Need some help with GMAT prep

Question

I got a 640 (V 32 Q45) the first time around, trying to go for a 750+, would appreciate any tips for doing the best I can. I have 1.5 months of prep time. I thought I’d start with practice questions on here and work on my strengths and weaknesses.

I use the official guide for studying and take tests through Manhattan Prep. I would appreciate help this time around as I felt I could have done better. I welcome suggestions for everything from time management to study materials.

sujoykrdatta · Answer

A few questions: why only 1.5 months? If required, can't you push the date back? I suggest not to go ahead with a fixed number of days in hand. Keep it flexible - make sure you reach the required accuracy and only then book the test. I am sharing a plan for 100 days (you can always fast-track it if needed): GMAT 100 Days preparation plan: In the article (link below), I will present a GMAT 100 days prep plan – in short, GMAT 100. Not only that, I have also mentioned a 30 days plan for the GMAT mock schedule. Note: you do not need to share any details to access the link. It's safe to click

https://cubixprep.com/gmat-100-days-preparation-plan/ Hope this helps! Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi emperormongol,

Regarding time management, here are a bunch of helpful articles:

How to Get Faster at Solving GMAT Questions

Timing Strategies For a Higher GMAT Quant Score

GMAT Verbal Timing Strategy

Regarding resources, in addition to seeking advice in this thread, take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for  the best quant  and  verbal courses , and also read through some  GMAT success stories  to see what materials have worked well for other test-takers.

Good luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi emperormongol,

First off, a 640/Q45 is a solid Score, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

You do have a great opportunity to pick up points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections, so retesting (with the goal of scoring higher) makes a certain amount of sense. As an aside, the 750+ score is approximately the 98th percentile - meaning that most GMATers never score that high on the Official Exam. Thankfully, NO Business School actually requires that you score that high - so it's important to realize that the score that you "want" and the score that you "need" to get into your first-choice School are not the same thing.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) When did you take your Official GMAT?
2) How long have you studied in total? How many hours did you typically study each week?
3) Did you use any other study materials besides the OG and MGMAT CATs?
4) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

If you took your GMAT at a Test Center, then you might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

760+: What GMAT Assassins Do to Score at the Highest Levels

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi emperormongol,

Do not start by practicing questions. Instead, start by identifying your weak areas and then working on them. If you have scored 640, it means that you are probably having a few weak areas. I see that there is a scope for improvement in both Quant and Verbal. Let me help you here.

How to improve your Verbal score?  
  Try to identify your weak areas (whether SC, CR or RC) 
 then analyze whether you are struggling with the concept or the application of concepts 
 If you are struggling with the concepts, revisit the concepts and make sure to understand perfectly this time 
 If you are struggling with the application of concepts, then analyze the solutions of the questions in detail. For example, if you are struggling with the methodology of SC questions, then analyze the solutions of the SC questions you have solved previously. Go through each step of the solution, identify at which step you made the mistake, introspect what made you take that decision at that point of time and eventually learn the right approach.

And how do you identify if you are struggling with the concepts or the application? If your accuracy is below 50% in any topic, then it's the struggle with the concepts. If your accuracy is somewhere between 50-80%, then it means that you are struggling with the application of concepts.

One more thing to remember is that before learning the concepts of any module, try to understand what is being tested using those questions. For example, before you start learning the concepts of SC, you need to understand that SC questions on GMAT test your ability to convey the right meaning without any ambiguity. So, it's important to approach them from a meaning stand-point. You might have often come across answer choices which are both grammatically correct and convey a logical meaning but are indeed incorrect because they do not convey the intended meaning. So, the process to approach SC questions is to:

Comprehend the original meaning of the sentence 
 Identify errors if any (both grammatical and meaning wise) 
 Eliminate answer choices which either are grammatically incorrect or do not convey the intended meaning

You can go through the recording below to understand the process in a better way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SGA8bwFNJM

And try to focus more on the process than on practicing questions. You can go through the recording below to understand the right way to improve your Verbal score.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOFbOXjw2wY

How to improve Quant score?  
Your Quant score indicates that you are conceptually clear but are still struggling with the application. For example, there is a certain methodology to approach DS questions. Before you jump into solving statements, there is a certain pre-analysis to be done on the question stem. This will help you identify the right information to look for. Once you know what to look for, the process of solving statements becomes really easy.

And you need to make sure to keep a few constraints in mind while solving DS questions. A couple of them are:

Not assuming unstated information 
 Considering all the cases

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTYgz01RO3I

And make sure to work on your weak areas in the right way. You could be struggling with a few areas. So, try to spend more time on them. Analyze the reason behind making the mistake and only then proceed to solving questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvMTiv8GCbs

I hope this gave you an idea of how to proceed further. I can help you in a better way if you can provide me a little more background about your GMAT preparation, the study strategy and your weak areas. You can write back to me here or a better way is to discuss the same over a call. You can use the link below to schedule a call with me.

Click here to schedule a call

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello emperormongol,

A score of 640 in the GMAT tells the entire story about how well prepared you are for the GMAT official test and how to change the gear now to meet the target score of 750+.

You can schedule a comprehensive counseling session for 30 mins with one of our experts https://calendly.com/mathrevolution/1-on-1-session for detailed advice on your current study plans.

A couple of things that can be a noticeable barrier to your scores would be some or all of the below.

• Inefficiency by using time-consuming Conventional method to tackle DS and PS questions still
• No expert support (maybe) who can tutor, analyze, and guide you during your learning especially on hard level questions while stably hitting middle-level questions.
• Lack of many updated questions and practice in the recent exam trend
• Not well aligned with time to solve questions.

Since we are a math expert, we will recommend you go through our post on the GMAT club: Breakdown of GMAT math questions and types: https://gmatclub.com/forum/overview-of- ... l#p1641411

We recommend that you must learn the Variable Approach for solving DS questions and the IVY approach for solving PS questions in order to improve your accuracy and save time while solving the question types.

Register with MathRevolution https://www.mathrevolution.com/member/signup to get access to our 7-day full on-demand course (27 topics, 490 subtopics, and 1,500 questions) for free trial lessons.

700+ level questions https://www.mathrevolution.com/gmat/questionbank are separately available, too. Start with the learning of the concepts. Make a habit of taking notes during the initial learning of the concepts.

The day regular mock tests show the consistent score of Q48+ with V37+, then it will reflect the positive change in the score, and hence, your confidence will boost up. Gradually, with the help of mock tests, you will be able to compete with time and therefore, will be able to learn time-management.

We appreciate your time and patience in reading this reply.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!

Math Revolution Team

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