GMAT 640 then 590, stuck!need help

Question

hello,
So this is my story, I gave my GMAT the first time a couple of months ago, I couldn't keep up with my prep plan, since I work full time, in fact during the last few days before my test day I gave up studying and to take the attempt to familiarize myself with the difficulty level, environment etc. I wouldn't say I had not prepared but it was not a build up that you would usually get to hear from people going for GMAT. Anyway, so the first casual attempt got 640; Q=41 (48 perc) and V=36 (80 perc) with 9 in analytical essay and a shameful 0 in integrated reasoning (neither did I practice IR nor did I care much about it during the exam). I wanted to apply to Ivy league universities or at least top 20 in the world and that would clearly require me to score something around 700 (and a little more than 0 in IR).

So I had my second attempt today, I worked harder this time around I was more consistent, covered more material and took two practice tests(with scores of 590 and 560 in sequence) as compared to 0 practice test before first attempt. And lo and behold! I scored 590! I cancelled my score because it was farther from what I wanted. As far as I can remember, I scored v=31 (71 perc)and Q=38 (40 perc), the only positive was I had 7 in IR which was 81 percentile.

What would you guys suggest I do now? I tried harder, fell harder. I cant just go ahead with 640 and a zero in IR and expect to get an admission. Even if I did not have 0 in IR, 640 wouldn't have been enough because I would have 3 years of experience by August, a gold medal in my BS(computer sciences) with a not so fancy cgpa of 3.4 . And if it matters I am from Pakistan.

Would really appreciate any advice!

Regards

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi salickk,

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) How long did you study before each of your attempts at the GMAT?
2) What materials have you used?

3) What is your goal score?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

salickk · Answer

Hey, First of all I am so glad to hear from you! Thanks

1)for my first attempt I studied for 2 months taking classes.by the end of my classes,unfortunately, a personal tragedy struck and I lost my focus.so by the time I recovered it was good 3 months after my last class. Although I did study on and off but nothing considerably consistent.hence I gave my first attempt to test the waters.Also,I took no practice tests before this so this was supposed to be my practice test. Before my second attempt I studied for around 15 days. 1 hour daily with more focus on quant. I mainly did sentence correction in verbal.and took two prep tests through gmat official software. 2)I used Manhattan prep guidebooks for lessons and questions.I used official GMAT guide for practice questions. 3)I want to score 700. 4)I want to apply for fall 17 so that means I submit my applications starting from aug-sept this year. I hope I have answered sufficiently. Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi salickk,

I'm sorry to hear about some of the struggles that you have faced during your studies, but it doesn't sound like you've put in the necessary effort yet to score 700+. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so while you can still hit your score goal you will have to commit to a more structured (and longer) study routine.

Based on what you've described, you were never scoring in the 700+ range during practice, so it's unclear why you would take the Official GMAT (twice) when there was no evidence that you were close to your goal. Before we discuss how you might continue to study and improve, have you thought about which Schools/Programs you plan to apply to?

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

salickk · Answer

The reason I gave it the first time was because of a pending University application that required GMAT Score (but didnt have a specified range). It was basically for Commonwealth scholarship program.

When I scored 640 almost casually, I felt that a little more effort would help stretch it to 700 or even late 600s. However, clearly that wasn't the case.

I now plan to apply for Fall 17, that means I should be ready with my applications by the end of August. Few of the MBA programs that I am targeting are Jhonson Business School (Cornell), Tepper (CMU), Said Business School (Oxford), UC Berkley. I will be shortlisting 5 programs that I would like to apply to by the end of this month but for any of the programs the closer my GMAT score will be to 700 the better it is (And yes I do understand that GMAT is only one component of my application, I am working on other elements too).

Ideally, I would like to get done with GMAT (and hopefully with a 700 in July at latest) so that I can work on finalizing other elements of my application.

Thanks

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi salickk,

You've named some highly competitively Schools, so a higher GMAT score would absolutely be helpful to your applications.

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +-30 points of actual ability. Using your two Official Scores as reference, you're current ability level is likely in the low-600s. Thankfully, you CAN train to score at a higher level, but you're going to have to learn to 'see' (and respond to) the GMAT in new ways. This will require that you invest in some new materials and learn/practice some new Tactics. With a potential re-test Date in July, you could have upwards of 2 months of potential study time, so you could significantly raise your score during that time (you'll have to plan to study consistently during that time though).

When do you plan to re-start your studies?

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

salickk · Answer

Hello Rich,
I am planning to start from this Monday again. I plan to give quant and verbal equal time now (previously it was a ratio of 80-20 in favor of quant as I find myself weaker in quant). I intend to dedicate 2 hours of study time in the evening everyday, I have a full time day job. And on Sundays I would take the practice test (although I have taken the official GMAT Prep tests before my attempt, don't know if taking them again will serve the purpose).

You mentioned new material, I am short of it. Can you please suggest good materials and practice tests sources? I would prefer material closer to actual GMAT, do not want to keep practicing on easier stuff and giving myself an illusion of improvement.

In the end, when I find that I am able to get 85%+ correct answers in both verbal and quant, I will make my third attempt (and hopefully final one). Ideally I would want this stage to come by the end of June but even if it stretches to mid-end of July I would keep up with the practice schedules.

This time it seems to be the hardest to gather myself for another rough though.

Thanks

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi salickk,

With your Official Scores, you have a decent understanding of the 'basics', but you could probably benefit from a bit of a 'refresher' in both Quant and Verbal content. Going forward in your studies, you should be focused a bit more on Tactics and pattern-matching. With a score goal of 700+, you also have to work on the 'precision' in your work - eliminating little mistakes will be a must. You will NOT have to get 85% of the questions correct to hit your score goal, but you will have to nail the 'gettable' questions.

Based on everything that you’ve described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Total Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in well under 2 months, so the time commitment wouldn't be that bad. We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an Account.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

GMAT 640 then 590, stuck!need help

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