improve score from 640 to 710+ in 20-25 days/ chances with 640 Score

Question

Hi,

Took GMAT yesterday and got a 640, 47 Quant, 31 Verbal. I couldnt finish both the sections,(the last 5 questions in verbal and 2/3 in quant). Was definitely expecting a better score. 
Mock CAT's performance:
1st: 630
2nd(official): 660
3rd official : 690

Since,the top 20 US colleges seem out of reach with this score, i am giving GMAT again, but have maximum of 20-25 days for it. How should i proceed on studying for it, i kind of feel exhausted and lost, but i know this would be the last chance at it, so i would like to put in my best effort.

I have covered OG + quant review. half of verbal review. and More than 60 percent target test prep tests.For my previous attempt i had given around 45-50 days of prep time to it. 
initially i struggled to focus, but finally caught on a month back, so for the last 30 days was studying for 4-5 hours a day.

Identified weak spots:
1. Speed, both in Quant and Verbal. 
2. SC , i dont think i understand the concepts too well. What's the best way to learn concepts and apply? (I am decent, if not very good, in english, have always felt SC was more about what intuitively felt right and that definitely was a mistake)
I thought my CR and RC were strong spots but i dont feel sure about it now.

My target is the top 20 US Bschools for a 2020 admit.

Profile:
32, Indian Female, currently on H4 in US for the last 10 months. 
have an MBA from one of the top 15 Bshcools in India. 
6 years of industry experience, Domain: Advertising and Branding.

Looking for guidance/help:  
 
1. how can i improve my score in the next 20 days, with dedicated effort. 
2. what are my chance for getting the top 25 US schools.

Thanks.

madgmat2019 · Answer

1) Try GMAT club tests for quant since you exhausted all other sources to increase ur speed.
2)For CR, i felt powerscore Cr Bible is the best one..since you have less time u can go with the notes of that...search in this forum for the notes of Cr Bible...u can get it

That's my 2 cents!

CareerGeek · Answer

Mistake: Leaving out the last questions in both the sections. If you would have worked on the strategy I’m pretty sure you would’ve got at least 30+ points.

Let’s say (god forbid) nothing improves in the next 20-25 days, You have to still leave 5 questions in verbal and 10 questions in quants.

Verbal: Make sure you guess 1 middle RC (May be 3rd RC or RC in 20’s) and guess 2 questions (either SC or CR) but ALTERNATELY. There’s a high penalty in GMAT for consecutive mistakes and for unanswered questions.

Quants: Again if you have to leave 10 questions, try to get initial 10 questions correct, then start attempting alternate questions from 11th (attempt 11, make an intelligent guess on 12, attempt 13 so on ...)

But make sure you have enough time to attempt last 5 questions for each section.

Now, to improve SC which you need to do to get a better score (also the fact that SC takes least time of the 3 sections), Aristotle SC has helped me a lot. You can try that too.

For speed you definitely need to give timed tests. You can subscribe for quants tests from GMATCLUB, a great source for improving quant score.

All the best

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Hovkial · Answer

20 to 25 days is not much time to improve drastically. However, you can attempt to shore up some of the weak points: verbal and pacing. 
 
Regarding verbal: For SC, you must know the grammar rules, especially the most frequently tested ones. Relying on "feel" is bad approach. The OG lists the grammar topics. For CR, you should attempt to understand the structure of the argument. Do not prethink of a specific answer, but have some ideas about possible answers. For RC, follow similar approach along with understanding content. 
 
Pacing needs to be managed so guessing is not forced. Only guess in spots and only when there is little choice. GL!

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ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi swats202.

First off, Q47 is a very nice quant score! So, nice job so far. Regarding how to improve in quant, I think the best path forward is to complete the rest of the TTP course.

Regarding verbal, since you scored V31, you need to follow a study plan that allows you to learn GMAT verbal from the ground up. In other words, follow a study plan that allows you to learn each GMAT verbal topic individually and then practice each topic until you’ve gained mastery. Meanwhile, key to scoring high on GMAT verbal is learning to clearly define, rather than vaguely speculate, why choices are correct or incorrect. Learning to clearly define why choices are incorrect or correct takes a lot of slow, careful, methodical practice involving analyzying questions and answer choices and coming up with clear, well-supported, logical reasons why choices are incorrect or correct.
Regarding speed, as you improve your quant and verbal skills, you will naturally speed up, because the stronger your skills, the more quickly you will see how to approach arriving at the answers to quant questions, the more quickly you will do any necessary mathematical work, and the more quickly you will see what you need to see in order to correctly answer verbal questions.

With all this said, the process of improving your quant verbal skills will likely take longer than just 20 days. Thus, I think, if possible, you should continue to study, push back your GMAT, and take the GMAT once you are truly ready to do so. If pushing your test date back really isn't possible or practical, then take the GMAT as late as possible, keep working on quant, and do some serious work on verbal.

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out.

Good luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi swats2020,

To start, I'm hoping that you can clarify something you wrote: the last 5 questions in the Verbal section and the last 2-3 in the Quant - did you NOT answer those questions at all (meaning that time ran out and you physically did not even read them) or did you have to rush through those questions (and blindly guess on all of them)? I ask because those two situations would have significantly different impacts on your Score, so we need to define exactly what occurred on Test Day.

A 640/Q47 is a solid Score, so it could be enough to get you into a Top-20 School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it's likely that you just have not put in enough time and effort to have scored higher yet. You've asked some Admissions questions though, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

If the Admissions Experts think that you 'need' a much higher Score to get into your first-choice School, then you have to decide what is MORE important: getting into that School OR getting into any School in the Top20 in the timeframe that you have defined. The process of applying to (and ultimately attending) Business School will require a big investment of time, money and energy on your part, so you really should make sure that the Programs that you apply to match your career goals/needs.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for regarding your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) For this recent attempt, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) 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)?

Goals:
3) What is your overall goal score?
4) Do you have a list of Schools selected yet? What are the exact application deadlines for the Schools that you plan to apply to?

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

chrisbender · Answer

It seems like your verbal score is holding you back. I was in the same boat, and I would really recommend the power score verbal books. All 3 have helped me tremendously. I think for quant you are solid and a little review will get you the 2 points or so to boost your score.

freedom128 · Answer

1) Try GMAT club tests for quant to improve your speed and quantitative reasoning.
2)For SC and RC, i felt OG2020 and CR Powerscore Bible are the best in market.

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