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Question

Hi.

I took a mock gmat and scored 640. Q-44 and V-33.

My test is a month away. Is it enough time to better my score?

Also, i m nt applying fr MBA, bt for PhD. I hv already zeroed in on my univs. Dey r: 1. LSU, 2. UT Dallas, 3. Wayne State, 4. McMaster, 5. Manitoba, 6. Ohio State

What should be a good score to get into these univs for a phd?

Please help....

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ayan1304,

With these Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores, you have the potential to pick up some big points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. If you have just a month of study time though, you might be limited in terms of how much you can improve.

You've named some specific Schools, so you should be able to research the PhD Programs at each of those Schools (so that you can get a better sense of the 'range' of GMAT scores that would make you a competitive applicant). PhD Programs tend to be highly competitive - since there are a relatively small number of applicants vying for an even smaller number of spots, you have to make sure that you have a strong OVERALL profile.

1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) What is your exact Test Date?

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

ayan1304 · Answer

I started "seriously" practicing since 1st july. I have been using gmat quants, gmat verbal and kaplan prep. My exact date of test is 3rd sep.

Wen i took d first test last month, i gt a score of 580. I took another test 3 weeks ago, i got 610. Nd yesterday, 640. I knw i m improving, bt is it enough?

U think i need more prep material?

Sent from my HTC Desire 628 dual sim using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ayan1304,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so since you're still fairly early-on in your studies, you could continue to naturally improve over time. It's important to take your practice CATs in a realistic fashion though, so here are some things to consider:

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 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?

If you can list your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each of these CATs, then we can discuss whether any additional practice materials are necessary or not.

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

ayan1304 · Answer

I'll reply to your message as below:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?

Including IR sections. not essays

2) Did you take them at home?

Yes.

3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?

Yes.

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.)?

I did it on the second test

5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE?

I did not take any CAT more than once. And no I did NOT know the questions before.

My quant and verbal scores are as below:

1st test   : IR 2, Quant 41, Verbal 30 - GMAT score 590

2nd test   : IR 4, Quant 42, Verbal 32 - GMAT score 610

3rd test   : IR 5, Quant 44, Verbal 33 - GMAT score 640

Further, I doubt if I could get a better score in verbal, so I really need to get a good score in quants.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ayan1304,

With about 4 weeks to go, you really have to make sure that you're taking your CATs in a way that 'matches up' with what you'll face on Test Day. Thus, you have to take the CAT in a realistic and test-like fashion, including taking the ENTIRE CAT (with the Essay and IR sections), at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, away from your home, in a test-like environment and NOT do anything unrealistic.

If you want to focus on the Quant section for these last 4 weeks, then that's fine, but you shouldn't 'abandon' your Verbal studies entirely - you're going to have to do some work in that area to keep your Verbal skills sharp. By focusing on just the Quant, there will be a limit to how high you can score overall.

From what you've described, you've been using a "book heavy" study approach. Unfortunately, many Test Takers get 'stuck' at a particular score level when studying in this way. 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. This is all meant to say that you might want to consider investing in some new non-book resources. With Quant Scores in the low-40s, you're making some little mistakes throughout the Quant section AND you're missing out on lots of 'strategy-based' points.

1) How many hours do you think you'll be able to study each week going forward?

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

ayan1304 · Answer

I can do 25-30 hours a week. Four hours on weekdays, and 7-8 hours on weekend.

Sent from my HTC Desire 628 dual sim using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

lavon · Answer

Using EGMAT I was able to get my Sentence Correction accuracy from ~65% to 90% in a little over a week and a half (20-30ish hours of study time) . If you have the time and don't mind the price I would try it. That alone could get you a few more points on the Verbal section. In addition, working on Sentence Correction could allow you to answer them in 1 minute or less. This would give you more time on the RC and CR questions.

If I were you, I would focus on Sentence Correction and intermediate to advanced math topics (along with timing). Over a solid month you could pick up 2-3 points on Q and 3+ points on V which could get you to a ~680-700 fairly quickly.

If I were you, I would focus on Sentence Correction and intermediate to advanced math topics (along with timing). Over a solid month you could pick up 2-3 points on Q and 3+ points on V which could get you to a ~680-700 fairly quickly.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ayan1304,

Based on everything that you've described and your timeline, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in under a month, so the time commitment would fit your schedule nicely. We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an account.

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

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

GMATPILLBILL · Answer

Hey ayan1304

It looks like you need a study plan that you can stick to. Here is a customized one month study plan that can help boost your score: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... study-plan

Use this as a guideline. You don’t have to follow it exactly but the structure of the study plan should be the same structure that you take in your approach. This helps to optimize your retention and learning.

As you study, we recommend that you focus on one particular subsection for multiple consecutive days before moving onto the next. You can see this in our study plan where we recommend 5 days on nothing but SC -- before moving onto CR and then RC.

Here is a sample SC video to help you start your journey: https://www.gmatpill.com/sentencecorrect ... ythons.mp4

Best of luck - we are here to help.

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