Help! Seemed to have plateaued at 660!

Question

Hi - I would love some feedback for how to improve because I'm starting to feel a little down about my lack of improvement and social life!

1. My goal score is 730 
2. I have been preparing for the GMAT for 4 months now (I generally study about 1.5 hours every Monday to Thursday and 4ish hours on Saturdays and Sundays. How efficient I am during these hours is debatable).
3. I have taken a MPrep course online and it was somewhat helpful but I think maybe a little simplistic and not really catered to my strengths and weaknesses. That being said, I really enjoyed the structure of the class because I find I need structure to reign in my anxiety and to propel myself forward.
4. My score history
Initial Diagnostic (MPrep) - Mid October - 580 (Q33/V37)
2nd Test (MPrep) - Late November - 620 (Q38/V36)
3rd Test (MPrep) - Late December - 660 (Q42/V38)
4th Test (MPrep) - Mid January - 650 (Q41/V37)
5th Test (GMAT Official) - Today - 660 (Q44/V38) - although I got interrupted several times throughout so it was not as "exam setting" as I would've liked.
5. As you can see, I'm slowly improving on my Quant score but have basically made no progress on my Verbal score. Now that my course is over, I have been mostly studying my weak Quant topics by subject (via GMAT Club/ OG etc.). For Verbal, I have also been reviewing by topic; however, I don't think the topics are really "clicking" with me. To be honest, from my initial diagnostics score to now, I rely heavily on my ear. The silver lining is my RC/CR is mostly solid (mid 700s per my MPrep scoring), I seem to be struggling with SC.
6. I am hoping to take the official GMAT in 4 weeks.

If anyone can recommend some strategies/ resources/ courses on improving my Quant and Verbal scores, that would be highly appreciated!

bonsquared · Answer

Also if anyone has had good experiences with tutors, please let me know!

DisciplinedPrep · Answer

bonsquared  - The quantitative section of Manhattan GMAT is unnecessarily hard. Therefore, I think a Q44 is a true representation of your abilities. That said, a Q44 is still only 50 percentile, so you have a lot of room for improvement on the quant section. Your verbal performance is good, and, on good days, you can very well score in the range of V40-42 on the real-GMAT. With a good quantitative score, you could fetch a score of 730-760 on the GMAT. However, a Q44 does say that you still lack concept understanding and application. Perhaps, a more structured online course focused on quant can help you.

bonsquared · Answer

Thanks for your thoughts  DisciplinedPrep ! I agree with you. I definitely could be doing a lot better in Quant. I feel I have the basic understanding down for the topics but struggle with application or seeing the short cuts that are built into GMAT questions (especially in PS problems). Do you have any suggestions on how to improve application? I have been keeping an Error Log but I feel like sometimes these "short cuts" are so specific and not applicable in a broad spectrum...

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-scoring ... 88156.html The scoring grid on that link may help you structure your studies!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bonsquared,

You've clearly made some nice improvements to how you handle the Quant section - and a Quant Scaled Score in the low-Q40s to mid-Q40s means that your overall math knowledge is good. However, it's worth noting that the Quant section of the GMAT is NOT a 'math test' - it's a 'critical thinking test' that requires that you perform lots of little calculations as you work through it. GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, if you took your CATs in a realistic fashion that matches-up with how you will take your Official GMAT, your last 4 CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 640 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. To hit your Goal Score, you will have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections - and that training will take some time.

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:

1) Have you used any other study materials besides the course that you mentioned? 
2) Are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

bonsquared · Answer

OnlineTutorKnight  Thanks for the chart! I have been looking at it loads mentally willing some improvement.

EMPOWERgmatRichC

Hi Rich, 
1) Have you used any other study materials besides the course that you mentioned?
I used MPrep course for my 580 - 660 process, which I was happy with in terms of improvement. After the course ended, I have mostly been using the OG and GMATClub questions. I have not used any other study materials and I wonder if the lack of structure since the course ended has been the cause of my lack of improvement in recent weeks. 
When I review my "error questions", you're right, it's mostly a combination of careless mistakes and failing to see the "critical thinking" aspect in time.

2) Are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
I am planning on taking the GMAT at home. For my last 2 CATs, I have taken them with a whiteboard.

3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?
I am planning to apply this fall and am aiming for Top 20 schools. Of course, my GMAT score will be a big deciding factor.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi bonsquared

It's good that you are improving your quant score but I think it would be more effective if you can work on your weak areas in the right way. If you are just noting down your weak areas and practicing questions from those topics, then I'm afraid that won't be enough. Understand the reason behind struggling with those topics. The struggle must be mostly with the application as I'm sure you must have gone through the concepts multiple times by now. So, analyze the solutions of the incorrect questions, identify at which step you made the mistake and make sure you can solve the question correctly after a couple of days.

The same goes with verbal as well. If you are scoring 37/38, it probably means that you are doing well in two of the three modules (SC, CR and RC) but are struggling with one of them. I see that you are struggling with SC. If you are currently solving SC questions from grammar perspective, then I suggest to stop doing that and start solving them using meaning based approach. Because GMAT verbal is mostly about solving the questions using the right methods and strategies. You have to make sure to eliminate four incorrect answer choices rather than choose the right one and to do that, you need good strategies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SGA8bwFNJM

So, my suggestion would be to focus more on the process than on practicing questions. If the resource you are currently using doesn't help you with the methodology and detailed solutions of the questions, I suggest you to switch to a resource which helps you with them and which helps you to work on your weak areas.

