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Question

Hi Folks

I ve already given GMAT once with subpar Quant score of 44/ Verbal 26. I had really worked hard but didnt give mocks and went ahead.

This time around I am giving enough practice papers :-

My GMAT Club Quant test scores are as follows
45
47
47
49
48
44
49
47
47
47

My Verbal Scores are 
30 
31

For the past one month I am working only on Quants:-

1) With a target score of 720, how should I proceed from here?
2) Next few weeks I ll be concentrating only on verbals. Is it ok or should I start writing full length mocks from now only?
3.)When should I book exam date

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Cadaver,

It's tough to offer any specific advice until we have a FULL CAT score as reference. I highly suggest that you plan to take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) sometime soon. Those scores will provide valuable information on your current strengths and weaknesses and we'll have a much better idea of how you should proceed.

What resources have you been using during your studies?
When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

Cadaver · Answer

Hi Rich

What resources have you been using during your studies?

Quants - GMAT Club handbook by Bunnuel and Walker. I dont really have a problem with Quant concepts.
So its always been mocks for me. I ve written close to 10-11 Quant mocks.

In a mock if suppose I get 13/37 wrong its always been 8-9 wrong questions because of calculation error or quitting DS question when I was really close to solving it...KICKING myself for both the reasons.!!!!!

This has been an underlined pattern for almost all the mocks.

Somehow I want to improve on both the points.

Verbals -

I ve finished RC (VR-2/OG) with roughly 78% accuracy and I can actually feel the difference.
Currently working on SC/CR for the past 10-12 days. Source - OG/VR-2.

When are you planning to apply to Business School?

I am targetting R1 of some specific schools but mostly R2.

I ll take some full length mocks shortly and update here...

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

To hit 720, you'll need to improve fairly substantially in verbal. Most people can't make that improvement solely by doing practice problems. In fact, finishing the OG without any guidance on how to improve may be a mistake. You're better off finding a source of instruction in content and strategy and then working gradually to apply these concepts to OG problems. What elements of verbal are you finding the most challenging?

Cadaver · Answer

Hi Dmitry

I find CR tricky.

Till 600-700 accuracy is pretty good but as soon as it crosses 700 level and there is a specific trap set up, I usually fall into that.

This was the reason for my first attempt debacle. I couldn't comprehend the questions. I had not taken any mocks and straightaway went for GMAT (I had only 20-25 days with me to prepare and submit a score for a particular programme in India wherein cutoff date was Feb). Switching from CR to SC to RC questions within 75 min barrier hurt me badly as I hadn't practiced like that.

This time I want to take ample time and make sure get a good score now only.

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Okay, well make sure you're getting some help with technique. If you can't get your hands on a good CR strategy guide, at least spend lots of time reading articles, blog posts, expert solutions, etc. (The OG explanations are often not very good.) You should also do problems in small timed sets, spending most of your time on review. Here are some review tips: how-to-study-effectively-with-official-questions-171547.html?hilit=review#p1366765

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Cadaver,

To be clear, I'm just asking you to take 1 FULL-LENGTH CAT (including the Essay and IR sections), so we can see a reasonable idea of how you would perform on the full GMAT. Even if this one result does not make you 'happy', it will provide some really important information about how you handle the full Test - and we can use that information to adjust your study plan.

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

Cadaver · Answer

Hi

I took my GMAT on 20 Sep 2015 and got 660 with Q - 47 / V - 34. Although not great but its atleast better than sub 600 score of last time.
I am planning for one more shot in the month of November to cross 700 barrier

Regards
Satyarth

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Satyarth,

First off, a 660/Q47 is a solid score (it's just above the 80th percentile overall), so it might be enough to get you into your first-choice Business School. It's also a significant improvement over your prior score.

With these Scaled Scores, you have the potential to pick up points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections.

1) Before I can offer any advice, I'd like to know more about how you've been studying for the last 3 months. What resources did you use? What 'routine' did you follow? Etc.

2) What Business Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Cadaver · Answer

Hi Rich

In response to your queries :-

1) Before I can offer any advice, I'd like to know more about how you've been studying for the last 3 months. What resources did you use? What 'routine' did you follow? Etc.

I have a very hectic work schedule - From 1-1:30 PM to 11:30-12:00 AM. It was not possible for me to squeeze in time at night so I used to prepare in morning from 8 AM to 12:30 PM on weekdays with 1/2 breaks and 5-6 hours on weekends. My exam timing was also 9 A.M. Here I would like to stress on the fact that unlike my first attempt where exam concentration was a factor, this time I didn't face any issue. I was not mentally exhausted after Verbal Section. Its just that I goofed up slighty in Quants section, so want to prepare 700+ level questions only next time. I have already exhausted OG so looking for an alternative. For Verbals, I took out printouts of all the official questions in Pack 1/OG and used to mark all the correct/incorrect there along with the reason to reject the closest option on the printed sheets only.

2) What Business Schools are you planning to apply to?

I am planning to apply to -
ISB
SP Jain
IIMs
Purdue

Till now I ve shortlisted these colleges only but my primary aim is to get into Supply Chain/Operations so still preparing an exhaustive list to apply to R-2

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

HI Satyarth,

With your current Scaled Scores, 700 "level" questions are NOT what you need to be focusing on right now. With a Q47/V34, you made enough little mistakes on 'gettable' questions that you lost a number of points that you probably could have earned. Your overall content knowledge is probably just fine, but your Tactical knowledge and 'mechanics' (the physical way you go about taking notes, staying organized, etc.) needs to improve. You might be able to make these adjustments on your own, but you might also benefit from investing in some new resources that will train you how to work more effectively.

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

Cadaver · Answer

Well Well Well......Gave my third GMAT today.....guess what 720(48/40)...

Everything panned out well....

Thanks Dmitry and Empower gmat rich

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

HI Satyarth,

That's OUTSTANDING news! With a 720/Q48, you're in the perfect position to apply to all of the Schools that you've listed (and any other Schools that you might be considering). Since you'll now have to put in some work on your applications, you might find it worthwhile to speak with an Admissions Consultant. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

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

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Exactly what you wanted! That's great! Congratulations, and best of luck with your applications. From the look of your profile pic, you may need to spruce up a bit before your interviews.

In any case, let us know where you end up.

Cadaver · Answer

Hehehe....Well there was a reason why I put this display pic...The person in the pic represents a "Sadhu" in Hinduism....Sadhus are renunciates who have left behind all material attachments and live in isolation from world/family.....The ruggedness of the sadhu life deters many from following the sadhu path..... Such practices as the obligatory early morning bath in the cold mountains require a detachment from common luxuries.

For GMAT my dedication was nothing less....I had to prove a point to myself that I still had it in me to compete at World Level.....
MBA or No-MBA, that only time will tell but 2015 has transformed me spiritually....

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Ah, I see! Well, an mba program is definitely not about renunciation in the same sense, but I'm glad you're able to see the parallels. There are many ways to live a spiritual existence, and many paths to enlightenment. Academic discipline can certainly be one of them, or at least a component.

All the best to you!

All the best to you!

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