GMAT score 390, need to improve to 650+

Question

I have been preparing for GMAT since last one month, almost done with Manhattan 8 books sets. Now I am familiar (but of course not an except) with all sections of Quant and Verbal (Except Essay and AWA).

I wanted to take GMAT after a month (due to admission deadlines) and did some intense preparation but yesterday and today I scored 390 (Q 29, V 16) on GMAT Prep. I was so disappointed as during preparation my Q was 39 and verbal was the same (but wanted to improve them).

I know I have just gone through the books (Manhattan, CR Bible almost completed), ( Some sections of Kaplan and Princeton) but haven't really practiced questions.I want to improve my score to 650- 700 and I know I am capable of doing it but need time and proper guidance.

When I first started my preparation, I had no clue which book to consult and what not to as the time was short and I focus on Manhattan and few books and could not focus on real study plan.

Please guide how to improve and what should be the study plan (along with practice books) If I have to take the exam in Dec, 2014 or even before.

Thanks, Faisal

KarishmaB · Answer

Dear Faisal,

Sorry to know you scored less than your target. 
A 390 suggests that your basic mathematical and verbal concepts are a little shaky right now. You should focus on developing these basic skills first. Go back to your test to figure out what exactly your weakness is. Say, in a word problem, were you unable to form the equation in the variable or were you unable to solve the equation once you made it. Say you were unable to make the equation. Check out the equation from the solution and see whether you can solve it on your own and get the answer. If you were scoring Q39 in practice, I would assume that you would be able to solve and mathematical capability is not the problem. But still, you do need to figure it out on your own.

Also a V16 implies insufficient comprehension of the reading material presented. Read the passages/arguments slowly. Do you understand them? Did you understand them properly during the test? You might want to start reading extensively to improve comprehension. Take aside two hrs everyday to read books/newspapers/magazines etc. Ensure that you understand everything in the article before you move on.

You need to do these things in addition to whatever you are doing to prepare for GMAT. In fact, your time spent in GMAT preparation will yield better results after you have figured these things out.

optmistic2016 · Answer

Thank you Karishma for your detailed response.

My weak areas are DS in maths (making equation is sometimes difficult too) and I can easily solve word problems except for some probability and difficult geometry questions. DS does not have accurate answer choice in the options so I miss out picking the right ones. Overall DS are 50-60% right answers.

I know I need to focus more on basic maths concepts too for DS.

As far as verbal is concerned. During practice RC and CR has 60% accuracy where SC is 40% or that's the most weakest areas. During exam with shortage of time, I could nt focus on details which needs time as I hardly started my English 10 days ago.

With this assessment, what would you recommend? Books, study plan, timelines etc

GeneralEducation · Answer

Hi Faisal,

I understand that your score is disappointing. I would suggest you need to put more time in to preparation. Its not how many months you prepared, its all about how many hours you dedicated for your GMAT preparation. Try taking maximum number of mock tests and do that till you get a score of 700+. Once you have that 700+, then I believe you can go for the GMAT. Mock tests will also help you understand the different sections and this will help you manage your time accordingly.

However you would need to spend a solid 180-200 hrs for the preparation to get a good score.

Hope this helps:  https://goo.gl/LT72yk

KarishmaB · Answer

The DS format does make it harder. You really need to understand the sufficiency condition well to know how to solve DS questions. This has been discussed in detail in our DS book along with drills, examples and practice questions.

As for Verbal, you will have to focus on the details. It's not possible to get correct answers otherwise. This means you will have to improve your speed of reading. There are various useful strategies for each question type e.g. using scope, tone, organization and purpose for RC, identifying the question type using the question stem for CR, focusing on the most common errors tested and accurate meaning on SC etc. They will help you save time and improve comprehension but you still must read a lot. Start with things that interest you and then you can move on to other subjects.

I think you should go though the complete set of Quant books with special focus on the DS book. For Verbal, you should start reading right away and familiarize yourself with various strategies. Start practicing them to figure out what works best for you.

OptimusPrep · Answer

Dear Faisal,

under the following link you can get a free and non binding GMAT practice test. If you are interested we can create an individual study plan based on your results. I am sure that will help you to get a better idea of what to do next.

GMAT score 390, need to improve to 650+

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