If you wish to have a detailed discussion on how to plan your studies, then you can get in touch with me over a call and have a detailed discussion regarding the same.

Click here to schedule a call

bonsquared · Answer

GMATWhizTeam , thank you. That was very encouraging and insightful! I tried so sign up for a call time but it seems like most availabilities are when I am at work (due to the time difference unfortunately).

"So, my suggestion would be to focus more on the process than on practicing questions." - I think this may be the key to finding a new study plan that will continue to work for me into the 700+ but I am having troubling visualizing what that means in a concrete way. Can you expand?

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi bonsquared, Happy to know that you found it helpful. To elaborate, GMAT has a specific way of preparing. The focus has to be more on the application part that is learning the right methodology and strategies. GMAT doesn't test just the concepts but the application of concepts. So, the stronger your application skills are, the better it is. The right way to prepare for GMAT is: Learn the concepts (Deal with one topic at a time) Learn the right methodology to solve the question types tested from that topic Practice a few questions of that topic to solidify your learning Move to the next topic only if you get a good accuracy in those questions If not, revisit the concepts and the methodology Repeat the same for each topic Start taking timed quizzes once you are done with all the topics This kind of structured preparation will make your GMAT prep more effective and will help you work on your weak areas in a better way. If you need any help with the study plan, you can sign up for the free trial of GMATWhiz and get your personalized study plan for free. And I recommend you to schedule a call on weekends if that's possible so that we can have a detailed discussion on this. Hope it helped. All the best

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bonsquared,

To start, studying for the GMAT now - far in advance of when you will actually "need" your Score - is a smart choice.

Many GMATers become too fixated on the 'implied level' of the questions that they're working on - instead of what really matters: defining WHY they're getting questions wrong and becoming more efficient at approaching the overall Exam. For example, if "your way" of approaching the Quant and Verbal sections leaves you open to making little mistakes, then you need to train to 'see' (and respond to) the GMAT in new ways. It's possible that you developed some 'bad habits' during your earlier studies that are keeping you from scoring higher; the type of Score that you're interested in requires a high level of 'precision', so you cannot afford to be missing out on a bunch of 'gettable' points. As an aside, it's also worth noting that just because a 3rd party describes a question as "700 level" does not necessarily make it so.

It's true that the At-home GMAT is a bit more 'palatable' of an option at this point because you are now allowed to use a physical notepad. However, many GMATers have reported technical issues with their Exams and the 'format' of the Test is "fixed" (Quant, then Verbal - with no break in-between, then an optional 5-minute break, then IR). Having to take Quant and Verbal in one sitting is challenging for most GMATers (especially if you've been taking your CATs with an 8-minute break between sections); from your last post, it's not clear if you were accounting for that aspect of the At-home Exam. If you want to take the At-home GMAT, then you will have to be really rigorous about how you take your CATs going forward (and take them in the exact same fashion in which you will have to take the At-home GMAT).

Thankfully, the GMAT is the same predictable Exam that it's always been, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi bonsquared,

The good news is that 660 is a great start. Regarding additional resources, in addition to seeking advice in this thread, take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for  the best quant  and  verbal courses , and also read through some  GMAT success stories  to see what materials have worked well for other test-takers.

Also, would you like some general advice on how to improve your verbal and quant skills?

Lastly, you may find it helpful to read the following articles:

GMAT Sentence Correction: 8 Essential Tips

How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT — A Mini Guide for Success

bonsquared · Answer

Hi Rich,
I had no idea there was no break allocated for in between the Quant and Verbal sections so I will definitely take that into consideration. For now, I live in a pretty strict quarantine zone so I'm not sure I am able to take the in-person exam even if I wanted to.

I am aiming to continue my current time of approximately 15 hours a week.

bonsquared · Answer

ScottTargetTestPrep  Hi Scott, I actually signed up for the free trial of the TTP modules yesterday on account of some highly favourable recommendations. Although, I'm not sure I will have enough time to go through all the modules, I hope it will increase my precision level for both Quant and Verbal.

My general thought process right now is doing a combination of new study materials and perhaps some 1:1 tutoring to really hammer home my weaknesses.

However, some general advice would be helpful if you have any.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bonsquared,

If you have not been taking your practice CATs/mocks in the same 'format' that you'll have to take the At-home GMAT, then it's possible that your prior practice results are 'off' (relative to how you might score if you took the At-home GMAT tomorrow). Since we need a better sense of how you might perform under those conditions, you should plan to take a NEW CAT sometime soon (perhaps this weekend) in the At-home format (along with using the proper notepad - or online notepad, taking the test at the same time of day that you plan to take the GMAT, etc.). Once you have that Score, you should post back here (or you can feel free to PM me directly) and we can discuss the results and how you might best proceed with your studies.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

I think you can get a ton out of TTP, even in a short timeframe. If you need any advice, feel free to reach out to us directly. Let's do this!!

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