First some background about my situation: I have taken the GMAT exam twice (online, test center). I have been seriously studying since mid February of this year. First attempt was a 710 Q47 V41 on the online exam with some major tech issues and delays which probably partially contributed to my score. The math and the verbal felt challenging (more challenging than GMAT Prep). Second time was 2 weeks later in the test center (wanted to try in person due to bad Online GMAT experience) and I got a 730 Q48 V44 IR 5 AWA 5. The math felt pretty straightforward and I was able to answer every question and finish with a little time left. The verbal felt harder than the GMAT Prep tests I have taken. For Quant, I generally feel like I can answer all the questions and have a good grasp of all the concepts but often still find myself making silly math mistakes or not exactly answering what the question asked for (especially for PS questions) - this is what I think happened on the second test (must have gotten tricked on a few easy ones which is also why it felt so much easier).
My GMAT Prep breakdown is as follows:
1 - 690 Q44 V39 (diagnostic / no prep)
2 - 770 Q49 V46
3 - 750 Q46 V48
4 - 740 Q50 V40
5 - 740 Q47 V44
6 - 740 Q49 V41
The inconsistency in the subscores makes me hope that I could be doing better overall.
So far I have used the following:
- MP Strategy Guides (complete)
- MP
Advanced Quant (in an effort to improve my Q) (complete)
-
Magoosh question bank (I bought
Magoosh and then transitioned to MP books so only did the
Magoosh practice questions) (complete)
-
OG Guide (complete)
- GMAT club questions (for additional SC / CR practice primarily)
I would like to score in the 750 - 760 range to be more competitive for the following programs (given somewhat undifferentiated profile - white male in management consulting):
- Haas
- Wharton
- MIT
- LBS (730 is within target range for LBS)
I want to improve my Quant (Q49 - Q50), since with a bit of practice and consistency, I believe that I can keep my Verbal score at the 44 - 46 level. Also, based on my
error log and review of questions, most of my mistakes in math are related to not reading the question carefully, making an arithmetic mistake, not answering the specific question asked, and, to some extent, the lack of organization / proper utilization of my scratchpad (using
Manhattan Prep 4 quadrant methodology and I usually write what I am solving for in the top left corner, circle it, and then put the AD/BCE and other info on the right). I feel like I am maybe leaving some easy points on the table...
I re-started studying and signed up for
TTP since it seems like a lot of people on here have had good experiences and quant score improvements using this program. Doing the accelerated plan where the focus is on the chapter tests.
So I am seeking advice / tips / thoughts on:
1. General test-taking strategies
2. Ways to improve math by making some fundamental changes to how I approach questions (in order to avoid making careless mistakes):?
3. The potential value of a GMAT prep course after already having learned all the content
5. Any other advice...
Thank you for reading and your help.