Help for my 2-month Study Plan

Question

Hello!
I am starting my hardcore, full time prep tomorrow (start of 2 months of holidays) and want to take the GMAT on 26th July. 
My goal is +690, however I have done my first CAT this weekend and the result of 620 discouraged me quite a bit, especially the weak performance in Quant eventhough I am really good in Advanced Maths in University. My verbal was okay. 
I have been planning on starting to work with the 10 Manhattan Prep Guides, but I am unsure how my Study Plan should look like.
How do I pick for example, while doing the Percentage/Fractions book, the right OG questions to train just that bit? Shall I just cherrypick from each section a few? 
I was also wondering if in Addition to that I should get online Resources like Math Revolution, but I have read quite often in the forum that they are not as good as the reviews claim so I am unsure...
Also, what's the best way to keep an error log? Is there a Software that you guys often use while working on OGs or shall I just write it down in an excell file? 
And last but not least, is a 70 point increase in 2 months realistic or should I give myself more time?

Thanks for your answers in advance!

Posted from my mobile device

Abhi077 · Answer

a 70 point jump in 2 months with a good strategy is quite possible..give TTP a try(targettestprep) for quant. it really helped me improve a lot you can use their 5 days trial and decide for yourself, imo i found it more precise and logical than math revolution..for verbal i guess Manhattan guides would suffice. ou should also consider giving all GMAT prep mocks and gmat club tests for quant(if time permits). make good use of official resources and review them properly..goodluck

akadiyan · Answer

DeOe22

Welcome to GMAT Club

Since your estimated timeline is 2 months, you can checkout the study plans provided by @EMPOWERGMAT. They have very good study plans and what's best about EMPOWERGMAT is they also talk a lot about Mental side of the GMAT Exam which is crucial for the exam and they also have solutions for OG Questions.

All the best for your exam.

DeOe22 · Answer

Thanks for the replies! 
Would you combine TTP and EmpowerGmat?

I am a person who learns best from video sessions and practice questions, if that is relevant for that decision!

Posted from my mobile device

akadiyan · Answer

First of all TTP is only for Quant. The TTP Course is very exhaustive and covers all the chapters needed for GMAT. They have Easy , Medium and Hard level questions for all the chapters and i am sure you would get ample practice in quants.

On the other hand EmpowerGmat has both Verbal and Quants. Especially the CR and RC modules of EmpowerGmat's are very famous. As i noted in my previous post EmpowerGmat not only teaches you the concepts for exam , it also gets you ready for the exam.

But if you need help with the Quant basics and also need a course that helps you achieve higher course in Quants then TTP is the best choice.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi DeOe22,

Many Test Takers are unhappy about their initial practice CAT Scores, but you really shouldn't be. First, that Score is just a reflection of your current skills right now - and you'll almost certainly improve as learn more about the content, Tactics and little 'secrets' of the Exam. Second, a 620 is actually a fairly strong Score (the average Score on the Official GMAT hovers around 550 most years) - so you're a fairly strong critical thinker already (and you just have to properly focus your studies and hone the specific skills needed to hit your Score Goal). Third, the Quant section of the GMAT is NOT a 'math test' - so if you're treating it as if it were a math test, then that's something you'll need to work on.

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 to date?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for this CAT?

Goals:
4) Do you have an exact Test Date yet (and if so, then what is it?)?
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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi DeOe22,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. So, first off, 620 is not a bad start, so I really would not feel discouraged by that baseline score. That said, moving forward, in order to improve your quant skills, you need to ensure that you follow a linear and structured study plan that allows you to individually learn each GMAT quant topic and then practice each topic until you’ve gained mastery. I agree with many of the folks here, that, In order to study in this way, you should use TTP. We are the top rated quant course on GMAT club, and, if you can complete the course, there is no reason why you can’t knock GMAT quant out of the park on test day. If you need further advice or more information regarding the course, feel free to reach out to me directly.

Let’s do this!!

CrackVerbal · Answer

Hi  DeOe22 ,

Firstly, 620 isn't a bad score!

We have had students who have got 570 in their first mock GMAT test and then went on to score a 720.

It's all about figuring out your strengths and recognizing the areas that need improvement.

Here is an 8-week study plan that you could follow:

Week 1 & 2: Work on your Quant & Verbal basics

There are a finite number of concepts tested on the GMAT. GMAT is more to do with the applications of theoretical knowledge to everyday problems.

Start by getting yourself familiar with all the concepts tested on the GMAT.
 
For both Quant and Verbal, go through the Official Guide. These guides have all the theory that you will need to know to ace the GMAT. Make sure you understand these basic concepts well.

You can also  Signup For Our Free GMAT Kickstarter Course . The GMAT Kickstarter course consists of 8+ hours of free GMAT Strategy, concept and application videos. This course will teach you the strategies and techniques required to tackle each of the sections on the GMAT

WEEK 3 & 4: Start working on the Easy and Medium level questions

Once you are done learning all the concepts and theory, you will now need to learn to apply these concepts to Original GMAT questions to see how they work.

The three main sources of questions to be used in this phase are as follows:

1. The Official GMAT Guide
 
2. The GMAT Guide for the Quantitative Review 
 
3. The GMAT Guide for the Verbal Review

When you are solving the questions from these books, make sure that you are learning from your mistakes. You will have to analyze your errors as much as you can so that you do not repeat the same error more than once on any other question.

You could use an error log to keep track of your mistakes.

Week 5: Take another test.

This time, take the second GMAT Prep test full-length to see how your preparation has been working for you.

There has to be a considerable improvement in your score this time. If there isn’t, you will realize that your problem is with the basic concepts – either understanding or application.

Once this test is done, analyze the errors in the test just as you have analyzed the questions in the Official Guides.

If your scores haven’t improved considerably, then you should go over all the theory and go over the questions that you have got wrong in the OG and VR and solve them again to understand the mistakes that you’ve made.

Week 6, 7 & 8: Start working on more questions (The tougher ones!)

You will now be at a stage where you have worked out almost a 1000 questions and have taken 2 full-length tests. Post this, the key to effective GMAT preparation is to maintain consistency and the heat to solve questions.

There are three sources of official materials that come handy at this stage.

1. GMAT Prep Exam Pack 1 – This tool gives you two more full-length GMAT Prep tests for $49.99.

2. GMAT Prep Question Pack 1 – This tool gives you access to an additional set of 404 questions to practice.

3. GMAT Paper tests – Additionally there are three full-length GMAT tests printed on paper that can help you practice more for the GMAT.

Use  GMAT Write  to practice more AWA tasks and the  IR prep tool  to practice more IR questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ElZsRGrJ0w

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