Can I prep in only one week ?

Question

Hello everyone

I know it seems crazy but I will explain the context.

I discovered about the GMAT 2 weeks ago, when I decied I should do an MBA in the coming years. I search for the best ressources, discovered this forum and decided last weekend to purchase the OG and Manhattan books.

On last sunday I did the OG diagnostic test and rated Excellent in all sections except in Data Sufficiency where I rated Average (top score of Average though).
I was quite surprised since I did expect to have high rates on Quant (I am a statistician) and low rate in Verbal (I am French ^^)
I did not hurry myself but I found out at the end I had done the timing of the exam (~2min by question)

I knew this was not reflective of the real exam so I decided to shortly do the prep Exam 1. I reviewed quickly the OG "Math review" to understand the conventions of the exam, and I also looked at the CR part of Manhattan (which I did not find so helpful actually)

On Friday morning, I hadn't not sleep a lot but I managed to motivate myself to do the test and scored a 760 (IR 8 91th / Verbal 42 96th / Quant 50 86th).
I am quite surprised I got such a score so I am wondering if I was lucky. I finished the Quant 2min early, the Verbal 15min early and I was late for the IR had to rush in the last questions.

Additionaly I found out, if I pass the exam before April 8th, I will not have to do the AWA section, that would be easier to me since I still do not trust my english capabilities and I believe it would be even harder to add 30minutes of exam. I do believe I can do easily better in Quant if I train myself to stay focus during 2.5hours. I snapshot my mistakes on the prep exam and the solutions without looking at it. I retried these questions this morning and found the solution right away.

I will be OoO the coming week to fully concentrate on the exam, do you think it is crazy if I schedule my exam before the 8th considering I was targeted initially a +750? Would you have any recommendation on how to effectively train ? For now, I plan on spending 2.5hours each day on quant session (to train my stamina), do a few sessions on IR and a few on Verbal expecially RC.

Many thanks in advance for any feedback/advice

mc93 · Answer

I'd schedule it given your situation. There is no penalty for taking the GMAT multiple times--other than the fee. Scores can vary quite a bit on the GMAT. I took 20 practice tests, and towards the end, I was getting 730s and 740s. I only hit 760 once in practice, but I managed to hit it on exam day.

vv65 · Answer

Give the exam a shot

For verbal reasoning, see which question type brought your score down to 42. If it was Sentence Correction, then brush up or learn some of the GMAT's favourite grammar rules - that could bring your score up immediately. Posted from my mobile device

AndrewN · Answer

Mon Dieu ,  Virginie  ! (My French friend once gave me a copy of  Paul et Virginie , so your name seems fitting.) I have to say, a 760 has to be the highest raw score I have ever seen, and I have been tutoring the GMAT™ for more than five years as a full-time tutor. I agree with what has been written above, and I especially like the point that  vv65  brought up about focusing more on  Verbal  in the coming days. There is a lot of wiggle room in Quant within a 50 scaled score, anywhere from 4-7 or so missed questions. (A 51 requires near-perfect accuracy, especially in the early going of the section.) Verbal, on the other hand, is much more punishing at the top of the scale: missing a single question can take the score down to a 48—I know this from personal experience and have seen it more recently in the results of a few of my top students, as well as fellow tutors—and missing two drops the score another point to a 47. A further drop to a 42 is only a handful of questions more, whereas a similar 5-point drop in Quant would take quite a few more errors.

As a statistician, you should be able to appreciate the greater potential in improving the aspect of the test that can net you the most points with even 1-2 more correct answers. I would recommend spending more time on Verbal review than on Quant. The IR section is sort of the runt of the litter. Even top-tier programs keep such applicant data to themselves, whereas the total score is plastered in the class profile for everyone to see. If you can hit a 5, that will be good enough; if you have already hit an 8 in practice, you might just need to look at a few more questions for the sake of exposure. (I have helped at least one student get into an M7 school with a 5 in IR.)

If I were you, I would take Practice Exam 2 after two or three days of review. If you were lucky the first time around, more flaws should surface, but consistency could really help you feel ready to take on the exam.

Good luck. (Bonne chance.)

- Andrew

VMBA2023 · Answer

Hi everyone and many thanks to the three of you, these are very valuable advice !

mc93: indeed since there is no penalty, it seems worth taking the shot; thanks for the reminder of score variability, I do believe I was quite lucky on this one, will try another prep on Wednesday !

vv65: following your comment, I had a look and 5 of the 6 questions I got wrong were Sentence Correction indeed ! I will spend some time looking at the OG's advice, thanks !!

AndrewN: thank you so much for your detailed answer !! This is very valuable to learn about this difference in scoring, and indeed I made same number of mistakes in Quant than in Verbal for a huge difference in score dropping. I will look at the calculation method of the final score to better understand.

So I took the week-end to cool off from work but I will start now my "intensive" training : Read Verbal tips from OG and Manhattan especially grammar as you recommend and exercices to apply these tips + sessions of 1h Quant / 1h Verbal / 30min IR in the morning to train to stay focus long enough. I'll do a prep2 on Wednesday and see what comes out to improve the study plan. And I will schedule my exam on Saturday morning !

Many thanks again to all of you ! Wishing you a sunny week !

	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Can I prep in only one week ?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards