Scored 400 in my GMAT practice exam.

Question

I started studying from June 15 onwards and gave my first practice exam today (June 26, 2018) and scored 400. I am planning to give GMAT in September, haven't filled the application though. Is it a good decision? or shall I devote one more month. I am aiming at 750.

I am facing major issues in Reading Comprehensions.

I am facing major issues in Reading Comprehensions.

akela · Answer

Hi Svartika10 , Welcome to GMATClub! Do you mean you haven't started application process or did not register for the test? Getting 750 is not easy. I guess you need to improve all sections of the test. To do so, you need a good study plan. You can find one here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-study-p ... 80727.html I suggest to keep practicing consistently and see how it goes.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Svartika10,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so this initial score isn't too bad if you've only been studying for 10 days. Raising a 400 to a 750+ will be a challenging task - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) What study materials have you used so far? 
2) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for this CAT? 
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School? 
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

EgmatQuantExpert · Answer

Hey  Svartika10 ,

Congratulation for deciding to take the GMAT journey.

To start with, first you need to use the  GMAT Planner Tool  to set up your target test score.
 • This tool can provide you a recommended GMAT plan as per your present proficiency level and your target test score. 
 
Now, with a 3-months preparation time, it is definitely possible to get a score of 700+. GMAT comes with a structured well-defined curriculum for the testing purpose, hence one can prepare for GMAT with a 120 to 200 hours of time investment. As a thumb rule, one needs to allocate 10 hours for every 10 points’ improvement.

If you are looking for an 85+ percentile in both quant and verbal, you can follow a module-wise learn and refine strategy.
 • Learn the concepts of every section in a time-limit.
 o The most important step, which will help you to build the foundation. You can try the  Free Trial of Online Self-Paced Courses  to have an idea about the way things can be done. 
• Once the concept learning is done, check the applicability of those concepts in the quizzes, mocks or advanced testing platforms like GMAT Prep.
 o You can try different platforms like  Scholaranium  and different  Ability Quizzes  to test your learning. 
• Start taking full length mocks once you are done with all the modules of quant and verbal.
 o Try the  GMAT Prep Mocks  to have an idea about the applications of your learning.

If you stick to the above plan, with proper execution, you can definitely achieve and surpass your target score in the GMAT. Also attend the free session on  GMAT Strategy , to have an overall idea about the way you want to proceed.

As I said earlier, there are many other students who successfully achieved their target score and surpassed that. Read some of those stories:
 •  Rhea - journey from 620 (Q45, V31) to 760 (Q50, V41)

•  Ishan scored a Q50. Learn how he leveraged the step by step approach taught in the Quant live sessions to achieve this

•  Abhijeet scored a 740 in his first attempt and secured an admit in MIT Sloan. Focus and consistent study are key to his success.

For any query related to the preparation, feel free to write us back – we will be happy to help.

AkshdeepS · Answer

Hi, Not to dishearten you but jumping from 400 to 750 does not seem practical if you are planning to take the exam in September. IMO don't book the exam until you see good scores in mocks. $250 is a big amount and you cannot lose it without preparing for exam perfectly. You need to shrink your target in smaller chunks and then gauge them frequently. As for RC, this is the case with most if not all. Better to work on RC with good strategies. This link will certainly help you : https://gmatclub.com/forum/verbal-guide ... urces-389/ QZ

isbashu · Answer

Good luck. I took up mine yesterday and scored a mere 340. I aim at a score of 720 and I'm certain with proper discipline, planning, and focus we can achieve it.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Best Books

For Concept Learning

Manhattan Quant Guides
Manhattan Verbal Guides
For CR: The Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible
For RC: Aristotle RC Grail

For Practice

The Official Guide for GMAT 2015-18
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review 2015-18
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2015-18

Strategies

You can start with Quant or Verbal which suits you. If you have started with Quant then Start with the Arithmetic but if started with verbal then start first with Sentence correction. One month for learning Quant concepts and one month for practicing question and same practice for Verbal. During you Practicing question don't forget to make an error log to track your weak areas after practice. Once you know your weak areas revise your Concepts related to those areas and do some more Practice. 6-8 CATs are enough for practice the real tests. Make your Stamina for sitting 3 hours in the test and don't study more than 2 hours in one sit and 4 hours per day

Top CATs for Practice

1. Official GMAC CATs
2. Manhattan CATs
3. Kaplan CATs
4. GMAT Club Quant CATs

Good Luck

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi Svartika10, Around 3 months is good enough to improve your score. It’s a good thing you have taken a GMAT Mock once. You now know your weaknesses and work on them. If you are willing to study dedicatedly for that period, you are sure to achieve your goal. I think you need to solidify you base and adopt a proper technique to answer the questions. I believe you may benefit from taking a GMATPREP course. If you are willing, there are some great GMAT prep companies that can help you with your preparation. In order to make an informed decision I would highly encourage you to go to their websites and try on their free trial and decide for yourself which one do you like better. You try out free access to EmpowerGMAT, Magoosh and Optimus Prep as they have great reviews on GMATCLUB. Also for verbal, I would highly encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses especially designed for non-natives. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market. You can easily track your progress in that you can identify your strengths and analyze and improve on your weak areas. You can also try out the MGMAT guides they are phenomenal and cover the entire syllabus really well. Just by going through these guides and solving the OG will help you reach 600+.I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in Quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them. Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas. Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that. I would also encourage you to purchase GMATPREP QP 1 for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision. https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... ml?fl=menu Lastly, you can check out a very interesting article by Mike McGarry from Magoosh detailing a 3 month study plan https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-g ... -students/. You will find it very helpful as it gives out a study plan as per your needs. Hope this helps. All the best.

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Scored 400 in my GMAT practice exam.

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