[Urgent] Need advice on preparation strategy

Question

Hi Guys,
I have taken 2 mock tests till now, these are my scores
Kalpan: Q44, Total = 590 (I do not exactly remember the verbal score but it was around 27-28)
MGMAT: Q45, V25, Total = 580

It's been close to 2 months now since I am preparing for GMAT, I am planning to take GMAT in 2nd week of Aug. I can devote 4-5 hrs daily, I am aiming for 720+ score, can you guys please help me? 
What should be my approach forward for the exam, for your reference I am attaching my own analysis report of Mock-1 (I have written the kind of mistakes I have done), for Mock-2 I haven't done the full analysis, but in quant, I made 13 ques wrong and out of 13, 10 fell into the category of  silly mistakes  (small calculation error), attempting problem with a  rote mindset  (not treating the question as a new question, just trying to apply what I have learnt), and got  scared by looking at the problem and guessed my way through  it.

Or if you think it is impossible to reach this score then do let me know.

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Ayush, which resources have you been using, for your preparation? Verbal obviously emerges as a big pain area, in your case.

I do think 140+ point jump in your scores that you are looking for in less than a month, is quite ambitious.

ayushsharma99 · Answer

I have used MGMAT and OG, and occasional help from GMATclub questions, nothing else.
I am applying to ISB-YLP and for that, I have to submit everything by 31st Aug hence I am thinking of taking GMAT in 2nd week.
In the analysis, what I see is I sort of forget all the concepts that I have learnt and just solve the problems anyhow also I am making a lot of silly mistakes (calculation mistakes).

In my practice sessions (timed test from OG) I was not performing horribly in CR and RC, in fact, CR was my strongest in the verbal according to those sessions.
The only reason I believe that I can improve my score is that if somehow I am able to keep my composure in the test and avoid silly mistakes.

EducationAisle · Answer

Ok. I am not sure when you started your preparation, but this is an issue we often encounter with YLP candidates: they start GMAT preparation slightly late in the game, and then struggle with the YLP deadlines.

Calculation mistakes obviously happen in Quant; your Verbal scores are more of a concern.

Calculation mistakes obviously happen in Quant; your Verbal scores are  more  of a concern.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi ayushsharma99,

To answer your question, improving by 140 points in less than 1 month is pretty unlikely. The good news; however, is that as long as you follow a linear and structured study plan as well as a realistic timeline then YOU CAN improve your GMAT score. So, if possible I’d push out your GMAT and give yourself more time to study. Also, if you want some general advice on how to improve your GMAT quant and verbal skills, feel free to reach out. Lastly, you may find it helpful to read the following articles:

How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT — A Mini Guide for Success

The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT

vamshikaithi · Answer

Hi Ayush,

I understand how you might be feeling right now. I was there in your situation a few months ago. I scored a 570 in my first official test. I took a classroom coaching before that and studied on and off using OG and a few other books. But that eventually resulted in only  570 .

I was looking for a quick turn around for more than 100 points improvement. That's when I got to know about GMATWhiz and how it helped a couple of students improve their score. I eventually went with it and scored a  680 .

I strongly believe that GMATWhiz will be suitable for you. I think it has a free trial. Do check it out!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ayushsharma99,

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, your 2 CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 590 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. Raising a 590 to the point that you can consistently score 720+ will likely require at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. That having been said, an August Test Date does not give you much additional time to prepare - meaning that you might want to either consider pushing back your Test Date or changing your Score Goal.

While I understand that neither of those options likely makes you 'happy', if you think that you ultimately "need" a 720+, then THAT Goal has to come first - and you have to adjust your overall plans to account for the time needed to achieve that Goal.

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) How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks?
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to and what are the various application deadlines for each?

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

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi,

I can understand that getting 580-590 after 2 months of prep can be slightly disappointing, but the good thing is you seem to have a good hold over the concepts and hence the improvement to 720 should be possible with proper attention to right areas in another month’s time. Let’s dig deeper to understand how you should approach your preparation in the next month.

