Newcomer - looking for a strategy

Question

Hello everybody,

I hope I am posting this in the right section of the forum, if not, please tell me where to redirect myself to. I am a frenchman with a french master's degree (and passed cfa level1 - waiting for level 2 result in August) and I've been thinking about attempting to do a MBA in a North American University for the year 2022-2023. I want to aim for a university within the top 10-15 and after some research, I found out the GMAT score I should aim for is around 720/800 and people on this forum gave tips on how to prepare for it provided the post author first attempts to do the practice exam first.

I decided to give a shot to the free practice (the number 1) gmat exam on the MBA website. I want to emphasize first I did not have any preparations before this and I did not know what to expect from it.

Here are the results:

Integrated Reasoning : 8 Percentile 90
Verbal :36 Percentile 80
Quantitative : 37 Percentile 28
Total : 610 Percentile 57

I am kind of shocked by the result because I understand correclty this presentation, the higher the percentile shown here, the better I am positionned compared to the others, right? Then, how come my percentile is so high with verbal? It makes no sense because I found this part to be so hard for a non-native speaker and a few answers were purely random (the ones where you have to change the underlined text).

I am also completly unaware of all the important details on how to prepare for a mba application.

i've been thinking about buying several practice exams from previous ones but I believe I should also use some books to prepare myself. What should I use without spending too much (a total budget including the exam not higher than a $1,000)

Cordialement ,
Amaury

Russ19 · Answer

Hi Amaury , 610 at CAT-1 is an outstanding start! You have got a lot of room for improvements in quant. Manhattan prep strategy guides are great resources for both quant and verbal. You can also consider buying an online prep after going through a free trial version. Your good verbal score represents the potential to attain a great score on the test. You might be talking about SC, which you found challenging, so I am going to give you a link in which video lessons great video lessons are available: https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-nin ... l#p2396353 Good Luck!

bb · Answer

Great job on that practice test! 
V36 is awesome!

As to your budget, that should be plenty since most of your focus would likely be on quant. You can check the study plan in my signature and get either MGMAT or Kaplan books or you can try out a few inexpensive courses such as TTP or Empowergmat. Math Revolution also does very inexpensive quant prep.

Take a look at the path that works best for you.

Posted from my mobile device

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

"Integrated Reasoning : 8 Percentile 90
Verbal :36 Percentile 80"

Your IR and Verbal scores are great to start off with.

Consider buying the e-version of the Official Guides (from mba.com) and creating an error log to help isolate work on your errors. It's probably good to not think too deeply about the percentiles. One thing that can be helpful, however, is to check a scoring grid to see which "combo" gets you a a 720 most efficiently (https://gmatclub.com/forum/download/file.php?id=47134).

If you can get a V40+ score it will take the edge of what Quant score you'll need. That being said, there may be a sort of minimum quant score you'd like to show your target schools.

All the best.

homersimpsons · Answer

these links will help https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-definiti ... ml?fl=menu https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-co ... ml?fl=menu

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amaury,

A 610 is a strong initial CAT/mock score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 550 most years). Percentile Scores are a measure of your performance relative to how OTHER Test-takers performed in that section. While it is certainly possible that you got a little 'lucky' on a few questions, an 80th percentile overall performance means that you have strong overall Verbal skills (and since IR has a lot in common with Verbal CR, it is not surprising that you scored so well in the Integrated Reasoning section - those same Verbal skills paid off in both of those Test sections).

Since it sounds as though you are interested in some highly-competitive Schools, 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/

Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores (although it might take you more or less time depending on how efficiently you can learn the necessary knowledge as well as the Tactics, patterns and little 'secrets' of the Exam).

1) Are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

Gmatisking · Answer

Target test prep will really help improve your Quant score.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Amaury,

610 is a great start! 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.

Also, would you like some general advice on how to improve your verbal and quant skills?

You also may find it helpful to read this article about  how to score a 700+ on the GMAT .

Good luck!

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi Amaury !

