Official GMAT 640 cold. What next?

Question

Hello everyone,

I took the GMAT a few days back without any prep and scored 640 (V28, Q49). I had scheduled the test two months in advance, hoping to put in the effort for the next 6 weeks, but I did not spend any time on GMAT prep. I am planning to retake the GMAT in the first week of April with a score target of 740+.
How should I go ahead with it? Which study material to use especially for verbal?
Also, I have been hearing pretty great things about Top One Percent GMAT course by Sandeep Gupta. Is it any good?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions/response.

bb · Answer

Wow. That’s an Awesome result! Are you improvement will depend on amount of time and effort you’re able to put into the process. There are lots of good resources including books by Manhattan GMAT or a number of self paced on demand courses. The resource you’re referring to, is a very controversial one based on the search on GMAT Club. You can give it a look yourself 😬🤷‍♂️ PS. Most people in the fusing books or a self paced course simply because these are the least expensive options. You can check course reviews for some ideas if that’s what you looking for: https://gmatclub.com/reviews Posted from my mobile device

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Have suggested Manhattan-Prep's 6th Edition for SC and CR to students. Ultimately, you may want to include other resources in your prep as well. Purchasing the Official Guides and Official Mocks for example would be a solid choice. For a 740, you'll probably want to aim for a V40 or higher to combo with your Quant. Had a student who got 740 with a Q50 V40, for example: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-online- ... 68599.html

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi arpit121.

You could increase your quant score by

- becoming stronger in answering Data Sufficiency questions

- strengthening some weaker areas

- improving overall accuracy

You can get some idea for increasing your quant score from this post.

How to Increase Your GMAT Quant Score: Top 25 Tips

Regarding increasing your verbal score, you could learn about how to master GMAT verbal from this comprehensive post.

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi arpit121,

If you truly did no studying before taking this Official GMAT, then a640 is a fantastic initial CAT score (the Average Score on the Official GMAT hovers around 550 most years). With a Score Goal of 740+ though, you will almost certainly need to hone BOTH your Quant and Verbal skills. Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you are planning to take the GMAT in early April, then that will be just a bit more than 2 months of study time (and that may or may not be enough time for you to get to the point that you can consistently score at that higher level).

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 your timeline and your goals:

1) Have you taken ANY practice CATs/mocks yet? If so, then when - and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
2) Did you take your 1st GMAT at a Test Center or through the At-home option (and are you planning to do the same for your 2nd attempt?)?
3) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

If you took your 1st Official 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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

egmat · Answer

Hey arpit121 , Congratulations on scoring a 640 with a stellar Q49! If you’ve been able to score the 64th %ile (yes, you did better than half of the test takers in the world) without having done much of a prep, you can most certainly achieve a 740+ score with a structured approach and a plan focusing on your individual strengths and weaknesses. I’ve created a short video to help you understand what is it that you need to do to make the 100+ point improvement that you’re targeting in the next couple of months. This video will also help you visualize your journey from 640 to a 740+ score. arpit121_GCResponse - Watch Video https://e-gmat.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Picture4.gif Here’s the summary of the video: Understand your Strengths and Weaknesses : Since you have attempted the GMAT, you can get your Enhanced Score Report or take a free SIGma-X mock test to understand your current score for every individual sub-section. Create a Personalized Study Plan: Since you are aiming to make 100+ point score improvement in the next 65 days , create a study plan focusing on your current score, your target score, your individual strengths and weaknesses, your milestone targets and your time commitment. This will help you structure your preparation and save a lot of time and effort. Click here to watch a video that will help you understand how you can create your study plan . The Three Stages of Learning : Once you are aware of your sub-sectional score and you have your study plan in place, start with preparing for one sub-section at a time and follow the below process for every individual sub-section: Stage 1: Learning Concepts and Methodologies This is the phase wherein we learn all the concepts in a sub-section and learn the process of solving the questions in that sub-section. Stage 2: Cementing In this phase, we cement our learnings by first solving medium-difficulty questions and then hard questions. We start with relaxed timing and then progress to standard timing. Standard timing is the speed at which you will be expected to take the actual GMAT. Stage 3: Test Readiness This is the final phase of your prep. This is where you write full-length mocks to determine whether you’re ready for the GMAT or need to work on cementing your individual skills further. Mastering one sub-section at a time entails completing the first two stages for a particular sub-section before moving to the next. Before your test, make sure you spend enough time on revising your notes and error logs . Make sure you review all your quizzes and mocks in detail to make sure that you got questions correct for the right reasons. For the incorrect questions or questions where you took excessive time, try to figure the gaps and bridge the gaps. Here are some helpful resources (with YouTube links) that will help you start off your preparation with the right approach to solving questions in Verbal and Quant. Meaning-based approach in SC Pre-thinking in CR Reading Strategies in RC Process skills in Quant Click here to understand how to prepare for GMAT Verbal Section Click here to learn how to improve your GMAT Score We hope you find this helpful. If you need further assistance with creating a structured study plan or analysing your ESR / SIGma-X mock test , feel free to reach out to us on support@e-gmat.com. Some Motivation for You I’m also sharing a few success stories of students who’ve had a similar journey as you: Arshita scored a 750 in just 30 days (improved from 620) with the Online course. She created the personalized study plan and executed it down to the letter. She leveraged the e-GMAT's methods to solve hard questions to improve in less time. Click here to watch her amazing debrief. Neel improved by 100 points (650 to 750) in just 40 days with the GMAT Online Course. He used the Pre-thinking Approach in CR and the P.A.C.E architecture in the Quant Module to reach this feat. Click here to watch his amazing debrief. I sincerely hope that you find this insightful and motivational. Wishing you luck and success with your GMAT! Best Regards, Mansi

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Official GMAT 640 cold. What next?

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