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10 Oct 2021, 13:04
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Hi all, first post here. First, I want to thank you all for making this forum free and available. It's been super useful in looking up expert solutions to some of the more difficult GMAT practice test problems out there from official GMAT or Manhattan practice tests. I also have felt less alone while studying. This will be a long post, but I am hoping that there'll be some people out there in the GMAT "industry" that have seen folks like myself come through and could lean on that experience to provide their honest thoughts on my next steps.
I just took the GMAT last Friday 10/8 (for what I had hoped was the last time) and scored a 700 (Q47, V38). I was surprised and disappointed at the same time, because I was aiming for a 43-45 on Quant while I had previously been consistent in getting 42-44 Verbal or above on all the practice tests... so there was good and not-so-good. I got a 8 on IR and satisfied with that. Quant has always been my weaker area. I was hoping to achieve a 44Q/44V, knowing that doing so would get me roughly above a 700 score and closer to the range that makes me more competitive for my target schools (SF Bay Area tech feeders: Stanford, Berkeley). I plan to start working on applications now, while scheduling a quick follow-up GMAT in the next 1-2 weeks. I think my main issue is test anxiety, as well as missing some deeper comprehension on verbal (I am a native English speaker and it's never been a weakness).
Option 1: I have the TTP software still -- haven't touched the verbal section yet. It worked really well for my quant, so I'm hoping I can see the same improvements from verbal. I also have 4 Manhattan practice GMAT tests left. I will take 2 per week, 1 on the weekend, and 1 on a week day in the lead up to my next test.
Option 2: Alternatively, I will just focus on the GMAT tests and the Manhattan question banks. "Long form" practice could be my issue, not actual subject matter.
What do you all think?
TL;DR -- a bit about my timeline.
1. Started Manhattan's online course January 2020. Got laid off in March 2020 after just starting a new job. It was a soul crushing defeat that affected me a lot mentally amidst peak COVID lock downs.
2. Spent 7-8 months looking for work and also studying.. having gone through this now, I would not have done that. I didn't have the right mindset to learn GMAT topics while also looking for work and fearing rejection. I have sat through 5 official GMATs - and steadily improved from mid 500's to 700 on my latest score. I've kept a 650, a 690 I got in March 2021 and the latest 700.
3. Family helped me get a tutor. The tutor helped me on improving verbal.. but a year out from that training I regressed on the Verbal score. The tutor also told me to skip every 4th quant problem. It helped on practice GMAT's but when I was taking the actual course I felt more anxiety because skipping was basically admitting that I did not have that full comprehension. It just didn't sit right.
4. Did independent studying. Mostly taking OG tests.. but not really seeing any improvement.
5. January/February 2021 -- after starting new job in late 2020 and feeling relatively settled in, I decided to pick GMAT studying back up and find a new prep software.
6. I did some research and came across Target Test Prep. I wish I had started with TTP. This is my experience, but the training and repetition and deep focus on learning (along with the supportive quotes along the way) and the UX of the program are excellent. I think the design must be based on their research on people that have come out of American public schools and having a deep fear of math... because I saw my most significant improvement from following the TTP program.
About me:
East Asian male (ABC), 28, worked in a few high growth tech startups in business operations and program management. Consistent track record of same-company promotions. Undergrad - UC Merced, 3.5 GPA, studied Economics, extracurriculars while in school focused on entrepreneurship / innovation.
I just took the GMAT last Friday 10/8 (for what I had hoped was the last time) and scored a 700 (Q47, V38). I was surprised and disappointed at the same time, because I was aiming for a 43-45 on Quant while I had previously been consistent in getting 42-44 Verbal or above on all the practice tests... so there was good and not-so-good. I got a 8 on IR and satisfied with that. Quant has always been my weaker area. I was hoping to achieve a 44Q/44V, knowing that doing so would get me roughly above a 700 score and closer to the range that makes me more competitive for my target schools (SF Bay Area tech feeders: Stanford, Berkeley). I plan to start working on applications now, while scheduling a quick follow-up GMAT in the next 1-2 weeks. I think my main issue is test anxiety, as well as missing some deeper comprehension on verbal (I am a native English speaker and it's never been a weakness).
Option 1: I have the TTP software still -- haven't touched the verbal section yet. It worked really well for my quant, so I'm hoping I can see the same improvements from verbal. I also have 4 Manhattan practice GMAT tests left. I will take 2 per week, 1 on the weekend, and 1 on a week day in the lead up to my next test.
Option 2: Alternatively, I will just focus on the GMAT tests and the Manhattan question banks. "Long form" practice could be my issue, not actual subject matter.
