Very low diagnostic score

Question

Hi everyone.
I have scored 400 in my GMAT Prep diagnostic test. Please help me out whether I can expect score above 700?

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mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Kartikparekh , I'm happy to respond.

My friend, right now, you are below the 30th percentile and you want to get above the 90th percentile. In order to do that, you are going to have to outperform more than half the GMAT test-taking population. In other words, whatever other people do, in terms the material they use, the study strategies they employ, etc.---all of that, the maximum of what other people do, has to be the absolute bare minimum of what you do. If this is going to be possible, you have to devote your life to the GMAT. You have to generate diligent & dedication & commitment & will-power far beyond what most people studying for the GMAT are able to manifest. You have to push yourself 100 times harder then you have ever pushed yourself for anything before. In no part of your studying can you settle for what other people would do; in every aspect, you will have push yourself to the point of blood, sweat, and tears. You see, no study plan alone, no magic set of books or collection of tips is going to be sufficient. Yes, find all the tips you can, follow a good study plan, but all that is the bare minimum. If you are going to accomplish this, you will have to embrace that habits of excellence in every aspect of your life. Again, for each one of those, you have to pursue it more assiduously than almost everyone else taking the GMAT. If you are going to do this, basically you have to abandon almost all leisure activities. This will cut into the time in all your personal relationships. You will need to eat with the GMAT, commute with the GMAT, etc. Every moment of every day needs to be reoriented to the habits of excellence. Even with all that, even with the utmost of effort, you may not break that 700 threshold. You can't even attach to that. If you push yourself as hard as you can, then you will know that you have done your very best. The question really is: how badly do you want this? How hard are you willing to work? What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve this goal? You have to be brutally honest with yourself about these questions, because if you are not 100% in, then it won't be worth it. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions. Does all this make sense? Mike

Kartikparekh · Answer

Thank You Mike !
I did not mention in my post earlier i have scored (Q30,V19). Please recommend me a strategy for verbal. further how much score improvement is possiable in verbal with constant study of 6 hrs per day for 1-2 months?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Kartikparekh,

Raising a 400 to a 700+ will likely take at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Unfortunately, the goal to raise your score 300+ points in just 1-2 months is likely too difficult to be considered realistic, which means that you will likely need to adjust your plans a bit. 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:

Studies:
1) What study materials do you currently possess?
2) When you took this CAT, did you take the FULL Exam (including the Essay and IR sections)?

Goals:
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
4) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Kartikparekh , I'm happy to respond.

First of all, here's a three-month GMAT study plan that you should follow to the letter. That's an example of what most people would do. That you have to do, with the utmost level of diligence and dedication--and that's just the start for you. Here are some GMAT flashcard sets: math and idioms . Drill those until you know every single one cold. For verbal improvement, you need to read. You need to develop a habit of reading, at least an hour a day--this is a hour a day above and beyond any work you do, say, following that study schedule. See: How to Improve Your GMAT Verbal Score You need to read the business news in English and you need to push yourself to read difficult academic topics in English, topics that are well outside your comfort zone. You need to be a very active reader, writing down words you don't know so you can look up the definitions and writing down grammatical structures you don't understand--you can always post a sentence here on GMAT Club, in the SC forum, and ask experts to explain the grammar. For math, don't touch a calculator again between now and the time you take the GMAT. Start practicing mental math. Magoosh has a series of lessons on mental math. You need to be a pro at all kinds of mental math. Those are some concrete suggestions. Let me know if you have further questions. Mike

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Learn the concepts tested on GMAT. After learning, practice your learned section with timed practice. You can also take quizzes to meet the pace of GMAT. 1 Month for learning concepts and 15 days of practice and same with the verbal. When completed all the concepts learning and handsome practice. Take full lenght CATs, know your estimated score. Analyze the result with Correct/incorrect questions, pacing analysis trace your mistakes and learn from them, make an error log to know your mistakes in the previously attempted questions

Best Mocks

1. Official GMAC (50+50$)
2. Manhattan GMAT (49$)

rohan2345 · Answer

Hi Kartikparekh, You should dedicate around 4 months to improve your score. It’s a good thing you have given a GMAT PREP test. You now know your weaknesses and work on them. If you are willing to study dedicatedly for 4 months, you are sure to achieve your goal. I believe you may benefit from taking an additional GMATPREP course to solidify your concepts. If you are willing, there are some great GMAT prep companies that can help you with your preparation. In order to make an informed decision I would highly encourage you to go to their websites and try on their free trial and decide for yourself which one do you like better. You try out free access to EmpowerGMAT, Magoosh and Optimus Prep as they have great reviews on GMATCLUB. Also for verbal, I would highly encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses especially designed for non-natives. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market. You can easily track your progress in that you can identify your strengths and analyze and improve on your weak areas. I must add that 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. Further taking multiple mocks might help. 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 many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that. I would also encourage you to purchase the latest version of OG and the verbal review for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision. https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... 68383.html Hope this helps. All the best!

Kartikparekh · Answer

Thank you Everyone! 
@MpowerGmatRich - I just started studying from 1st december and as recommended from some of my friends I gave GmatPrep free mock( all four sections). I am planning to appear for my GMAT in February 2018. I have all the books of MGMAT. I have also enrolled for E-GMAT videos for both sections + I have OG 2018.
Thank you in Anticipation !

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Kartikparekh,

Since you're currently working through a Course/Study Plan, it would make sense for you to continue with that plan for now. You've been studying for just 2 weeks, so you shouldn't expect to have 'mastered' any part of this process yet. In a couple of weeks, you should plan to take a new, FULL-LENGTH CAT. Once you have that next score, you should post back and we can gauge how well you're improving and whether any adjustments should be made. To reiterate a prior point, a February Test Date is just 1.5 - 2.5 months away (depending on how early/late you plan to take the GMAT in that month), but you will likely need more time than that to hit your Goal Score.

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

Very low diagnostic score

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