Should I be worried about a GMAT score jump of 220 points in 1 month?

Did you pause/skip AWA and IR/take longer breaks? If not, it looks like your hard work has paid off. I'd definitely ask you to get the extra practice tests, because you need to consolidate now (and perhaps push yourself a bit to see whether you can get an even higher score).

When do you plan to take the exam?

I skipped the IR/AWA on both of them however, I took the quant and verbal parts under timed conditions and took the recommend bathroom break in-between. I figured I should buy the extra packet and do the IR/AWA and try to compare what I made. I wanted to take the exam at the beginning of September. I am graduating from University in April, and I am looking at applying to a 1 year Master's in Finance program.

That's not ideal, because the extra one hour is very likely to have an impact on your energy levels. It's not a problem as long as you're taking a few more (full) practice tests.

Keep in mind that there's an exam pack 2 as well, so get that if you need it after taking practice tests 3 and 4. And don't forget to analyze each test. With such a large jump, it is natural for you to ask whether you can consistently get 680, but it is also important for you to see whether you can do better (and if you can, do you want or need to).

Hi leeproffitt123,

The type of improvement that you're talking about is exceptionally rare, but not outside the realm of possibility (especially if you guessed on a lot of questions on your first CAT - or ran out of time and left a bunch of questions unanswered). That having been said, since you skipped the Essay and IR sections, you ended up taking a shorter Exam that required less effort and energy from you. As such, none of those scores is completely accurate. With your next CAT, you should make sure to take the FULL CAT in as realistic a fashion as possible (so take it away from your home, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back here and we can discuss your studies going forward.

1) What is your goal score?
2) What materials have you been studying with?

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

I appreciate the response/advice. I am more than likely going to take another official GMAT PREP exam out of the EXAM pack two within this week, so I can have an accurate comparison. Ideally, I am going for a 650+, but I would really like a 700.

I have been using the MGMAT books and OG 2015.

So today I took the GMAT PREP Exam 3. Which honestly, may no have been a good idea after taking one on July 31st.

I took the whole exam this time including the AWA/IR.

I scored a 600 Q36 V36. I was highly upset with my Quant score, as I have focused on this part for the last month. I felt extremely unfocused during the exam, and I feel I should have waited longer before taking another exam. However, since I have scored V36 twice I am not too concerned with the Verbal section, and I would like to get my Quant up to a consistent 45+.

I would really like to take the exam within a month, and I am aiming for a 650+. What do you think the best approach would be for getting a consistent quant score.

On this exam I just took I missed 6 in a row out of the first ten and then I only missed 12 of the 37 total. So I feel I really hurt myself with that.

Any advice would be great.

Hi leeproffitt123,

It's important to remember that taking lots of CATs will NOT make you a better Test Taker. A CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to put in the necessary practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. As such, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, I need to know a bit more about your studies and goals:

1) What materials have you been studying with?
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

Hi leeproffitt123,

In regard to how to best master GMAT quant, you must realize that the GMAT is such a challenging exam because there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next. Have you been able to study in this way?

For example, if you are learning about Number Properties, you should learn everything possible about that topic: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. After that, be sure that you practice with a lot of questions (50 or more) just on Number Properties. The results of that practice will help you to determine how well you have truly mastered that topic.

If your current resources are not allow for such focused learning and practice, you may consider using a more robust resource such as a self-study course. If you do not know which GMAT study resource to use, you can check out the course reviews on GMAT Club, which has thousands of verified reviews of different GMAT prep resources.

Once you feel you have fully learned all the important GMAT topics, but not before, continue taking Official MBA.com tests, as those exams provide the most accurate exam experience and use the most accurate scoring algorithm. You can start with the 2nd exam from exexam pack 1 and then take the exams from exam pack 2.

Also, if you would like you would like some more granular data about your GMAT quant skills, I welcome you to take my free 37 question quant diagnostic.

If you need anything else do not hesitate to reach out. Good luck!