How to move ahead after taking first GMAT mock test

Question

Hello,

I just registered on this website because it looks quite useful for GMAT related stuff.

I am from India and want to apply for the 2016-17 batch of PGPX at IIMs and ISB, so I am giving my GMAT in July last week. I started preparing for GMAT from 1st week of May 2015. I have bought Manhattan GMAT books for Quant and Verbal, I also have the official GMAT book. I have completed the Quant books of MGMAT so far.

I read in this forum that I should give a mock test to estimate my current position and start to study according to the analysis of the score of that test. I just completed my free mock test on Manhattan Prep and this is my score:

Quant -> 46 (66 percentile)
Verbal -> 25 (38 percentile)
Overall -> 590 (58 percentile)

I want to keep July for mock tests and actual GMAT exam, so I practically have only one month in hand, June. Obviously I want to raise my score from 590 to at least 720 (ideally 750)
According to the mock test assessment summary, I should work on data sufficiency problems, Reading comprehension and sentence correction a lot.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

kinjiGC · Answer

Manhattan GMAT Guides are good for basic understanding and later, you need to practice official questions from Official Guide and Verbal 2nd Edition. Once you are done with those books, you can try GMATPrep Question Pack 1 and Exam Pack 1.

I will suggest you to have official questions as your preparation back bone and questions from other coaching institutes such Manhattan GMAT , veritasprep and Magoosh can be practiced to assist the preparation.

The key is analysis, so analyze your mocks and official questions in detail.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. All the best

gmatguydelhi · Answer

Thanks Kinjal. I analyzed each and every question of my mock test and came to this conclusion. 1. If I stop making silly mistakes in calculations and practice little more Data sufficiency problems, I would be able to score 48+ in quant 2. I really need to work on all sections of verbal. I am right now equally weak at RC, SC, CR. I also checked the deadlines of application for IIMA and ISB, it is mid September, so I am thinking to take my GMAT in August last week instead of July. That way I will have 2 months to prepare well. I am going to set weekly targets for my preparations for next 6 weeks. That's the plan, I want to get as high as your score

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi gmatguydelhi,

A 590 is a good 'baseline' score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). As far as your timeline and plans are concerned, we're not going to truly know how much time you need to study until you spend some time studying and we track your progress.

Most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies, so the fact that you're only planning for 2 months might be a problem. To that end, it's important to take FULL-LENGTH CATs (including the Essay and IR sections) at regular intervals (a CAT every 1-2 weeks), so that you can 'catch' any little errors and fix them earlier (rather than having to deal with them all at the end) and train to combat the pacing and endurance issues that many Test Takers face on Test Day.

You should study however you like for the next couple of weeks, then take a FULL CAT. You should report back once you have those scores - they'll provide some vital information on whether your study plan is working or not.

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

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hi gmatguydelhi,

The purpose of the mocks is to help you understand where you need to work and to gauge your progress. Based on the score you displayed I'd target verbal, reading comprehension in particular if that is what your detailed report told you. When you take your mocks, be sure to review the answers you miss and adjust your studies as needed (focus on reading comprehension for a while if that's a weakness compared to the others, or on specific question types that you tend to miss). Best of luck with your studies and the exam!

gmatguydelhi · Answer

Thank you Rich & Janielle. I am preparing according to my shortcomings and focusing on subjects that require extra attention. Along with my Verbal section, I am working to strengthen my Quant too. I just completed all 230 questions in Official GMAT guide from the quant section. Out of 230, I did 23 wrong (which I assume is pretty high, I wanted this to be less than 10).

I will keep you updated about my preparation, hopefully you will keep advising me

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