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Intern
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Re: Strategy advice badly needed! Stuck at ~640, 1.5 months left to study [#permalink]
diyengar,
Are you studying but hitting a plateau? 3 months sounds like a pretty long time. If you haven't seen the "improvement" by now, you probably won't see it at the rate you're going. It looks like you have another month and a half, which is a good amount of time to "retool" your strategy.

At GMAT Pill, we tell a lot of students NOT to take an insane number of practice tests. So when you say you're going to take " 6 more tests" -- we can cringe.

And the reason is, practice does not necessarily make perfect, particularly for the GMAT which is a reasoning test. Reasoning is something that's more fundamental and difficult to change. Which is why re-takes will often gradually zone into a target score range. However, what makes the jump is a difference in a way of thinking. Thinking strategy is where you want to focus. I challenge you to figure out how best you can change/absorb that kind of thinking.
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Joined: 19 Dec 2014
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GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V49
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Re: Strategy advice badly needed! Stuck at ~640, 1.5 months left to study [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Hi diyengar,

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 3 CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (+- a few points). By extension, this means that 'your way' of approaching the Exam would likely earn you a score in the low-600s. Your 'default' approaches are keeping you from scoring higher AND causing your pacing problem.

Thankfully, you CAN train to score at a higher level, but you're going to have to learn to 'see' (and respond to) the GMAT in new ways. This will require that you invest in some new materials and learn/practice some new Tactics.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Re: Strategy advice badly needed! Stuck at ~640, 1.5 months left to study [#permalink]
Hi diyengar,

I'll suggest something that doesn't have a direct correlation with your performance, but it has worked for me on 4-5 ocassions. And I've seen it work for few of my friends. Be in good physical state. In other words, if you're not regular at physical activity, then try getting into it at least few weeks leading into the test day. It just improves your concentration, which is so critical in a test like GRE/ GMAT, where few wrong (or right) answers can make all the difference. And you don't need more than 15-20 minutes on it.

You can even google it if you want to get more convinced about it.
GMAT Club Bot
Re: Strategy advice badly needed! Stuck at ~640, 1.5 months left to study [#permalink]

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