GMAT Online-2 weeks left

Question

Hey guys,

I need some help with my further test preparation. I've only got two weeks left and I'm starting to get nervous because I don't really see an improvement in my practice exams. I took four practice exams in the last week and scored 450, 580, 640 and again 640. That's not anywhere near the results I was aiming for (>700). To be honest, the Quant part was as expected (~60%) but I think that I could have done better on the Verbal part (~70%) because that is my strength.

How would you proceed in the next two weeks? I can learn about 100 hours during the next two weeks but I'm missing a clear strategy on how to improve. My goal would be a Quant score of at least 70% and a verbal score of at least 80%. Based on the error log I created I'd say that my weaknesses are combinatorics, ratios, and divisibility on the quant side (especially in Data Sufficiency) and Reading Comprehension on the verbal side.
What really annoys me is that I often waver between two answers in the verbal part and then choose the wrong one. Any advice on that?

Really hope that you can help me...

Thanks!

alwaysHP · Answer

Hi First of all don't panic. 
If you are good in verbal part, try concentrating on your weak areas in math. Use GMAT club try to filter out the problem areas you are weak in and try practicing as many questions as possible. Read few basics concepts in MATH and try implementing them while solving. Two weeks is fairly not enough but if you think you wanna give a second attempt you can give a try and see where you stand. I would Suggest you not to utilize your remaining 2 practice exams now itself. 
GMAT club math exams are awesome. Subscribe to the youtube channel you will get free tests for a week, try to solve as many exams as possible and try to improve your weak areas. They will be difficult, don't get discouraged even if you get Q30 or lower. Coz they are tough but it will help you a lot

Hope this help.

Ks1859 · Answer

Hi Fabian123

I completely agree with manavig. Additionally you could download veritas prep application for free on your ios/andriod device, they are pretty good for quants, you can also study easy topics like geometry which requires application of the most basic concepts in the most difficult question or any other topic you are good at and make sure while you are working on your weakness do not forget to work on your strengths that might help you to cover a little bit.

Thanks!
SA

Lazybum · Answer

Imagine you only sleep for 5 hours next 2 weeks. pause everything else, work, family friends. have 2 hours a day to shower and eat. You have 232 hours you can spend learning math. Go through all of manhattan math understanding concepts. go throughg all of gmat club math and understand concepts. Go through entire gmat club maths quant all you need section. go through all of og. go through all of target test prep.

your math will get there, but you may lose your sanity in the process. great rewards come with a high price. If you're willing to pay, you can obtain. There is no getting around it.

Fabian123 · Answer

Thank you for your responses so far. I've now read some other posts and feel very motivated to spend even more hours of preparation during the next two weeks. Would you recommend the GMAT prep course by MATHREVOLUTION? Their Ultimate Q51 approach sounds very interesting (although I'm nowhere near Q51).

Lazybum · Answer

whatever you do. spend 200 hours. do 2000+ questions with full comprehension of each. stop asking about what to do and start working.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Fabian123,

A CAT/mock is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to learn the necessary Tactics and put in the proper practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. In addition, the process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day. Going forward, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week. If you took 4 CATs over the last week, then you have increased your chances of 'burning out' before Test Day (and that is something that we want to avoid). In that same way, "cramming" rarely leads to great results with Exams such as the GMAT, so you have to be careful about trying to study too much during these next 2 weeks.

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:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what 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)?

Goals:
4) Are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Fabian123 · Answer

Thank you  EMPOWERgmatRichC  for your detailed response!

1) I've studied ~40 hours per week for the last 7 weeks. For the next two weeks I can spare 40-60 hours a week depending on my university workload.

2) So far I've only used the Manhattan 2012 books and their Foundations of Maths book (2020 version). I've worked through all the chapters and made most of the exercises. To be honest, my preparation could have been better. I started practicing with the questions from the official guide (2020) and the official verbal and quant review (2020) whilst working through the Manhattan stuff. Big mistake. I should have covered the basics first and then move on to the questions. I've also worked through the Veritas Prep Data Sufficiency guide which I found really helpful and purchased the offical advanced question bundle and worked through the questions last week.

