How can I improve my score and learning methods?

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm currently preparing for GMAT for 2-3 months, while also working full time. I plan to take the exam a month from now. So far I concentrated on solving the problems in the Official Guide and have done around 60% of all relevant questions. Yesterday I did the Manhattan CAT 1 test and scored 600 (Q37,V35). My goal is to reach at least 600 points. I plan to do the official GMAT prep test this week.

Where I have huge deficits is the theory in both Verbal and Quant, but most importantly in Quant. As I'm working full time and preparing for the exam, it's really hard to fully concentrate on the test. Can somebody recommend to me how I can improve my theory knowledge and what resources I can use? Is the Economist GMAT prep a good option and what other options are there? Should I concentrate on solving all the questions or more on theory and the wrong ones?

Thank you for your help in advance!

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Might want to take an Official Mock (2 are free on mba.com). If you score above your target, all things being equal, things are looking good

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi stp1555,

Regarding resources, in addition to seeking advice in this thread, take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for  the best quant courses  and also read through some  GMAT success stories  to see what materials have worked well for other test-takers. Lastly, since you need quant help, here is a great article for you to check out:

How To Increase Your GMAT Quant Score

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello stp1555,

Welcome to the GMAT Club. It is one of the great platforms to get information about the GMAT official test, Study plan, Section wise instructions, etc.

Success in GMAT Math is entirely based on vital concepts, rigorous practice, complete knowledge of math question types and patterns, quick approaches, and time-management.

You can schedule a comprehensive counseling(https://calendly.com/mathrevolution/1-on-1-session) session for 30 mins with one of our experts to have detailed advice on your current study plans.

You can try our free diagnostic test https://www.mathrevolution.com/diagnostic/dtExamMember and receive a comprehensive study guide by topic. This test will clearly help you understand your weak areas.

We appreciate your time and patience in reading this reply.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!

Math Revolution Team

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi stp1555,

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) How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) Have you used any other study materials besides the OG?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) When is your exact Test Date?
5) 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

760+: What GMAT Assassins Do to Score at the Highest Levels

vamshikaithi · Answer

Hi stp1555, Honestly, just practicing questions from OG doesn't help you improve your score. In your case, you need to first fill the conceptual gaps you have, learn the right methods to solve questions of a topic and then practice questions of that topic. This is how you go about it. So, first identify the topics in which you are weak. Then understand if it's the concept of the topic you are struggling or the application. Only then, start working. Have a proper structure. Stick to one resource which can help you with the concepts, methods, questions and their solutions. If you are looking for one, you can try GMATWhiz course. I personally used that and improved my score from 570 to 720. It helped me identify my weak areas and the process became a lot more effective. I have made a debrief of my GMAT journey about how I approached my preparation. You might find that helpful. Debrief of My journey from 570 to 680 to 720 https://gmatclub.com/forum/my-journey-f ... l#p2648110 Hope it helped. Feel free to get in touch if you need any help. All the best

ScoreLeap · Answer

Hey Your scores says, you have a great potential to hit 700 and above and become a member of elite GMAT 700 Club. But let me tell preparing for GMAT begins by understanding verbal and quant from GMAT point of view. Since you are already solving questions from the official guides we would recommend you to start maintaining an error log and monitor the mistakes that you make. Check whether your mistakes are conceptual mistakes or just silly mistakes. There is always a pattern - look for that pattern and break that pattern. If they are conceptual based mistakes , you must brush up on those topics .If silly then you need a device a strategy to avoid them. We can help you with concepts along with Test-taking Strategies and assist your realise your full potential and your dream score. Talk to our academic counselors and devise a proper study plan. Reach out to us today at : info@scoreleap.in Also check out our success stories on out website at: https://www.scoreleap.in/success-stories Have FUN with GMAT GAME

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi stp1555,

There are a couple of things I wish to address. The first thing is focusing more on practicing questions. Before you start preparing for any test, it's important to understand the structure of the test, what is tested on it and then prepare accordingly. In this case, GMAT is a test which focuses on your application skills along with the conceptual knowledge. So, just learning the concepts and practicing questions without focusing on the right methodology will not do any good. So, I suggest you to first focus on the methodology to solve questions of a particular topic and only then move to practicing questions of that topic.

