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23 Dec 2016, 04:08
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Hi GMAT Club Members,
I've been passively active on a few GMAT Club forums since the last one month trying to understand the GMAT ecosystem. It has been an eye-opener in terms of offering diverse perspectives about the exam. This is going to be my first post. What compelled me to write this post is that - I've hit a major roadblock in my attempt to take the GMAT. Just one month into the preparation (I know it is enough for many test takers to get terrific scores), here's where I stand.
My first two scores are - 480 (Q- 27, V- 28) and 400 (Q-27, V-18). Had given the first one a month ago and attempted the latest one today after some studies. I admit the studies haven't been regular and focused but to demote to a poor score by so many points despite grasping some topics is a clear sign I'm heading nowhere. And it is disappointing.
Wondering how to remain objective and chalk the path ahead.
To get into the desired B-School, I should score at least 680. The margin of improvement is so wide that I'm actually bogged down on how to approach it going forward.
I've been passively active on a few GMAT Club forums since the last one month trying to understand the GMAT ecosystem. It has been an eye-opener in terms of offering diverse perspectives about the exam. This is going to be my first post. What compelled me to write this post is that - I've hit a major roadblock in my attempt to take the GMAT. Just one month into the preparation (I know it is enough for many test takers to get terrific scores), here's where I stand.
My first two scores are - 480 (Q- 27, V- 28) and 400 (Q-27, V-18). Had given the first one a month ago and attempted the latest one today after some studies. I admit the studies haven't been regular and focused but to demote to a poor score by so many points despite grasping some topics is a clear sign I'm heading nowhere. And it is disappointing.
Wondering how to remain objective and chalk the path ahead.
To get into the desired B-School, I should score at least 680. The margin of improvement is so wide that I'm actually bogged down on how to approach it going forward.
23 Dec 2016, 07:10
Kudos
Bookmarks
First, are those scores from real GMAT exams? Or did you use a practice test?
When I started to study for GMAT, I got disappointing scores in a couple of practice tests (at least for my goals). The first time I took a real GMAT exam, I did it mostly to know if I was really that bad. It turns out that, in my case, I'm much better at the real exams than at the practice ones.
Anyway, even if that's also your case, scores of 480 and 400 are really low for someone aiming at least 680. It is possible, but I think you really underestimated GMAT with just one month of preparation. Even if you are great in math and in English, it takes time to understand how to tackle the GMAT. To learn about the traps and to detect them, for example.
You gotta follow a structured plan to prepare for GMAT. GMATprepnow, Manhattan books, and GMAT club quizzes helped me a lot, for example. And you'll not be able to study them in such a short time.
I improved from a score of about 600 in my first pratice score to 750 in my last real GMAT exam. And it's probably harder to improve from 600 to 750 than to improve from 480 to 680, since things get really hard at 700+ level. But I studied about 1 year to reach that level.
When I started to study for GMAT, I got disappointing scores in a couple of practice tests (at least for my goals). The first time I took a real GMAT exam, I did it mostly to know if I was really that bad. It turns out that, in my case, I'm much better at the real exams than at the practice ones.
Anyway, even if that's also your case, scores of 480 and 400 are really low for someone aiming at least 680. It is possible, but I think you really underestimated GMAT with just one month of preparation. Even if you are great in math and in English, it takes time to understand how to tackle the GMAT. To learn about the traps and to detect them, for example.
You gotta follow a structured plan to prepare for GMAT. GMATprepnow, Manhattan books, and GMAT club quizzes helped me a lot, for example. And you'll not be able to study them in such a short time.
I improved from a score of about 600 in my first pratice score to 750 in my last real GMAT exam. And it's probably harder to improve from 600 to 750 than to improve from 480 to 680, since things get really hard at 700+ level. But I studied about 1 year to reach that level.
23 Dec 2016, 11:38
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey there,
I agree that you may have underestimated the preparation needed for the GMAT. Can you describe how you studied and what you used?
