[HELP] GMAT 6-9 Month Plan (600+ Score)

Question

Hello,

Before i start asking for help let me give you people a little background. I have been working in a Bank for 8 years now. Almost everything that i remembered is just gone. Think of it as a complete Brainwash or memory Loss. I was never good at Math (Actually always Hated it) but somehow i ended up completing my BBA and ended up in a F--king Financial Institution. Now i want out.

The only way i can change my career is by getting an MBA degree and starting over again.

My Goal is to do an MBA in Human Resource Management and get as far away from anything financial/numerical as possible. But before that i need to get more than 600 in GMAT. Right now if i were to give a GMAT test i am sure i would not get more than 300 :lol:

. So in 6 i would like to get a score of 550 and by the end of 9 months , hopefully 600+ .

In short, i want to go from a 300 to a max score of 650.

Now that you people know where i am coming from i am sure someone can help me out.

Please help me. I need a detailed outline ... where to start, what to read etc ... Baby steps.

. So in 6 i would like to get a score of 550 and by the end of 9 months , hopefully 600+ . In short, i want to go from a 300 to a max score of 650. Now that you people know where i am coming from i am sure someone can help me out. Please help me. I need a detailed outline ... where to start, what to read etc ... Baby steps.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

It sounds like you've given your whole situation a lot of thought before you begin your studies, which is good. Your score goal is reasonable and you've given yourself plenty of time to succeed. Given your concerns and score goal, there are some things that you can do BEFORE you start formally studying for the GMAT.

For free math practice and help, I recommend that you set up an account at Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The site is completely free and makes the learning a bit more fun and 'game-like' (as opposed to the dry academic approach taken by most books). While the site is vast, you should limit your studies to basic Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. After spending a little time re-building those skills, you can start your GMAT studies. You should post back here when you're ready and we can talk through some options.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

Thank you , Rich .

I went ahead and ordered a "GMAT Math Foundations - Self-Paced" online course. I am not used to solving problems with out using a calculator and setting a time limit makes it even more stressful (not difficult, Just increases the stress level and therefore chances of making a mistake).

I am also using the Khan Academy Videos , though the problems/exercisesare easier than the ones found on Kaplans website. Once i finish the foundation course i will be back for additional information/help/guidance.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

How much time do you think you'll spend on this math 'prep' work? You certainly have plenty of time to get everything done and hit your score goals, so you might be tempted to be 'casual' about your studies. I recommend that you set a schedule that you can follow, even for this part of the process. Many Test Takers find that everything takes longer than they plan for - since you have so much time, you should work diligently through the process (and that just takes a bit of forethought and commitment on your part).

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

I haven't planned out anything yet but i make sure i study at least 2 hours/day on Weekdays and 5hours on weekends. I have already finished the Chapter on Basic Arithmetic. It was easy but as usual i spent way too much time solving each question. I want to finish this prep course by the end of October. I am not casual about it at all , actually i feel i am no where near the level i should be. Some questions took me more than 10 mins to solve and thats just BAD.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

You should NOT be focused on your pacing right now. At this point in the process, you're reacquainting yourself with the 'math' and developing your skills (it's not that much different from learning to play a musical instrument - there are 'mechanical aspects' to the process and patterns; it will take time to learn to perform everything correctly/quickly, etc.). Right now, the emphasis should be on accuracy. Speed will improve with time and repetition.

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

Finished my Math foundation course Yesterday and decided to try out a few Questions from the Verbal portion. I was totally wrong, the Math Section seems difficult but if you learn the basics and give it time , that it deserves , almost every single question can be solved. That's not the case with verbal. 
I bought two books 
I) Kaplan Verbal Foundation
II) Manhattan Foundations of GMAT verbal. 
Nothing makes sense, everything seems arbitrary. There are no fix methods,Rules or solutions one can use to solve Verbal problems. I need to work on the Verbal portion way more than the Quant Portion. Where should i start ? The Foundation books are way too difficult for me.

PS
The Math foundation course was a little too easy. I scored a 100% in more or less every topic/section.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

If you're finding the Verbal section to be really challenging, then you'll probably need more than just a few books to help you improve your skills in this section. The truth is that the Verbal section of the GMAT is just as predictable and standardized as the Quant section is, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. The 'patterns' in the Verbal questions that you need to look for are more conceptual though (instead of using a 'formula' - as you would do with a Quant question, you have to look for grammar rules in SCs and logical 'constructs' in RCs and CRs).

For example, 'causality' (the idea that one thing causes another to occur) is a common pattern in CR questions. You have to learn how to spot it when it appears, what it ultimately 'means', how to strengthen and weaken it, etc. You would likely find it easier to learn all of these concepts, the Tactics to beat them, the patterns and 'secrets' of the Verbal section, etc., if you used an online Course of some type.

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

I have pin pointed my main weakness. Its Sentence correction and telling whether the word is a verb or NOT.
Detecting gerunds, Adjectives, pronouns, infinitives etc are relatively easy and i get 70% of the questions right but when asked to find Verb, i end up choosing the wrong word.

For example "The executive has been accused of embezzling funds"

I thought accused was the Verb but it's not. The right answer is "has been".

Lets say i get 50% SC questions wrong can i still get a 600+ score ?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

There are a variety of different score 'combinations' that can get you a 600, so the answer to your immediate question is "YES" - but it's really too early to be thinking about that right now. It's ALSO too early to assume that you're capable of getting only half of SCs correct on Test Day. You have LOTS of time remaining to study. Keep working hard and remember that it takes time to build up all of the skills that you'll need to hit your score goal.