What do you all think?
TL;DR -- a bit about my timeline.
1. Started Manhattan's online course January 2020. Got laid off in March 2020 after just starting a new job. It was a soul crushing defeat that affected me a lot mentally amidst peak COVID lock downs.
2. Spent 7-8 months looking for work and also studying.. having gone through this now, I would not have done that. I didn't have the right mindset to learn GMAT topics while also looking for work and fearing rejection. I have sat through 5 official GMATs - and steadily improved from mid 500's to 700 on my latest score. I've kept a 650, a 690 I got in March 2021 and the latest 700.
3. Family helped me get a tutor. The tutor helped me on improving verbal.. but a year out from that training I regressed on the Verbal score. The tutor also told me to skip every 4th quant problem. It helped on practice GMAT's but when I was taking the actual course I felt more anxiety because skipping was basically admitting that I did not have that full comprehension. It just didn't sit right.
4. Did independent studying. Mostly taking OG tests.. but not really seeing any improvement.
5. January/February 2021 -- after starting new job in late 2020 and feeling relatively settled in, I decided to pick GMAT studying back up and find a new prep software.
6. I did some research and came across Target Test Prep. I wish I had started with TTP. This is my experience, but the training and repetition and deep focus on learning (along with the supportive quotes along the way) and the UX of the program are excellent. I think the design must be based on their research on people that have come out of American public schools and having a deep fear of math... because I saw my most significant improvement from following the TTP program.
About me:
East Asian male (ABC), 28, worked in a few high growth tech startups in business operations and program management. Consistent track record of same-company promotions. Undergrad - UC Merced, 3.5 GPA, studied Economics, extracurriculars while in school focused on entrepreneurship / innovation.
10 Oct 2021, 14:34
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Hi HiimNick.
First, we can get something out of the way. The idea that you should guess on every fourth quant question when taking the GMAT is not good, and here's why. For one thing, the GMAT rewards streaks of correct answers by presenting you with harder questions that are worth more. So, if you guess on every fourth question, you'll break up your streaks and keep yourself from getting as many high value hard questions as you would get with longer streaks. Even worse, in guessing on every fourth question, you may guess on and miss an easy question, a move that can really hurt your score. So, don't guess on every fourth question. If you must guess, guess on a few questions that you are having real trouble with. Alternatively, just click through the last few questions of the section if you don't finish on time.
OK, having gotten that out of the way, let's consider your next moves.
For verbal, you can for sure drive your verbal score higher by using the TTP Verbal Course. It's super comprehensive, and people regularly use it to achieve verbal scores in the upper 40s and 50s. So, it could certainly be worthwhile to put a bit more time into the GMAT, develop your verbal skills, and get a mid-700s level score.
If you decide to go that route, you could get some insights from this post that you could use to maximize the results you get from your verbal prep.
How to Score High on GMAT Verbal
Meanwhile, you could keep strengthening your quant skills one area at a time, by reviewing the concepts involved in each area of quant and doing practice questions specific to that area. By doing so, you could lock in a Q47 or higher quant score. Maybe you'd get to Q49+.
First, we can get something out of the way. The idea that you should guess on every fourth quant question when taking the GMAT is not good, and here's why. For one thing, the GMAT rewards streaks of correct answers by presenting you with harder questions that are worth more. So, if you guess on every fourth question, you'll break up your streaks and keep yourself from getting as many high value hard questions as you would get with longer streaks. Even worse, in guessing on every fourth question, you may guess on and miss an easy question, a move that can really hurt your score. So, don't guess on every fourth question. If you must guess, guess on a few questions that you are having real trouble with. Alternatively, just click through the last few questions of the section if you don't finish on time.
OK, having gotten that out of the way, let's consider your next moves.
For verbal, you can for sure drive your verbal score higher by using the TTP Verbal Course. It's super comprehensive, and people regularly use it to achieve verbal scores in the upper 40s and 50s. So, it could certainly be worthwhile to put a bit more time into the GMAT, develop your verbal skills, and get a mid-700s level score.
If you decide to go that route, you could get some insights from this post that you could use to maximize the results you get from your verbal prep.
How to Score High on GMAT Verbal
Meanwhile, you could keep strengthening your quant skills one area at a time, by reviewing the concepts involved in each area of quant and doing practice questions specific to that area. By doing so, you could lock in a Q47 or higher quant score. Maybe you'd get to Q49+.
10 Oct 2021, 15:18
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Bookmarks
In case you decide to re-take consider working on Solving Approach for the Verbal. For example, working on a method to ABSORB RC passages (as opposed to only reading through them). All the best.
