How to spend my next month

Question

Hey everyone,

First I know that these programs are not a “one size fits all” and what works for some people doesn’t work for others. I am just looking for general advice.

I just took the GMAT and scored a 700 with 49Q/36V/5IR, which is a score that I am really not happy with. I just took a Kaplan Premiere course and nearly all of my “CATs” were above 700; my last score on a practice test was 750 with 50Q/45V/8IR (I even did the Pearson Test Day experience and took it at the facility). I know the majority of people have claimed that Kaplan practice tests are tougher than the actual GMAT, but my experience was completely opposite. I came across material that I had never even seen before, and much of the material that I dedicated hours to master was not even on the actual GMAT. The actual GMAT score was the lowest score I have received in nearly two months. I know it's not terrible but I'm just not happy with it, so I know I should take it again.

I plan on taking the test again in early December, so I was hoping to get some advice on how to spend the next month. I don’t think it would be very useful to revisit all of the Kaplan material because I felt very confidence with my knowledge of that information going into my actual test. Is there any recommendations for what I can do to “compliment” this material to ensure success come test day? Like is GMATPrep a lot different than Kaplan and will help me make sure everything is covered? Any advice is welcome.

Thank you,
Ken

kencasehall · Answer

Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks...

kencasehall · Answer

Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks...

hopeful101candidate · Answer

Hey,

I found the same to be true in my case. I took a bunch of Kaplan CATs and was scoring ~ 660, so I thought I would score higher on the actual test. I ended up with a 640 and 650 on my first two attempts. I realized that even though Kaplan's practice tests, especially the quant section, are slightly harder than the actual GMAT, I had focused on them too much and not practiced basic quant and verbal questions enough. For my third attempt I basically only practiced with the problems from the Official Guide, the GMAC practice tests, and gmatclub tests (I didn't even do very many 700 level problems, mostly 500-600 level problems to solidify my quant skills). If I were you, I would only practice with official material going forward (OG, Verbal & Quantitative Review, Question Pack). Good luck!

MBAIvy · Answer

Yes, here's some advice - don't do Kaplan again. It didn't help you! You say above, if I am understanding correctly, that the test had a lot of material on it that your Kaplan prep didn't cover. That would spell out to me in very clear language that this time you need to do something else. A different course with a different company, or a different book or online program.

Even if you were happy with Kaplan, doing something different this time will get you different results, simply because it is different and is therefore going to emphasize different things than what you concentrated on before.

A 700 is still a good score though, in anybody's book.

[I'm a former Harvard interviewer and a Harvard graduate, and currently run the MBA admission firm: MBA IVY LEAGUE, out of Manhattan: https://www.MBAIvyLeague.com Contact me for a free review & consultation today!]

Jillian

dabral · Answer

My advice would be to stick with the official GMAT content. There is a long list of reasons why that is the best choice but you have to take my word for it. Use the following content if you have not already:

1) Two free GMATPrep practice tests. 
2) Two additional CATs that are part of Exam Pack 1. 
3) GMATPrep Question Pack 1 database of questions.

The official GMAT questions have the same style and format as the real exam and it is best to get yourself in the mode of handling those questions.

Also, you will gain more by pushing your verbal score. Of course make sure you maintain your quant or perhaps push it to Q50/Q51.

Cheers,
Dabral

kencasehall · Answer

I did buy the extra 2 full-length practices, so I had 4 total and have only taken 1 to this point (in addition to my 9 CATs with Kaplan). I scored a 730 on that full-length and found it easier than my Kaplan tests mostly and infinitely easier than the one I got on test day. My only issue with focusing on the GMAT Prep software over the next month is that there are not any explanations for their full-length tests, so it's hard to pinpoint where you went wrong and, even if you get the right answer, you don't know if there was an easier method.

But yes I see where mostly everyone is coming from to go with the actual GMAT Prep material.

But yes I see where mostly everyone is coming from to go with the actual GMAT Prep material.

OutOfTheHills · Answer

Hey Ken,

I think you should focus 80-90% of your prep time on verbal over the next month. No matter how much time you spend on quant, the most you can get out of it is another 10-20 points on your final score. But your verbal has much more room for improvement and I think you will get far more value from focusing almost exclusively on this section. Get Powerscore's CR bible and SC bible and practice problems everyday. I'd be shocked if you can drag that 36 up significantly.

kencasehall · Answer

Yeah I'm definitely going to make that a focus, thanks for the link. But I felt very confident on my verbal considering my previous two practice tests (one with Kaplan, one with GMAT Prep) both had a verbal score above the 97th percentile. Not sure why I did so poorly on the actual GMAT, other than the fact that I did feel like every single passage on reading comprehension and on critical reasoning were MUCH longer, and this really threw off my timing.

JTuquero · Answer

Hi kencasehall,

For your month leading up to the exam, be sure to close knowledge gaps (in your case, it looks like Verbal). If you tell me which section is difficult for you, I can provide more specific tips. However, even if you're strong on quant, don't forget to practice all parts of the exam. Often times, people only focus on their weakness, which could be detrimental on exam day. Take several simulation tests in real conditions and at roughly the same hour of day. On exam day, do exactly what brought you success on sim tests.

How was your time management? This is a key factor on the GMAT.

While I can't comment on the educational tools you've been using, you can certainly sign up for a free trial and take a sim exam on the Economist GMAT Tutor: https://econgm.at/freetrialoffer.

Best of luck.

Jessica

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