Took the GMAT 1 year ago, scored a 700, Target score is 730

Question

Hi! I took the GMAT last year and scored a 700. I studied only doing un-timed questions from the Official GMAT Guide Book and the free practice exams you get when you sign up for the GMAT. I quit my job this week and have a lot of time on my hands for the next month and a half and I want to score a 730 by early July.

I have always been better at math than English/writing but struggled on the quant section when I took the exam the first time. What are some resources I should use to improve my quant score?

Thank you in advance!

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi hakotaco,

Welcome to GMATCLUB! For Quant You can try out the TTP course as it is phenomenal and covers the entire syllabus really well. Plus it has great reviews on GMATCLUB. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in Quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them.

Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas.

Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practice tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that.

Lastly I would also encourage you to purchase the GMATPREP QP 1 for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision.

Hope this helps. All the best.

AjiteshArun · Answer

Apart from working through more material, you could also focus on doing a lot of timed exercises this time around. This is because with a 700, you are (or were

) already quite familiar with the basic concepts tested on the GMAT.

kinvestor · Answer

Identify key weakness in both quant and verbal and specifically address those. Also timed practice shall help.

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

What was your split for 700? Did you give the exam in the old pattern or new pattern, i.e. the shortened one?

If you practice for 1.5 months then 700 to 730 is definitely possible.

All the best!

hakotaco · Answer

I scored a 48Q (67%) and a 38V (85%). I took the new shortened exam and felt like I was okay on time. Do you have any tips to improve the quant score? I was a little disappointed I was in the 67% as I felt that was my stronger subject. Thank you again for the help

hakotaco · Answer

Thanks for the advice! What sort of material do you recommend, do you think the GMAT Official Guide 2019 is a good book to use if I practice the problems with a timer?

-Adam

hakotaco · Answer

Amazing advice, I will look into the materials recommended! Thank you for the help

IanStewart · Answer

The percentiles are a bit misleading these days - if you remove test takers from one particular country (which has unusually high Q scores) from the percentile calculation, your Q percentile right now will be in the 90s, so your scores are very balanced. Your mathematical foundation is so strong already that you'll want to avoid generalized prep materials, which are typically aimed at people with much lower scores than yours. The way a Q34 level test taker should prepare is very different from how a Q48 level one should. Instead you should work with material specifically intended for high-level test takers. In particular, avoid any materials that emphasize 'strategy' over content - what companies call 'strategy' can be useful for low-level test takers, but it's useless or actively counterproductive on higher level GMAT questions. Instead you should be trying to develop your conceptual knowledge, so study from materials that emphasize content, that actually teach how to think about math in the best way.

Your highest priority, for practice questions, should always be official questions, and there are many good official resources available, so get all that you can - get the latest OG book, for example, and the official Question Pack, and all of the official practice tests. If you want additional hard questions, you'll want to be sure to use questions that emulate the style of real high-level questions. Some prep company questions are 'hard' only because they're long or complicated, and real GMAT questions aren't like that. Bunuel at gmatclub has designed a lot of high quality high-level questions that he has posted here, so that's one very cheap resource you can use. My materials are also all intended for high-level test takers specifically, so if you might be interested in those, send me an email. I wouldn't recommend taking any kind of course, since group classes won't be useful to someone at your level, but if you want to save time, you'll progress most quickly with a good private tutor. But tutoring in the GMAT market is very expensive, and given how well you did without it, you should be able to reach a Q50 or Q51 only through self-study, if you study from good resources. Good luck!

hakotaco · Answer

Ian, thank you so much for the advice. I will look into the Bunuel high level questions as well as the OG book, and I will shoot you an email as well for more information about your material.

Best,

Adam

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi hakotaco,

There are a variety of options for GMAT prep, but to help determine which resource is right for you, consider taking an  official MBA.com practice test  to get a more updated baseline GMAT score.

Once you take the exam, feel free to report back here, and I can provide some further advice. Also, you may find it helpful to check out this article:  How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT — A Mini Guide for Success .

Feel free to reach out with any further questions. Good luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi hakotaco

To start, a 700/Q48/V38 is an outstanding Score, so you can comfortably apply to any Business Schools that interest you. As such, a retest might not be necessary. There's certainly no harm in retaking the GMAT though - and if you really just studied by working through the OG and doing a couple of practice CATs, then you're clearly a strong critical thinker overall - and you could potentially pick up those extra 30 points quickly if you can make the necessary adjustments to how you "see" (and respond to) the Exam. A Q48 means that you were great on the 'math questions' that you faced in the Quant section, but you missed out on a block of 'strategy-based' questions. The Quant section of the GMAT is NOT a 'math test' - it's a 'critical thinking test' that requires lots of little calculations as you work through it. To hit Q50-Q51, you need to become more of a 'strategist' and less of a 'mathematician.'

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 your timeline and your goals:

1) Are you interested at all in any focused Verbal study?
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

AjiteshArun · Answer

The OG is always a good option, though it doesn't have too many high-difficulty questions. That may or may not be a problem for you, but you should expect significant overlap if you already have one of the earlier editions.

As Ian pointed out, your scores are  very  good (even if you were disappointed with your Q48). This means that (after you're done reviewing concepts) you'll really have to work on finding your weaknesses. This is not usually easy. Practice tests could play an important role in that process, so I'd get the (paid)  official practice tests  if I were you.

hakotaco · Answer

Hi Rich,

Sorry for the delayed response. My goal is to be admitted to UCLA Anderson and I was hoping to apply this fall for Fall 2020 start. Like I mentioned, I do not have a job for the next 6 weeks and I have time to do my applications as well as study for the GMAT. I would absolutely be interested in focused verbal study. What would that entail?

Thank you for all your advice!

Adam

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Adam

With a 700/Q48, you can comfortably apply to UCLA Anderson. While a 730 might benefit your application a bit, there could be other, more-important areas that you could also work on. As such, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and application plans. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

You might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

1) Other than the Official Guide and the practice CATs that you mentioned, have you used any other study materials so far?
2) From what you describe, you'll have a great deal of potential study time over the next 6 weeks. How many hours are you planning to commit to your studies each week during that time?

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

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