Guidance

Question

Hey I gave my second mock test yesterday (scored Q30, 26% on first one a week before), scored Q41 and 43% particularly in quant which part I am focusing on this week, I reviewed it and working towards the 700+ score, I have one month left to prepare, please guide me whether I am on a right track or not, I think 41% is not good is it at this point of time. As I have seen some of the posts which also mention Q41 is good enough.

I am really confused please guide ill really appreciate it.
Thank you in Advance!!

I am really confused please guide ill really appreciate it.
Thank you in Advance!!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi garvitbh11,

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) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your exact Test Date?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
6) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

garvitbh11 · Answer

Thank you so much for your response, Sir/Ma'am.

Studies:
1) I've been studying for half of a month.
2) I m studying the Online Material available on various Sites like I prefer Studying Books like MGMAT, BASIC Maths on Scribd. and practice questions available on Veritas prep, Gmat questions forum etc., I have GMAT OG 2018 but the quant questions in it looks easy to me when I solve. (i am not good in quant at all).
3) First Mock Test- Manhattan prep- Q31 21% (i skip all the verbal questions because I want to work on my Quant particularly these two weeks).
 Second Mock Test- Q37 34% (i skip all the verbal questions because I want to work on my Quant particularly these two weeks). 
 Third Mock Test- Q41 43% (i skip all the verbal questions because I want to work on my Quant particularly these two weeks).
All of these Mock tests were given over Manhattan GMAT prep and in a single week first on Sunday of last week, Second On Saturday this week and day after on Sunday I've given the Third one.
I have Nothing to do right now, I am done with my exams and everything. I can completely Engage in GMAT preparation, even I usually give 6 to 8 hours per day and can push more further just guide me.

Goals:
1) I haven't scheduled it yet but I want to appear in the Last Week of this Month or first week of June for sure. 
2) I am planning to Apply to the business schools in Round 1 in August-September 2018.
3) Like Everyone, I want to Shoot for The Top 10 Business Schools (Priority)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi garvitbh11,

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate - but it does not appear that you have tried to take your CATs in a realistic fashion.

Test Day involves a variety of really specific steps and parameters (including steps before the Test even begins - such as leaving your home, traveling, etc.). Every factor matters, including the psychological ones. When you sit down on Test Day, you KNOW that you're going to be in the Computer Lab for about 3.5 hours - but if you're just taking individual sections (or taking a CAT without the Essay and IR sections), then you KNOW that you'll be done in 1-2 hours. The attitude and energy that you use during practice will NOT be a match for what you'll need on Test Day, so it's not a proper way to practice. Right now, it's not clear what your actual 'ability level' is - and we need to define your current skills, strengths and weaknesses before we can properly put together a Study Plan for you.

I strongly recommend that you take a new, FULL-LENGTH CAT (one that you have NOT taken before) and 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 how best to proceed.

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

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Best Books

For Concept Learning

Manhattan Quant Guides
Manhattan Verbal Guides
For CR: The Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible
For RC: Aristotle RC Grail

For Pratice

The Official Guide for GMAT 2015-18
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review 2015-18
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2015-18

Strategies

You can start with Quant or Verbal which suits you. If you have started with Quant then Start with the Arithmetic but if started with verbal then start first with Sentence correction. One month for learning Quant concepts and one month for practicing question and same practice for Verbal. During you Practicing question don't forget to make an error log to track your weak areas after practice. Once you know your weak areas revise your Concepts related to those areas and do some more Practice. 6-8 CATs are enough for practice the real tests. Make your Stamina for sitting 3 hours in the test and don't study more than 2 hours in one sit and 4 hours per day

Top CATs for Practice

1. Official GMAC CATs
2. Manhattan CATs
3. Kaplan CATs
4. GMAT Club Quant CATs

Good Luck

garvitbh11 · Answer

Took the Mock Test today on GMAT Prep online and like the way you said.

Scored- Q32 22%, V16 13% and IR5 55%. TOTAL- 420

souvonik2k · Answer

Hi
If you are targeting a 700+, you should target a Q49-51. You have not mentioned the resources that you are using for Quant. Incase you are using MGMAT guides, review all the material and analyze the mocks. Subsequently, solve the OG questions and go through the solutions thoroughly. If you have any doubt, search the question in the Forum. You will definitely find all questions with detailed explanations here. Alternatively, you can study from the Ultimate Quant megathread of Gmatclub. It contains all theory for Gmat. Then you can solve questions from the OG.
Hope it helps.

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi garvitbh11, You can try out the MGMAT guides as they are phenomenal and cover the entire syllabus really well. MGMAT. MGMAT's Foundation of GMAT Math guide is very helpful to brush up your basics. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in Quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them. Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas. Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that. Lastly I would also encourage you to purchase the latest version of OG and the Quant review for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision. https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ma ... ml?fl=menu Hope this helps. All the best.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi garvitbh11,

While I imagine that this CAT result does not make you happy, it was important to define your current 'ability level' so that we can put together the proper Study Plan. Unfortunately, raising a 420 to a 700+ 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. Thus, taking the Official GMAT at the end of May or early June would be far too early - and by extension, you should plan to push back your Test Date. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. At this point, you'll certainly need more study time and you would likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led).

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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