NEED HELP!! A bit discouraged :(

Question

First and foremost I want to express my deepest thanks to the creators and members of this forum for their contribution to the GMAT world. I've been a member here for a few months, but have only recently started to post.

My GMAT study background, I have been building up my Toolkit since February '11 and it currently consists of:
8 MGMAT Study Guides
PowerScore CR and SC
OG12
Aristotle SC Bible

Since then I didn't really have a solid study plan and have been "casually" reading the guides and taking notes as I felt that I needed to build a solid foundation before tackling questions or practice tests. I jump from quant and verbal guides, have not utilized the practice questions in the guides and only recently started to use the OG12 practice questions.

I signed up for Knewton online prep course in January '11 and have yet to take any of the classes. 
Yesterday I decided to take Knewton's diagnostics test and scored a dismal 510 (30V 31Q).

At first I was very discouraged about my score, but after thinking about my study approach for the past few months I believe my study approach is all wrong.

Any advice?

Much appreciated.

mohater · Answer

The GMAT tests specific topics and subtopics. Simply reading content is not enough.

Begin your prep by taking a practice test (you have done this). Use the results of the practice test to determine. Keep an error log to track progress and figure out WHY you are answering problems incorrectly.

A 510 is not a terrible starting point. People have gone from this up to 700+.

Best of luck.

bunsu14 · Answer

Thank you for the reply mohater!

Any advice on how I can leverage my diagnostics test to focus on trouble areas? Any recommendations on a solid study plan? - I believe I'll need some structure or I'll never get my score up. Much thanks.

mohater · Answer

Start an error log and go through your diagnostic and note the # of problem types (DS, PS, SC, RC, CR) and how many you answered correctly/incorrectly. Figure out what your weakest section is and begin working through material and practice problems, while ALWAYS using your error log. Continue to work through all subsections (don't ignore a section simply because it's your best section, study every section but give more time to your weakest). Take a practice test every so often to gauge progress and adjust your plan accordingly.

Your book selection is good for now. You may need to expand later on, but for now, it's enough.

Your book selection is good for now. You may need to expand later on, but for now, it's enough.

ebonn101 · Answer

Develop a solid study regimen and your score will improve drastically. My first CAT was a 530, and as an active duty Army officer with a demanding schedule, I didn't have all the time in the world to study either. I put a mark on the wall about 4 months out and developed a plan to study 1-2 hours per day during weekdays and 4-6 hours per day on weekends (not including CATs). Using OG 12, MGMAT 8 guides and MGMAT Advanced GMAT Quant, along with some Princeton Review and Kaplan material (which I would not recommend), I was able to score 750 on test day.

It's all about budgeting your time, developing a plan, and remaining disciplined to stick with that plan, which it will be really hard to do at times. By month 3 I was finding it very hard to stay motivated, as at that point you start to see your improvements decrease in size despite spending the same amount of time. Give yourself a day off here and then to stay fresh, but also understand that you won't make significant improvement if you don't force yourself to maintain a solid study regimen.

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NEED HELP!! A bit discouraged :(

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