Need general help

Question

Hello everyone,
I am an italian guy and I am thinking about taking the Gmat approximately on the 15th of November. I started studying the Gmat this summer and I reached 680 (Q47, I don't remember the Verbal result) then I stopped. Now I want to start studying again and my goal is to reach at least 720. Till now I only studied the Princeton Review and did the exercises on the Official Guide. Since I'm familiar with the test and you know my goal, what are the best books/exercise I can use? I was thinking to use:

The manhattan Guide for the Verbal Part;
The Gmat Club Math Book Math

What do you think about these? Do you have other suggestions?
Can you help me to find the exercises that fit to me?
Do you have any other tips/suggestions for me?

Thank you very much to everyone in advance.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bito94,

I'm hoping that you can clarify a few details from your post:

1) Was your 680 on a practice CAT or on the Official GMAT?
2) When was the last time you took a FULL-LENGTH TEST of any kind (including the Essay and IR sections)?

If it's been at least a month, then you should plan to take a new FULL-LENGTH CAT sometime soon so that we can get a sense of your current ability level.

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

bito94 · Answer

Hello Rich,
First of all, thank you for your answer; what do you mean with a practice CAT? You mean if I was at home or taking the real exam? If you mean that, I was at home.. THe last attempt has been two months ago so I think I should take a full-lenght test. Which one do you recommend?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bito94,

Yes, when I ask about the CATs that you've taken, I'm referring to the practice Tests. Since it's been two months, then you should absolutely take a new FULL-LENGTH CAT Test (with the Essay and IR sections) sometime soon (perhaps this weekend), so that we can get a sense of your current skills. If you have not used the two free CATs from www.mba.com yet, then you should take one of those. If you have taken both of those CATs already, then any of the CATs form MGMAT, Veritas or Kaplan will be fine.

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

bito94 · Answer

Ok, I did a full test and the result was 630 (Q46 V31). Actually it's not so bad because I didn't exercise during the last two months, but I can't understand how should I improve the quantitative score because I did 33/37 questions correct! I'll attach the screenshots of the result so you can probably give me better advices.

Attachments

Gmat Verbal.jpg [ 194.24 KiB | Viewed 1423 times ]

Gmat Quantitative.jpg [ 168.19 KiB | Viewed 1417 times ]

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bito94,

As you score at higher levels, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes. If you make too many mistakes, then a 700+ score will simply become impossible to achieve. As such, when you review each CAT, you really have to define WHY you got questions wrong. How often was it because of a silly/little mistake? How often was it because the question was just too hard? You should also feel free to post questions in these Forums (or look up questions that have already been discusses), so that you can learn the 'shortcuts' and patterns (and see other ways of getting to the solution).

If your Test Date is still November 15th, then you have about 25 days to continue studying. While that might seem like a lot of time, it might not be enough for you to raise your score 90+ points. Many Test Takers who use a 'book-heavy' study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular scoring level (and have trouble scoring 700+). Since it sounds like you've been using that type of approach, it's not likely that using MORE books will make the difference. As such, you might want to invest in some online resources (and possibly a GMAT Course of some type).

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

bito94 · Answer

4 mistakes on the math part are too many? How many mistakes should I do to reach a q51 result? Btw the first two were really stupid mistakes (the first one I consodered the odd numbers instead than the even ones and the second one I got that it was wrong while I was pushing "yes". Anyway, what do you suggest me to do to increase both my scores?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bito94,

Your original question was about what it would take to raise your scores - and minimizing (or eliminating) the little mistakes from your work will help you in that way. If you were to answer 33 or the 37 Quant questions correct on Test Day, then you would likely score higher than a Q46 though, so there's some question as to how accurate this particular CAT scored you.

Since your immediate needs are in the Verbal section, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Verbal Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients finish that Study Plan in under a month, so it should fit your current schedule. During that time, you'll also be able to access any of the Quant resources that interest you.

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

bito94 · Answer

Yes I think that for what concerns my original question I should work a lot on the Verbal Section; thanks also for the advice about how to do it but unfortnualtely I can't spend money on courses at the moment. Don't you know if there is anything available for free online that fits to me?

About the Practice Tests, I'm probably taking another one in a week; do you know one of them whose result is more reliable?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bito94,

The various costs associated with applying to (and ultimately attending) Business School might be viewed as 'heavy', but the long-term benefits of investing in the right resources can be astounding. Consider that a higher GMAT score can help you get into a more reputable School (and possibly receive Scholarship money) and that higher 'level' MBA will put you in position for 'better' jobs, more money, better networking and more opportunities, etc. Thus, while the short-term costs might seem like something to try to avoid, they're really more an 'investment' than an expense.

That all having been said, you can continue to practice for free in the Forums here, although you'll have to 'piecemeal' whatever Tactics/Lessons you come across. The CATs from GMAC, Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all close-enough to the Official GMAT to provide realistic CAT scores (when YOU take those CATs in a realistic fashion).

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

bito94 · Answer

Hi everyone,
After having read the Manhattan Guide for the Verbal Part and having done some exercises always for the Verbal Part (almost half of the additional exercises of the OG), on Friday I took a full lenght test on GMATPrep. I scored 710 (Q49 V36). During these dys I have been reviewing my errors and continuing with the exercises for the Verbal Part. Now I want to ask you how to continue studying, considering that my goal is to improve BOTH my scores and considering that:

for what concerns the Quantitative part, I haven't done anything since August and I know that I have to cover some topics (i.e: I barely know what combinations and permutations are); 
even if I got wrong the same number of DS question and PS questions (6 and 6) I feel much more self-confident in the PS questions (I could have done right at least two more if I had been a bit more careful);
in the verbal part I missed 6 CR questions and 9 Sc questions but many of them are due to the fact that I had to random guess the last 5-6 questions because of the time. 
I spent a lot of time on RC questions (the ones I fear the most).

Considering also that my test date is no more the 12 of November but one or two weeks later, what are the advices you can give me in order to reach my goal? I know that it is really hard to give this kind of tips but I ope you can help me.

Thanks in advance to everyone for your time and consideration.

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