I'm stumped........

Question

Hello all,

I was hoping to get some advice, since I'm completely confused about my situation.

Here's a quick summary:

THE PAST:

My GMAT journey started at the beginning of this year, and I took my GMAT for the first time in April and scored a 310.

That's right, an abysmal 310. (V7 Q21).

My materials that I studied prior to the April exam was:

1.) OG12
2.) OG Q Review / OG V Review
3.) 8 MGMAT Prep Series
4.) PR Cracking the GMAT

I started with PR's Cracking the GMAT, then moved on to the MGMAT books. Afterwards, I practiced with OG12. To be honest, I didn't get around to using the OG Q and V Review books because OG12 had so many practice questions that were giving me issues.

I took 2 MGMAT CAT's prior to the first GMAT attempt and both scored EXACTLY 310. I took GMATPrep #1 and got a 330; I was so depressed about it that I never bothered taking GMATPrep #2, since I figured it would only spit me out another 310. Test day was in a few days, and I must have been deluded that I could have somehow pulled off a miracle on test day; stupidly, I went ahead with the exam thinking I couldn't possibly get a 310. Obviously I was wrong.

My goal is to get a 620, which isn't that great, since so many of you are aiming at the 700-800 level, but it's all I need for the program I'm interested in.

CURRENTLY

Since April, I've went BACK to reviewing all the MGMAT books, and have been working OG12 Quant questions by reorganizing them by category and sub-category, to try to help me focus on getting better at quant. I've been keeping an error log, and have been concentrating my efforts based on what my error log has been pointing out to me.

I thought I have been making good progress, until I decided to take another practice exam.

And got a 310.

What exactly am I doing wrong? I've been studying every Quant section by Category (Arithmetic, Algebra), and SUB-Category (Arithmetic NP, Arithmetic Operations of Rational Numbers, et al, Algebra 1st Degree Eq's, 2nd Degree Eq's et al.......

My studying is showing improvement, but my scores are still consistently at 310. I'm beyond frustrated............

Shoumik · Answer

Well after you took the first prep test, one thing you should've done is analyze the type of questions you got wrong. GMATPrep tests are used to give you an indication of where you currently stand and at the same time point you to your strengths / weaknesses. Using the CAT, check the type of questions you are getting wrong.

But since you scored a 310, it seems like your verbal needs heavy improvement. So lets start by reading Economist every morning (specifically the science section). As for quant, check out the types of mistakes you made on gmat prep and start analyzing why you got the question wrong and how to do it correctly next time it shows up.

AMGMBA · Answer

Thanks so much for the reply Mahtab!

I do agree that my verbal needs heavy work; I admit that I've been so obsessed with trying to boost my horrible quant score that I neglected to focus on verbal. Completely agreed with reading Economist; I tried reading the recommended "GMAT Fiction", but there's just never enough time to go through entire books.......

For quant, should I continue to train using MGMAT, or study OG12 quant exclusively?

This was the quant analysis from my last GMATPrep test:

DS missed: 12
PS missed: 11

I think from the analysis, my weakness lies with Algebra and Word Problems, as they are the ones I all missed.....

Thanks

Shoumik · Answer

Both. They complement each other very well. Go through each guide and do the 15 questions at the end of each mgmat chapter and move on to og listed questions! But take a break from quant and move to verbal as well. Do you have powerscore CR Bible? You should get a copy and start tackling CR questions. Verbal is one of those things in which you need to keep at it and be persistent.

AMGMBA · Answer

Thanks Mahtab; yes, I have both PS CR and SC Bible books. I'll have to re-review them again for sure.

Also, is there a recommended number of hours to study? I've been studying about 5-6 hours everyday for the past few weeks.

Thanks.

Shoumik · Answer

hmm...depends how you are using that 5-6 hours..usually people study for 2-3 hours a day max..I find myself using 5-6 hours on some days...it really depends. As long as you are using that time study smart as in limiting yourself from taking too many breaks, analyzing your mistakes and so on...

vishal4584 · Answer

Dont get depressed so soon, you can surely conquer it next time.

Read the posts of people who have scaled up their scores from 400 to 700.
This will surely guide you how to go about the whole preparation thing and it will also give u some confidence, if they have achieved it, then why not me....

gmatkoopa · Answer

I agree with Mahtab's assessment. How long you study isn't as important as how directed and focused your studying is. Use an error log, take more time to review eat CAT in detail and try to identify any major mistakes you're making (timing problems like leaving the last couple questions unanswered etc.).

I would recommend you go through the easy/medium questions of the OG (there's a guide posted on the forums), and see which easy/medium questions you consistently get wrong (question types) and try to build up some fundamentals there. Don't go on to harder questions until you can knock those down easily.

harshavmrg · Answer

i agree...i am facing the same difficulty...i know the fact that my quant is not great but my verbal is really in a bad shape...FYI i took GMAT in july and got abysmal 530.... Q39 V24....but i have started with Manhattan Sentence Correction for now...want to move the scale but with preparation from basics...

browsing through the site to know more about the best practices and study methods..hopeful that i would find one that suits me well...

meanwhile..Best of luck to AMGMBA for his next GMAT....

restore · Answer

I am also in the same boat. It is the the quantitative section that is giving me the most trouble. Ultimately, it comes down to one thing; not fully grasping the concepts. If you had a full understanding of every math concept, a low score would be unlikey.

Keep grinding out the five MGMAT math guides. I find that the explanations are very easy to follow. The In-Action problems also provide great practice. If you need to take it further, google some more practice problems in the subject you have issues with.

I also found some youtube videos on tutorials of solving complex absolute value inequalities and similar concepts. Do I have a good understanding of the concepts yet? Not at all, but I will.

