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27 Aug 2016, 07:27
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I decided to take the GMAT since last year. I prepared through only self-study. I bought the Kaplan Book, Manhattan GMAT Pack, and the 3 Official Guides.
I studied for the GMAT for over a year but it was regularly inconsistent. Work demands or other emergencies often required that to postpone practice for long periods -sometimes months.
Still, I went through the entire Kaplan GMAT book and all the Manhattan Guides but I didn’t have enough time to go through most of the practise questions before taking the test. In the end my GMAT score was lower than my lowest practice test.
Here are my scores below. As you will see, verbal was always a strong point, and my quant was weak
CAT 1 (Manhattan GMAT) – 620(V37, Q37 Date -Sep 27
CAT 2 (Manhattan GMAT) – 620 (V36 Q38) – Date -Oct 11
CAT 3 (Manhattan GMAT) – 710 (V45 Q41) – Jan 12
CAT 4 (Manhattan GMAT) -660 (V45 Q36) - April 23
CAT 5 (Manhattan GMAT)- 680 (V45 Q37) – June 18
CAT 6 (Manhattan GMAT)- 670 (V42 Q39) – June 25
CAT 7 (Official GMAT PACK 2) – 720 (V47 Q43) – Jul 16
CAT 8 (Official GMAT PACK 2) – 670 (V41 Q41) – Jul 16
Actual GMAT – 660((V41 Q39) IR 40% Jul 25
In the actual exam, I imagine that exam pressure and some disruptions at the test centre lowered my verbal score from V45-V47(99th percentile) in test exams to V41 (94thpercentile). All the same, what’s clear to see is that my quant was always weak and would not have been persuasive for a top 5 MBA program. I think doing all the practice official guide questions is a good place to start with improving my quant but…
How would you recommend that I raise my quant score, and fine-tune my verbal score to steady 99th percentile?
I have gone through all the examples in Manhattan GMAT Math more than once, so I do feel tired of re-reading the same material and repeating the questions in each chapter.
I am applying to top 5 MBAs in September next year. I had wanted to work on other parts of my application profile till December – more social/community involvement- study from Jan-April and retake the GMAT in April.
Do you think this is a solid strategy? To abandon GMAT material for 4 months before taking it up again? The thing is that I work long hours at a demanding job; even finding time for community/social involvement will be hard and attempting to combine that with intensive GMAT practice is likely impractical.
How should I proceed? Thanks a lot.
Please note that joining tutor programs isn't an option for me - too costly, so I do need the most cost-effective options.
Please let me know if you require more information.
I studied for the GMAT for over a year but it was regularly inconsistent. Work demands or other emergencies often required that to postpone practice for long periods -sometimes months.
Still, I went through the entire Kaplan GMAT book and all the Manhattan Guides but I didn’t have enough time to go through most of the practise questions before taking the test. In the end my GMAT score was lower than my lowest practice test.
Here are my scores below. As you will see, verbal was always a strong point, and my quant was weak
CAT 1 (Manhattan GMAT) – 620(V37, Q37 Date -Sep 27
CAT 2 (Manhattan GMAT) – 620 (V36 Q38) – Date -Oct 11
CAT 3 (Manhattan GMAT) – 710 (V45 Q41) – Jan 12
CAT 4 (Manhattan GMAT) -660 (V45 Q36) - April 23
CAT 5 (Manhattan GMAT)- 680 (V45 Q37) – June 18
CAT 6 (Manhattan GMAT)- 670 (V42 Q39) – June 25
CAT 7 (Official GMAT PACK 2) – 720 (V47 Q43) – Jul 16
CAT 8 (Official GMAT PACK 2) – 670 (V41 Q41) – Jul 16
Actual GMAT – 660((V41 Q39) IR 40% Jul 25
In the actual exam, I imagine that exam pressure and some disruptions at the test centre lowered my verbal score from V45-V47(99th percentile) in test exams to V41 (94thpercentile). All the same, what’s clear to see is that my quant was always weak and would not have been persuasive for a top 5 MBA program. I think doing all the practice official guide questions is a good place to start with improving my quant but…
How would you recommend that I raise my quant score, and fine-tune my verbal score to steady 99th percentile?
I have gone through all the examples in Manhattan GMAT Math more than once, so I do feel tired of re-reading the same material and repeating the questions in each chapter.
I am applying to top 5 MBAs in September next year. I had wanted to work on other parts of my application profile till December – more social/community involvement- study from Jan-April and retake the GMAT in April.
Do you think this is a solid strategy? To abandon GMAT material for 4 months before taking it up again? The thing is that I work long hours at a demanding job; even finding time for community/social involvement will be hard and attempting to combine that with intensive GMAT practice is likely impractical.
How should I proceed? Thanks a lot.
Please note that joining tutor programs isn't an option for me - too costly, so I do need the most cost-effective options.
Please let me know if you require more information.
27 Aug 2016, 11:42
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi maverad,
To start, a 660 is a relatively strong score (it's right around the 80th percentile overall); given your inconsistent study routine, that's a great performance. Considering your application plans, it's understandable why you would want to retest though. Before we can talk about how best to improve your study plan, I'd like to know a bit more about how you took these CATs.
When you took your CATs:
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?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
To start, a 660 is a relatively strong score (it's right around the 80th percentile overall); given your inconsistent study routine, that's a great performance. Considering your application plans, it's understandable why you would want to retest though. Before we can talk about how best to improve your study plan, I'd like to know a bit more about how you took these CATs.
When you took your CATs:
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?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
27 Aug 2016, 12:56
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello,
Thanks a lot for your quick reply. Here are the answers.
1. I took the entire CATS each time, essay and IR
2. I took them at home, and made every effort to simulate test conditions, with minimal interruptions. lol the break time felt a LOT shorter during the real test tho; pressure I suppose
3. Same time of day?...No. My CATS were usually in the afternoon to late evening - 5pm-9pm, 6pm-10pm
4. Nope. Did not skip or even go to restroom during CATS, especially the ones I took this year
5. No again. Did not see questions before
My Verbal scores were near 83 percentile at first official GMAT practice, Quant much lower 30s percentile.
Also, please advise on whether it is advisable to pause GMAT study till next year, and focus on boosting my community involvement/social impact. Otherwise, maybe a lighter GMAT study schedule would help....but I feel that my application would be substantially weakened if I failed to strengthen other aspects apart from GMAT
Thanks a lot for your quick reply. Here are the answers.
1. I took the entire CATS each time, essay and IR
2. I took them at home, and made every effort to simulate test conditions, with minimal interruptions. lol the break time felt a LOT shorter during the real test tho; pressure I suppose
3. Same time of day?...No. My CATS were usually in the afternoon to late evening - 5pm-9pm, 6pm-10pm
4. Nope. Did not skip or even go to restroom during CATS, especially the ones I took this year
5. No again. Did not see questions before
My Verbal scores were near 83 percentile at first official GMAT practice, Quant much lower 30s percentile.
Also, please advise on whether it is advisable to pause GMAT study till next year, and focus on boosting my community involvement/social impact. Otherwise, maybe a lighter GMAT study schedule would help....but I feel that my application would be substantially weakened if I failed to strengthen other aspects apart from GMAT