To provide context with my study schedule, I studied for a total of 2 months. I took a practice test on Day 1 to get a baseline, which was a 600. I used the official GMAC guide and the entire MGMAT series, and also signed up for Magoosh.com for access to their practice questions and video tutorials. Every weekday, I studied for 1.5 hours in the morning before work, and then another 45 minutes in the evening reviewing what I had learned. On Saturdays, I studied for a solid 3-4 hours (preparing myself for practice exam stamina). On Sundays I rested.
Starting month 2, I replaced my Saturday study sessions with full-length practice exams. I was averaging scores of 680-690 during my practice exams. On test day I ended up with a 660 because I lost time in quant due to palm reader delays (make sure to account for this!!).
Scores in the 400's signal that you have not yet mastered the basic concepts tested on the GMAT, or that you are falling for a lot of traps. I think going from a 400 to the 600's should be very doable though! Questions in this range are really just testing the basic concepts. Give yourself at least 2 months, and make sure you thoroughly read through the MGMAT books for the Quant section and master all the basic concepts, most importantly in arithmetic and number properties. More advanced questions will assume that you have a sound understanding of these concepts. For verbal, make sure you master parallel structure, tenses, and the most frequently seen idioms (MGMAT SC is excellent). If you master just these concepts, you should find yourself in at least the high 500's to 600. Just do lots and lots of practice questions, and review all of your wrong answers to understand what you did wrong. Keep a wrong answer log, and try redoing wrong questions after a week to make sure you've actually learned the concept. Time everything you do - you should try not to go over 2 minutes with any one question.
You should also make sure you have solid test-taking and guessing strategies. There are many traps on the GMAT, so understanding how to leverage different strategies to your favor is crucial. For example - question timing, strategic guessing, picking numbers, and using logic to eliminate wrong answers. Knowing when and how to guess is important as well - i.e. if you are running behind on time and come across a very difficult question. It's better to guess (strategically!) on a very difficult question that you will likely get wrong to gain valuable time that you can use on the following questions.
If you're a visual learner, Magoosh.com has video tutorials for their lectures as well as for all of their practice questions.
Hope this helps!
I agree that you may have underestimated the preparation needed for the GMAT. Can you describe how you studied and what you used?
To provide context with my study schedule, I studied for a total of 2 months. I took a practice test on Day 1 to get a baseline, which was a 600. I used the official GMAC guide and the entire MGMAT series, and also signed up for Magoosh.com for access to their practice questions and video tutorials. Every weekday, I studied for 1.5 hours in the morning before work, and then another 45 minutes in the evening reviewing what I had learned. On Saturdays, I studied for a solid 3-4 hours (preparing myself for practice exam stamina). On Sundays I rested.
Starting month 2, I replaced my Saturday study sessions with full-length practice exams. I was averaging scores of 680-690 during my practice exams. On test day I ended up with a 660 because I lost time in quant due to palm reader delays (make sure to account for this!!).
Scores in the 400's signal that you have not yet mastered the basic concepts tested on the GMAT, or that you are falling for a lot of traps. I think going from a 400 to the 600's should be very doable though! Questions in this range are really just testing the basic concepts. Give yourself at least 2 months, and make sure you thoroughly read through the MGMAT books for the Quant section and master all the basic concepts, most importantly in arithmetic and number properties. More advanced questions will assume that you have a sound understanding of these concepts. For verbal, make sure you master parallel structure, tenses, and the most frequently seen idioms (MGMAT SC is excellent). If you master just these concepts, you should find yourself in at least the high 500's to 600. Just do lots and lots of practice questions, and review all of your wrong answers to understand what you did wrong. Keep a wrong answer log, and try redoing wrong questions after a week to make sure you've actually learned the concept. Time everything you do - you should try not to go over 2 minutes with any one question.
You should also make sure you have solid test-taking and guessing strategies. There are many traps on the GMAT, so understanding how to leverage different strategies to your favor is crucial. For example - question timing, strategic guessing, picking numbers, and using logic to eliminate wrong answers. Knowing when and how to guess is important as well - i.e. if you are running behind on time and come across a very difficult question. It's better to guess (strategically!) on a very difficult question that you will likely get wrong to gain valuable time that you can use on the following questions.
If you're a visual learner, Magoosh.com has video tutorials for their lectures as well as for all of their practice questions.
Hope this helps!
