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19 Jun 2017, 15:22
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Bookmarks
Hi all,
1ST GMAT (APR 25, 2017)
530 (Q35, V28)
2ND GMAT (TODAY, JUNE 19, 2017)
440 (Q28, V20)
Needless to say, I'm devastated right now
I need some advise from experts, so please bear with me on what I think is missing.
First GMAT was after reviewing all the material from MGMAT 6th edition.
A friend recommended me to study the fundamentals and concepts of the exam, and I think MGMAT was solid.
Studied only the materials from the 6th Edition, but didn't do any practice exams before taking the first one.
Not to get too much into the details, but the first exam was to get a feel for it. I wanted to know where I was at.
Result : My aim was and still is a 650, so after the first exam, I knew I had to get more practice done and solidify my understanding on the basics.
I wasn't expecting a lower score on today's (2nd try).
Even though I have a demanding job (7:00 AM ~ 9:00 PM est), I did put time in practicing as much as I could using the GMAT Q and V forums (which are great btw!).
On weekdays, I did about 15 practice questions on three out of five days, and then do about 30 ~ 40 on weekends.
Now that I'm actually writing this down and reading other ppl's posts, this is nothing close to the amount of practice I should've done.
Result : A lousy 440 (or 430)...I was so disgusted with myself that I immediately cancelled the exam and got back home. I'm very disappointed at myself.
However, I'm not going to give up that easily, but I do feel I need to establish a plan. Let me know what you guys think, 3rd time is the charm right?
- Need to increase the frequency of practice questions (drills), but focus on each topic. I need to fully understand the concept before going to the next one.
- Take CAT and Practice Exams to really hone in on my weaknesses. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a full grasp on any topics right now.
- Private tutor? I think my biggest issue is lack of fundamentals, which is leading to wrong answers on even the basic questions.
Should I hire someone that can walk me through the basics, so that I can establish a more systematic approach to any question on the GMAT?
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
I didn't imagine myself being in this position, but I also know that life goes on.
I need to get my stuff together and go for it again, but no more shooting-in-the-dark or pretending I know the concepts when I really don't.
If there are any other recommendations or advice, please feel free to write me back.
Thanks,
Bruno
1ST GMAT (APR 25, 2017)
530 (Q35, V28)
2ND GMAT (TODAY, JUNE 19, 2017)
440 (Q28, V20)
Needless to say, I'm devastated right now
I need some advise from experts, so please bear with me on what I think is missing.
First GMAT was after reviewing all the material from MGMAT 6th edition.
A friend recommended me to study the fundamentals and concepts of the exam, and I think MGMAT was solid.
Studied only the materials from the 6th Edition, but didn't do any practice exams before taking the first one.
Not to get too much into the details, but the first exam was to get a feel for it. I wanted to know where I was at.
Result : My aim was and still is a 650, so after the first exam, I knew I had to get more practice done and solidify my understanding on the basics.
I wasn't expecting a lower score on today's (2nd try).
Even though I have a demanding job (7:00 AM ~ 9:00 PM est), I did put time in practicing as much as I could using the GMAT Q and V forums (which are great btw!).
On weekdays, I did about 15 practice questions on three out of five days, and then do about 30 ~ 40 on weekends.
Now that I'm actually writing this down and reading other ppl's posts, this is nothing close to the amount of practice I should've done.
Result : A lousy 440 (or 430)...I was so disgusted with myself that I immediately cancelled the exam and got back home. I'm very disappointed at myself.
However, I'm not going to give up that easily, but I do feel I need to establish a plan. Let me know what you guys think, 3rd time is the charm right?
- Need to increase the frequency of practice questions (drills), but focus on each topic. I need to fully understand the concept before going to the next one.
- Take CAT and Practice Exams to really hone in on my weaknesses. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a full grasp on any topics right now.
- Private tutor? I think my biggest issue is lack of fundamentals, which is leading to wrong answers on even the basic questions.
Should I hire someone that can walk me through the basics, so that I can establish a more systematic approach to any question on the GMAT?
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
I didn't imagine myself being in this position, but I also know that life goes on.
I need to get my stuff together and go for it again, but no more shooting-in-the-dark or pretending I know the concepts when I really don't.
If there are any other recommendations or advice, please feel free to write me back.
Thanks,
Bruno
19 Jun 2017, 15:28
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Bruno,
While it sounds like you worked through lots of practice questions over the last few months, it doesn't sound like you had a structured study plan nor does it sound like you were focused on learning/practicing the proper Tactics for Test Day. Thankfully, all of that can be fixed. However, it's going to take a lot of work to raise a 440 to a 650+ (and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections). Given your two Official Scores, you will likely need at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study to hit your goal.
1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
3) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
While it sounds like you worked through lots of practice questions over the last few months, it doesn't sound like you had a structured study plan nor does it sound like you were focused on learning/practicing the proper Tactics for Test Day. Thankfully, all of that can be fixed. However, it's going to take a lot of work to raise a 440 to a 650+ (and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections). Given your two Official Scores, you will likely need at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study to hit your goal.
1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
3) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
19 Jun 2017, 20:24
Kudos
Bookmarks
EMPOWERgmatRichC
Hi Bruno,
While it sounds like you worked through lots of practice questions over the last few months, it doesn't sound like you had a structured study plan nor does it sound like you were focused on learning/practicing the proper Tactics for Test Day. Thankfully, all of that can be fixed. However, it's going to take a lot of work to raise a 440 to a 650+ (and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections). Given your two Official Scores, you will likely need at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study to hit your goal.
1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
3) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
While it sounds like you worked through lots of practice questions over the last few months, it doesn't sound like you had a structured study plan nor does it sound like you were focused on learning/practicing the proper Tactics for Test Day. Thankfully, all of that can be fixed. However, it's going to take a lot of work to raise a 440 to a 650+ (and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections). Given your two Official Scores, you will likely need at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study to hit your goal.
1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
3) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Hi Rich,
I appreciate you getting back to me.
Your comments are spot on; I need to establish a more strategic study plan and focus on topics at a time.
It's a matter of focusing and using the time available as efficiently as possible.
Please refer to my insert below.
1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
My original plan was to begin in July and allow myself 2~3 months to apply before R1 deadlines in September.
Knowing that a 530 score won't cut it, I'm going to push for the third exam on early August, and get that out of the way first.
I understand this is a tight schedule, but I do want to finish my applications before R2 at the latest.
What are your thoughts?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
I want to apply to schools in Spain. IESE and ESADE are schools I would like to apply to.
3) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
At most one hour per weekday and five to six hours on weekends.
I'm working on a calendar, detailing which topics (max three per weekend) I will focus on and stick to it.
I'm hoping that this approach will allow me to dig deep into that respective topic. It's obvious now, but doing random practice questions wasn't getting me anywhere.
This gives me roughly a month and a half before my third (hopefully last) GMAT.
It goes against your recommendation of 3 months of consistent studying, but I also don't want to rush into the application process and be forced to apply to the later rounds.
With the given timeline, what could be your approach?
