GMAT Prep Advice

Question

Hi guys,

I gave my gmat on Oct 31st 2017, and got a 560 (Q45 V22 IR6), i know its very bad. Feeling bad, because I scored a 580 in my first ever GmatPrep Mock, and my official gmat was lower than that.

only 10 days prior to the date i was able to complete take off from work and concentrate on the prep. I need some advice on how to improve my verbal to 40 and quant to 49+.

I used the following resources for my prep:
GMAT Club tests
PowerScore Critical Reasoning Bible
Manhattan SC Guide
GMATClub forum
OG 2013 - early prep days

I feel SC is very tricky, I pick the wrong answer quite confidently.

From where do i start my verbal prep, especially SC?
For quant, what type of questions should i keep practicing to improve my score?

Planning to give my gmat in a month, around 15th of December. 
Looking for suggestions, thank you.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi nikithaiyer5,

To hit your Score Goal, you're going to have to make some significant changes to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections - and all of that training will likely take at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study. As such, you might need to consider pushing back your Test Date. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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 have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each)?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
4) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

nikithaiyer5 · Answer

1.
GMAT Prep1: 580
GMAT Prep2: 620 
Dont remember the split up

MGMAT 1: 580 (Q43 V27)
MGMAT 2: 600 (Q44 V30)
MGMAT 3: 640 (Q43 V35)

In gmat club tests, I was scoring around 44-47 in quant.

2. I'm planning to apply in R2.

3. Not sure about the complete list of schools I will be applying to, but HBS, Haas and Yale are on my list for sure.

4. I can spend around 5-6 hrs a day, some days even more. I have this luxury only till Dec mid, so want to make the most of it.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi nikithaiyer5,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Your 'range' might be +/- 40 points though, so assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your CAT Scores - and your Official GMAT Score - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 600 +/- a few points). Although you did not explicitly state it, your Score Goal is around 720/730. Unfortunately, the goal to raise a 600 to a 720+ in a little over 5 weeks is likely too difficult to be considered realistic. You will likely need at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study to get to the point that you consistently score 720+ on your CATs.

The Schools that you've named are all highly-competitive, so having a strong GMAT Score will be a 'must'; in addition, you'll need a strong OVERALL profile AND you'll need to properly 'market yourself' to each individual School that you apply to.

You say that you want to apply for Round 2, but what are the EXACT application deadlines for the Schools that you plan to apply to?

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

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