NEED TO IMPROVE OVERALL SCORE

Question

I gave my gmat exam today i got 540. Q35 V29. How can I improve both? I have been following princeton review books and practising from gmat OG 13. please help.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi kedarashi,

Before I offer any suggestions, I'd like to know a bit more about how you've been studying so far:

1) What is your score goal?
2) How long have you been studying?
3) Other than the books that you mentioned, what other GMAT resources have you used?
4) How were you scoring on your practice CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
5) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) each time?

The GMAT is a predictable, standardized Test, so you CAN train to score at a high level.

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

kedarashi · Answer

Hi,

1) What is your score goal? 
 My goal is for top univ only so I am assuming 700 atleast which seems far fetched right now.
2) How long have you been studying?
 I have been studying for 3 months atleast
3) Other than the books that you mentioned, what other GMAT resources have you used? 
I have just Veritas prep online question bank, gmat prep a bit.
4) How were you scoring on your practice CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)? 
I scored 570 overall is mock Q 30 V35.
5) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) each time? 
Yes I score 5.5 on Essays. I havent been working on IR much.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi kedarashi,

Your Official Score and practice CAT scores are interesting in that the overall scores are fairly close, but the Scaled Scores vary a bit. This means that you have a problem with consistency and you're making too many little mistakes.

Your study approach was "book heavy"; many Test Takers get "stuck" at a certain scoring level when they do too much book-work, so it's likely that this happened to you. A 700+ score is the 90th percentile, meaning that 90% of Test Takers either CAN'T or WON'T do what it takes to score at that level. Most Test Takers can't score at that level without some form of consistent, professional guidance - the kind that comes from a Course (either Guided Self-Study or Instructor Led). As such, you're going to have to change your approach and likely invest in some new computer-based resources.

Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free resources (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) so that you can "test out" a product before you buy it. You should take advantage of all of these options, then decide if the material helped you to improve. Ultimately, you're looking for a Course that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

GMATPill · Answer

You can improve through a course or even practice online through another question bank like the GMAT Pill Practice Pill Platform: www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-test/

Before you go to bed, try to recall your lessons from that day and internalize them. Then wake up the next day and make note of them again - this will help you to adjust your thinking so next time you won't make the same mistakes.

JTuquero · Answer

Hi kedarashi, Are you keeping an error log? If so, I'd be interested in hearing the type of questions that you consistently have trouble with. Also, since you're looking to boost your score to 700, I would recommend taking an online course and seeing a tutor. This approach is helpful in determining different approaches to problems that you consistently stump you. As Rich and GMAT Pill mentioned, you can try out different products before committing to one. Here's a link to a free trial to the Economist GMAT Tutor: https://econgm.at/freetrialoffer. Best of luck!

manyatpr · Answer

Hi,

When a score does not go beyond 29 on the verbal there could be 2 reasons 
1) the SC is going wrong and 
2) you are spending too much time on the killer questions.

You would have to improve your pacing of the test and perfect an approach to test taking. 
Maybe you should join classroom sessions and take help of experienced teachers.

OptimusPrep · Answer

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