Suggestions to reach my goal of scoring 450-550?

That drop on the second exam in Quant is a bit worrying. If I were you, I might try to isolate 2-3 skills a week to focus my studying on (for example, I might focus a week on combinatorics and fractions). Do you notice more struggles on data sufficiency or problem solving?

Also, you should review your answers on the two GMAT Prep tests you took. Figure out why you got each right answer correct and why each wrong answer wasn't.

Hi michdur07,

A score goal of 450+ is relatively modest, so you might be able to achieve that goal studying as you have been. However, while the OG books are great sources for practice questions, they're not designed to teach you Tactics, patterns or any of the little 'secrets' of the GMAT. For all of that, you would likely find it helpful to invest in some new GMAT study materials.

Your last two CAT scores show some inconsistencies with your performance, so it's important to review these CATs and determine WHY you're getting questions wrong. With your goal, you do not have to correctly answer ANY questions that you think are too hard or too weird, but you do need to minimize the number of little mistakes that you make.

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

I struggle more with geometry and word problems. I feel the OG is way easier than the prep test. I am going to review my test.

Hey,
Do you suggest any books or online material?

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
I am applying for Business next year around January-March.
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
I plan on applying for state schools.

Hi michdur07,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help get you on the right track! Since you have been studying quant for the last two months and your latest quant score is a 24, you might consider taking some more time to first master the fundamental concepts of GMAT quant prior to completing any more random problem sets or studying more advanced topics.

So, for example, you might start with basic fraction operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), manipulation of basic algebraic equations, solving quadratic equations, basics of data sufficiency, etc. Once you master those basic concepts, you will find it much easier to learn more advanced GMAT quant topics.

Furthermore, when studying GMAT quant, since there is so much content to learn, you may find it helpful to take an approach that allows you to learn one topic at a time and follow up your learning with specific practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next.

For example, if you are reviewing percents, you want to cover as much as possible about percents: percent less than, percent greater than, variable percents, and percent change. Then you will want to do many practice problems on percents (50 or more). The results of that practice will help you determine how well you have mastered that topic.

Follow a similar routine for verbal. When learning about critical reasoning, for example, learn about all aspects of critical reasoning (strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc.). Follow up your learning with focused critical reasoning practice, so you can determine your specific weaknesses within that topic. You should do the same for sentence correction and reading comprehension.

If you find that are you unable to fully learn GMAT quant and verbal with your current materials, you may consider using some additional resources.

Also, I understand that you are trying to take your test in December. If you need more time to improve your GMAT score, are you able to schedule your test to a later date?

If you have any questions about my recommendations, I welcome you to contact me directly. I’m here for whatever you need!

Hi michdur07,

If you're not planning to apply to Business School until early next year, then you still have plenty of time to study and hone your skills. You mentioned having some issues with Geometry and Word Problems, but neither of those categories should be the focus of your attention just yet (there are broader areas that you need to work on first). That having been said, some review of your most recent CAT is necessary - we need to define WHY you're getting questions wrong. While this type of analysis can (and should) be in-depth, there are some simple things that you can look for.

After reviewing this CAT, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math/verbal that you just couldn't remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?

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

I do think the timer affects my score because the first time i took the test, i ran out of time and the second test , i still had time left remaining.