450 in first OG Mock Test

Question

I gave a Mock Test in OG without any preparation to test myself and received a score of 450.
I want to appear for the GMAT by the end of December and I have full time for myself.
What should be the strategy to score a 730+ in actual GMAT?
Quant - Scaled Score - 32, 14 Correct and 13 Incorrect out of 31
Verbal - Scaled Score - 20, 15 Correct and 15 Incorrect out of 36

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi jaylord.

Going from 450 to 730+ is a significant undertaking that will likely take a number of months even if you prepare full time. So, while anything is possible, you should expect to spend more than a few weeks to get to your score goal.

Regarding how to go from 450 to 730+, the best approach is to master the GMAT one topic at a time by first learning all the concepts involved in a topic and then answering practice questions involving that topic until you get them correct consistently. By mastering one topic at a time, you can eventually master the entire GMAT.

For more in-depth discussion of how to prepare for the quant and verbal sections of the GMAT, see these posts.

How To Increase Your GMAT Quant Score

How to Score High on GMAT Verbal

Russ19 · Answer

Hi  jaylord ,

Mentioning quant and verbal splits might help you have good strategies from the clubbers. Have you decided on any resources that you want to go through?

Best Wishes!

nislam · Answer

hi  jaylord,
First of all, you have to go through all the concepts required for Quant & Verbal and Manhattan prep strategy guides are the best for concepts. You can also try question from the latest official guides.

jaylord · Answer

sjuniv32 
I have updated my scores for a better review.

Thank you

jaylord · Answer

MartyTargetTestPrep

Thanks a ton for your detailed review

jaylord · Answer

nislam 
Thanks a ton for your help!

Anupom · Answer

I wouls like to suggest to take live course by GMATBusters https://forms.gle/PUFgeen5CcMQ2LUz6. They will start soon!! Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi jaylord,

A 450 is a decent initial CAT score (the Average Score on the Official GMAT hovers around 550 most years). That having been said, many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so if you can only commit to spending 3 weeks on your studies, there will likely be a limit to how much you can improve. To consistently score 730+ on the GMAT, you will have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections - and that training will take time.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on your timeline and your goals:

1) What study materials do you currently have access to?
2) Are you planning to take the At-home GMAT or are you planning to take your GMAT at a Test Facility?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to? If you are planning to apply soon, then what specific application deadlines are you facing?

760+: What GMAT Assassins Do To Score at the Highest Levels

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi jaylord, A significant improvement of 250+ points is challenging and would demand more prep time. You should devote adequate time to you prep using a structured approach. From my experience of scoring 740, here are 3 things that I would suggest you to do. Long post ahead, but I'm sure it would help 1. Strategize properly - this is the most important step and most people either don't spend enough time on it or do it the wrong way. Let me explain this step. First thing you need to do is understand your strengths and weaknesses then accordingly break down the target score of 730 to sectional targets. For example, if you're very comfortable with one section, let's say Verbal your target should be to maximise your performance there and get a decent score in Quant. However, if you don't think you're really good in one section then it is wise to have a balanced target. Once you have done so, identify what's holding you back. Generally one would find out that he/she is bad in Geometry or CR or SC (a ESR helps in this case), but what one should also do is identify why he/she is weak in these areas. For example, you could be weak in CR because you have trouble understanding the scope of the argument and choose options which are out of scope. I would recommend taking help from an expert to understand what's holding you back. Feel free to write to me if you need help here. Then create a plan of action to reach your target score from your current score by devoting enough time to your weak area and for practice. 2. Have an application centric approach - most people learn concepts and jump into practising questions without focusing much on following a structured method. The result is that they are either confused between 2 choices or end up eating a lot of time. If you follow the right approach to solve questions, you will not only solve them in optimal time but also have high accuracy. 3. Follow the right test taking strategy - Since GMAT is an adaptive test, it is important that you strategize differently for the different quarters in each section. For example, in Quant if you can manage to get a 100% accuracy in first 15 questions then even with a low accuracy of 40-50% in the rest of the questions you can get a Q47 kind of score. Check out this video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taL5gEKAQOE You need to build your skill level to do so and practice this strategy in mocks. The importance of using a standard resource: The only method to make sure that you invest your time, money and effort in an effective way is to use a standard resource which teaches you the concepts, strategies and also helps you work on your weaker areas. Studying using OG or a few random resources might help you to solve GMAT like questions but I’m afraid that they won’t be able to help you much from a strategy perspective. I would suggest you to go for some standard course for your preparation which can help you prepare in a structured and efficient manner thereby increasing your productivity. It’s always better to spare some more time on your preparation until you are ready instead of missing out on your dream colleges/ b-schools in hurry. GMATWhiz helps you with all these things as we follow a structured and methodical way of teaching things , which makes the learning process simpler and efficient. It also helps you to develop an understanding of the test maker’s intention behind asking the question. It uses an AI powered learning platform to provide you with real time improvement modules after every practice quiz. It provides you with additional concept videos and practise quizzes which helps you overcome your weaker areas in a specific topic right away without having to put in additional effort to identify your weaker areas. You can check out GMATWhiz and go for its GMAT Prep Course. Here’s a link to our free trial – https://learn.gmatwhiz.com/?page=signup Hope this helped and feel free to contact if you have any further queries. You can always write back to me here or the better way would be to connect over a call and have a discussion. You can schedule a free consultation call using the below link. Click here to schedule a call

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