Practice GMAT cold 590 - Best study material for a goal of 700

Question

Hi everyone,

I took the Veritas GMAT practice test and got a 590. I am looking to take the official test in January, what is the best study material you guys recommend?

My goal is to reach at least 680+ but 700 would be amazing.

Thank you for your input.

ccooley · Answer

It sounds strange, but you're better off basing your study material on the level you're scoring at now, rather than your goal. In other words - if two people both start at a 590, and one has a goal of 650 while the other has a goal of 750, I would recommend them the same materials. That's an artifact of the way that the GMAT is designed: since it only starts showing you a significant number of hard questions once you're almost always getting the easy ones right, it's more valuable to study stuff that's 'at your level' or 'a bit hard' before you approach the super-tough stuff.

That said, I like the Manhattan Prep strategy guides

GMAT Interact is good if you're looking for more structure but don't want to take a course, too.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi stockmarket7,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you truly have not done much (if any) studying yet, then you will likely need at least a couple of months of study. It's unclear when in January you plan to take the GMAT, but at this point that would mean between 1-2 months of study - and the goal to raise your Scores about 100 points in that time may or may not be realistic. 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:

Studies:
1) Have you done any studying besides taking this initial CAT?
2) What study materials do you currently possess?
3) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for this CAT?

Goals:
4) What is your current Test Date?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
6) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

stockmarket7 · Answer

Hi,

Studies:
1) Have you done any studying besides taking this initial CAT? -- I knew nothing except that I needed to take the GMAT for Master's
2) What study materials do you currently possess? -- I bought the official GMAT books
3) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for this CAT? -- Q-39 V-32

Goals:
4) What is your current Test Date? I have not set the test date yet but aiming for first week of January because I will be going on vacation for two weeks.
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School? March
6) What Schools are you planning to apply to? I am going to be applying for Master's of Science in finance. I am looking at Vanderbilt, UVA, Nova, UT-Austin, WUSTL.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi stockmarket7,

Based on what you described in this last post, you have just 4-5 weeks of potential study time, which will likely limit how much you could improve. Since you're not planning to apply to School until March though, you could potentially study far more than you are planning to (and there's some question as to why you would not take advantage of that time and commit to a longer, more effective study timeframe). Thus, you need to define what is MORE important: taking the GMAT in the first week of January OR hitting your Score Goal? In addition, what is the 'minimum' score that you would be satisfied with?

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

stockmarket7 · Answer

I was planning toward taking the test before vacation and nailing out of the park because once I come back I have school, but that is unrealistic. I would be "satisfied" with a 680 but I really want a 700.

I realize now that I will have at least 3 weeks to study after I come back from vacation to take the exam again.

What would you recommend?

Thank you in advance, your help is much appreciated.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi stockmarket7,

Should we be working under the assumption that you will not be studying much during those 2 weeks of vacation (or will you be able to commit some of that time to your studies)? Beyond that question, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week going forward?

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

stockmarket7 · Answer

I finish the current semester in 10 days, I can study for 8-10/ day after that. And yes, it is fair to assume I won't be able to study during the vacation.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi stockmarket7,

The 680 is approximately the 85th percentile - meaning that 85% of Test Takers either CAN'T or WON'T do what it takes to score at that level. I want to reiterate that given your limited study timeframe - and the fact that you're just beginning your studies - hitting that type of score by early January might not be likely. That having been said, you might not actually "need" a 680+, and Finance Programs tend to put a greater emphasis on an Applicant's Quant Scaled Score, so putting some extra effort into studying for that section would be a good use of your time. It's worth noting that the Quant section of the GMAT is NOT a 'math test' - it's a 'critical thinking test' that requires lots of little calculations as you work through it. To score at a much higher level in this section, you need to become more of a 'strategist' and less of a 'mathematician.'

When it comes to studying for the GMAT, there are a variety of different options. 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 that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

With the EMPOWERgmat Course, you could start the 1-Month Study Plan; while you might not finish it all in that timeframe, you would still have the opportunity to learn and practice the major Quant and Verbal Tactics - so if you are a flexible-enough thinker to incorporate all of those ideas into how you 'respond' to the GMAT, then you could pick up some significant points (even in a short period of time). If you have any additional questions, then just let me know.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi stockmarket7,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. First off, you may find it difficult to improve your GMAT score by 90+ points in just 3 weeks of prep. If you do not hit your score goal on your next exam, would you continue to study once the semester starts?

Regarding the best prep materials, 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.

Lastly, you may find it helpful to read this article about 
 how to score a 700+ on the GMAT .

Good luck!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Here is a study plan for you Best Books For Concept Learning Manhattan Quant Guides Manhattan Verbal Guides For CR: The Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible For RC: Aristotle RC Grail For Practice The Official Guide for GMAT 2015-19 The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review 2015-19 The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2015-19 Best Courses (Budget) 1. e-GMAT 2. Empower GMAT 3. Math Revolution (Only Math) You can start with Quant or Verbal which suits you. If you have started with Quant then Start with the Arithmetic but if started with verbal then start first with Sentence correction. One month for learning Quant concepts and one month for practicing question and same practice for Verbal. During you Practicing question don't forget to make an error log to track your weak areas after practice. Once you know your weak areas revise your Concepts related to those areas and do some more Practice. 6-8 CATs are enough for practice the real tests. Make your Stamina for sitting 3 hours in the test and don't study more than 2 hours in one sit and 4 hours per day Top CATs for Practice 1. Official GMAC CATs 2. Manhattan CATs 3. Kaplan CATs 4. GMAT Club Quant CATs Other Helpful Posts Best GMAT Courses https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-co ... ml?fl=menu GMAT Study Plan https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-study-p ... ml?fl=menu https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-self-pr ... tml?f=menu Best Books Quant https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ma ... ml?fl=menu Verbal https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... ml?fl=menu All GMAT CATs https://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-pra ... ml?fl=menu GMAT Timing Strategies https://gmatclub.com/forum/timing-strat ... ml?fl=menu Good Luck

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