I am taking the GMAT again in 1.5 months. How can I improve my score?

Question

Edit: I am aiming for a 705+. Is this doable over the next 1.5 months?

I started preparing for the GMAT in late-February and sat for my first attempt in late-June. Over these four months, I used the following materials:
 
 GMAT_Official_Guide, 
 GMAT_Official_Guide Review Books, 
 GMAT Official Practice Exams, 
 GMAT Official Advanced Questions Book, and 
 GMAT Ninja

I didn't take my first practice exam until mid-April, however, and doing poorly on it was a very big wake-up call. I took my second practice exam three weeks later. In total, I took six practice exams before my official attempt:
 
 Practice Exam 1: 515 (60Q, 84V, 82DI) - I didn't finish the quantitative section and missed five questions as a result. Hence the low quantitative score. 
 Practice Exam 2: 665 (83Q, 83V, 83DI) 
 Practice Exam 3: 665 (82Q, 85V, 82DI) 
 Practice Exam 4: 645 (81Q, 83V, 82DI) 
 Practice Exam 5: 675 (84Q, 84V, 82DI) 
 Practice Exam 6: 665 (81Q, 83V, 85DI)

As shown in the screenshots, I ended up with a 645 (80Q, 83V, 82DI) on the actual exam to my disappointment.

Some important things to note:
 
 While I have no trouble with accuracy when doing quantitative problems untimed, I struggle with completing each quantitative question in two minutes. Any tips on how to get faster would be appreciated. I know the common advice is to do more problems, but I have done MANY quantitative problems and am still struggling with time pressure in this section. I also come from a STEM background and strongly prefer applied over theoretical math. 
 I have test anxiety. Especially on Practice Exams 1 to 4, I found myself panicking on the quantitative and, sometimes, on the data insights sections due to my running out of time. I was able to remain calm during Practice Exams 5 and 6, but my anxiety came back when I took the actual exam. My brain would "freeze", rendering my inability to think, if that makes sense. 
 I am weak in critical reasoning. Despite watching the GMAT Ninja videos, I still don't fully comprehend this part of the verbal section. 
 I am not financially able to afford test prep such as the widely advertised T.T.P and other such programs. Please do not suggest those as viable options to me.

Thank you.

bb · Answer

Hi. Thank you for a thoughtful post and putting your screenshots. When did you take the actual test? How long ago was it?

Also, what is your driver for getting a 705 score? There are many but I’m curious to know your trade-off and alternatives.

Posted from my mobile device

playthegame · Answer

Hi, thanks for sharing your story, I am a fellow test-taker and looking to write my second attempt.

645 is a great score, so conrgtulations there. I understand it hurts that it is lower than your practice exams, the GMAT has an error rate of +/- 30 points at least so higher 600s are defintely achieveable for you.

I think you have a bit of an advantage on DI as well with such a great score there.

For anxiety I would recommend the box breathing technique, NAVY Seals use it when under pressure try it out during the break between sections, it will help and let your mind expand during this time. I try to do this in my break as I lose my stamina by the time I get to the third section. So this helps with keeping your mind calm and aware. Also, it always helps to know that you have worked and the results will show so let all the worries go.

I would also recommend an espresso shot during the break or a tea or a matcha tea if you do not drink caffeine it helps stay alert.

For bringing the score into the higher 600s closer to 700 you will need to be flexible in your approach for solving quant problems, sounds like there is room for improvement there. Also, never spend more than 3mins or 3.2mins on a problem it is not worth it from a pacing standpoint. Think of the test in halves or quarters and then manage pacing accordingly. If you fall behind know that on the next tough question you will bail if you cannot find a way forward.

For CR, you can read nightblade's CR bible, again here practice where your weaknesses are. It sounds like you are good at both CR and RC so the additional lift you will need to point to where it will come from. Is it CR or RC, what is the accuracy for both, which ones are you getting wrong on CR? How can you practice those?

Hope this is helpful, and good luck with your second attempt yes it is doable in 1.5months as long as you stay in touch, quant is a perishable skill so make sure you take a daily does of some math.

Thanks!

username625625 · Answer

I took the actual test three weeks ago.

As to why a 705+, I am an Asian with a low 3.x GPA.

bb · Answer

Got ya.

I wanted to make sure You didn’t have a lot of time pass so basically you are retaking within two months, And bump your score by 50-60 points, and looking at your numbers, most of it has to come from Q.

I he great news is that your DI looks amazing (and that’s the hard section). You can try to bump up your V a bit better but ultimately you can improve any of the 3 scores, whichever you feel will be the easiest to improve.