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

Status : 1 Month over, 8 months left

Hello,

I just gave my first CAT (Veritas) and as expected i scored a 450 (30Q, 20V), i wasn't expecting much to begin with, that's why i decided to give myself 9 months to prepare

I am quite sure i can improve my score.

1) I have another 8 months.
2) I haven't even touched data sufficiency and word problems.
3) This was the first time i saw SC,CR,PR questions ( I have yet to start the main Verbal course).
4) I had no idea what the IR section looked like before i gave the test.

Things that i learned from the test.
1)This is an Endurance and Stress test. (Learn how to manage stress and not break.)
2)Like most people i am not used to starring at the screen for hours.
3)One might feel extremely bored during the test.
4) Not used to concentrating on things for such lengthy periods.

Next on 14th December hopefully i can take it to 500.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

Considering the number of different areas of the Exam that you have not studied for yet, this initial CAT score is reasonable. One of the really important parts of any study plan is to do a full review of your CATs. By determining WHY you got certain questions wrong, you'll be in a better position to study more effectively and improve.

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

Having a lot of problems with the CR section right now.Most of the times i feel all the answer choices are illogical or based on assumptions which can neither be proven true nor false. 
Every correct answer can be proven "wrong/false" by proving the premise wrong.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

Most of the CR 'arguments' that you'll read on Test Day are 'thin' (meaning that they're not particularly strong arguments - they're generally based on just 1-2 pieces of information). In that way, you should be able to define why the author thinks what he/she thinks (the assumption) or strengthen/weaken the prompt with additional information. You do NOT get to 'debate' the prompt though - it is information that you need to answer the question that is asked.

It might be that the resources that you're using are not properly preparing you to handle the Verbal section OR it might be that you haven't practiced enough yet. To start, do you understand the logic behind each of the CR prompts (do you understand the conclusion offered and the evidence to support it - regardless of how thin the logic is)?

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

I am using the Veritas On-Demand course . The problem isn't that i am getting a lot of CR questions wrong , the problem is that sometimes i feel the answer don't logically follow the premises.

I already know that there are 4 type of questions 
1)Strengthen
2)Weaken
3)Inference (draw a conclusion)
4) Method of reasoning.

After reading your post i decided to go through a few OG16 CR questions and i got most of them right. I don't know but for some reason the same logic that was flawed Veritas CR questions worked fine when attempting OG16 CR questions. Maybe i was tired last night and stressed out maybe thats why i was getting most questions wrong which infuriated me and the answers not being as clear as "Quant" questions further angered me.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

There are more than just those 4 CR types, but maybe you haven't done enough study yet to have practiced them all. Since you're currently using a Course, it would make sense for you to finish up that Course. Based on how your CAT scores go in the coming weeks and months, you might need some additional resources. Thankfully, you have given yourself plenty of time to maximize your performance on Test Day.

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

I still have 6-7 months. Initially i felt 9 months were sufficient but after reading posts online i have realized a lot of people need to study way more than just 9 months to get a 600+ score. Maybe i am one of them. Lets see what happens.

Hnoorshn · Answer

OK here is one Veritas Prep CR Question.

Acid rain, caused by high levels of sulfur dioxide and mercury trapped in global air currents, affects one third of China’s territory.Coal-fired power plants are notorious for emitting large quantities of these pollutants.To combat the problem, the Chinese national government has set aggressive environmental goals for the next five years.These goals include a 20-percent improvement in energy efficiency and a pledge that, by the end of the five years, 10 percent of the nation’s energy will come from renewable resources such as hydroelectric or wind power.

Which of the following, if true, is the best criticism of the Chinese government’s strategy as a method for achieving a reduction in acid rain?
(A) Some forms of air pollution, such as heavy particulate fumes, would not be affected by the suggested energy improvements.
(B) Once the changes have been implemented, the actual reduction in acid rain would vary from region to region.
(C) The goals would be forced on every region in China, including those that have no problems with acid rain.
(D) Acid rain is also caused by other factors, such as volcanic eruptions or pollution from neighboring countries, over which China has no control.
(E) Regional Chinese officials tend to ignore environmental regulations in order to meet aggressive economic requirements imposed on their regions’ industries.

According to Veritas, the correct answer is (E).My reasoning was that if acid rain is caused by other factors over which China has no control, even if the official were serious about environmental issues, the plan still wouldn't work. (Answer choice D)

Further explanation.

This is how i saw the questions. The Chinese Govt wants to a) "combat the problem" by b) Setting up aggressive environmental goals.

Will implementing (b) necessarily reduce acid rain ?

I have to assume that these goals will necessarily lead to the reduction of acid rain. But why should i assume that ? Answer choice D clearly creates an opening for weakening this by challenging this assumption. What if the plan is inherently flawed and the implementation is not an issue at all.

How can i assume that the Chinese govt has taken all the factors into consideration except one i.e. officials don't take environmental issues seriously. What if they completely overlooked the fact that other factors over which they have no control cause acid rain.

So now why is Answer choice E correct and not answer choice D ?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Hnoorshn,

To get the most responses/advice, you should post this prompt in the CR Sub-Forum here:

gmat-critical-reasoning-cr-139/

The correct answer to this question MUST focus on the Plan involved. The question asks you to critique the Government's Strategy, so you have to critique the plan (and not some other factor that the plan has no impact on). Answer D is one of the common wrong answer types I alluded to earlier.

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

Hnoorshn · Answer

Thank you. Actually you were right, i didn't have enough practice .Just finished the Veritas CR section got 40 out of 49 right. (Got 3 questions wrong in the last 20 questions). Then tried some OG16 CR questions, which were way easier than the Veritas CR Questions, got all 21 right.

Once again thank you.

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