In dire need of help.

Question

I started my GMAT preparation in January and was balancing my studies and work till March. After that I have had barely anything else to keep me occupied other than GMAT. 
Here is all the matter I've covered so far and the resources used:

1. OG Guides 2018
2. E-Gmat for SC
3. Manhattan Prep Guides for Verbal and Quant
4. GMAT Club Math Book

Even after spending a lot of time on preparation and exhausting several resources, I am not getting my desired score on mocks. Here is a summary of mocks given so far:

1. MGMAT on 12.05.20- 610
2. MGMAT on 25.05.20- 590
3. MGMAT on 06.06.20- 640
4. GMATPrep CAT 1 on 11.06.20- 660
5. MGMAT on 18.06.20- 610
6. MGMAT on 23.06.20- 650
7. GMATPrep CAT 2 on 30.06.20- 640

Kindly help in improving. I plan on writing my exam on the 10th of July, 2020 that's 9 days from now. I aim for a 700.

Thanks!

egmat · Answer

Hey Sgupta97

Thanks for being an e-GMAT member! If you have used the platform for more than a month, I'm sure we have 100+ feedback points about your prep that can help us single out your weaknesses and help recommend the best fix. As for the quizzes, the OGs comprise primarily of Easy and Medium difficulty level problems, with only ~10% problems approaching the Hard difficulty level. The difference in performance could partly be explained by the difference in difficulty level of the quiz (about ~35% of Scholaranium problems are of Hard difficulty).

Again, this is just a shallow, surface-level analysis and we would truly like to help you identify the specific challenges holding back your CR prep and help design exercises to crush CR in no time. Please write to us at [email protected] referencing this conversation and our team will have a solution ready the same day.

Best,
Deepak

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi  Sgupta97 , you've not provided your Q/V split. Also, which sections are bothering you the most?

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Sgupta97,

The good news is that 640 (your latest practice exam score) is pretty solid! That said, it’s going to be quite difficult to improve by 60 points in just 10 days. Is there any chance you can take the GMAT at a later date?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sgupta97,

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, most of your CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (630 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes.

Assuming that you took these CATs in a realistic fashion that matches up with what you will face when you take the Official GMAT, raising a 630 to the point that you can consistently score 700+ will likely require at least another 1.5 - 2 months of consistent, guided study. With just 9 days though, there will likely be a limit to how much you can improve. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level - but you might want to consider pushing back your Test Date.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Since March, how many hours did you typically study each week?
2) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each of your CATs/mocks?
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

GG907 · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC ,  ScottTargetTestPrep ,  EducationAisle ,  egmat

I FINALLY touched 700 on my GmatPrep Mock Today!

The Previous mock break-ups are as follows:

1. MGMAT on 12.05.20- 610 Q40 V34
2. MGMAT on 25.05.20- 590 Q44 V28
3. MGMAT on 06.06.20- 640 Q44 V33
4. GMATPrep CAT 1 on 11.06.20- 660 Q48 V33
5. MGMAT on 18.06.20- 610 Q44 V31
6. MGMAT on 23.06.20- 650 Q41 V37
7. GMATPrep CAT 2 on 30.06.20- 640 Q47 V31
8. Today (01.07.20) I scored Q48 and V38 on GMAT prep CAT 3

1) Since March, how many hours did you typically study each week?- On average, I would say 3-4 hours 
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to? I am planning on applying for the 2021 batch, so most deadlines are by October. But I am planning on starting my new job, sometime in the end of July or August. So I do not wish to stretch my prep any further than it already has.

I struggle with timing and anxiety while appearing for mocks.

GG907 · Answer

EducationAisle

RC- my speed of reading the passage is slow
Quant- Geometry and probability mostly. Plus I am trying to get more comfortable with DS questions, my PS has been relatively stronger than DS.
CR- assumption type of question- find the assumption, stronger, weaker, evaluate...

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Awesome job!! I assume you plan to take a few more practice exams?

GG907 · Answer

ScottTargetTestPrep

Yes, I've got 3 more Gmat Prep CATs remaining which I plan on taking on alternate days.
Should I be giving a practice test every day?

if yes, then I can either reset my MGMATs or buy some additional test series.

Kindly suggest.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sgupta97,

This recent CAT Score is an encouraging result, but the idea that you honed the necessary skills in just one day to consistently score 60 points higher is questionable. After analyzing this performance, can you point to anything noteworthy that you did differently when you took this CAT?

The process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day. By extension, you should NOT plan to take 3 CATs during this next week; if you wanted to take one more, then that might be fine - but again, the closer you take that CAT to your Official Test Date, the greater the chance that you might 'burn out' a bit before your actual GMAT.

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

GG907 · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC

I am not a naturally good test taker. I get really anxious at times and tend to mess up the timing. That is something I focused on improving during my last mock.
I gave another GmatPrep mock today, CAT 4. Again scored a 700 with Q49 and V38.

I have continuously been performing poorly on CR. I have gone through the Manhattan Prep Guide, but am unable to improve my score.

Any suggestions for improving CR in such a short time span?

Here is my break-up for the latest mock:

inc. total incorrect %
DS 3 13 23%
PS 2 18 11%
SC 4 14 29%
CR 4 9 44%
RC 3 13 23%

Thanks!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

I think every day would be too much, so no, I don't think that's necessary.

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