|
|
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
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
saadiagha
Joined: 16 Nov 2012
Last visit: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 3
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 2
Schools: McDonough '18 Kelley '19 (A)
GMAT 1: 640 Q42 V36
Products:
27 Apr 2015, 06:29
Kudos
Bookmarks
After 2 years of inconsistent studying, I made myself a promise 3 months ago to take the GMAT but this time studying consistently and addressing the breadth and depth of the course. After a long struggle, of 3 months I finally, took the test on Friday 24th April. My score was disappointing, but something that I had expected. I ended up with a 610, Q/35, V/39. While, my verbal performance was not so bad, you can probably see my weakness is Quant. This is also quite different from most others on this forum, who seem to be stellar in Quant but find Verbal challenging. I do not have a background in quant, and in my elementary years, I hated math. Obviously this all changed when I grew up, and realized the importance of it. My bias towards the subject prevented me from mastering the fundamentals, so my GMAT prep was starting from scratch. When I first started my prep I scored a 490, with an equally bad split in Q and V. Over the next few months, I managed to pull up my verbal and Quant by a significant number, but is still far away from my ideal score.
I am looking to improve my verbal by another few points, try and hit 41-42, and improve my quant by 10 points, so I can average around 44-45. I realize this is not an easy feat, but I need to retake the exam, and do it soon, so I do not burn out.
I wanted to know what you guys suggest I do to improve my Q, also, how long should I give myself for the retake? I do not want to jump in to a retake without clearly identifying my weaknesses, and practicing enough, but at the same time, I do not want to draw this out too long and risk burning out. I have been studying for 3 months, quite consistently, putting in 2-4 hours a day, even with an extremely demanding sales job. Summer is a really busy season for us, and I know I wont be able to put 4 hours on weekdays anymore (for merely keeping my sanity!), but I can consistently give 2 hours a day, and 3-5 hours on the weekends.
For the first try, I used;
1. Magoosh
Helped me a tremendous amount with Verbal, and a little with Math
2. MGMAT
Since I have picked up and dropped the GMAT a couple of times before actually taking the exam, I used these books in the past more often than I did this time. However, I did use it as a supplementary book pairing it with Magoosh
3. OG Guide 13 Edition
I have identified a few weaknesses but I am not sure how to overcome them;
1. I have difficulty in Algebra. Especially translating words in to equations. This weakness spills over to word problem that require algebraic translations.
2. Geometry is another weak area. I cannot seem to get all the fundamentals down for circle properties, and their interplay with perpendicular lines, triangles, etc.
I also feel that for a first try I had so much to cover in terms of depth, and breadth, that I barely got time to finish the syllabus (2 weeks before the exam), and got some practice, but the 3 weeks leading up to the exam I was practicing less, and studying a lot more theory. I think that also affected my Q score.
In the practice test, I was scoring 40-44 in Q, but that is an inflated score considering, I had some questions memorized.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I want to get another test date, while im in the rhythm and give this another shot!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I am looking to improve my verbal by another few points, try and hit 41-42, and improve my quant by 10 points, so I can average around 44-45. I realize this is not an easy feat, but I need to retake the exam, and do it soon, so I do not burn out.
I wanted to know what you guys suggest I do to improve my Q, also, how long should I give myself for the retake? I do not want to jump in to a retake without clearly identifying my weaknesses, and practicing enough, but at the same time, I do not want to draw this out too long and risk burning out. I have been studying for 3 months, quite consistently, putting in 2-4 hours a day, even with an extremely demanding sales job. Summer is a really busy season for us, and I know I wont be able to put 4 hours on weekdays anymore (for merely keeping my sanity!), but I can consistently give 2 hours a day, and 3-5 hours on the weekends.
For the first try, I used;
1. Magoosh
Helped me a tremendous amount with Verbal, and a little with Math
2. MGMAT
Since I have picked up and dropped the GMAT a couple of times before actually taking the exam, I used these books in the past more often than I did this time. However, I did use it as a supplementary book pairing it with Magoosh
3. OG Guide 13 Edition
I have identified a few weaknesses but I am not sure how to overcome them;
1. I have difficulty in Algebra. Especially translating words in to equations. This weakness spills over to word problem that require algebraic translations.
2. Geometry is another weak area. I cannot seem to get all the fundamentals down for circle properties, and their interplay with perpendicular lines, triangles, etc.
I also feel that for a first try I had so much to cover in terms of depth, and breadth, that I barely got time to finish the syllabus (2 weeks before the exam), and got some practice, but the 3 weeks leading up to the exam I was practicing less, and studying a lot more theory. I think that also affected my Q score.
In the practice test, I was scoring 40-44 in Q, but that is an inflated score considering, I had some questions memorized.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I want to get another test date, while im in the rhythm and give this another shot!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
28 Apr 2015, 19:38
Kudos
Bookmarks
HI saadiagha,
Considering all of the factors you described, you've improved your scores quite nicely given that you essentially self-studied.
To improve your scores to the desired level, you're going to have to learn a new way to "see" (and respond to) the GMAT. The 'tricky' part will be dealing with all of your built-in 'biases' - you're used to thinking about the GMAT in a certain way. In additional to learning and practicing some new tactics, you also have to get out of the 'bad habits' that you've developed over the last 3 months.
If you can spend another 1-2 months on the process, then I think that the EMPOWERgmat Score Booster Study Plan would help you a great deal. It meshes well with the work that most users have already done and focuses on the high value tactics and content so that you can make some big strides in a short period of time. Most of our clients can complete that study plan in about 4-6 weeks, but you can set your own pace.
If you have any questions, then you post here (or you can feel free to contact me directly).
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Considering all of the factors you described, you've improved your scores quite nicely given that you essentially self-studied.
To improve your scores to the desired level, you're going to have to learn a new way to "see" (and respond to) the GMAT. The 'tricky' part will be dealing with all of your built-in 'biases' - you're used to thinking about the GMAT in a certain way. In additional to learning and practicing some new tactics, you also have to get out of the 'bad habits' that you've developed over the last 3 months.
If you can spend another 1-2 months on the process, then I think that the EMPOWERgmat Score Booster Study Plan would help you a great deal. It meshes well with the work that most users have already done and focuses on the high value tactics and content so that you can make some big strides in a short period of time. Most of our clients can complete that study plan in about 4-6 weeks, but you can set your own pace.
If you have any questions, then you post here (or you can feel free to contact me directly).
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
02 May 2015, 07:39
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello saadiagha, in terms of the length of preparation, my story is not very different from yours.
Although I did not have any problems in quant, I am just wondering if you are focusing too much on basics, without actually solving many questions. I believe that in quant, the concepts that are asked are rather basic and so, it has more to do with getting comfortable with all types of questions. So, a lot of practice would definitely help.
GMATClub has a great collection of questions in the quant forum. Would definitely suggest you look at that too.
Although I did not have any problems in quant, I am just wondering if you are focusing too much on basics, without actually solving many questions. I believe that in quant, the concepts that are asked are rather basic and so, it has more to do with getting comfortable with all types of questions. So, a lot of practice would definitely help.
GMATClub has a great collection of questions in the quant forum. Would definitely suggest you look at that too.
