Need help getting back on the Horse

Question

I took the GMAT almost a month ago and got a bad score. I know I have to retake it and I know that I need to work on my verbal but I am having difficulty getting back into the super-motivated place where I wa before I took the test for the first time and I think it is noslty because I don't know where to start. I need to know from those of you who retook the test what you did the second time around...I mean how you started. I have done 85% of the problems from the OG, a lot of KAplan and PRinceton Review problems and frankly I don't know where to start. I feel that doing these problems over again might not be good practice because I've seen them before and I wouldn't really know if I was getting them right because I have seen the problem before or because I conceptually understand them. I think that if I make a good plan from the start and I follow it I have a great chance to do well on the GMAT but I want to start it off right....Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Hjort · Answer

Hi,

Have you done the paper GMATs or any of the LSAT sections?

greenandwise · Answer

I have done about 5 of the eight paper tests that I have. I have not done any LSAT stuff. I didn't get LSAT material only because I have seen mixed reviews..some say it helps others say it is a waste of money. 

I also wanted to ask a question with regard to quant. Last time around I got a good quant score and hopefully on my next try I can maintain that, how did those who took the test again maintain their score for their strong subject...i.e. how many problems a day did you do of quant so as to maintain your good score. What I do not want to do is focus so much on verbal that I screw myself out of a good quant score.

qhoc0010 · Answer

Yeah, I had the same problem as yours too. Basically, the Quan is not gonna be any harder. If you finished last one with a lot of time extra, that means Quan is easy to you. All you have to do now is to stay calm and divide time evenly. Don't try to finish it too early to make silly mistakes.

For Verbal, you may have to spend more time in early 15 questions. I mean "a lot more time". Since you know Verbal may not be your strength, spending more time will help increase the score a lot. You should also know that the probabilities of getting wrongs answer at the end by randomly guess and educated guess are the same. So guessing completely 5 questions at the end still guarantees you at least a 32 on Verbal. That is around 670-690 total.

Good luck.

Biscix1 · Answer

I took the test a few years ago and got a score that I was very unhappy with (640). I can tell you with certainty that the LAST thing you want to do is give up now. I'm taking the test again this week and can say that I had much more difficulty studying this time around because I didn't have the base knowledge. I put the work in, and now I'm scoring between 750 and 780 on my practice tests so I'm feeling good going into the test this time.

My mistake the first time around (and it sounds like this might be yours too) was that I went too gung-ho on practice problems without understanding concepts first. I thought that if I just did problems everything would just click. Bottom line is, there aren't enough problems in the world for that if you start off weak as I did.

Here's my advice:

1) Start with concepts. The Manhattan GMAT books are the best for this. This is so that, when you do practice problems, you have a better understanding of WHY questions are right vs. wrong. This will help you in three ways. First, when you are doing practice problems, you will be able to process your mistakes and successes much more quickly and more effectively. Second, when taking the test, you will be able to do process of elimination (especially on verbal) to get the right answers much more easily. Third, even when you don't have a CLUE how to solve the question, you know the patterns that the GMAT tests and can 'randomly' guess answers much more effectively.

2) Do practice problems: slowly. Find some moderately difficult questions (any of the Kaplan books are good for verbal) and work through them slowly and surely. You need to understand every answer choice and every question completely before moving on to the next -- don't be bothered if a single question is taking you 10-15 minutes at first. And for this, it's perfectly fine to go over the same questions you've already done because it is more about the wrong answers than the right ones.

3) Do timed tests. Once you're comfortable with practice questions and you're percentage correct on them, do ONLY timed tests of 75 minutes and 37-41 questions. This will get your brain in GMAT mode and fatigue will become less of an issue. Also, this is where you should address your question of "how do I stay strong in quant." I would advise doing 2 sections of verbal for every 1 section of quant. I had the opposite issue -- I was scoring very high on verbal and when I started focusing on quant my verbal went way down, so I started mixing it in. The 2/1 ratio worked well for me.

The important thing is to stay motivated. It IS very possible to get a high score. For a few people it seems like this takes little to no effort, but for the rest of us bozos the test is quite correlated to time spent studying (and quality of that time). The more you do the more comfortable you will be, and if you invest 3 solid months, you'll be up in the 700's with no problem.

Good luck!

jazzman · Answer

Definitely just stay motivated. I'm re-taking myself (after taking for the first time a few years ago), and found the same "knowledge dump" had occurred. My diagnostic test was well below my first score, but I'm hoping that with dedication, I'll be able to surpass the 700 mark.

hookemhorns612 · Answer

I in almost an identical situation. I took on Dec. 22nd and am getting back at it this week. Lost as to where I should start. I've done almost every OG question and ideally would like to continue using official materials. Debating buying new OG books that I haven't written in or the prior editions.

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Need help getting back on the Horse

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards