How to raise GMAT Score? After months of prep work.

Question

Hi everyone, it's my first time posting, mainly out of desperation. I have been studying for the GMAT since early December. I got into a sort of lucky situation in between jobs where I was able to devote a lot of time studying (basically 4-6 hours a day). I purchased Vertias' course along with a tutor, since I had the resources to do so and reviews looked good.

Early December : Diagnostic test was a 590 (official GMAT) : 43 on Quant, 28 on Verbal. My end goal was 700+ for the programs I am looking at.

I then spent 6ish weeks focusing on just content with Veritas's course, but also did some official GMAT problems and Magoosh problems along the way.
In the 4 weeks since then, I have gotten a 620, 620, 590, 590. This makes no sense to me at all, given the work I have put in. I always put an emphasis and understanding my incorrect answers as well, meaning detailed error logging, doing problems with a tutor and going over whatever I don't get right or don't understand.

I am lost on how to proceed. My exam is March 11th, and I have to finish up my studies by Mid-April (aka deadline for the second exam). At the moment, it seems like my hope to getting into an MBA program is gone, let alone a top school. As a reference, if it matters, I had a 3.5 in Engineering at State university, and a decent SAT score (again, I don't know if it matters, just trying to give some background).
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My currently weekly plan has been the following : The content in these questions is from Magoosh or official GMAT.
- Monday - Do 4 sets of 10 for Data sufficiency, error logging after every section. (This is my weakest section by far.)
- Tuesday - Do a quantitative section. Error log it. Later that evening I meet with my tutor and we go over my previous practice exam or do 5 hard problems.
- Wednesday - Do 4 sets of 10 for critical reasoning, error logging after every section. (My second weakest section).
- Thursday - Do a verbal section. Error log it. Later that evening I meet with my tutor and we go over problems I had questions on from the earlier days in the week.
- Friday - Practice exam
- Saturday - mental rest
- Sunday - Error Log the exam.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What else can I do? My time is running out, as well as morale and different options. Any help is appreciated

UPDATE 03/12/20
Took advice from y'all and revamped my study method. After studying with a new method (mainly starting from sub 600 problems, mastering that and then mastering 600-700, etc) I got a 680 on an GMAT Practice exam. Took the actual GMAT and got a 680 as well ! Going to continue to study "smart" and avoid burn out and take it again in a month, shooting for 720!

UPDATE 03/12/20 Took advice from y'all and revamped my study method. After studying with a new method (mainly starting from sub 600 problems, mastering that and then mastering 600-700, etc) I got a 680 on an GMAT Practice exam. Took the actual GMAT and got a 680 as well ! Going to continue to study "smart" and avoid burn out and take it again in a month, shooting for 720!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi divas987,

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, your various CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 600 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. While you've almost certainly learned a lot more about the content of the GMAT and honed certain skills, you continue to "see" (and respond to) the overall Exam in the same ways - and it's possible that you've developed some 'bad habits' over the last couple of months that are keeping you from scoring higher.

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) On what 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)?
2) When is your 2nd Official Test Date?
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

Raxit85 · Answer

As exam date, approx. 18 days left, try to apply your leanings to only OG questions and refrain yourself giving frequent mocks or could give 1 mock per week. All the best for exam!!!

LeoN88 · Answer

I think there's lot on your plate right now. Write a good GMAT mock exam, check HERE

If you're not getting the desired score 690-710, then I say please defer it. GMAT journey is different for different people but it requires at least a month's time to get into the groove.

Read This-> https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-study-plan-217827.html

divas987

I am lost on how to proceed. My exam is March 11th, and I have to finish up my studies by Mid-April (aka deadline for the second exam).

divas987 · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC

Here are my scores as of recently.
- November 29th 590 : Q 41 V 31
- January 31st 620: Q 44 V 32
- February 7th 620 : Q 44 V 32
- February 14th 590 : Q 41 V 31
- February 20th 590 : Q 43 V 28

I have not finalized a second official test date yet, but it would most likely be in the latter part of April.
I was aiming for schools such as Columbia University and NYU, as these are some of the better schools in my area (NJ).
I am aiming to apply beginning of next year, but the score is valid for 5 years, so if I have to apply later next year that is fine. I have heard earlier rounds are the best (although I need to build up some more work experience at the moment, as I only have 2).

mykrasovski · Answer

Hi  divas987 , I can totally understand your feelings as I was in your situation a while ago. If you feel that you are stuck, you should (and possibly need to) change your approach / materials. The good news is that you have a big room for improvement in both Quant and Verbal sections.

Also, you seem to consistently score around 600, meaning that you are not suffering from massive test score variance.

Verbal is quite tricky, there could be a multitude of reasons why you are not getting a higher score. As far as free / affordable resources go - follow  generis  and SC Butler to work on your SC skills. For RC and CR, have a look at guides from  nightblade354  and  GMATNinja . Honestly, this is all you need. Another great resource is a library of videos from Ron Purewal (search for a thread by @carcass).

It is probably easier to improve Quant ability in a relatively short term. People on this forum speak highly of the TargetTestPrep course, but bear in mind that you need to invest a lot of time into the course. I have heard that it takes around 200 hours to complete the curriculum. Alternatively, you may want to reach out to  IanStewart , who is a Quant aficionado. He has very well written Quant books and he also offers tutoring. Ian helped me tremendously with Quant in about a month.

Let me know if you have questions. Good luck with your prep!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi divas987,

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

The consistency in your practice CAT results - going back almost 3 months - implies that you've gotten "stuck" at that general score level (right around 600). Raising a 600 to the point that you can consistently score 700+ will likely require at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

With your current Test Date, you only have about 2.5 weeks of study time remaining. While there's no harm in taking the GMAT as scheduled, you will almost certainly have to take it again later, so you could potentially save some money and aggravation by pushing back your current Test Date and giving yourself more time to study.

1) Assuming a 2-month timeframe 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 divas987,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. So, first off, since you do not plan to apply for some time, and since you are currently 190+ points from your score goal, honestly, you may consider pushing your GMAT, continuing to study, and taking the GMAT once you are truly ready to do so. Regarding how to move forward, since your practice test scores have not really budged between November and now, I think you may need to analyze HOW you have been studying and make some changes, right? Moving forward you may consider following a linear and structured study plan that allows you to learn each GMAT quant and verbal topic individually and then practice each topic until you’ve gained mastery. By studying in this way you can ensure that you methodically improve your GMAT quant and verbal skills. Certainly, if you want more specific advice on how to improve your quant and verbal skills, feel free to reach out. Lastly, you may find it helpful to read the following articles:

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

Developing the Proper Mindset For GMAT Success

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