Scored 540 ..Need help to formulate strategy for retake

Question

HI All,
I took Gmat today and score 540 today.My section scores are as follows :-
1.IR - 5 
2.Quant -41
3.Verbal - 23

Time was serious issue.I guessed 8-10 questions out of last 12 in quant and i guess last 5 in verbal.I will be sharing ESR report soon
I studied below :-
1.MGMAT Quant Books/GMAT PREPNOW free videos for quant +OG13 All quant Questions
2.MGMAT SC +0G-13 1-50 SC questions
3.POWERSCORE CR Bible + OG-13 ALL CR Questions
4.RC- Nothing

Practice:-
1 mock test :-GMAT PREP (Scored 560 there :- V-27 Quant-40)

I am a non-native speaker .Can the experts please help me in advising how do i approach Gmat now.

I have following questions:-
1.Do i need to follow some extra study materials 
2.How much time should i be looking to devote now considering i took almost 3 months to complete above material
3.How do i find time to work on set of last 10-12 questions in both quant and verbal -will practice suffice for that ?Or do i need to visit concepts again

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi anantjit,

Given the one practice CAT that you took, your Official GMAT Score makes sense. The pacing issue that you've described does not exist on it's own - it's the result of OTHER issues. To score at a significantly higher level, you're likely going to need to invest in some new practice materials and learn/practice some new Tactics. 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 how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Did you have a typical study routine each week (Did you study on certain days and at certain times? Were you consistent of did your routine change from week to week?)

2) What is your goal score? 
3) When are you planning to retake the GMAT? 
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School? 
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

anantjit · Answer

Empowergmat ,

Please find below answers :

1) Did you have a typical study routine each week (Did you study on certain days and at certain times? Were you consistent of did your routine change from week to week?) 
No.Not consistent.i studied maximum in last month before gmat.Someday i would study for 6 hours and then no study next day and then 2 hours study on the third day.

2) What is your goal score?
 720

3) When are you planning to retake the GMAT?
Not sure now.I am not sure how much more time i need to invest to get my target score
 
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School? 
I had earlier decided to apply by coming october end but not sure now

5) What Schools are you planning to apply to? 
1year MBA in Indian B schools:
Indian Institute of Management Ahemdabad PGPX
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore EPGP
Indian Institute of Management calcutta 
Indian School of business,Hyderabad
Oxford/Cambridge - 1Year MBA

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi anantjit,

From what you described about your studies, there are a couple of immediate issues that you have to deal with. First, many Test Takers who use a "book heavy" study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular scoring level. Even the best books are limited in what they can teach you; they also can't force you to approach questions in a certain way and their explanations are often one-sided. Second, you were not studying in a consistent fashion, so there's a question of how well (and how efficiently) you were building your Test-Taking skills.

To hit your goal score, you'll likely have to commit to 2-3 months of consistent, guided study. You'll also likely need to invest in some new, non-book resources so that you can learn/practice new Tactics. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. Unfortunately, it's going to take more time than you originally planned for.

1) What is the next Round of application deadlines after this current one?

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

Scored 540 ..Need help to formulate strategy for retake

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