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Engineer1
Joined: 01 Jan 2014
Last visit: 07 May 2026
Posts: 195
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 457
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Finance
Schools: Booth (Chicago) (M$)
07 Aug 2023, 16:03
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All,
BACKGROUND:
I took my GMAT today after about 2 months of dedicated preparation and the performance was awful. I had taken 4 CATs during this time period (including the first GMAT Prep Diagnostic test) alongside doing regular practice. I used Manhattan materials to study and I found them helpful. I have mostly solved OG materials, MGMAT, and of course GMAT Club Forum Quiz (majority OG, Magoosh, Veritas). I observed that my performance in the practice has not been consistent. Some days I get more than 80% of medium and hard (650+ through 800) questions correct, while some days I get below 50% correct (# of question solved typically ranges between 20-30 at one go. This info is to justify the percentage of correct). In two of my practice tests, timing was an issue and I got penalized for not answering all questions. I made sure to time all my practice sessions and gradually my pace improved as compared to my previous pace. At this time, I don't think the quantity of my practice has been necessarily low - I have solved at least 1000+ questions. I lack a solid strategy (including how to think fast) to tackle my performance in a timed environment.
Here is an overview of my CAT performance:
OG practice 1: 530 (don't recall)
OG Practice 2: 570 (w/ penalty)
MGMAT: 630 (w/o penatly)
MGMAT: 630 (w/ penatly) My performance did not improve. I had thought I addressed the drawbacks in previous tests and practice sessions. I always reflect and go over what went wrong and why.
Official GMAT: BAD
WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR:
I am aiming for 680-690. I'll apply part time to US B-schools because I work full as time as an Engineering Manager (stressful!!). I will give myself 1.5 more months. I need someone (an expert) to help me with a strategy to improve the way I solve problems and one that I can apply at the GMAT exam. Moreover, if anyone is on the same boat as I am on and has received 670+ recently, please connect with me. I am not looking for private tutoring. I prefer going at my pace. Thank you.
bb Bunuel KarishmaB AjiteshArun ScottTargetTestPrep
BACKGROUND:
I took my GMAT today after about 2 months of dedicated preparation and the performance was awful. I had taken 4 CATs during this time period (including the first GMAT Prep Diagnostic test) alongside doing regular practice. I used Manhattan materials to study and I found them helpful. I have mostly solved OG materials, MGMAT, and of course GMAT Club Forum Quiz (majority OG, Magoosh, Veritas). I observed that my performance in the practice has not been consistent. Some days I get more than 80% of medium and hard (650+ through 800) questions correct, while some days I get below 50% correct (# of question solved typically ranges between 20-30 at one go. This info is to justify the percentage of correct). In two of my practice tests, timing was an issue and I got penalized for not answering all questions. I made sure to time all my practice sessions and gradually my pace improved as compared to my previous pace. At this time, I don't think the quantity of my practice has been necessarily low - I have solved at least 1000+ questions. I lack a solid strategy (including how to think fast) to tackle my performance in a timed environment.
Here is an overview of my CAT performance:
OG practice 1: 530 (don't recall)
OG Practice 2: 570 (w/ penalty)
MGMAT: 630 (w/o penatly)
MGMAT: 630 (w/ penatly) My performance did not improve. I had thought I addressed the drawbacks in previous tests and practice sessions. I always reflect and go over what went wrong and why.
Official GMAT: BAD
WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR:
I am aiming for 680-690. I'll apply part time to US B-schools because I work full as time as an Engineering Manager (stressful!!). I will give myself 1.5 more months. I need someone (an expert) to help me with a strategy to improve the way I solve problems and one that I can apply at the GMAT exam. Moreover, if anyone is on the same boat as I am on and has received 670+ recently, please connect with me. I am not looking for private tutoring. I prefer going at my pace. Thank you.
bb Bunuel KarishmaB AjiteshArun ScottTargetTestPrep
Updated on: 18 Mar 2025, 22:01
Originally posted by AjiteshArun on 07 Aug 2023, 20:02.
Last edited by AjiteshArun on 18 Mar 2025, 22:01, edited 1 time in total.
Last edited by AjiteshArun on 18 Mar 2025, 22:01, edited 1 time in total.
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Engineer1
Hi Engineer1,
You've asked some interesting questions.
1. I normally recommend that test takers who are looking to get faster target SC, specifically through deep understanding of the concepts tested in SC. This approach takes more time in the beginning, but can result in major improvements in timing. Here's an example of very good SC timing (normal CR and RC): https://youtu.be/jlqRmLsoU2E?t=155
Amount of practice (quantity) to me is secondary. I strongly recommend that you make concepts your primary focus.
2. More generally, we shouldn't look for a way to think fast. Trying to do that may actually hurt comprehension (and reduce your score). Actual improvements in speed come mainly through familiarity and focused practice.
3. It's good to see that you take the time to analyse your performance and think about how you can improve. Continue doing this.
4. I understand that you're not looking for private tutoring, but if you think feedback on your approach (the way you solve questions) could be helpful, I'm running (free) SC sessions Sundays, 10 AM India time.
Feel free to ask any follow-up questions here or at _.
07 Aug 2023, 23:29
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Engineer1
I am assuming you are looking for a 100-150 point increase and that improvement is required in both Verbal and Quant.
1. I suggest you to not leave any question unanswered, even if you run out of time. Say you have 1 min left with 5 questions remaining. For each question, take your best guess in a few seconds. When you leave questions unanswered, the software assumes that you answered them incorrectly. So your score slides down. But if you guess and even 1 or 2 of your guesses pan out, you end up with a better score.
2. I would ignore the practice tests results now since you have an actual official test score. Check out the ESR if possible. It is not necessary that it will give you a lot of information (say if the performance was similar in most topics) but sometimes it does provide great insights regarding both content and strategy. Identify your weaknesses to know what to work on specifically.
3. It will be a good idea to go through the complete content of a test prep company. There will likely be many gaps in your concepts that you would be able to plug. For a 680, you need great fundamentals and good timing but you don't need to worry about advanced applications. There are enough on-demand courses available and you can choose any of them.
For the free trial of my course, you can register here: https://anaprep.com
