GMAT 620 to 720 or maybe more?

Verbal: 30

So I'm looking to maximize my score in 4 weeks time.

Here's someone I helped go from a V31 to a V40 in roughly 4 weeks. They took a bit of tutoring (6 hrs) and did some other stuff mentioned in the post.

V31 to V40

Hi dude620,

Based on your recent Official Score and Score Goal, you would likely need to improve in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections - and honing all of the necessary skills needed to consistently score 700+ would likely require that you commit to more than just another 4 weeks of study time. Thus, you need to define what is MORE important: being done with your studies in 4 weeks (and accepting whatever results you receive at that point) OR committing to earning a 700+ (and putting in whatever additional study time is required).

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to and what application deadline(s) are you facing?

If you took your Official GMAT at a Test Center, then you might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Hi dude620,

Your verbal score clearly indicates there are many conceptual gaps and you may need to start from scratch, revisit the concepts and get a clear understanding of them before you solve the questions. Verbal questions on GMAT are very tricky. Let me help you with the right way to approach your Verbal Prep.

How to Ace your Verbal Prep?

For GMAT Verbal, it is very important that you follow the right methodology and the logical approach. Your focus has to be on eliminating four incorrect choices rather than choosing the right one. The key is to develop a solid understanding of the concepts that are typically tested on the GMAT and master the process skills that are required to solve GMAT questions. Only then, you will be able to smartly avoid the traps set by the test makers.

Before you start learning, it's important to understand what is actually tested using the questions. Each module in Verbal (SC, CR and RC) has to be approached in a different way. For example, before you start learning the concepts of SC, you need to understand that SC questions on GMAT test your ability to convey the right meaning without any ambiguity. So, it's important to approach them from a meaning stand-point. You might have often come across answer choices which are both grammatically correct and convey a logical meaning but are indeed incorrect because they do not convey the intended meaning. So, the process to approach SC questions is to:
• Comprehend the original meaning of the sentence
• Identify errors if any (both grammatical and meaning wise)
• Eliminate answer choices which either are grammatically incorrect or do not convey the intended meaning

You can go through the link below to understand the process in a better way:

Also, improving in SC alone won’t fetch you the desired score. You need to prepare for RC and CR as well in a structured and efficient manner. You have to follow a methodical and systematic approach while solving the questions in order to work on your accuracy and increase your score. For example,
• In CR, you have to understand the argument, identify the premise and the conclusion and then pre-think the answer before looking at the solutions.
• In RC, you need to have the right reading strategies to understand the inferences which are not directly stated in the passage.

Since you're targeting a quick turnaround (around 30 days or so), I suggest you follow a more personalized approach. Most courses offer same material to every user with nearly zero personalization. At the same time, these courses are mostly completely do-it-yourself.
I have recently helped a couple of students improve their score by 110 points and 130 points in about 40 days. They were in a similar situation as yours. If you want to know the details, we can connect over a call/dm.

Hey Guys,

Thanks a ton for all the replies. I considered all of your opinions and have started my preparation. I'll be going through MGMAT RC,CR,SC Books and buying their Question Bank and Practice Tests.I'll also be working on my Quant with their book and some online resources, including GMATClub Forum. I have analyzed my ESR a bit and I think I can work on my weaknesses. I'm not looking to score extremely high. I just want to increase my score and take it closer to 700s. I'm already good for my MiM with current score of 620, but some extra points always help.

Should I DM you my ESR or upload/link it here for everybody to see?

Hi dude620,

Before you can include attachments with your posts/PMs, you need to have at least 5 posts in the forums (right now, you have just 2 posts). If you would rather not go through those extra steps at this point, then you can feel free to email me directly (at Rich.C@empowergmat.com).

To help you get the most out of this next phase of your studies, we really need to define your prior studies in more detail (so that you don't inadvertently repeat any 'bad habits' that you may have developed). As such, it would really help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to and what application deadline(s) are you facing?

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Thank you for asking. I'd answer in brief here.
1) I studied for a few weeks prior to taking my first GMAT attempt.
2) Just some Youtube Quant videos. Nothing else. I did not prepare Verbal at all. And I used the Official Gmac mock that you get for free.
3) I gave a single mock a few days before my GMAT and I scored 650. 34 VR and 47 QR.
4) I'd rather keep it private but I was expected to score more than 600. I did score 620. But in some of the schools that I might apply, a 650 means automatic Admission. So I'm in a rush to kinda improve my score as much as I can in March.

I hope my answers are helpful in assessing my situation.

I think I was in the same situation as you - studied for a few weeks, got a 620. Then I studied for 4 weeks (almost only weekends, so 50 hour tops?), got a 690.
Given your time of study, I think any time you spend doing questions will increase your score, as you're probably not familiar with the test.

I tackled all of the questions in the official GMAT guide (I bought used, like 5 years old one, ) 3-4 times. I treated it structly as a question bank, and didn't read any of the other sections.
Whenever I got stuck, I googled the question for a GMATClub post and saw what the others had to say. If I saw posts like "super difficult/confusing!" then I didn;t bother with the question.
Upper 600s was my target score, so I stopped GMAT prep at that point.

I also did the manhattan prep prep sentence correction book. If you have a section you are especially having difficult with, a themed, targeted approach might be effective.

You have a fantastic IR score, so I think your base test taking skills are very high - until a certain point, like over 700 score (which you're not looking for), you only need to practice and familiarize yourself.

Hi dude620,

I've sent you an email with some notes and additional questions.

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com