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31 Mar 2014, 03:40
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I have been placed on the waitlist for one of the schools (top 10) I'm applying to. I know my GMAT was one my weakness (680 Q47 V37) so I will be taking it again in 3 weeks. The last time I took it was ~3 months ago. I have already done all questions from OG13, VR2, QR2, GMAT Prep Default & Question Pack 1 (except for ~80 problems). I have also already taken all 6 MGMAT CATs (along with 3 retakes) and all 4 GMAT Prep Exams (along with 2 retakes). With all these resources exhausted, how should I prepare for my upcoming test?
I feel that the last time I took the test I may have gotten burned out because I was doing and reviewing so many problems everyday. I was also doing applications for 3 top 10 schools at the same time I was preparing for my last attempt. Leading up to the last attempt, I was also taking 2-3 CATs a week. I took the actual GMAT 4 times over 4 months. My scores with dates were:
09/14/2013 - 600 (Q39 V34)
10/15/2013 - 660 (Q44 V38)
11/16/2013 - 680 (Q47 V37)
12/20/2013 - 660 (Q49 V32)
I will take it much easier this time around, but I'm not sure how to find a balance. I also don't have an accurate gauge of my score now because I've done all the good CATs I know of. I think my main problem was that I read too many different Verbal strategies and tried to use too many tricks and shortcuts. I lost focus on my Verbal fundamentals, which probably directly caused my low Verbal score on my last attempt. I will work heavily on that part this time around.
In general, how should I balance my time between fundamentals, concepts/strategies, practice problems, and CATs?
Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide!
I feel that the last time I took the test I may have gotten burned out because I was doing and reviewing so many problems everyday. I was also doing applications for 3 top 10 schools at the same time I was preparing for my last attempt. Leading up to the last attempt, I was also taking 2-3 CATs a week. I took the actual GMAT 4 times over 4 months. My scores with dates were:
09/14/2013 - 600 (Q39 V34)
10/15/2013 - 660 (Q44 V38)
11/16/2013 - 680 (Q47 V37)
12/20/2013 - 660 (Q49 V32)
I will take it much easier this time around, but I'm not sure how to find a balance. I also don't have an accurate gauge of my score now because I've done all the good CATs I know of. I think my main problem was that I read too many different Verbal strategies and tried to use too many tricks and shortcuts. I lost focus on my Verbal fundamentals, which probably directly caused my low Verbal score on my last attempt. I will work heavily on that part this time around.
In general, how should I balance my time between fundamentals, concepts/strategies, practice problems, and CATs?
Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide!
souvik101990
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GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42
GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online)
GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online)
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31 Mar 2014, 04:10
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newbornmuse
I think this is a hard place to be.
If you are aiming at a 720+ score, you quant needs to be atleast 49 up. It seems, that your quant skills needs revising.
I would suggest this,
Try the last 30 problems of PS and DS from OG 13 and the question pack 1
Try and do those using multiple methods. Try and find out EVERY possible way of solving the problem, especially plugging in numbers and testing cases for DS (I cannot stress the importance of this enough).
For Verbal, I would suggest that you concentrate on RC and CR for a quick improvement. For SC, try and figure out exactly what is wrong in the incorrect answer choices. For CR, try to find out a strengthener and a weakener in ALL the problems ON YOUR OWN.
You should analyse each problem MORE thoroughly than you did last time.
If you feel this is a good approach, let me know and I should be able to help you more.
Best,
S
31 Mar 2014, 04:36
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souvik101990
Thank you for your insightful advice! This seems like a good approach, especially doing the last 30 problems of PS and DS and looking for multiple methods. I am aiming for a 700+, with 720 being my realistic and not overly ambitious goal.
For Verbal, should I focus more on doing practice problems with deeper analysis or reviewing concepts in general and mastering the fundamentals?
For SC, even before, I always make sure I know what is wrong with the incorrect answer choices. I think my issue is that once I review SC problems, I remember too many details specific to the question and don't remember enough of the abstract reasoning. For example, if I see the same problem again I'll know the answer immediately (from memory), but if I see a different question testing the exact same topics, I may still get it wrong. I also have this same problem in RC and CR. Any advice on fixing this?
Thanks!
