From 540 to 620, and now what to score 720+??

Question

EMPOWERgmatRichC 
Hi! As I promised last week, I have taken a gmat mock test today from Expert's Global.
I got a 620. Q46 and V29. 
Verbal seemed a little bit more difficult than both the official guide questions and the gmat prep test 1. (Expert's Global questions were more about vocabulary...)
Overall: Quant 19/37 correct answers. I have problems in the "Numbers section" and in the "algebraic inequations section." I didn't have problems with time in the quant section, but i did have in the verbal section. I had to guess 4 questions in the RC section.
Verbal: 21/41 correct answers. 4/11 Rc, 7/14 CR, 10/16 SC. But as I said before, the questions were more about vocabulary... So some questions took me a little bit more to understand because of difficult words (og questions seemed easier to me, as I did not have problems in understanding the questions, easy vocabulary...).

What I have been doing recently to improve:
Every day I read 1 or 2 articles from the economist and solved 15+- questions from the official guide (DS, CR and SC). Also, I have been reviewing magoosh math flashcards. 
On another hand, I have noticed that Reading the OG CR explanations takes me a long time, and I end up spending almost all the time reading the CR explanations. Is that correct? Should I solve more questions instead of reading the explanations? I read every solution, even if I get the answer right.
On sundays, I read Manhattan books, or PowerScore CR bible. (I don't solve any questions). I would say Sundays are dedicated to reviewing concepts, strategies,etc.

Any tips for improving? I cannot study more than 3 hours a day.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi patto,

It's interesting that these two practice results are so similar. The Test that you just took is NOT an adaptive CAT, so the fact that you ended up with almost the exact same score as when you took a CAT that included 3 RC prompts that you had already seen is not something that would be expected. That having been said, we can proceed with the idea that you currently have the necessary knowledge and skills to score in the low-600s - and we can discuss how to proceed with the goal of scoring in the 700s.

"Review" is an exceptionally important part of the GMAT training process; your ability to define WHY you're getting questions wrong is essential to defining the areas that you need to work on (and the specific things that you need to 'fix '). As such, I'd like to know a bit more about your performance on this last Test. While a full Mistake Tracker would provide a lot more information, there are some basic questions that you should be able to answer (and the more EXACT you can be with your answers, the better):

After reviewing each section of this recent Test, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math/verbal that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?
5) How many Verbal questions did you 'narrow down to 2 choices' but still get wrong?

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

patto · Answer

Ok! I will try to be as accurate as possible.
18 incorrect answers in Quant.
20 incorrect answers in Verbal.
Then,
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?1Q(Didn't read the question correctly, the question said except...)+1Q (Failed in considering 2 statements together,DS)+1Q (Got the right answer but chose something else in a rush)+1Q (Forget to consider a triangle law, the sum of two sides must be greater than the third side)+ 1Q (Bad approach)+1Q (Bad approach. When I was reviewing the question I could easily solved it)
2) Because there was some math/verbal that you just could not remember how to do?
1Q+1Q (One question in which I had to find the value of a digit in a sum)+1Q(About equations, it was really easy)
3) Because the question was too hard? 1Q(Didn't consider the right numbers to plug in)+1Q+1Q(Prob and Comb)+1Q (Slope)+1Q (odds,evens,mean,median)+ 1Q+1Q (Didn't notice that the highest common factor of two numbers was 1)
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?1Q(had 2 minutes for a question, but then i guessed as I didn't get an answer)+1Q (I could get rid of 2 answers, but not the other and then I had to guess+bad approach) + 1Q (DS, I got to C and E, but I didn't know how to approach C)+1Q (The last question)
5) How many Verbal questions did you 'narrow down to 2 choices' but still get wrong?
6) Their Answer is incorrect? 1Q

EMPOWERgmatRichC , there goes the quant part. I am going to upload the verbal part during the afternoon.

patto · Answer

5) How many Verbal questions did you 'narrow down to 2 choices' but still get wrong? 1SC+1SC
+1CR (i got rid of the correct answer)+1RC+1SC+1CR(got rid of the corrct answer choice)+1SC(got rid of the correct answer choice)+ 1CR+ 1RC+ 1RC (got rid of the correct answer)+1 CR+1CR (got rid of the correct answer)

I got 20 incorrect answers in the verbal part.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi patto,

Based on the information that you've provided, you have opportunities to pick up some serious points in BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. You've admitted to making a number of little mistakes as you worked through the Quant section and missing out on lots of points that came down to 50/50 choices in the Verbal section (which essentially means that you were really close to getting the correct answer, but didn't). Since you're not facing a specific 'deadline' at this point, you can proceed with your studies however you like. You might be able to 'fix' all of these issues on your own (with repetitions and a focus on doing the proper work on the pad). However, that approach might not get you to your Score Gaol and could end up being really inefficient. The 720+ is a score that 90% of Test Takers will never reach (because they either CAN'T or WON'T do what it takes to get to that level). This is meant to say a more-structured, guided Study Plan (with an emphasis on specific Tactics) might be required.

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

patto · Answer

Ok Rich.
Then what do you suggest me to do next? I would like to finish with the GMAT as soon as possible.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi patto,

Assuming that you're current 'ability level' is in the low-600s, then you're likely going to need at least another 2 months of consistent, guided Study to hit your Score Goal. By extension, there's no "fast" way to get through that process. You would likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led), so you should plan to look into the available options.

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 (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.

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

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

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