Advice 1: Identify your weak areas in Verbal 
Your present score in Verbal indicates that you’re performing decently in one of the 3 modules – SC, CR and RC. However, there is a huge scope for improvement in the other 2 areas. For the weaker areas I would recommend you to do a complete overhaul of the approach. I’m sure in the last 2 months you would have worked upon the conceptual understanding, so that doesn’t seem to be the primary concern.

Importance of following the right approach 
My guess is when it comes to solving questions in your weaker modules (out of SC, CR and RC), you may not be following a methodical approach and that’s why you end up with 2 close choices in most of the medium and hard questions. It is important that you learn how to solve these questions properly. Suggesting the right strategy for each of these areas, so that you can learn them before moving ahead.
  For SC – Follow the meaning based approach. You can refer to this video for the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWf5npGuX5U  
 
 For CR – Focus on Scope Analysis and Framework driven Pre-thinking. You can refer to this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZG-oIl09Rk  
 
 For RC – Involve yourself in the passage and understand why the passage is written and not just on what’s written. You can refer to this video for the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCcaY1NOvDQ

Advice 2: Improvement related on Quant 
Your Quant score indicates that you have a strong understanding of concepts and you seem to be struggling in certain areas when it comes to applying the concepts. Here’s what I would recommend for Quant.
Take a section wise tests for Number Properties, Algebra, Geometry and Word Problems with 25 questions each and identify topics in which you have less than 60% accuracy. 
Work on these topics by revisiting the concepts if needed and then solving 15 questions in a timed manner to improve your understanding further.

Tip to avoid silly mistakes 
Sometimes we tend to mark most mistakes as silly mistakes which includes Not considering constraints, Missing some cases and Calculation Mistakes. What we don’t realize is that the core reason why these mistakes happen is because we try to save time while reading the questions and sometimes read it too quickly.
Ideally you should read the question slowly and draw the right inferences before reading further. Also give some time to simple calculations such as 2*3 and taking x from one side of the equation to another.

Next steps – Create a proper study plan 
I would recommend the following study plan for you considering the time available with you per day. My recommendation is to take at least 4 weeks for preparation and evaluate your scores before booking the GMAT test date.
  Week 1 (around 30 hrs of effort) – Work on Weak Area 1 
 Week 2 (around 30 hrs of effort) – Work on Weak Area 2 
 Week 3 – Each day focus half of your energy on Quant and half of your energy on Verbal. Take 1 mock in this week 
 Week 4 – Take 2-3 mocks and work on improving your weak areas.  
If you would like to discuss your case in detail and get more inputs with respect to how to prepare, feel free to schedule a free consultation call with me using this link. Happy to help!

Click here to schedule a call

ayushsharma99 · Answer

1. 20-25 hrs
2. MGMAT and OG for both Quant and Verbal
3. I took mock-2 on 19/7/2020 and first was around 1.5 months ago. (I took a small break from my prep between the two mocks)
4. ISB-Hyderabad, the deadline is 31st Aug 2020.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ayushsharma99,

Given the similarity of your 2 CAT/mock Scores - and the fact that you took those tests approximately 1.5 months apart - it's possible that you have gotten 'stuck' at this particular score level. An Official Test Date in the second week of August would leave you with no more than about 3 weeks of potential study time - and the type of score increase that you are looking for in such a short period of time is too difficult to be considered realistic. If you think that you "need" a 720+ to properly apply, then you'll almost certainly need far more study time than you currently have remaining.

When is the next application Round for ISB-Hyderabad after August?

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

Gmatsaiyan · Answer

You can follow this study plan:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-study-p ... ml?fl=menu
https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-self-pr ... tml?f=menu

Courses that can help with your prep:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-co ... ml?fl=menu

Best books for Quants:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ma ... ml?fl=menu
Best books for Verbal:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... ml?fl=menu

Best Gmat practice tests:-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-pra ... tml?fl=men

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[Urgent] Need advice on preparation strategy

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