GMAT 720 (Q50, V39) - Non-native speaker strategy

@llaminm: Unfortunately, I have not used or come across Knewton GMAT Prep Course so I don't have any useful comments. I would say that most prep courses should be good to get you an above 600 score. But if you want to score above 700 then you need to find what works best for you. As you can see from debrief, it is a combination of things really. So if I were you, I would seek out some of the books/docs mentioned here and see if you find them useful.

The GMAT test is very good at finding YOUR score... what I mean is that you will normally hit the score that reflects your level assuming you don't have any other factors affecting you massively at the time of your test (nerves, migraine, etc!). So you can't really improve overnight... there are two ways to improve your score:

1. Practice (best technique and always helps). What I mean by this is not just going through OG but say taking mock tests (10+) under exam conditions.. this sort of practice is very useful....
2. Finding a resource (book/docs/debrief) that gives you additional techniques that you were not aware of. In my case, I would say the Manhattan SC book and PowerScore CR bible made a big difference.

Also, a balanced score on Quant and Verbal will give you a higher overall score.. so a [Q45, V42] will be equal if not higher than [Q51, V35].... what I am trying to say is that if you have hit your plateau, say you repeatedly average Q45 in your tests on the Quant but you find some of these additional resources that can help you improve your Verbal from V32 to V36 then is makes more sense to shift your focus....

I'm non-native speaker. Thank you for strategy.

Thanks so much for the sugestions.

By the way, I don't want to sound stupid, but what is "OG"? You've mentioned it several times and do not have a clue to what it means.

Thanks

By OG I mean the GMAT Official Guide. This has questions and answers (with explanations) for both Quant and Verbal from past GMAT exams. You should have a look at this before you touch anything else!

In addition, you can buy GMAT Official Guide Verbal Review and GMAT Official Guide Quantitative Review. These have 300 questions each (most of them repeated from the OG above) but allows for some concentrated study nearer the test. But DO NOT use this as a substitute for the OG.

hey nice debrief and great score, congrats!!

Great debrief.. thanks

Grt score!Thanks for the detailed strategy

Hey! Excellent post, one thing, for how long did you prepare? I wanted to study math on my first month and verbal on my second and then G-day, but after reading your post I'm not sure if I should study both simultaneously :S

@laurapv: As I had already done GMAT once, I knew what to expect. I started early and did the OG at a leisurely pace in a month. I don't think this was the best approach but at least I familarized myself with the format and question types again. The idea is to be comfortable and start recognizing questions. But I would say I did my 'real' prep in about 4 weeks once I had booked my test.

I would definitely recommend studying both verbal and quant simultaneously. For example, you can spend 2 days on say SC reading and learning from the Manhattan SC book but you should still do some Quant between breaks. Obviously, you should focus on your weak areas and areas where you can make most difference to your score.

You need to be comfortable switching between different question types.

Good luck!

yes. this technique should be good. practicing all the q types like SC - 20, CR - 20, PS-20, DS -20 n RC - 2-3 passages in a day.

Thank you, I'll do so.

i am trying to implement this technique.. but not successful.. i will keep updating if i am able to follow this and how my score is improving. planning to take one Prep test this weekend. will keep updated. Please update how's u progress too..

Good luck!!! lets Beat the GMAT...

Got a lot of things out of it.