Guidance to prepare for second GMAT trial

Question

Hello,

I took my first GMAT May 7th, 2018. I scored 570 Q38 V31. I went into the exam not as prepared as I had hoped, but decided to learn from the experience regardless.

Here's what I covered to prepare for my first trial: OG 2017 & Magoosh

I'm not sure how to most efficiently move forward at this point. I have been reading too many reviews & at this point I am overwhelmed with the amount of work I feel I have to put in.
I would like to end up with a 700. I spent about three months preparing for my first trial (with a lot of procrastination). This time around, I want to have a clear plan of how to tackle this exam successfully, take it one more time & finally be done with it. Hopefully I can finish it in time to catch the first round of MBA applications for academic year of Sept 2019, so ideally by mid August, 2019 I should have my desired score.

I have a few of the MGMAT books on certain topics I felt I could improve & I've been thinking about purchasing EMPOWERGmat & following their 1 month guide. I also still have my magoosh subscription.

Would love to get any feedback/advice from you on how to move forward and get my score asap

. How much time do I need to put in (keeping in mind I work full time)? Which materials should I focus on most?

Thank you!

. How much time do I need to put in (keeping in mind I work full time)? Which materials should I focus on most? Thank you!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amiraa,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, but it sounds like your studies were 'inconsistent.' Now that you've taken the Official GMAT, you can use that experience to better help you to prepare for your next attempt. Raising a 570 to a 700+ will likely require at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study though - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. 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 practice 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

pianopianino · Answer

Hi Rich, Thanks for getting back to me. You're definitely right, my studies were inconsistent. Was really hoping I could do this in 2 months max, but it's all good, I shall invest the time to enjoy the results. - Here are my CAT scores: 1. GMATPrep Free CAT: 530 Q20 V24 2. GMATPrep Exam Pack 1: 480 (seems I didn't record my scaled scores due to how horrible this one was) 3. MGMAT 1: 540 Q38 V27 4. MGMAT 2: 550 Q39 V28 5. GMATPrep Exam Pack 1 (second test): 580 Q39 V31 - I would like to apply for Business School starting Sept 2019. So I'd be submitting applications Sept - Dec 2018. - Haven't narrowed down the schools yet, but I would like to try my luck with Ivy league schools + McGill, UBC & University of Toronto. - I can consistently put in 20 - 22 hrs a week. Looking forward to your response! Thank you!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amiraa,

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 recent CAT score results - along with your Official GMAT Score - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 560 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. You may have developed some 'bad habits' during your prior studies that will take time to 'fix' (and replace with new 'good habits'). Your ability to change how you 'see' (and respond to) the overall Exam will be key to hitting your Score Goal. You have plenty of time before the Round 1 and Round 2 application deadlines though - which is good.

Given everything that you've described, I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat 3-Month Study Plan to be quite helpful. 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 just let me know.

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

pianopianino · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thank you for your advice. I have been looking into the EMPOWERGmat program & wanted to get your feedback regarding following the 2 month study plan instead. My logic is that in the event of any work/personal interruptions to my study schedule, my studying may stretch out to 2.5 months. On the other hand, I would be really stressed if my studying stretched to 3.5-4 months if I choose to adopt the 3 month plan.

I could definitely make a better decision if you could let me know of the following;

1. What is the difference between the 2 & 3 month study plans? Do they both consist of the same material to be covered but only compressed for the 2 month plan? 
2. Is the 2 month plan in any way more intense? More hours must be put in per week?

With your expert advice, please let me know if I would be able to hit 700 using the 2 month EMPOWERGmat study plan.

Thank you!
Amira

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amiraa,

I understand your concerns, but there isn't really a way to 'rush' the improvement process. Plenty of Test Takers rush through the process of answering lots of practice questions though - and end up NOT improving as much as they could have. The type of score improvement that you're after requires skills that take time to develop - and if you want to consistently score at that higher level, then you can't expect to try to 'cram' your studies (roughly 90% of Test Takers never score that high, regardless of how long they study - so you don't want to purposely make the process more difficult by limiting the amount of time that you want to study). The full 2-Month Study Plan essentially compresses the 3-Month schedule into that shorter timeframe; while some of our Clients have made great strides in shorter timeframes, the historical data shows the potential for much bigger gains with the 3-Month schedule.

No one here knows what you are capable of (as far as your 'peak' GMAT Score is concerned) so you might be able to hit your Goal in 2 months. You can certainly start off with that Plan - and switch over to the 3-Month plan if needed.

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

pianopianino · Answer

Hi Rich,

So I got really busy with work since taking my GMAT on May 7th, 2018. I was not able to restart my preparation at all. I wanted to touch base with you as I'm feeling a lack of motivation & a new wave of stress coming my way that I haven't resumed my studies yet. I also just learned that I have a business trip Aug 22 - Sep 2. I feel like a disruption so late in my preparation cannot be good. So ideally, I would prefer to take the exam right before Aug 22.

Do you still think I should adopt the EMPOWERGmat 3 month study plan? Would a goal of at least 680 be achievable by mid August? Given I put in 2 hours every weekday & 4-5 hours on the weekend.

Is there any other approach you would recommend?

Thank you!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Amiraa,

A planned Test Date right before August 22nd would give you over 2.5 months of potential study time (assuming that there were no big 'disruptions' during that time) - so you could potentially improve a great deal. From your last post, I think you're asking if there is some way to work through a 'checklist' to guarantee a score of 680+. Unfortunately, the GMAT doesn't really work that way. 85% of Test Takers never score that high; in addition, having the ability to hit that Score doesn't necessarily mean that you will (you also have to train for all of the various aspects of Test Day - not just the Test content).

Regardless of how you choose to approach this next phase of your studies, we won't know how well you're actually progressing until you get back into 'study mode', put in the necessary training time to learn and practice the proper Tactics and then take your next practice CAT (in a realistic fashion that matches up with what you'll face on Test Day). This is all meant to say that you cannot afford to procrastinate any longer if you want to hit your goal in the timeframe that you've described - so you have to commit to a plan and get back to work.

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

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