different way, but it might also mean that the GMAT Quant section is a little too hard for you.

By comparison, the GRE tests many of the same concepts, but 'easier' versions. While you'll have less time per question, you can skip questions and come back to them later, and there is a built-in calculator (although you likely won't need it).

Before switching to study for a new Test, you should research whether the Schools that you're interested in accept the GRE or not. The respective websites will probably list that information, but if it's not clear, then you can contact the Schools directly.

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

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