Last visit was: 01 May 2026, 16:15 It is currently 01 May 2026, 16:15
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
celia43
Joined: 06 Jul 2016
Last visit: 20 Jul 2016
Posts: 2
Own Kudos:
1
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1
Posts: 2
Kudos: 1
 [1]
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
EMPOWERgmatRichC
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Last visit: 31 Dec 2023
Posts: 21,777
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 450
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Posts: 21,777
Kudos: 13,061
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
srishtitiwari
Joined: 31 Mar 2016
Last visit: 22 Aug 2016
Posts: 1
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1
WE:Programming (Computer Software)
Posts: 1
Kudos: 5
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
Silviax
Joined: 14 Jun 2012
Last visit: 20 Jan 2017
Posts: 106
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 28
Concentration: International Business
GMAT 1: 560 Q36 V31
GMAT 2: 580 Q39 V31
GMAT 3: 630 Q41 V35
GPA: 4
Products:
GMAT 3: 630 Q41 V35
Posts: 106
Kudos: 101
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
If you are taking the GMAT to apply for a PhD program you need at least a 200 point improvement. That's a lot but it seems like the first 100 points at such a low level are pretty easy to gain.
I scored a 450 on my very first diagnostic test (without any preparation). A few months later I had a 590. That 140 point improvement didn't seem all that difficult once I had started studying.
Now I have reached a plateau just shy of 600 and I am clueless about how to break through this.

I am one of the few non-native speakers who finds verbal on the GMAT, especially SC, much easier than Quant. That's actually my favorite and also strongest part of the entire exam. Too bad it can't all be about grammar! :)

I actually think that non-native English speaker CAN have an advantage here, given they use the language on a regular basis and they live in an English-speaking country. When you learn a foreign language you learn grammar rules much more thoroughly than you do when you just copy the language of your social environment as a child. I noticed that spoken English in the US is very often extremely "flawed" (according to GMAT standards.) :P

Good luck for your journey!
User avatar
diegocml
Joined: 22 Apr 2016
Last visit: 22 Jun 2018
Posts: 122
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 392
Status:On a 600-long battle
Location: Hungary
Concentration: Accounting, Leadership
Schools: Erasmus '19
GMAT 1: 410 Q18 V27
GMAT 2: 490 Q35 V23
Schools: Erasmus '19
GMAT 2: 490 Q35 V23
Posts: 122
Kudos: 130
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Good luck celia43! I'll be following your thread :)
User avatar
HanoiGMATtutor
Joined: 24 Jun 2016
Last visit: 25 Sep 2019
Posts: 333
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 21
GMAT 1: 770 Q60 V60
GPA: 4
GMAT 1: 770 Q60 V60
Posts: 333
Kudos: 144
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Best of luck, Celia43. Please do keep us updated on your progress, and remember to check out the GMAT Club question explanations of official GMAT questions. They are very helpful!
avatar
celia43
Joined: 06 Jul 2016
Last visit: 20 Jul 2016
Posts: 2
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1
Posts: 2
Kudos: 1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Thanks for your support and replies!

-> RichC: Thanks for your reply. Actually, I already know the programs I am going to apply for. I plan to send applications to European business schools, and specifically to Bocconi, IESE, HEC, EM Lyon and ERIM Erasmus University Rotterdam. They offer PhD courses which fit with my research project and ideas: I really would like to get admitted to IESE, EM Lyon or ERIM for that reason. I would like apply for the second 2017 session, which deadline is set on April/May. I will probably have to take the GMAT in 6-7 months. I hope I could reach a 680-720 score by that time.

-> srishtitiwari & Siliviax : Thanks for your support and advices. I sincerely hope you will get the score you want, and I wish you good luck too :-) !

I also did a new CAT no later than today. I gained 90 points, especially improving my quant score. For that second GMAT Prep test, I scored 550 (Q39, V26). I am a bit disappointed by my verbal score. However I feel really astonished to see a 10 points improvement on the quantitative section. Concerning the verbal section, I did a lot of mistakes in SC (8, I think it is even worse than what I did last time), but also 3 mistakes in CR (I think I improved a bit compared to what I did last time, one year ago) and 4 mistakes in RC. I'll now focus on SC, because it seems I have much to do here ... I finished quant with 7 minutes left, and verbal with 5 minutes left. I should take time to focus on timing.

To sum up :

GMAT PREP CAT 1 (about one year ago) : 460 (Q29, V25)
GMAT PREP CAT 2 (after a long break, and 2 weeks to read the whole set of MGMAT Quant books + MGMAT CR book) : 550 (Q39, V26).

Next step :

- Read the whole MGMAT SC book 2 or 3 times
- Answer many SC questions on the forum
- Continue to build my quant skills, in order to have a Q40+ score for my next CAT.
- Take a new CAT (MGMAT CAT) in 3 weeks or 1 month.
User avatar
EMPOWERgmatRichC
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Last visit: 31 Dec 2023
Posts: 21,777
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 450
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Posts: 21,777
Kudos: 13,061
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi celia43,

It looks like familiarizing yourself with some of the content has led to some immediate improvements, so it makes sense to continue working in this way until you've gotten to an overall level of general familiarity. Once you've gotten to that point, you can emphasize more of the Tactical work, pattern-matching, etc. that is a built-in aspect of the GMAT. Many Test Takers have pacing issues during their studies, but you shouldn't try to 'rush' through any sections of this Test; on a functional level, it would almost certainly be better for you to have to guess on the last question (because you were low on time) than finish 5-10 minutes early.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Moderators:
194 posts
General GMAT Forum Moderator
474 posts