3) First prep exam: OCT 17 2020: Q38, V32->Total score: 580
 Second prep exam: OCT 18 2020: Q26, V25 -> Total score: 450
 Third prep exam: OCT 21 2020: Q40, V37 ->Total score: 640
 Fourth prep exam: OCT 23 2020: Q46, V34 -> Total score: 640

4) I'm planning to take the at-home GMAT. I tried to register two days ago but not exam date is booked so far and apparently something went wrong with the credit card payment. I tried to call Customer Service multiple times and also wrote them an e-mail but no response so far. My  desired exam date would be NOV 11 2020  since university is starting next week and I don't want to miss more than two weeks. Since I don't know if my desired exam date is still available, it could be that I have to take the exam later (giving me more time to practice but also increasing my stress level because I have to write my bachelor thesis and participate in other modules). As I've stated earlier I can spare 40-60 hours in the next two weeks and ~20-30 hours the weeks after that.

5) I plan to apply for the next  winter semester in 2021 . I'm taking the GMAT now because I don't have time to practice next spring due to internships. I'm from Germany and I think that the University of Mannheim, Copenhagen Business School and some other Scandinavian universities offer some really good programms. I've also thought about LSE or a US-university. In general a top European university would be great.

One question on my part. How do you improve your verbal score? I answer 70-80% of the questions correctly but I think it could be more because I often waver between two questions and then choose the wrong on. It's absolutely frustrating because I feel like verbal is my strength but still I can't manage to reach 90-100% correctness.

Thank you in advance. All of you have been super helpful. Never experienced such detailed responses in any other forum!

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Gmatninja's videos may be worth watching.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Fabian123,

To start, studying for the GMAT now - far in advance of when you will actually "need" your Score - is a smart choice. That having been said, there are a couple of factors that imply that you may have gotten stuck at this particular 'Score level':

First, you have likely been studying too much over the last 7 weeks. I've never asked anyone to study 30+ hours a week - and while it's great that you might have had the available time to study that much, with that number of study hours, you would run the risk of 'burning out' before Test Day (and you have already increased the chances of that happening by taking so many CATs/mocks in such a short period of time). The 'swings' in your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores show that your way of approaching the Exam leaves you open to making certain types of mistakes.

Second, from what you've described, your studies so far have been "book heavy"; unfortunately, many GMATers who study in that way end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. Even the best books are limited in what they can teach you; they also can't force you to approach questions in a certain way and their explanations are often one-sided.

If you are planning to continue studying in such high volume over the next 2 weeks and continue to use book-based resources, then there will likely be a limit to how much you can improve in that timeframe. In addition, if you have developed any 'bad habits' during your prior studies, then it will take time to define those issues and fix them (and replace those 'bad habits' with new 'good habits').

There's no harm in taking the GMAT in about 2 weeks, but if you're going to keep studying until you score 700+, then you will almost certainly need MORE time than that (without 'cramming'), so you can potentially save some time, money and stress by pushing back that planned Test Date. In addition, you would likely find it beneficial to invest in some new, non-book study materials for this next phase of your studies.

1) What is the minimum GMAT Score that you would be happy with?
2) Would there be a way to balance your University studies and your GMAT studies? In that scenario, would you be able to commit 15-20 hours to your GMAT studies without having to skip or miss your University classes/work?

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Fabian123,

Since you have been studying for only 7 weeks and are still 60+ points off your score goal, if possible, I would push back your GMAT, study longer, and take the GMAT once you are truly ready to do so. Also, if you want any specific advice on how to improve your quant and verbal skills, feel free to reach out. Lastly, here are some helpful articles:

How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT — A Mini Guide for Success

The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT

Fabian123 · Answer

Hey guys,

super thankful for your responses.

I've been thinking about how I want to proceed in the next couple of weeks and I've come to the conclusion that taking the exam in two weeks would be too early. Instead I want to schedule the GMAT exam for end of November/start of December. Four more weeks of preparation. I agree that I need extra help and GMAT online courses seem really interesting. 
For the next few weeks I want to focus more on quality instead of studying endless hours. I think I can manage to study 40 hours per week for the next two weeks and 20-30 hours the weeks after that.

I need a score of at least 670, but to get into my dream programs a score of 700+ would actually be necessary. Therefore I'm aiming for a score of 700+. My strength is the verbal part. I think I can manage a score of 80% yet (if I'm absolutely concentrated) and with further preparation I would aim for 90%. I will try my best with the quant but realistically I won't score a Q51. The thing I'm worried about is that one month won't be enough to work through any online course...

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Fabian123,

I've sent you a PM with some additional notes.

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

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

GMAT Online-2 weeks left

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards