650 GMAT, where to go from here?

Question

Good afternoon,

I look the GMAT this last weekend and scored a 650. Q42/V37, IR 8.

In my practice exams prior to taking the actual test, I was consistently scoring in the 630-650 range, so my actual score was very reflective of what I expected. There were a couple practice exams that I took where I scored a 40 on verbal, so I'm not concerned about improving my verbal score. With a quant score of 42, there is clearly a lot of room for improvement.

Ideally I would like to score a 700. I need to put together a solid strategy however, and ideally I would like to test again in a month. Any suggestions? I took the PR small group course prior to taking this exam, but I don't feel like it really helped a ton other than giving me a lot of practice with the types of questions I would be seeing and developing good habits.

What tools/types of practice should I be doing to boost my quant score into the upper 40s? Thanks for your help!

NickPapagiorgio · Answer

What types of resources did you use? For quant, I purchased the Manhattan Review series for strategy and then coupled that with the GmatPrep software (purchased the additional question/exam pack 1 for $30). For data sufficiency, after reading the question stem, attack the statement 2 before attacking statement 1. More often than not, the test will try to make you parlay information you found in statement 1 into the analysis of statement 2. The GmatPrep software helps a lot because shows you what types of questions you're missing the most.

Goillini13 · Answer

I took Princeton Review's Small Group course. I don't feel like it really helped me improve my quant, but it did help with Verbal.

The GMATprep question pack is a good idea. I may have to give it a try.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Goillini13,

Based on what you've described, I think you need to focus on learning a more 'tactical' approach to the Quant section and not just more practice problems to work on.

You've defined your score goal, but I'd like to know a bit more about your overall plans:

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) Do you know which Schools you plan to apply to?

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

Goillini13 · Answer

Thanks for the response! So you're saying more focus on strategies?

I'd like to apply second round this year. Kellogg, Booth, and Ross are where I'd like to apply, with Ross being the school I've always wanted to go to. Thanks for your help!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Goillini13,

With the Round 2 deadlines, you have plenty of time to continue studying and work on your applications, so there's no immediate rush. If you'd prefer to retake the GMAT sooner rather than later though, then that would be understandable. If that's part of the overall goal, then based on everything that you've described, I think that the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster would help you considerably. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in under a month, so the time commitment wouldn't be too intense. We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an account.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

Goillini13 · Answer

Rich,

I'm definitely interested in your program. I am likely going to give it a try after this holiday weekend. Is a 4 week timeline doable?

Thanks!

As a side note, I got a 8 in IR, and a 6 in AWA. These two scores are just about meaningless to adcoms aren't they?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Goillini13,

A 4-week timeline is absolutely doable, but it's dependent on how much time you have available to put towards your studies and how quickly you absorb the material. Keep in mind that you're not just going to be doing more practice questions - you're going to be learning new tactics and practicing them (and working to remove whatever 'bad habits' you may have developed in your prior studies).

An IR8 and AWA6 are both impressive, but they're not likely to impact your applications too much on their own. All things being equal though, if a School was considering two applicants with equal credentials, then it might be that your IR and AWA scores would 'break the tie' in your favor.

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

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