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Strategies to improve from 610 to 700+ in a month

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Apurve
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Intern
Joined: 08 Nov 2016
Posts: 19
Own Kudos [?]: 8 [0]
Given Kudos: 5
Location: United Arab Emirates
Schools: Anderson '21 (A$) Tepper '21 (A$) Haas '21 (D)
GMAT 1: 610 Q45 V28
GMAT 2: 620 Q44 V32
GMAT 3: 640 Q49 V29
GMAT 4: 700 Q48 V38
GPA: 3.76
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Strategies to improve from 610 to 700+ in a month [#permalink] New post   08 Nov 2016, 08:44
Hi all,

I just finished my first official GMAT test and got a 610 :(. My raw scores were Q45 and V28, I was devastated at my verbal score since I wasn't getting anything below a 32 in my practice tests.

Background: I've been studying for the GMAT for about 3 months now and I've taken the MGMAT Interact online course. I finished all 9 weeks of that and went through the entire syllabus and homework. I Identified my main weaknesses to be the following topics in both quant and verbal:
- Quant: Divisibility, Consecutive integers, Ratios, weighted averages
- Verbal: SC Modifiers, SC Pronouns, SC Verbs, CR Weaken, CR Strengthen

In my practice tests from MGMAT I got 580(Q37 V32), 600(Q40 V32), 620(Q39 V35), and 640 (Q42 V35). Timing on Quant is definitely a pain point for me as I take longer than 2 minutes to solve questions I do know and have hard a time letting go of hard problems and sometimes end up spending 4 minutes!

I was planning on starting my applications for Round 2 after my GMAT today but it looks like I'll need to retake it in a month.

What do you guys suggest I work on in the next month to imporve my score enough to get above a 700?

Thanks!!
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Posts: 21846
Own Kudos [?]: 11668 [0]
Given Kudos: 450
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
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Re: Strategies to improve from 610 to 700+ in a month [#permalink] New post   08 Nov 2016, 12:38
Expert Reply
Hi Apurve,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your Official Score is essentially right in the "middle" of your 4 CAT score results - and that shows that you essentially performed the same way each time (+/- a few points). Given this consistency in performance, you've likely developed some 'bad habits' that will take time to fix (and replace with new 'good habits'). As such, you will likely need more than a month to raise your score to a 700+; you'll also have to make some significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections.

Have you considered purchasing the ESR? While the ESR doesn't provide that much information, it would help to define how you performed on Test Day. That information would help you to determine the areas that matter the most to your improvement.

1) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
2) What are the exact application deadlines that you're facing?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
avatar
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Apurve
Intern
Intern
Joined: 08 Nov 2016
Posts: 19
Own Kudos [?]: 8 [0]
Given Kudos: 5
Location: United Arab Emirates
Schools: Anderson '21 (A$) Tepper '21 (A$) Haas '21 (D)
GMAT 1: 610 Q45 V28
GMAT 2: 620 Q44 V32
GMAT 3: 640 Q49 V29
GMAT 4: 700 Q48 V38
GPA: 3.76
Send PM
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Re: Strategies to improve from 610 to 700+ in a month [#permalink] New post   09 Nov 2016, 05:29
Thanks, Rich! I was thinking about purchasing the ESR since I'm curious to know why I did so poorly on the verbal section. I thought I was doing fine but was under the wrong impression.

I'm planning to apply to Carnegie Mellon (Tepper), Berkeley (Haas), Stanford, and Northwestern (Kellogg). The application deadlines are between Jan 2-5.

What do you recommend I do to isolate my bad habits and fix them?
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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GMAT Club Legend
Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Posts: 21846
Own Kudos [?]: 11668 [0]
Given Kudos: 450
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
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Re: Strategies to improve from 610 to 700+ in a month [#permalink] New post   09 Nov 2016, 15:51
Expert Reply
Hi Apurve,

I'd need to see the ESR for this Test before I could offer you the specific advice that you're looking for. The biggest 'factor' when little mistakes occur is a lack of proper note-taking. How often do you do work in your head? How often do you do math in your head instead of writing the calculation down? How often do you skim an RC passage instead of intently reading it and taking paragraph notes? How often do you write down the question that you're trying to answer? Etc. Beyond that issue, you likely have some Tactical "holes" in your thinking, but we can talk more about that once we can look at the ESR.

You've named some highly competitive Schools, so a higher GMAT Score will likely be a must for your applications. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
avatar
B
Apurve
Intern
Intern
Joined: 08 Nov 2016
Posts: 19
Own Kudos [?]: 8 [0]
Given Kudos: 5
Location: United Arab Emirates
Schools: Anderson '21 (A$) Tepper '21 (A$) Haas '21 (D)
GMAT 1: 610 Q45 V28
GMAT 2: 620 Q44 V32
GMAT 3: 640 Q49 V29
GMAT 4: 700 Q48 V38
GPA: 3.76
Send PM
Reviews Badge
Re: Strategies to improve from 610 to 700+ in a month [#permalink] New post   10 Nov 2016, 16:18
Hi Rich,

Thanks so much for your help. I've attached my ESR.

As for the questions you asked, I do tend to re-read questions before writing the key points down to solve. I also tend to read the RC passages in depth rather than just skimming
Attachments

Apurve Kumar_303876223_ESR.pdf [430.01 KiB]
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
GMAT Club Legend
GMAT Club Legend
Joined: 19 Dec 2014
Status:GMAT Assassin/Co-Founder
Affiliations: EMPOWERgmat
Posts: 21846
Own Kudos [?]: 11668 [0]
Given Kudos: 450
Location: United States (CA)
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Send PM
Re: Strategies to improve from 610 to 700+ in a month [#permalink] New post   11 Nov 2016, 12:59
Expert Reply
Hi Apurve,

I've sent you a PM with some notes and suggestions.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: Strategies to improve from 610 to 700+ in a month [#permalink]
11 Nov 2016, 12:59

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