Help Needed - Gmat Prep

Question

Hi,

Could someone help me out to find where I'm doing things wrong?

I recently took GMAT for the 2nd time and my score was 590 (Q - 44 ; V - 27). I scored 580(Q - 43; V - 27) at my 1st attempt of GMAT. I had a good long 3 months between the first and the second attempt. I made use of the 3-month study plan in this website and a made a schedule. But, I admit that I did not stick with this schedule. I'm a 2nd shift ( 2 PM - 11 PM) IT employee and I did find it hard to cope up with the schedule. I was not able to take the "full practice tests" during the weekends but I was able to practice/study regularly during the weekdays for around 3-5 hours. The speed at which I started preparing for my 2nd attempt slowed down after a while. Days rolled by and when it was 2 weeks before the test, I started panicking.

I started to question whether I could get the score I aimed for in the 2nd attempt. As I lacked that confidence because of the sloppy preparation, I decided to postpone the GMAT. But unfortunately, I couldn't postpone without paying the full penalty as the exam date was within one week. So, I had no other choice to take the GMAT again. I had 5 days for the exam and I started trying out all the questions in the OG. I used to attempt 25 questions at a time and got almost all of it correct, every time. The few questions which I answered wrong, I reviewed them and learned from my mistakes. I went to take the GMAT hoping to get at least 30-50 marks more than what I got in my first attempt.

I wrote the AWA section well. IR was a bit hard but I was able to get more than half of it correct. The first time I took the GMAT, I had almost an extra 10 minutes when I completed the Quant-Section. So, I decided to take it slow this time. But ended up answering the last 12 questions in 10 minutes. I don't know how to explain, how I did the verbal section. In my view, I was able to find the mistakes in SC questions and was quite confident about the answers too. Unfortunately, I was proved to be wrong again. It was like the GMAT mocked me when I saw my score.

All I did was self-study using the OG and a few books of MGMAT which I got from my seniors. I find myself typing this here in this website to seek guidance from GMAT experts like you on how should I prepare for my 3rd attempt. I'm not backing down. All my life, I've faced challenging tests and exams but GMAT tops them all. I don't want to be KO'd by GMAT for the 3rd time though.

Questions on my mind for which I need help to figure out the answers:
1. When should I write my next GMAT?
2. What study materials should I use?
3. Should I join any private/online classes to assist me in my prep?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Siv.

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hi Siv,

GMAT needs preparation and perseverance. Going by your post, I understand that you started off well, but were lost in th middle. The last 5 days do not help in the GMAT. The preparation is along process and you need to stick to the schedule to get a good score on the GMAT.

Coming to your questions:

1. When should I write my next GMAT?
You need 3 months to prepare well for your GMAT. And you need to stay focussed and on track for those three months
2. What study materials should I use?
There are many preparatory courses and the come with a free trial too. We offer a 50 point score guarantee and a 3 day free trial. You can opt for the trial and see if the course suits your needs
3. Should I join any private/online classes to assist me in my prep?
You should definitely join a preparatory course. Classroom or not depends on your mode of studying. These modes are usually the costliest, so if you are fine with the budget, go for the classroom course, else a self paced online course should also suffice.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

HI Siv,

You seem to understand how your studies were inconsistent and ultimately incomplete, so with this next round of studies, you have to commit to a more consistent and complete guided Study Plan. You will also have to make time to take FULL-LENGTH CATs (including the Essay and IR sections) at regular intervals so that we can track your progress and determine which areas you will need to put additional study time into.

1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) How many hours can you study during a typical week?

Thankfully, the GMAT is a predictable, standardized Test, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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

siv · Answer

Thanks for your reply Rich. Appreciate it.

To answer your questions,

1. My goal score is anything above 700. I know that I've scored an average 590 and 700 seems to be a long shot but I'm confident that I am capable of scoring the high percentile scores.
2. My plan is to get into b-schools in the fall of 2017. 
3. I can spend a good 3-5 hours during the weekdays and 7-9 hours during the weekends.

Thanks,
Siv.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

HI Siv,

You have plenty of time to study before you're going to apply to Business School, which is good. From these earlier attempts, I think that you understand that you cannot continue to study in this same way and score 700+, so some adjustments will clearly have to be made. Many Test Takers who use a 'book-heavy' study approach tend to get 'stuck' at a particular scoring level and it's likely that this has happened to you as well. As such, you'll probably need to invest in some new non-book study resources that will allow you to study at your own pace.

If your work schedule is fairly consistent, then it's not practical to expect you to study after a full day of work, so you should consider studying BEFORE work. An hour or two a day (with more time spent on the weekends), when your mind is awake, alert and fresh should help you to improve a great deal. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at out site (https://www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

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

GMATPILLBILL · Answer

Hey Siv,

It looks like you need a study plan that you can stick to. Here is a customized 2-3 month study plan that can help boost your score: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... study-plan

Use this as a guideline. You don’t have to follow it exactly but the structure of the study plan should be the same structure that you take in your approach. This helps to optimize your retention and learning.

As you study, we recommend that you focus on one particular subsection for multiple consecutive days before moving onto the next. You can see this in our study plan where we recommend 5 days on nothing but SC -- before moving onto CR and then RC.

Here is a sample SC video to help you start your journey: https://www.gmatpill.com/sentencecorrect ... ythons.mp4

Best of luck - we are here to help.

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