Scored 550 on first practice test.

Question

I gave a first practice test on official GMAT website and got a score of 550 (IR4/V19/Q47). I am planning to give my GMAT by end of August 2020. How difficult is it to raise the score from 550 to 700+?

Which GMAT online course should i take in order to improve my score to 700+?

Which GMAT online course should i take in order to improve my score to 700+?

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Mayank, how much preparation have you done so far and from  which  resources?

Obviously Verbal needs to go a long way, for you to achieve your target score.

chhabramayank · Answer

I did not start my preparation. I just thought of giving a practice test and look out for my weak areas. From the test, i see that verbal is a sure thing to work on, but i was surprised to see that in Quants i was just able to get 47 percentile. The questions were quite easy/medium, but looks like i will need to brush up some basics

EducationAisle · Answer

Q47 is actually 60th percentile. You can refer to  this  page.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi chhabramayank,

Scoring 550 with Q47 without any prep is a very solid start. As long as you follow a linear and structured study plan as well as a realistic timeline, then honestly, any score improvement is possible. Regarding resources, in addition to seeking advice in this thread, take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for  the best quant  and  verbal courses , and also read through some  GMAT success stories  to see what materials have worked well for other test-takers.

Also, would you like some general advice on how to improve your verbal and quant skills?

You also may find it helpful to read this article about  how to score a 700+ on the GMAT .

Good luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi chhabramayank,

A 550 is a solid initial CAT score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). Many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores - so since you aren't planning to take the GMAT until August, you also appear to have given yourself plenty of time to study - which is good. To hit your Goal Score, you'll likely have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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 timeline and your goals:

1) What study materials do you currently have access to? 
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

chhabramayank · Answer

>> What study materials do you currently have access to? 
 I am planning to take Magoosh GMAT course in order to kickstart my preparation. Apart from that i have Mahattan GMAT study material for verbal

>>When are you planning to apply to Business School?
I do not have timeline in my mind as of now. I have 2 years of experience and i will start applying to B-Schools after completing 3+ years of work experience (which will be roughly in 2021). My first step is to get the GMAT completed and post that i will have good time in order to build my profile for the B-Schools

>>What Schools are you planning to apply to?
 I am targeting for HAAS School of Business. As my area of work is Software development, and i want to stick to a bit of technicality even after getting an MBA and HAAS being closest to the silicon valley is the ideal business school for me.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi chhabramayank,

Studying for the GMAT now - far in advance of when you'll actually "need" your Score - is a smart choice. This gives you the opportunity to work with a variety of different study materials and find the one(s) that best help you to improve. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at our website (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the ones that best match your personality, timeline and budget.

In addition, since you're interested in one specific, highly-competitive School, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement.

There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

If you have any additional questions, then just let me know.

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

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

I'm not too familiar with the effectiveness of an online course, but I'd recommend you don't rely solely on one. Buy all three Official Guide 2020 books (the main one, the quant one and the verbal one). That ought to keep you occupied for a little while. August is still a ways a way. You have time.

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Scored 550 on first practice test.

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards