Study Guide Tips?

Question

Hey everyone,

I've just taken the GMAC's free online CAT and scored a 610 (37 Quant / 36 Verbal). I took it as a diagnostic with absolutely 0 studying.

Starting tomorrow I have about 16 days to study for the test and was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on how to proceed. I've allotted myself about 7 hours per day, 5 days a week to study. My study materials are Kaplan's 2018 Prep Plus and the GMAT Official Guide Quantitative Review 2019.

Thanks in advance!

nigina93 · Answer

Hey,
Welcome to gmat club!
To begin with, your score is great for a beginner with zero preparation. To try to help you, can u answer a few questions. Which score and schools are your targeting?

youngMBA777 · Answer

Thanks for the encouragement!

1. Generally, I'm aiming for schools that are ranked between #15-25 on US News with a particular interest in UCLA Anderson. 
2. That being said, I'd be content with a 720 and very happy with a 750. Then again, I'm unsure of how difficult it is to jump 100 points when you're already at the 610 score range.

egmat · Answer

Hi  elijahchang ,

610 is a great starting score especially if you took the diagnostic test without any kind of preparation.

JOURNEY TO 750 – MAKE YOUR STRATEGY VERBAL DRIVEN

Looking at your diagnostic scores of Q37(32 percentile) & V36(80 percentile), you seem to be very good in Verbal and therefore must target higher scores in Verbal as you would be able to achieve it in considerably lesser time. To get to a score of 720+, you can target sectional scores of Q45(55 percentile) and V46(99 percentile) or Q48(67 percentile) and V46(99 percentile).

• Learn how Martina improved from 620 to 730(Q45 & V46 ) in just 3 weeks.  Watch her interview  to learn how she leveraged Verbal section to reach her target score
• Anupriya scored a V46 and Q48 to reach a score of 760 in her first attempt despite not being very strong in Quant.  Click here  to watch her amazing de-brief.

Target your own Sectional and sub-sectional scores required to reach your desired score of 750 using  GMAT Planner  tool. Knowing these target scores will help you in directing your efforts in the right direction and spend your time wisely.

HOW TO IMPROVE VERBAL 
 Identify your weaknesses and Improve upon them 
The most efficient way to improve in a section that you are strong in is by plugging the gaps i.e. improving upon your weaknesses. You are only as good as your weakest link. You must identify the exact topics that you are weak in and work on those topics until you reach a satisfactory level. Learn how to do this in detail from this  video .

Learn how to approach RC section this Weekend 
We are conducting a free RC webinar this weekend.  Register  now to reserve your spot and learn the methods to get ahead in your RC prep.

HOW TO IMPROVE QUANT 
 Structured Approach 
To reach the score of Q45, you must follow a fool-proof process and not rely on tips and tricks which may fail you on the test day. You can view the recording of the free webinar on  Number Properties  that we conducted last weekend to learn a structured approach to solving Quant problems. You can get access to over 25 free video lessons and 380+ practice questions on registering for the  Free Trial .

Identify your Weaknesses in Quant 
 Click here  to take a Quant Ability Quiz to understand how Scholaranium can precisely do the following:
 a. Evaluate your preparation level at a topic level- Go to the Skill data section to check the performance.
b. Isolate your weakness- Review the relative performance at topic wise level inside the Skill data section.
c. Confirm and  track  your improvement- Retake the quiz once you've improved on the weak sections.

Good Luck!

Regards,
Aditee

youngMBA777 · Answer

Aditee,

As a last follow up question, do you have any suggestions for a book that could help me improve my Verbal from a 36 to a 46?

Thanks so much for the help. Your advice gave me a lot of direction. I'll be sure to recommend e-GMAT to others!

egmat · Answer

Hi  elijahchang ,

I am glad you found the answer helpful. We are committed to helping students ace GMAT. Coming to a recommendation for you – at 80 percentile ability, you do not need books. Your high ability indicates fairly decent grasp over concepts. Books are a great resource when all you have to do is familiarize yourself with concepts. At this point you must invest more time and effort in plugging gaps instead of going through all the concepts. You must follow the following steps to get to your desired score in the most efficient manner:
 1. Evaluate your topic level preparedness
2. Isolate weaknesses and improve upon them
3. Track improvement

How to Implement the above Strategy? 
 Click here  to take a Verbal Ability Quiz in Scholaranium. Once you complete the quiz go to the Skill Data section and check your ability in each sub-section and topic. You will be easily able to identify the topics that you need to work upon. You can use your existing resources or the Free concepts available in our  Free Trial  to improve upon the weaknesses. Once you’ve done that, come back and take another quiz. Since you are aiming at a 99 percentile in Verbal, you must aim to maximize your abilities in all the sub-sections by repeating this process.

Want to get a jumpstart on acing RC? – Attend the free RC webinar this weekend 
Attend the free RC webinar this weekend, to learn a structured approach to solving RC questions.  Register here  to attend the webinar.

Regards,
Aditee

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi elijahchang,

To start, a 610 is a strong initial CAT Score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). That having been said, many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so limiting your studies to just 16 days will likely limit how much you could improve. Raising a 610 to a 720+ will likely require at least another 2-3 months of consistent, guided study (and to consistently score at a higher level than that will likely take even more time) - 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 your timeline and goals:

1) What is your exact Test Date?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) Do you have the flexibility to push back your Test Date and give yourself more time to study?

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

youngMBA777 · Answer

Hi Rich,

My test date is 7/28/18, I am planning on applying in August and September, and it is unlikely that I'll have another opportunity to take the GMAT due to work constraints. So far for the past two days I've been studying roughly 7 hours per day and it has been going smoothly.

-Elijah

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi elijahchang,

Assuming that you take the GMAT as scheduled, what overall Score would you be 'satisfied' with (meaning that you would not continue studying so that you could retake the GMAT later)?

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

youngMBA777 · Answer

Rich,

I'd be satisfied with a 720 but am aiming for a 750. I'm going to take another practice test tomorrow to see where I'm at after my first three days (21 hours) of studying. That should give some vital insight into how effective or ineffective my methods are.

Elijah

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi elijahchang,

While there are certain aspects to Test Day that you can really only learn by taking realistic, FULL-LENGTH CATs, once you've learned those things, it's important to remember that taking lots of CATs will NOT make you a better Test Taker. A CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to learn the necessary Tactics and put in the proper practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. As such, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week.

If your minimum 'acceptable' Score is a 720, then THAT is your priority (NOT taking the GMAT in roughly 2 weeks). Given everything that you've described, you're almost certainly going to need MORE time to hit your Score Goal than you have allotted. If you want to take the GMAT on July 28th, then that's fine (there's really no harm in the attempt), but you can save some money and frustration by planning for a longer study timeframe now.

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

youngMBA777 · Answer

Hi Rich,

I scored a 650 (41Q, 38V); it's been three days of study. At this point I intend on plugging my gaps for another full week and then retaking the exam to see where I'm at. Thoughts?

Best,
Elijah

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi elijahchang,

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 last 2 CAT score results are fairly similar to one another - and they show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 630 +/- a few points). As such, I have to stick with my original assessment: given everything that you've described, you're almost certainly going to need MORE time to hit your Score Goal than you have allotted. If you want to take the GMAT on July 28th, then that's fine (there's really no harm in the attempt), but you can save some money and frustration by planning for a longer study timeframe now.

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

youngMBA777 · Answer

Hey everyone! I took my test two days ago and ended up with a 710 (Q45, V42). Thanks for all the help!

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