GMAT Prep Advice 670 (in average) to 750?

Question

Hello,

I am taking my exam in two days, but highly doubtful that I will reach my goal of 750. My last CAT was 670 (Q49, V33). The highest CAT score I have never reached was 690 (Q51, V33) and my scores have been fluctuating from a 640 to 690 depending on the test makers. I was never good at standardized tests, but I would like to embrace the fact that GMAT is learnable and put the necessary effort into it. I am not a native speaker and as you can tell from my quant scores, studied engineering for undergrad. As far as my timeline goes, I am planning to apply 1 school in R1 and more schools in R2. So I can retake the exam before October 2016 and take in once again before January 2017 (hope it won't be necessary).

I have been doing a lot of research to find out what would work for me as far as GMAT prep and thought I could use your valuable advise. I am considering a few options and got some questions as well. Listing them all below:

1) Should I enroll a in-class/live online GMAT prep course and start from Day 0? 
2) I tried tutoring, but did not see the value in it. Maybe it was the wrong tutor? 
3) What is the most effective way to polish my quant skills and keep my score at or above 50? (I had tests where my quant went down to 47)
4) What is the most effective way to increase my verbal score? (Looks like I am stuck at low 30s. It is not only embarrassing to get half of the exam questions wrong, but also stressful to not know the right ways to improve it. (For some reason my verbal practice (% correct) scores are always higher than my CAT scores - and yes I time myself-) 
5) Will e-GMAT verbal for nonnative speakers be a good choice for me?
6) How many hours a day should I dedicate to GMAT prep? (I can dedicate my whole day if necessary)
7) Should I attempt to complete Magoosh 3 month study plans within a month? or more generally should I attempt to follow any 1-month/3-months study plans? 
8) How often should I take practice exams?

Materials I have: I have Magoosh subscription, OG 2016 (all three books), Manhattan Prep SC & Advanced Quant, and Kaplan 2015.

I cannot thank you guys enough for all the information this platform provides, and would really appreciate your help.

Thanks!!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi melisa1,

Since your Official GMAT is in 2 days, you should try to relax a little bit before then - keep your studies 'light' (no CATs, no 'cramming'). Assuming your CATs are a realistic indicator of how you'll perform on the actual GMAT, you're going to have to make some adjustments to how you handle the Verbal section. With Verbal Scaled Scores in the low 30s, you likely have one 'weak' Verbal category (SC, RC or CR), but you can likely train to pick up points in ALL 3 categories. You might also be able to learn the necessary Tactics and properly practice them in under a month, so you could conceivably retest relatively soon.

You've asked a lot of good questions. Before I answer them, I think it's best for you to stay focused on your upcoming GMAT, so I'm going to hold off until after you've taken your Test. Once you have your scores, you should report back here. We can then talk through your results and how best to proceed from there.

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

melisa1 · Answer

Hi,

Thank you for the quick response. I took my GMAT yesterday and got a 650 (47 Q, 32 V). Couldn't manage my time and had to guess 7 questions in Quant and 11 in Verbal, couldn't even get to read most of the questions. I would really appreciate your insight and help on the questions I asked above. I also want to add a 9th question. Do you think I should take couple days of break before starting again?

Please let me know if you have any questions. I would be happy to answer them.

Thanks.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi melisa1,

Thank you for reaching out, and I’m happy to help! I’m going to provide some general insight into GMAT studying that should answer most of your questions. First of all, I think it is a good idea to take a few days off and then dive back into your prep. Since it sounds as if you have put a lot of time and energy into your studying but have not seen the results you need, you may consider adjusting your study routine. Since you have a decent foundation in verbal and an above average grasp of quant, you do not need to start your studying from scratch.

When determining a new study routine you must remember that what makes the GMAT such a challenging exam is that there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next. Have you been able to study in this way?
 
For example, when studying verbal focus on learning one section at a time: reading comprehension, sentence correction, or critical reasoning. When learning about critical reasoning, for example, you want to learn all aspects of critical reasoning: strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc. Follow up your learning with focused critical reasoning practice, so you can determine your specific weaknesses within that topic. You should follow a similar routine for sentence correction and reading comprehension.
 
For quant, since you are already scoring at a high level, you might consider following a similar but slightly altered approach that consists of more focused practice. For example, if you are reviewing number properties, be sure that you can practice 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. The results of that practice will help you determine your weak areas within that topic. Once you find and fix your weak areas, then move on to the next quant topic.
 
To help diagnose your GMAT quant strengths and weaknesses, I welcome you to take my free  37-question quant diagnostic . After completing the diagnostic, you will be provided with a detailed analysis of your proficiency level of all GMAT quant topics, as well as an opportunity to discuss your diagnostic results with me or another TTP instructor/coach.

As far as study resources, you may consider using a self-study course rather than a book or class. Self-study courses are typically more robust than GMAT books, and they are more flexible that a GMAT class. If you would like to learn more about what online resources are available, check out the verified course reviews here or on Beat The GMAT. After doing some research you should be able to find a course that is a good fit for you.

Once you feel you have found and fixed your weaknesses, start taking Official MBA.com tests to track your progress. You can start with the  two free exams . After that you can purchase  exam pack 1  and  exam pack 2 . At this stage your practice test scores should be more consistent and more reflective of your GMAT score goal. Assuming you take all 6 MBA.com exams, I do not think you need to take any more than those.

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi melisa1,

First off, a 650/Q47 is a strong score (it's right around the 80th percentile overall), so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your score results show that you essentially performed the same way each time (+/- a few points). By extension, this means that 'your way' of approaching the Exam would likely continue to earn you a score in the mid-to-high-600s. To score at a much higher level, you're going to have adjust how you 'see' (and respond to) this Test - in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. The large number of questions that you had to guess on implies that you're using some inefficient Tactics against this Test - and taking far too long to answer questions (when other, faster approaches would get you to the correct answer). To hit the 750+ level, you'll likely need to invest in some new materials and learn/practice some new Tactics. I suspect that you would need another 2 months of consistent, guided study to get up to that level.

Since you're just coming out of your Test, I think that you should definitely take a few days 'off' to relax - approaching this next phase of the process with a clear head would be a good idea. Remember that the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. You're just going to have to adjust your routine a bit to earn that higher score. When you're ready to get back to it, you should post back here and we can talk through your timeline.

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

melisa1 · Answer

Hello Rich,

Thank you for your response. I agree with your points 100%. I am applying to top 10 B-schools so I would like to make sure I do everything I can to prepare a great application. I am planning on getting back to studying on Monday. I will have to take the test once again in early October and hoping to increase my score at least 50-70 pts (if not my dream 750).  . This score is what I got after a very scattered on and off studying with no study plan. I am willing to study with consistency and invest in new tactics and materials. I would appreciate your input on my direction going forward from the materials you think would be beneficial for me to the amount of time I should invest in. At this point I am even trying to find the optimum hours I should study in one day.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi melisa1,

Have you scheduled your next GMAT yet? Depending on when in October we're talking about (earlier in the month vs. later in the month), the extra study time could be significant. Based on your specific situation, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Verbal Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients finish that Study Plan in under a month, so it would fit your schedule perfectly. During that time, you'll also be able to access any of the Quant resources that interest you (The Stage 1 Quant materials would likely help you to improve a great deal in the Quant section). 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

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