You need about one point per 6.6 points so to improve 50-60 points, you need about 9… so I would see how you can eke out 9 points - V, Q, or DI. That would be my first step.

Then, but then each of those sections, I would map out with to focus and improve. (Don’t forget to also refresh your strengths because GMAT is very much a test of nuance., you have to keep a lot of things fresh in your mind.

I know this is not exactly an easy winning plan but this is a plan and the key to success is splitting it down to small items and then executing within hours or a day or two and making sure you make progress within each square of the plan.

Posted from my mobile device

username625625 · Answer

Thank you so much for your in-depth reply. I really appreciate it, and I wish you the best of luck on your second attempt as well.

Do you have any advice on how to get better at quant? Like I mentioned in my post, I have no problems with accuracy when given unlimited time but fail to finish under timed conditions.

username625625 · Answer

Thank you. I agree that my best way forward is to significantly increase Q and then increase V/DI.

Do you have any advice on how to get better/faster at quant? Like I mentioned in my post, I have no problems with accuracy when given unlimited time but fail to finish under timed conditions. I have done MANY quant questions but feel like I have hit a brick wall in trying to improve my score in that section.

For verbal, I plan to focus on CR as I find myself struggling with those more than RC. That said, I won't let my RC skills rust in the meantime. Similarly, I don't have a plan for DI except to do more DI problems.

Perhaps I am being too optimistic here, but if I take the max of each section score from the six practice exams I have taken before my first attempt, I get 84Q, 85V, and 85DI. According to a calculator I found online, this corresponds to a score of 695. Is this correct? If so, do you think a 705+ is within reach IF I can consistently maintain this level at minimum?

Last question - sorry this is getting long, but I am desperate - I have seven weeks until my exam and six practice exams left. Is it better to do one practice exam per week (over a six-week period) until my second attempt, or should I do them closer to the exam (over a four-week period: 1 each 3 and 4 weeks before exam, 2 each 1 and 2 weeks before exam)?

Thank you again.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi username625625,

You could give  my CR course  a shot if you're looking to work on your CR. This course is free, with absolutely no push to subscribe/upgrade.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi username625625,

I'm sorry to hear about how things are going with your GMAT prep. Since CR seems to be an issue for you, here is some advice on how you can improve.

To improve in Critical Reasoning, your first goal is to fully master the individual Critical Reasoning topics: Strengthen the Argument, Weaken the Argument, Resolve the Paradox, etc. As you learn about each question type, do focused practice so you can track your skill in answering each type. If, for example, you get a weakening question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize the specific question type? Were you doing too much analysis in your head? Did you skip over a keyword in an answer choice? You must thoroughly analyze your mistakes and seek to turn weaknesses into strengths by focusing on the question types you dread seeing and the questions you take a long time to answer correctly.

Another major mistake that people make when training for CR is that they answer practice questions too quickly. To get Critical Reasoning questions correct, you have to see exactly what is going on in the passages and answer choices, and you likely won't learn to do so by spending a few minutes per question. At this stage of your training, you may need to spend up to fifteen minutes per question, learning to see what there is to see. Here is a way to look at this process: If you get a new job in a field in which you are not experienced, you may not be as fast as the other people working with you, but you know you have a job to do. So, what do you do? You do the job correctly, if not as quickly as those around you, and you make sure that you learn all the angles, so that you do the job well. Rushing through the job and doing it incorrectly would not make sense. As you gain more experience, you learn to do the same job more quickly.

Think of Critical Reasoning questions similarly. Your job is to do what? To get through questions quickly? Not really. Your job is to get correct answers. So, first you have to learn to get correct answers, generally at least 10 to 15 in a row consistently, and more in a row would be better. Doing so is doing your job, and if it takes you fifteen minutes per question to get correct answers consistently, then so be it.

Only after you have learned to get correct answers consistently should you work on speeding up. Remember, working quickly but not doing your job is useless. Better to work slowly and learn to do your job well. You can be sure that with experience, you will learn to speed up, and then you will still be doing your job well, i.e., getting correct answers consistently.

Finally, a crucial aspect of getting correct answers to Critical Reasoning questions is noticing the key differences between trap choices and correct answers. Trap choices can sound temptingly correct, but they don't get the job done. The logic of what a trap choice says simply doesn't fit what the question is asking you to find. So, to find correct answers, learn to see the key differences between trap choices and correct answers.

Here is an article with more advice:

GMAT Critical Reasoning: 8 Essential Tips

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I am taking the GMAT again in 1.5 months. How can I improve my score?

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