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Question

Hello there,
I know it’s rather late, but I felt compelled to write this post.
Tonight I just completed the Kaplan CAT 5 practice test and got 380. I’m rather disappointed at this result as I was hoping to bounce back from the 470 I received on CAT 4. Prior to CAT 4 I was steadily improving. 
I’m honestly not sure if I’m messing up my study game or what...I will say that I’ve been quite busy at work and will only get busier, not to mention stressed out...and to make matters even more pressing I’m planning to take the exam in December (which is only next month). I’m the only one I know studying for the GMAT and therefore studying for it myself; I did try to get a study group going but it all fell apart unfortunately.
So, are there any tips or help and any one can offer?

akela · Answer

Hi mpadilla88 , I think the best way to find out where you stand is to take the official CAT. Once you're done with both free tests, you can practice on many more official questions from the CAT1 and 2 question bank: https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmatprep ... 87679.html You can get another 4 along with new questions for around $120 - not that much for official questions.

Gnpth · Answer

Hey. I wouldn't rely on Kaplan's mock. Use only GMATPREP mocks and Manhattan mocks(quants is very tough).

Also just taking mocks will not improve your score. Based on your current quant and verbal score. I would suggest seeing where you need to improve. For Quant- Focus on basics. Read GMATclub math book.

Verbal- Try empowergmat or egmat. And don't just keep solving problems. Analyze where you are making mistakes. Focus on quality. You can do 5 problems each in SC, CR and RC. But analyze each problem for atleast 15 mins. Move on only when you are cleary figured why exactly one particular option is correct/wrong.

So based on your score. I feel you lack in basics. I wouldn't worry much about the scores. But focus on know all the basic concepts. Taking exam in December might not work. Since you cannot hope of miracle to happen on the test day.

If you are targetting 700+. You should consistently hit 730+ score in at least 3 mocks.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi mpadilla88,

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:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) What is your exact Test Date to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

AjiteshArun · Answer

Ignore the outliers. Maybe not completely, but you shouldn't let one low score derail your prep. Try to move over to the GMATPreps now, if you can. Don't take more than one GMATPrep a week (keeping the December target in mind).

DogGoesWoof · Answer

mpadilla88  : Don't let the scores affect your mindset! I've given the exam thrice so far; the best lesson I've learnt is if you do a mistake, find out where you went wrong and don't repeat it!

Remember these scores don't always reflect your true potential. As  Gnpth  mentioned you may need to work a little more on clearing your foundation and take it forward from there. After a point, GMAT is more about managing time than subject matter expertise. The mocks are merely a means to give you a hands-on experience of the test. Only the GMATPREP Mocks are close estimate of your score; hence it is advised to give them as you get closer to your exam date.

And don't worry about preparing alone sir! You have an entire website of folks ranging from current students to experts who are ready to explain in depth any question you may have. The best part? We are only a click away! So hit up the GMATClub community whenever you have a doubt, and you will get an answer.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello

Best Books

1. Manhattan GMAT Quant Guides 2. Manhattan GMAT Verbal guides or Aristotle Verbal Guide for CR critical reasoning bible is best book with 300+ pages of comprehensive Data

Strategy

Start with Quant, learn the concepts tested on GMAT. After learning, practice your learned section with timed practice. You can also take quizzes to meet the pace of GMAT. 1 Month for learning concepts and 15 days of practice and same with the verbal. When completed all the concepts learning and handsome practice. Take full lenght CATs, know your estimated score. Analyze the result with Correct/incorrect questions, pacing analysis trace your mistakes and learn from them, make an error log to know your mistakes in the previously attempted questions

Best Mocks

1. Official GMAC (50+50$)
2. Manhattan GMAT (49$)
3. GMAT Club Quant CATs (80$)
4. Veritas CATs (49$ but you can buy at 15-20$ During sale period)

Good Luck

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi mpadilla88, You should work to solidify you base. I believe you may benefit from taking a GMATPREP course. If you are willing, there are some great GMAT prep companies that can help you with your preparation. In order to make an informed decision I would highly encourage you to go to some prep companies websites and try on their free trial and decide for yourself which one do you like better. You try out free access to EmpowerGMAT, Magoosh and Optimus Prep as they have great reviews on GMATCLUB. Also for verbal, I would highly encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses especially designed for non-natives. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market. You can also try out the MGMAT guides they are phenomenal and cover the entire syllabus really well. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them. Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas. Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that. I would also encourage you practice all the questions twice from the latest version of OG and the verbal review. Here is a link that will help you with your decision. https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... 68383.html Lastly, you can check out a very interesting article by Mike McGarry from Magoosh detailing a 3 month study plan https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-g ... -students/. You will find it very helpful as it gives out a study plan as per your needs. Hope this helps. All the best.

mpadilla88 · Answer

I tried downloading the GMAC stuff, but it’s not working, so I’ve since given up on taking the official GMAC mocks. I haven’t tried the other options yet, so I will definitely look into those!

AjiteshArun · Answer

Do you mean the GMATPrep software available  here ? If it's not working, try dropping an email to their customer support, or try again on another computer. Those tests should be a part of your preparation.

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