I believe it is important to keep yourself motivated and pushing through these tough times.

PS. I am around the low 400's in score currently as well. My goal is to be in the 700's within 5-6 months.

AMGMBA · Answer

There's a lot of great feedback here; thanks everyone!

Right now, I'm taking a step back and reviewing MGMAT again (I've been studying mostly OG12) to start nit-picking the small details I've missed from my earlier MGMAT studies.

I've also decided to make better flash cards based on the notes I'll get from MGMAT; I used to only make flash cards based on OG questions, but there are simply too many different types of problems to remember.

This thread was just the boost I needed to continue.

After studying for so long and consistently getting 310's-400's, I was ready to give up.

But the thought of not accomplishing my goals is unacceptable. I've invested a lot of time, money, and effort into this; it's foolhardy to not see it through and finish what I started.

This is a great community, and I wish I would have posted more earlier.

Let's keep our eyes on the prize, and push to get our target scores!

wheredidigowrong · Answer

Hey AMGMBA! I seriously appreciate you for trying to hold on and get better. And I really really hope you succeed. Of course, I do not have a success story to share with you (as of now). Still, I can suggest some points based on my experience. First of all, understand that you are not stumped. As I see, you have good writing skills. You might as well have great communication skills, or good sense of humor too. You might be making awesome progress at work, but GMAT nowhere tests all these. It has its specifications and limitations. So do not get carried away with the preparation times and scores put up here by people who have a success story. These people might be exceptional in analytical and logical skills (which is of utmost importance for GMAT). But they might be half as good as me in say, organizational skills. The whole point is that there are a majority who do not attain their desired score and are embarrased to post their story (except for people like you and me), but only the minority successful people do post them. Be proud you are in the majority and are still posting your story to inspire others. Seriously speaking, your effort to get up the 22nd time after you fell 21 times is very inspiring, at least for me. There is so much for me to learn from you

And here goes my story... I studied for more than 6 hours a day for 3 months. But going through MGMAT books itself took away 85% of this time. I am a very slow reader and I studied these books for subjective knowledge without actually solving all the OG problems listed at the end. That's a huge, but wrong investment of time. I ended up in some fancy notes of MGMAT Books. Of course these notes helped me a lot for quick review of concepts during my practice tests. I started my practice tests and in the first MGMAT test, I got a 600. I moved up the ladder till 650 in the last MGMAT. The G Prep scores ranged from 580 to 670. But at last, my final score was a shocking and unexpected 530. I was totally lost, but the good people on this club have been trying to help me for a couple of days! My biggest suggestion for you is that you do not aim at 620. GMAT is a tricky game. Don't get tricked. So aim at becoming better than yourself. Better your logic in the day-to-day life. This said, I stop myself from aiming at 650 which I have actually planned. Because I understand that GMAT is a platform to get us ready to the world. Its the only and final chance to learn petty things which we haven't during school, or which we already forgot. I have planned my next 30 days (refer to ......). I feel you "will" cross 550 if you properly read MGMAT books. I can send the notes I have prepared - it might help you for quick review before tests. As Mahtab mentioned, bank upon the wrong answer choices - become a quality assurance personnel

Find find and find mistakes until you are left with none. On the final exam, you should be more interested in finding mistakes than in identifying the correct one (which of course you will learn in this entire course). Hey, keep up your good work and I am damn sure you will succeed. All the best

PS: We can work together as well if at all you are interested and have no other plans.

gmatpapa · Answer

AMGMBA, kudos to you for hanging in there and not giving up. My best wishes to you..

My very first GMATprep gave me something around a 500. My quant has always been horrible. But I hung in there and made my way through mid 20s to low 30s to low 40s to high 40s. The trick is to hang in there. I would advise you that do all topics thoroughly and DO NOT move onto anything new until you've made substantial progress in the topic at hand. If its Rates you're doing, do all questions from GMATClub forums on the chapter. Keep in mind that in quant, if you master one topic, you're aptitude in general will increase and the next chapter will become easier to understand.

If you have difficulties understanding a concept, you can always post them on this forum and help will most certainly come you way.

Again, all my best wishes to you and just know that if you think you can, you will. Best of luck.

AMGMBA · Answer

Thanks for the vote of confidence! And to be honest, I don't think I deserve any sort of praise for continuing the good fight. It's just something I have to do.

My journey, oddly enough, is one of redemption. I have something to prove to myself, and this is the path I've chosen.

I have no doubt that every one here has their own goals, dreams, and aspirations. And I also hope that everyone here finds success in both their GMAT and future endeavors. I'm taking every bit of advice here to heart, and fine-tuning my studies accordingly!

For me, success is simply being satisfied with what one builds with their own hands. Everything else is just icing on the cake. Until I'm able to have that, the fight will carry on.

I really appreciate your kind words, and I think you're right; I'm trying to forget about the target score, and working towards becoming better at what's involved.

Sunflwr3 · Answer

In quant, I had severe issues with word problems. The mgmat guide on word translations is heaven sent!

I did the practice problems in it twice, then practiced more with the mgmat cat tests. When you are studying using the guide, you will focus on one topic at a time - this will solidify your skills in a particular topic. But the cats have these problems mixed up, and you need to recognize the problem, apply the right strategy, correct formula and get the right answer - all within 2 minutes - this will develop when you do the cats.

Also, In analyzing my practice scores, I realized I never got the problems I spent more than 2 minutes on, correct. So learning to guess one or two will buy you invaluable time on ones you are really strong on.

Good luck, and keep up the work! You'll achieve your goals!!

crackHSW · Answer

Well work on your basics first and get the basics right , may be you had a bad day when you gave the test , use basic books such as princeton review

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I'm stumped........

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