Just sat MGMAT Practice test 1 as Diagnostic...scored really low

Yes, the ideal time for GMAT Preparation is 3-4 months. So, if you do regular study, you will be able to complete everything on time.

Thank you!

Have there been any past cases on here of people scoring low (400s) then hitting 700+?

Links would be appreciated for notable cases!

Yes, it is possible. Actually, you must believe that nothing is impossible in this world.

Here are a couple of links you may go through:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-i-went-f ... 33393.html

https://gmatclub.com/forum/600-q50-v21- ... 33845.html

https://gmatclub.com/forum/journey-from ... 33824.html

If you want to read more, you can always go through this forum and find so many such debriefs where people have actually improved alot.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/share-gmat-experience-8/

I hope this helps. Good Luck

Hi dcummins,

To start, a 430 isn't a terrible diagnostic score - as it's just a measure of your current Test Taking skills (and you've already admitted that you don't really know much about the GMAT yet). Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. There are some things to consider about your study plan and timeline though:

First, many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores. You've given yourself plenty of time to study - which is good - but you still have to be efficient with your studies, commit to a consistent routine and use the proper study materials (with an emphasis on learning and practicing the proper Tactics).

Second, many Test Takers who use a 'book heavy' study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. Since your current Study Plan is so book heavy, you'll likely end up needing to invest in some non-book resources. Considering your score goal, you'll need to make some BIG improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections, so investing in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led) would likely be a good idea.

Third, Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. That means that every time you take a CAT, you really MUST take the FULL CAT (with the Essay and IR sections), take it away from your home, at the same time of day that you plan to take the Official GMAT, etc. In addition, you MUST make sure to answer ALL of the questions (any questions that you don't answer are 'penalized' - and that penalty is worse than if you had simply answered the questions incorrectly).

1) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Much appreciated Rich, there are clear gaps in my quant knowledge and test taking skills in particular.

I am targeting the following in terms of priority:
1. London Business School
2. London School of Economics
3. Stanford (to a lesser extent)
4. UCLA Anderson

I don't really want to look past LBS as I have 2 colleagues there studying the MBA right now.

To give you some background:

I'm 25 and a Manager in Big 4 Transactions and fully-qualified Chartered Accountant.

Hi dcummins,

You've named some highly competitive Schools, so beyond having a competitive GMAT Score, you'll need a strong OVERALL profile AND you'll have to properly 'market yourself' to each individual School. Thus, this will be a big series of small tasks and you'll need to be efficient to get everything done for the Round 1 deadlines (you won't have to 'rush' though, as long as you stick to a reasonable routine and plan).

Given your goals, I want to reiterate that you would likely find it really beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at our website (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional questions, then just let me know.

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

Yea so it seems!

Do you have any recommended study plans, preferably broken down week-week or would anyone suggest following a recommended approach e.g. MGMAT

Hi dcummins,

The difficulty in working with a day-by-day or week-by-week Study Plan is that life often "gets in the way" of your studies. Your ability to schedule a consistent study routine into your life will depend a great deal on all the things that are in your life already, your overall timeline and your overall goals. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it helps to start off thinking in those terms. You might need more or less time than that, but you will want to be efficient with your studies regardless. To reiterate one of the points from my prior post - I think that you would benefit a great deal from investing in a GMAT Course of some type. The EMPOWERgmat Course includes a variety of Study Plans, including a 3-month Study Plan that I think would be perfect for you, but you should absolutely investigate all of your available options.

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

I was in a similar situation as you are in now; actually in a worse situation. My first diagnostic CAT exam rendered a 360! APPALLING! Note, this was from babson-dot-edu's mini GMAT exam (25 quant and 25 verbal questions). I was so disheartened but I decided to venture forward.

I realized my foundations were really weak. I purchased MGMAT's Foundation of Verbal and Foundation of Math, completed the materials in a few weeks and took mba-dot-com's 1 of 2 GMAT Practice exams (considered to be the most accurate to the real thing). I scored a 560!. Again, that's simply studying the TWO foundation books. I still have the 9 strategy guides and OG2017 to complete. I'm hoping for another increase of ~100 pts.

Long post short, keep your head up and do not get discouraged and BRUSH UP ON THOSE FOUNDATIONS.

Thanks man.

I've bought those books and will progress through them incrementally soon.

I'm targeting 25% completion of both Quant and Verbal on Economist GMAT prior to starting up on the Manhattan guide.

However, I am reading the GMAT roadmap and took a trial class this morning (4-7pm MGMAT with Joe) to supplement Economist GMAT studies.

I'm Sydney based so if anyone is keen to meetup to go through some stuff let me know.