Seeking Advice on GMAT Prep for Executive MBA Applications

Question

Hey guys,

I’m based in North Africa and am currently preparing to apply for an Executive MBA at top business schools in Europe and the U.S. After several months of preparation (Manhattan and Target Test Prep), I’ve been averaging 2–3 hours of study per day (4 hours on weekends). With two young children and a full-time job, this is the most I can manage. Despite scoring well on practice exercises, I’ve only reached 595 on my latest GMAT official practice exam after six months of preparation.
I’m feeling quite frustrated with my progress. My dream is to pursue an Executive MBA to accelerate my career. I have 14 years of experience in various roles, and I’m highly motivated to take the next step. However, I’m struggling with my GMAT performance, and it’s making me anxious about my application.
Do you have any tips or advice on how I can improve my score or approach the situation? Any guidance would be appreciated as I’m feeling stuck at the moment.
Thank you in advance!

lolalalosluz · Answer

Please can I get a reply on my message, it's very important to me 
Thank you!

nightblade354 · Answer

It sounds like you’re focusing more on quantity than quality with your studying, but I could be mistaken. The biggest mistake most candidates make is that they think if they practice everything, they will do well. This isn’t correct. Read my critical reasoning guide on my profile — blind review should be used in all facets of your studies. Also reach out to TTP and ask if they have any advice.

You’ve got this!

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You’ve got this!

Posted from my mobile device

pintukr · Answer

Should solve questions of various difficulty level using Forum Quiz.

All the Best.

lolalalosluz · Answer

Thank you for your reply! I think also that questions available on TTP are not as hard as it says eventually when compared to official GMAT mock exams. 
Do you think using the forum questions of variable levels could be enough? Also what is the recommended frequency of doing a mock test? one or two per week?
Thanks a lot

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Fair to say including official mocks/official questions into a prep path would be a solid choice. Working on time management if that is an issue and keeping track of the questions you find tough/make careless errors on could also be helpful. If you include/mention your section scores and areas on the GMAT you find challenging (e.g. CR), people may provide some specific suggestions.

How to score high on the GMAT. Why solving approach is important.

How to score high on the GMAT. Why solving approach is important.

lolalalosluz · Answer

Here you go guys, here is the detailed report , thank youuuu!

lolalalosluz · Answer

Can I get your feedback please?  Bunuel   bb   ScottTargetTestPrep

bb · Answer

Hi. I am sorry for not chiming in and not seeing your message.

1. I am sorry you are frustrated. I can definitely see and hear it in the message below. 
2. I understand how many years of work experience you have, I understand what you want to achieve and where you are located but I think the frustration is perhaps too high as you have not really communicated what it is that you need help with. 
3. I understand you have only 595 but what does that consist of? 
4. What do you expect to get by dropping a line and saying I am not getting a score I want? Would a reply such as "You need to work smarter/harder" be what you are looking for? 
5. The more generic is your request for help, the equally more generic is the advice. 
6. My other recommendation is what score you are looking for? You have 595 but what do you need?

I would recommend searching and reading other posts to see what kind of questions people are asking, what help they are getting. I would also suggest that you get really specific and focused. Nobody can improve everything at the same time, so you need to identify what you want to improve first and focus on just that.

P.S. I see you have shared your score report to allow people to see more details - that's helpful but you should identify your target score as well.

lolalalosluz · Answer

Thanks  bb  for your message, I have sent a picture earlier this week showing the details of my 595 score for further guidance from you experts. I hope you got a chance to look at it.
My utlimate goal would be to get a score between 620-630, not more, and I know that my weakness is time management mainly. I really don't know how to manage this one.

Thanks

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi lolalalosluz,

Are you referring to  this post ? All that tells us is that you may need to prioritise DI. And that (DI > verbal > quant) may be all you need to do,  as you are already very close to your target score .

bb · Answer

I would agree and generally, I can say that if you can improve by 4-5 points ANYWHERE, in any section, you will get 30 more points added to your score, so you are close. Your DI is indeed the lowest at the moment but you can improve ANY of the other sections if they are easier for you to bump up. You can play around with the combinations here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-focus-s ... 18782.html P.S. Pointing out something obvious, 595 on GMAT Focus is the equivalent of 650 on GMAT Classic.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi lolalalosluz,

I'm happy to help. First off, I see that you have been using TTP, so can you paste in a screenshot of your TTP analytics page so I can see what is going on with your course statistics? Then we can take things from there.

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