GMAT First (Mock) attempt : IR-4, Verbal-13, Quant-46 Total - 490

Hi Vin5,

Many Test Takers are unhappy with their initial practice scores, but you really shouldn't be. This 490 is just a measure of your skills right now - and you'll improve on that result over time as you learn more about the content, Tactics and little 'secrets' of the Exam. That having been said, raising a 490 to the point that you can consistently 670+ will likely require at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) Have you done any studying for the GMAT yet or was this first practice CAT test the first thing you've done? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials do you currently have access to?
3) What application deadlines are you facing?

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

Hello Rich,

Thanks for the reply.

1) This was the first practice CAT test without any knowledge of the format or anything about the test.
2) I have many materials in terms of books and notes donated by my friends.
3) I have to submit GMAT score by end of March.

Regards,
Vineet

Hi Vineet,

Since your deadline isn't until the end of March, you should extend your study timeframe so that have more time for your studies. While I suspect that you want to be done with the GMAT earlier, so that you can focus more on your applications in that last month, the reality is that you are almost certainly going to need at least 3 months of consistent, guided study time to hit your Score Goal. "Cramming" rarely leads to great results on Exams such as the GMAT - and trying to 'cram' all of that study into just 2 months is not a good idea (and I wouldn't want you to potentially waste those 2 months and have to 'start from scratch' later on).

From what you describe, I assume that the study materials that you've been given from your friends are primarily books - and that your immediate study plan is 'book heavy'; unfortunately, many Test Takers who study in that way end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. There's no harm in starting off your studies in that fashion, but you'll likely end up needing to invest in some additional, non-book resources at some point.

If you'd prefer to work with the study materials that you current have, then I suggest that you study as you like for the next 1-2 weeks, then take a new, FULL-LENGTH CAT - and make sure to take it in a realistic fashion (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back here and we can discuss the results and how you might adjust your studies going forward.

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

Hi Vin5,

Although not impossible, improving by 180 points in just two months is unlikely. The reality is that you need to learn verbal from the ground up, meaning that you need to start with the foundations and progress to more advanced topics. If you’d like some general advice on how to improve your verbal skills, feel free to reach back out, and I’d be happy to help.