If this was your first score without any prep, then this is a great start. At this rate, a score of 720+ is very realistic in my opinion

As far as the GMAT prep is concerned, the most important thing is to understand the objective of the exam. GMAT is a test of your inferential skills and your application skills. As such, that is where your focus must be. What you need is a structured study plan that gives you clear guidance on what to study and how to study it. I recommend doing this in 4 phases -

1. Planning - This is where you set your target score, your study plan, your timeline, the colleges you are targeting, the day you plan to take the actual exam. Keep in mind that it generally takes around 3 months to prepare well. 
2. Learning - Start learning the concepts, then move to application of concepts. This is a key step, often missing in most students' preparation and leads to them being stuck in the low 600's score range. So you must make sure to avoid this and learn the correct methodologies of solving each question type. Finally, once you're done with that, move on to practicing questions. Solve them and go through the solutions step-by-step to maximize your learning. 
3. Review - Assess your performance through sectional tests to find out your weak areas and improve on them. I'd also recommend maintaining an error log to see the mistakes you're making. 
4. Mocks - Once you've done all this, you can take full mocks and see your performance.

I would recommend that you apply by Round 1 for the best chance at scholarships etc. As such, an online course would make sense. While looking for a course there's the obvious factors that one looks for - cost, content and teachers. But I'd recommend that you look for some other factors as well.

1. Look for a course that not only teaches you concepts but also teaches you the application of these concepts. GMAT is a test of application skills and as such this is a crucial factor. A course that teaches you a structured way of solving questions is very important if you want to score 700+.
2. It should provide you with a clear and structured study plan. Your focus should be only on learning and not struggling with what and how to study. Look for a course that provides you with the guidance for the same.
3. It should give you detailed feedback on your performance and show you exactly where you can improve

I would recommend that you check out the free trial of GMATWhiz. They provide an AI powered learning platform that comes with a comprehensive amount of content and an integrated study plan that is completely personalized for you. Furthermore, the platform provides real time insights on your performance, highlighting your strengths and weaknesses while providing a road map to improvement. You can do that here ->

GMATWhiz Free Trial

You can also check out this video to get an understanding of a GMAT prep strategy ->

How to Score 750+ on GMAT

You can also reach out over a call and we can discuss in detail a strategy that would work for you. You can do that here ->

Click here to schedule a call

Hope this helps ! Good Luck

bb · Answer

And Amaury - seems like you got a ton of input. What did you decide/think/etc? You are welcome I guess

Amaury · Answer

Hello all,

Thank you for all these replies!

Some people told me to focus on quant (and I do need to improve it), I still think my verbal is not good enough too. I elected to first buy the official GMAT courses and then see if I need a specific book from a test prep provider on a specific topic I suppose.

I will probably take the exam on a special facility. I don't want to do it at home.
I will probably have a limited amount of time to study as I will also be studying the CFA level 3 exam soon (or try to take level 2 exam again if I failed it), but I suppose i have some time?

My plan would be to join up an MBA program starting in September 2022. I do not know exactly when the registrations for September 2022 start but I suppose they're far from being closed, right?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amaury,

Many Schools have their Round 1 application deadlines in September (with later Rounds occurring every 2-3 months or so). The Schools that you might be interested in may have already posted their deadline dates, so you can plan ahead for when you want to apply (and whether you want to spread-out your applications or not).

Simultaneously studying for 2 Exams might not be the best idea, so you might also consider how focusing on one Exam at a time would line-up with how you might apply to the Schools that interest you.

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

Amaury · Answer

This system of round is something I still do not entirely understand. Do they use several rounds so that IF the university did not fill all their seats on first round, they start a second one to fill it up? Or are each rounds entitled a specific amount of seats?

I did think a lot about the difficulty of doing both CFA and GMAT. I will have to face one these two potential scenarios:
- I failed CFA lvl 2, I then decide to sign up for level 2 exam in November. In that case, I will then have a few months starting from November to prepare for GMAT (potentially an exam then in January?)

- I passed CFA lvl 2, I then sign up for lvl 3 in May 2022 which is far enough in time for me to first rush GMAT and then prepare CFA.

It seems that many people say it is perfectly possible to prepare GMAT in 2-3 months. Correct?

Is there a strategy or something interesting to do behind spreading out my applications?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amaury,

There are a number of variables that can impact your overall application timeline, including the Schools that you plan to apply to and the overall strength of your application. You're ultimately asking Admissions questions, so 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/

Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores. You might need more or less time (since a 720+ is above the 90th percentile, most Test-takers clearly do not score that high - and by extension, trying to 'rush' your studies to get to that type of result probably won't work).

When it comes to studying for the GMAT, there are a variety of different study materials that you might use. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at our website (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them, then choose the one(s) that best match your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional questions, then just let me know.

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

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