Time management tips and practice material to score 720

Question

Hi,

I started my GMAT journey in july and gave Kaplan tests to check my progress, my scores were :-

530 (Q-43 , V-19)
570 (Q-45 , V-23)
630 (Q-43 , V-34)

My major problem was time management as I am often not able to ans around 5-6 question in verbal sec and 3-4 question in quant section. Please, suggest some good tips so that i can resolve this problem and move forward to my goal of 720 and also the practice material which can help me achieve this goal.

Thanks

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adg1992 · Answer

Hello,

For time management I found the timer feature on this forum very helpful. The more drills you do under pressure, you’ll find yourself working faster. Just don’t sacrifice accuracy for timing though - make sure your concepts are solid before focusing on speed.

Good luck!

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EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Assasin24,

Many GMATers face pacing issues in the Quant section, the Verbal section or both – so you are not alone. However, it's important to remember that pacing problems do NOT exist on their own - they're the results of OTHER problems. Most GMAT questions can be approached in more than one way, but if you are making inefficient choices while answering questions or using an approach that takes longer to implement, then THAT is why your pacing problems exist. Since you've been studying for about 1 month, it's possible that some of these issues will improve with time - but if you're looking to make this next phase of your studies as efficient as possible, then you're likely going to need more than just a few 'tips' to hone all of the necessary skills needed to consistently score 720+.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks?

Goals:
4) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

gautkart · Answer

Hi assasin24, I think I faced the same issue but you've to understand that if you're not able to complete on time, then it's not because the question is lengthy but because your approach is not right. You can't go to every question and solve it with brute force. It uses up your time. I think more than your quant, your verbal needs a lot of reassessment. I highly recommend going for the E-gmat verbal course. Their SC is the best which I've come across. And for CR go for Powerscore CR bible. RC just solve 2-3 passages a day and carefully analyse each option. Doing the above mentioned steps will definitely improve your score by atleast 70-80 points and then you'd have to fine tune your abilities. Get back once you are done with the above mentioned courses Thankyou All the best

MathRevolution · Answer

Hello Assasin,

A score of 630 is decent! It is a great start, and considering your target score of 720+ seems realistic. Remember various possible combinations to achieve a score of 720 or above: V38/Q48, V39/Q48, V45/Q45.

For verbal– Revise your grammar basics by GMAT grammar book or Aristotle grail for sentence correction. For RC and CR, try solving the 700+ level question.

For Math- We recommend you learn quick and alternative approaches to solve questions to save you the time. Q 51 shortcut will help you do so. You may check our free lesson plan, take a diagnostic test, and can strengthen your concept related to any topic. Get access to our free trial lessons and free videos by visiting https://www.mathrevolution.com.

Also, solve 730+ level questions for Math and try to be consistent, scoring Q49 at least to give an upper edge on verbal.

Let us know if you have further questions.
You can reach us at [email protected].

Success is within your reach.
Good luck!
Punit Joshi

Assasin24 · Answer

Hi,

Thanks for helping me out.
Time management:
 I am loosing more time in 
1) (RC) reading passages and retaining that information.
2) SC i think i am wasting time in questions i am stuck on.
Material:
I used magoosh and official guides for practice material and kaplan for mock test. 
I study for around 20 hrs each week.
I don't remember exact dates but i gave my first mock when i started my prepration and after second week gave my second mock and after fourth week gave my third mock.

I haven't decided a date yet but i am looking forward to take it in first week of sep. If i get a good scores in official gmac CATs.

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Assasin24 · Answer

Hi punit(MathRevolution)

Thanks for helping me out.

I figured out that i need 
 improvement in 
1) SC and skimming through RCs.
2) Permutations and combinations , 
 probability
3) DS questions generally when E or 
 D is the correct ans.

I am looking forward to improve these areas by going through suggested matrial.

Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Regarding your timing issues, honestly, the best way to improve your timing is by improving your GMAT quant skills. As you develop mastery of each individual quant topic, better timing WILL follow. In fact, a great way to know how well you have mastered a particular topic is to be cognizant of your reaction time when seeing a particular question. For example, consider the following simple question with which many students who are beginning their prep struggle:
 
14! is equal to which of the following? 
 
(A) 87,178,291,200
(B) 88,180,293,207
(C) 89,181,294,209
(D) 90,000,000,003
(E) 91,114,114,114
 
Upon seeing this question, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Trying to add up the values in the expression? If you are able to quickly recognize that using the “5 x 2 pair rule” will allow you to attack the problem quickly and efficiently (see the solution below).
 
Solution:
 
14! = 14 × 13 × 12 × 11 × 10 × 9 × 8 × 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1. 
 
Notice that there is at least one (5 × 2) pair contained in the product of these numbers. It follows that the units digit must be a zero. The only number with zero as the units digit is 87,178,291,200.
 
Answer: A 
 
Although this is just one example of many, you see that you must have many tools in your toolbox to efficiently attack each GMAT quant question that comes your way. As you gain these skills, you will get faster.

Lastly, you may find it helpful to read the following articles about  The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT  and  Timing Strategies For a Higher GMAT Quant Score .

Good luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Assasin24,

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

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

RetaketheGMAT · Answer

Hi Assasin24

One thing to keep in mind is that when you're targeting a score in the low 700's, it requires strong performance but not perfection. That means you have the leeway to miss a few questions in each section. Better that some of them are selected by you because you recognize that you're not going to finish them in 2 mins or you're struggling to figure out even where to start on them. The key strategy is to architect a score not chase it. The more you take control of choosing questions to skip (ie. intelligently guess) the more room you give yourself to get to every questions and nail the ones that you can do efficiently and confidently.

Just one of many process strategies that I've found worked to boost clients scores more efficiently than countless practice problems and practice tests without a focus on in-test process.

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