What prep test should I take?

Question

Hi guys 
I’ve started GMAT preparation a week ago and planning to take it in 10 weeks. I was wondering how many prep test should I take and in what order? 
I really want to track my progress and get a realistic view of my abilities before the actual test. It would be better to take each every week?

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Farzaneh,

In a prior post, you stated that you took a practice CAT, but that you 'paused' the Exam repeatedly and skipped the Essay and IR sections. Unfortunately, that's NOT a realistic way to assess your skills, so it would be a good idea to take a new FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test. You can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi

Most Accurate Tests are Official Test EP1 and EP2 to get realistic view of your abilities before the actual test. After GMAC tests Manhattan test are good enough.

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi,

10 weeks is good enough to achieve your dream scores if you study dedicatedly for that period. Although it's important to take mocks, It is also important to know what you learn from each one of them. If you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in Quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them.

The best Mocks to practice from is GMATPREP EP1 and EP2. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas.

Further another advantage of taking mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that.

Hope this helps. All the best.

mbaaspirant80 · Answer

hi farzenah,

There is no boundation. You can write as many test as required . it totally depends on the time you have .
I would suggest, you first you write one diagnostic test and see where you land .
Based on your week areas , you should work on

Farzaneh · Answer

Hi

Thanks for your response. 1. I'm planning to get something around 660, however, a 630 would be fair enough too. 2. I'm applying by the end of December 2017, for fall 2018. 3. I'm applying for PhD programs in Marketing. UA, ASU and FSU are the dream ones! I actually took a muck form MGMAT last week after 2 weeks of prep and scored 530! I didn't get to 10 last V questions because of time. I'm planning to take another one this week though.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Farzaneh,

In that same earlier post-thread that I mentioned, you stated that you had received a low score when you took the GRE. Assuming that you took this recent practice CAT in a realistic fashion - and that this 350 is a realistic assessment of your Test-taking skills, then you might have some 'weak spots' when it comes to taking Standardized Tests - and you will likely need to adjust your study plan and application timeline. The end of December is less than 2.5 months away, but it would likely take you at least another 3 months (or more) of consistent, guided study to raise a 350 to a 630+.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
2) What are the exact application deadlines for each of the Schools that you plan to apply to? If there are later application deadlines for those Schools, then what are those deadlines?

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

Farzaneh · Answer

Hi Farzaneh,

In that same earlier post-thread that I mentioned, you stated that you had received a low score when you took the GRE. Assuming that you took this recent practice CAT in a realistic fashion - and that this 350 is a realistic assessment of your Test-taking skills, then you might have some 'weak spots' when it comes to taking Standardized Tests - and you will likely need to adjust your study plan and application timeline. The end of December is less than 2.5 months away, but it would likely take you at least another 3 months (or more) of consistent, guided study to raise a 350 to a 630+.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
2) What are the exact application deadlines for each of the Schools that you plan to apply to? If there are later application deadlines for those Schools, then what are those deadlines?

My apologies! In CAT that I took last week, I got a 530 not 350! 
1. I can invest 45 hours weekly for my GMAT prep
2. The latest one is December 30th! So my timeline is not really flexible.
You think I should postpone the test?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Farzaneh,

There's a significant difference between a 350 and a 530, so if you actually scored 530 on this recent practice CAT, then you're in a much better position to hit 630+ than we originally discussed. That having been said, you will likely still need at least 2 months of consistent, guided study to get up to that level. In addition, 45 hours/week would be a LOT of study time. With that 'volume', you would run the risk of 'burning out' before your Test Date, so you have to be careful about monitoring how you're feeling and how well you're performing during your practice.

1) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on this 530?
2) At the time of your original post, you stated that you were planning to take the GMAT in about 10 weeks. That would be right around December 2nd (which would give you about 6 weeks of study time remaining). Is that still your planned Test Date?
3) Since you're planning to apply to at least 3 different Schools, we really need to know the application deadlines for ALL of them (so that we can plan your studies accordingly). You listed just one of the deadlines (the last one), but what are the others?

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

Farzaneh · Answer

Thanks for your reply

1. I got 25 V and 38 Q on the first MGMAT test. (I didn't have time to get to 10 last verbal questions though!) 2.Actually, now I'm thinking when is the earliest time than I can take it? since I'm currently enrolled and doing my master thesis and a lot of things going on It would be better for me to just take it ASAP. Also since I've been studying whole summer for GRE, as a non-native EN speaker who has no background in math it really took me a while to arrive where I'm right now. I'm already exhausted though!! 3. I have a list of 9 programs that I'm applying for, the earliest deadline is Dec 15 and the latest is Dec 31. But I'm thinking to take the test by the end on Nov at most to have time for the other part of my application. I'll take another CAP this weekend to see where am I right now. I'm following Magoosh 3 month study plan for beginners and I've finished the first 5 weeks. So you think can I reach a 650 or something around 630 by this timeline?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Farzaneh,

We'll need to see how this next practice CAT goes, but you've described a number of details about your situation that now make me think that it will take longer than 2 months to hit a score of 660+. If you continue to have issues with the Verbal section (including pacing), then those issues, combined with your lack of math 'background' and your busy schedule would make it difficult to improve 130+ points in a short period of time (so that you can take the GMAT "as soon as possible"). If your application(s) hinge on your an Official GMAT Score in the mid-600s, then the application deadlines don't matter UNTIL you hit that score.

For your next CAT, you must make sure to take it in as realistic a fashion as possible (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back here and we can discuss how best to proceed.

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

Farzaneh · Answer

Ok! I just took my second CAT from MGMAT and scored a 560; not that much improvement

Q stayed the same 38 and V increased by 3, 28. I'm planning to take my first GMAT one month from now, so I can save additional 20 days if the first try comes short. So now, you think can I hit a 650 or around in this time? Also, I did not have pacing issue this time for V which was big deal previous time. I have seen people here sying that MGMAT is a bit harder in Q section than the actual test. Is that true?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Farzaneh,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your 2 CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 550 +/- a few points). While the MGMAT CATs are generally regarded as being a bit tougher than the Official GMAT, that does NOT necessarily mean that you would score a lot higher on the Official GMAT if you took it today. Given all of the information that you've provided, you will probably still end up needing 2 months of consistent, guided study to raise this score to a 650+.

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

mbaaspirant80 · Answer

Hi 
Although Gprep tests are the best representative of actual test, I tried expert gloal 15 tests and find those useful and very near to gprep.
You can get them freely. There is one thread on gclub. You can ask them for access code and you will receive Pm with access code.
good luck

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