From 430 to 490 NEED 550

Question

Dear All,

I've been preparing for the GMAT since end of February for 4-8 hrs a day. I took my first GMAT mid of April and only scored 430 with Q 37 and V17. I took the second GMAT one month later and scored 470 with Q35 and V 21. Yesterday, I took tried it for the third time and only scored 490 Q36 V21.

I am deeply disappointed because I did so much better in the Gmatprep, the last taken one on Monday with a score of 590 (Q47 V25). In Quantitativ I was always between 37 and 47, in Verbal between 25 and 31. Before I took the first GMAT test, I studied with the official guide and also with the manhatten books. After I was so disappointed after my second score, I studied the next weeks with the videos of Gmatprepnow. Overall, I have made 12 Gmat tests and each was above 550. So I really have no idea how I can improve my score within exactly 3 weeks to get a 550 in the next GMAT. Can anybody please help me?

Thank you in advance!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi MW18,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Based on your 3 Official GMAT Scores, those results show that you essentially performed the same way each time (about a 460 +/- a few points). Regardless of how you have studied for each attempt, you appear to perform the same general way every time you take the Official GMAT. Thus, if you continue to study in the same ways as before, it's likely that you'll continue to score in the high-400s.

Since you've noted that you're scoring higher in your CATs, we need to define HOW you took those practice Exams.

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as when you plan to take your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE?

Beyond those questions, I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:

1) Is your goal score 550 or something else?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

MW18 · Answer

Hi Rich,

thank you for your reply! The answers for your questions are as followed:

1) I did take always the AWA Part as well as Quant+Verbal. I generally do not take the Integrated Reasoning part, as I do not take this Part in the real GMAT as well.
2) Yes I did take them at home
3) Yes I did take them at the same time as my Official Gmat was planned
4) I don't think so, I always looked at the time during the break and I never paused the CAT
5) Yes, I did all 2 of the official GMAT prep software twice, and two just once. The two that I did just once, in both I scored 570 (1:Q37,V31; 2:Q44, V25)

MW18 · Answer

Hi Rich,

and for the other questions:

1) yes my goal score is 550, as I can apply to my preferred university with this score
2) I am planning to apply in July
3) I would like to apply for Maastricht University as well as some others in the Netherlands

Thank you very much in advance!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi MW18,

There are a variety of different ways to pick up the missing points that you're looking for (and score 550+). Thankfully, you won't have to correctly answer ANY questions that you think are too hard or too weird on Test Day - so you have to get comfortable with the idea that it's okay to "dump" those questions (just take a quick guess and move on). You will have to minimize the number of little mistakes that you make on the the 'gettable' questions though (so you have to take proper notes, do your work 'on the pad', etc.).

In addition, since you've taken the Official GMAT 3 times, you know the exact details that go into Test Day, so you have to make sure that you take your practice CATs in a way that matches those details. Taking a CAT that you've taken before is NOT realistic; neither is taking a CAT at home. These choices have 'inflated' your practice results.

With 3 weeks, you could potentially gain some serious points in either the Quant section or the Verbal section, but you likely don't have enough time to focus on both - so you would likely benefit the most if you choose a section and spend the bulk of your time on it. You would also likely find it really helpful to focus on learning/practicing the proper Tactics for that section.

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

MW18 · Answer

Hi Rich,

thank you very much for your reply and tips! Do you have any idea how I can start to learn? Or which books/videos might be helpful to me?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi

You Better learn Manhattan GMAT Foundation of GMAT Math and Verbal
But as you have Said you have only three weeks left, you should practice
600 Level Questions and find out your wrong answer and mistakes
if these mistake are related with concept, go back to your Manhattan GMAT Guide 
and learn the concept again
practice until you get all of your 600 level questions 
correct, 550 is not a high score and can be achieved with a good strategy
Find out short cuts to solve Questions, Some good short cuts can be found in
GMAT Club Math Guide.
Take 4-5 CATs review them each and find out mistake, it is better to make an 
error log to trace your wrong answers.

I've been preparing for the GMAT since end of February for 4-8 hrs a day

This is not a wise strategy to learn 8 hours /day
You should learn maximum 4 hours a day, with 2 session of 2 hours each
never try to study more than 2 hours in one sit, it will decrease your efficiency and effectiveness 
Best Time strategy is to learn 3 hours a day with 2 sessions of 1.5 hours each

Good Luck
Cheers

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi MW18, I would highly encourage you to aim a little higher. Even if you are scoring low right now it doesn’t imply that you will not get better. I have met several people who started really low but have nonetheless scored enviable scores and made it to top business schools. It’s a good thing you have taken your GMAT once. You now know your weaknesses and work on them. If you are willing to study dedicatedly for Three months, you are sure to achieve your goal. I believe you may benefit from taking a GMATPREP course to strengthen your base. If you are willing, there are some great GMAT prep companies that can help you with your preparation. In order to make an informed decision I would highly encourage you to go to their websites and try on their free trial and decide for yourself which one do you like better. Further I see you are a new member here at GMATCLUB and when you sign up at GMATCLUB you get a free 3 days access to EMPOWERgmat course. You can also try free access to Magoosh and Optimus Prep so try those out as well. Also for verbal, I would highly encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses especially designed for non-natives. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market. You can also try out the MGMAT guides they are phenomenal and cover the entire syllabus really well. Just by going through these guides and solving the OG will help you reach 600+. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them. Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have a good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas. Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that. Lastly I would also encourage you to purchase the latest version of OG and the verbal review for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision. https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... 68383.html Hope this helps. All the best.

ehsan090 · Answer

Concentrate on your verbal using Manhattan foundation book
Quant score is fair but you need efforts on your verbal side
Good Luck with your Exam!!

diegocml · Answer

Hi  MW18 ,

We're on the same boat. IMO, you need to improve on your foundations, work on one topic at a time and only move to a new subject/concept/topic till you've mastered the current one. Then you need to find a balance between when to practice timed/untimed and when to take CATs.

That's my 0.5€ - coming from someone who's struggled with the GMAT since Jan 2016.

Work on question you've had troubles with in the past. Review them at every 2 weeks. 
Make an error log so that you can eliminate your most common mistakes and ELIMINATE careless mistakes.

The feedback above was mainly for quant. For verbal, I'm still figuring things out. I guess you need to read everything from now on for 100% comprehension.

Good luck!

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