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Question

Hello Everyone,
It's good to be back here again. I have been out of touch from GMAT or any one related to it for quite sometime now. I took my last attempt in Sep 2020 and scored a 680. Now I am back and want to start my prep again in order to improve my score beyond 740+. Any tips and guidance is appreciated. @abhhimaha  bb   GMATNinja   carcass   egmat   ajitesh   GMATNinja Two  MartyTargetTestPrep 
 
Where should I start from and how should I approach?

Thanks in advance
Bratbg

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi bratbg.

Welcome back to the GMAT world.

What have you done so far to prepare for the GMAT?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Bharat,

It's been over a year since we last discussed your GMAT studies - and it sounds as though it has been some time since you were consistently studying. Did you end up applying to Schools with your 680 or did your original application plans change?

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your 2 Official Scores show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 660 +/- a few points) - so even though you took your Exams almost 1 year apart, your overall response to the Exam was remarkably similar. You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. To consistently score at the 740+ level, you're going to have to make some significant changes to how you "see" (and respond to) the overall Exam.

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 overall studies to date and your goals:

1) Going back to 2019, how long have you studied in total? 
2) What study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

We originally went over your ESR for your 1st attempt - and if you have the ESR for your 2nd attempt, I'll be happy to analyze that for you as well. There will likely be some underlying patterns in terms of how you approached the Quant and Verbal sections - and that can help to better define what you'll need to focus on during this next phase of your studies.

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

bratbg · Answer

Hello Marty, Thankyou for writing back. I am just starting my prep and plan to take up GMAT online within 45-50 days. I plan to solve OG 2020 along with Verbal Review. Let me know your thoughts and any other information which you require from my end.

bratbg · Answer

Hello Rich, hope you are doing well. To answer your questions-

1) Going back to 2019, how long have you studied in total? 
I think I studied for approx 3 months continuously. Post that taking another

2) What study materials have you used over the course of ALL of your studies? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
I have used Powerscore for CR and my personal notes along with GMATClub section wise questions for SC. For mocks I took up Manhattan, veritas as well as Official mocks(all 6).

3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?
I plan to apply in Round 1 this year for 2022 intake; I am aiming top 20 US B schools (Also open to some European Schools+ NUS)

Sadly I don't have the ESR with me, Sorry about that. Also, I plan to take up GMAT in the next 40-50 days.

Thanks
Bratbg

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

I think, to get from 680 to your 740+ score goal, you'll have to do more than you just described. Unless your quant score is already in the 50s, you should continue to work on quant topic by topic to drive your expected quant score higher point by point. For verbal, most likely, your best move is to focus on one concept and question type at a time, unless you are already close to your verbal score goal. For some more ideas for verbal, you could read this post. How to Score High on GMAT Verbal I'd also suggest using the TTP Streaks Method as described here. https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-practic ... 56936.html

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Working on solving approach and figuring out which section order helps your overall performance may be helpful. Consider using the Official Mocks to experiment with the latter (perhaps you do better doing Verbal first then Quant).

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Bharat,

If it's been over 9 months since you last took a FULL-LENGTH Test, the logical next step at this point would be for you to take a NEW CAT (one that you have NOT taken before), so that we can get a sense of your current skills, strengths and weaknesses.

While the most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, retaking a CAT that you've already taken is NOT a realistic way to assess your skills - since you will likely see some 'repeat' questions that you have already faced. Unfortunately, seeing even a couple of repeats can 'throw off' the Scoring Algorithm and impact your pacing, energy levels, fatigue, etc. (meaning that they would likely all appear to be better than they actually are). Thankfully, the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you correctly take the CAT in a realistic fashion that matches the parameters that you will face when you take the Official GMAT). If you have already taken all of the MGMAT and Veritas CATs, then I suggest that you use the Kaplan CATs next.

Once you have that Score, you should post back here (or you can feel free to PM me directly) and we can discuss the results and how you might best proceed with your studies.

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

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi Bratbg,

I have a perfect article for you. Please go through the article below to understand the right way to approach GMAT Prep after a break.

GMAT after a break: How to go about it?

And 680 is a good score but you must be having a few weak areas in either Quant or Verbal. The right thing to do is to identify your weak areas, understand the reason behind them and then work accordingly.

It would be premature to suggest you anything without knowing the complete details. Please give me more information such as:

Your breakdown when you scored 680 
 When are you planning to take the test? 
 How many hours can you dedicate for studies? 
 Which resources you are using right now?

You can write back to me here or a better way is to discuss the same over a call. You can schedule a free consultation call using the link below.

Click here to schedule a call

RetaketheGMAT · Answer

Hi Bratbg,

It seems like you're looking for a way to improve the FOCUS of your GMAT retake efforts. It's hardest to find that focus when you're trying to move from a very good score (680) to a great score (740+).

Most of the people of the people I work with are looking for that last 50 to 75 point jump in their score. And the biggest jumps come from focusing on improving your in-test processes and strategies.

The truth is, most test takers are leaving a lot of points on the table. The reason is simple: for every level of theory/ content knowledge there's a 50-100 swing in test scores due to poor or incomplete in-test processes.

We offer a FREE 90 minute Readiness Assessment that heavily focuses on your in-test strategies and your alignment to the realities of the GMAT. It will provide deep insights that will make your next steps very clear and actionable.

Let me know if you're interested.

Best Arvind

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