The second thing is planning your studies. I understand that balancing studies and work can be quite challenging. The best thing to do would be to follow a proper study plan and have weekly deadlines. And I know it's not easy to create a study plan and tasks. You can sign up for the free trial of GMATWhiz and get your personalized study plan for free. It takes into account the number of hours you can dedicate for studies in a week and then creates the study plan according to your requirements.

The path ahead:  
Your Verbal score is decent enough. There is much scope to improve your score in the Quant section. So, the right way to prepare would be to first

learn the concepts of a topic,  
 learn the right methodology to solve questions of that topic 
 practice a few questions of that topic to solidify your learning and then move to the nest topic 
 Repeat the process for all the topics

So, choose a resource which can help you with all the above factors. You can check out the free trial of GMATWhiz online course. It's an application driven course which provides you with a personalized study plan and adapts itself to suit your needs by suggesting you additional improvement modules for a certain topic if your performance is not very great in that topic.

And regarding how to proceed further and the study strategy, I think it would be better if we can get in touch over a call and discuss the same as I would like to ask a few questions about your current preparation strategy and your weak areas. You can use the below link to get in touch with me.

Click here to schedule a call

stp1555 · Answer

Hi everyone, thank you for all the great tips and suggestions. I recently did the GMAT prep test and sadly only scored 580 (Q40,V30). This lower than what I scored on Manhattan Prep 600 (Q37, V35). I'm really worried that I won't be able to prepare and achieve 600 points. I don't know why I did so badly in verbal, but my time management during the test exam was terrible. Maybe, in this case, it makes sense to concentrate on Verbal and not on Quant. My quant score is kind of steady and is hard to be improved. The main issue is that I'm working full time and barely have time to prepare for the test. Does it make sense to be solving from the GMAT OG or actually look up verbal concepts online? What resources can help me?

Thank you in advance for your help!! I truly appreciate it.

EMPOWERgmatRichC

Those are the answers to your questions

1) How many hours do you typically study each week?
7-8 hours, mainly on weekends.
2) Have you used any other study materials besides the OG?
No
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

GMAT Prep Test 1 - 580 (Q40,V30) - 04.04.2021
Manhattan Prep 1 - 600 (Q37, V35)- 30.03.2021

4) When is your exact Test Date?
In the first week of May and eventually the last week of May

5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?
I need a score of 600, not more than that.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi stp1555,

Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores (and it's common to spend 15 hours or more each week), so if you've studied for just a limited number of hours a week for 2 months - and you're essentially just "cramming" on the weekends - then that might help to explain why you are not scoring higher yet.

Based on your 2 CAT/mock results, I think that your general Quant and Verbal content knowledge is fine, but the GMAT is really a big 'critical thinking test' - and it's not clear HOW you're working through each question (re: how do you take notes, what Tactics are you using, etc.). Since you took your 2 CATs just 5 days apart, it's likely that the differences in those Scores are due to some lucky/unlucky guesses and little mistakes (that you either made or did not make). Assuming that you took your CATs in a realistic fashion that matches-up with how you will take the Official GMAT, then you could potentially hit a 600 right now. However, it's not clear whether you've actually been that rigorous about how you've been taking your CATs (and if these results are 'inflated', then you might end up needing far more time to prepare for the GMAT than you have currently planned for.

From your last post, it's still not clear what your application plans are. 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

stp1555 · Answer

I have a question regarding the essay and the IR part. As those don't affect my score, can I just skip them on the exam? How would that work?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi stp1555,

While the Essay and IR sections do not contribute to your Overall Score out of 800, you have to be careful about assuming that you can just "skip" those sections. Many Business Schools have publicly stated that they do not use an applicant's IR score when evaluating an application, but if the Schools that you apply to care about that Sub-Score even a little bit, then you don't want to rush through that section (and inadvertently "bomb it" when just a little bit of effort could earn you a reasonable Score). As for the Essay, many Programs expect applicants to be able to score at least a 4.0 (out of 6.0) on the Essay; that's actually a fairly straight-forward task (and there are a number of different Essay 'templates' that you might choose to follow). Skipping past the Essay entirely would earn you a 0 - which sends a dicey message when it comes to Admissions. You do NOT want to present the idea that you're an Applicant who will purposely choose to not work on certain things.

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

Gmatisking · Answer

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