How to improve quant score from present 20 to target 28 out of 30?

Question

Hi,
I have been taking timed tests of Quant from OG Online and GMAT Club. After 10 tests, on an average I get only 20 correct out of 30 questions. I need to improve the score by atleast 6 more points. The problem I am facing is mainly in questions of Interest, Permutation and Combination, Probability, DS questions of Percentages and Inequalities and at times I spend upto 3.5 minutes in a particular question just because the questions seems an easy one. I have to appear for GMAT within a month. I need help to improve quant at the earliest. 
P.S - My verbal requires practise alongside quant too and thereby needs more attention in the coming days.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi shashankverma188,

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) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) Do you have an exact Test Date yet (and if so, then what is it?)?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

shashankverma188 · Answer

Studies:
 1) How long have you studied? 
I started with my preparation on 19th of June'18 and I am still on it.

2) What study materials have you used so far? 
I have used Jamboree's study material (paper based) and official guide. I haven't given any full length mocks as of now as I'm still stuck with performing above average in the sectionals of quant and verbal.

3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)? 
In the sectionals I have scored on an average of 20 in Quant and 16 in Verbal.

Goals:
 4) What is your overall goal score? 
My target score is 720. As I am applying to the Masters in Management programme, I hope this score would do good. To back this score up, I do have a lot of extra-curriculars in place.

5) Do you have an exact Test Date yet (and if so, then what is it?)? 
I haven't yet taken a test date but wish to take the test before 10th of November.

6) When are you planning to apply to Business School? 
I wish to apply by the mid of November. I am looking forward to the round two deadlines as I will be missing on the round 1 deadlines.

7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
 
B-Schools I am planning to apply are:
1. HEC Paris
2. ESCP Europe
3. Essec Business School
4. Edhec Business School
5. Rotterdam School of Management

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi shashankverma188,

If you've really been studying for the last 3+ months, then you really MUST take a FULL-LENGTH CAT so that we can define your current skills, strengths and weaknesses. In addition, you should plan to take future CATs at regular intervals (since there are Test-taking skills that take time to develop, but that can really only be learned by taking CATs over time). As such, I strongly recommend that you take one of the Official GMAC CATs and take it in a realistic fashion (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back here and we can discuss how best to proceed.

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

egmat · Answer

Hi shashankverma188 , It seems that you are focusing more on Accuracy than on Ability. Accuracy while important is not a complete metric for a Computer Adaptive test such as the GMAT. I would recommend that you read the article on GMAT – How do Computer Adaptive Tests work . This article will help you understand how GMAT scores you and why you should focus on Ability and not Accuracy alone. Since you have only a month till your next GMAT I would recommend that you also read the article on GMAT One Month Study Plan . If you have any further questions, please feel free to write to us at support@e-gmat.com. Regards, Aditee

shashankverma188 · Answer

Thanks EMPOWERGMAT team for the guidance. I'll take the full length mocks and get back to you with the performance report. We shall then be able to work on the weaknesses in a better manner.

shashankverma188 · Answer

Thanks a lot Aditee for pointing out the problem from your end. I did read these two articles and were certainly of some help to me. I'll make a concrete study plan after taking the first full length mock. Although I am done with the basic concepts of quant, I still feel that I need some more confidence on the verbal part. I hope I will know where exactly do I need to focus after I take the first mock.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi shashankverma188,

I agree that you should, in short order, take a full-length mock so we can get an idea of your baseline GMAT score. Once I see how far you are from your score goal, I can give you some detailed advice on how to proceed.

In the meantime, you may find it helpful to read the following articles about  how long to study for the GMAT  and
 how to score a 700+ on the GMAT .

Please reach out with further questions.

Good luck!

shashankverma188 · Answer

Hello again,

On 12th of October, I attempted my first mock test. It was a free full length mock from Veritas Prep. After having studied quant for quite some time now, I scored a Q43 (17 correct, 14 incorrect). Whereas, it was V20 (18 correct, 18 incorrect) on verbal. The total score displayed was 530. I did not study verbal for the last 10 days and thus was not able to apply RC and CR techniques. SC was still ok. As I have a month from now to attempt my GMAT, considering my target score to be 680 to 700, I sincerely need some guidance on the plan of action from today. Kindly assist as this score is quite demotivating.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi shashankverma188,

Raising a 530 to a 680+ will likely require 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. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. That having been said, the goal to raise your score 150+ points in just 1 month is likely too difficult to be considered realistic. This is meant to say that you might need to consider pushing back your Test Date and altering your application plans. Given your needs, 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.

I suspect that you might not be 'happy' with the idea of changing your timeline, but you have to remember your REAL Goal - to get into your first-choice School. There's no benefit to 'rushing in' an application if it's not going to be strong enough to earn you an invite to that Program. Beyond giving you the extra time to study for the GMAT, you will also be able to put more time into each individual application, meaning that you would likely benefit in a number of ways by giving yourself that extra time.

1) What are the next Round of application deadlines after Round 2 for each of these Schools?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

shashankverma188 · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thank you for the prompt reply.
I understand that I need to put in a lot of effort henceforth. 
My second round deadlines are in the first week of January and I do not wish to miss them at any cost. I can promise 5 hours per day as I am not working now; that makes it approximately 35 hours a week. I already have invested in a couple of GMAT Prep resources but I didn't find them as useful as I anticipated them to be.

From the preparation point of view, I am good to go with SC. I am planning to start with the Powerscore CR bible and will practise 3 RC's everyday to get better at it. In parallel to this, I will consistently take the Quant sectional tests and will revise the mistakes in every test in great detail. On the weekends, I will give the GMAT Prep mocks to track the improvement. Please tell me if I should add anything to this plan of preparation.

P.S - As I have to resume my work from the first week of December, I have to take the exam before 25th of November. In that case, I am willing to lower my target score by a few points, making it somewhere close to 670.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi shashankverma188,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Thus, scores in the 650-680 range are all of the same general 'ability level' (+/- a few correct answers in the right spots). By extension, changing your Score Goal from a 680+ to a 670 is NOT a significant change - and you will need to work on all of the same subjects/Tactics during this next phase of your studies.

Even if you pushed your Test Date back to November 25th, you would have just 6 weeks of study time. While you could potentially improve a great deal during that time, that would probably not be enough time for you to get to the level at which you would consistently score 670+. If you truly "need" to earn that type of Score to properly apply to the Schools that you listed, then you will have to give yourself the proper study time to properly train and earn that Score.

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

egmat · Answer

Hi shashankverma188 , Reiterating my point earlier, GMAT is about ability and not only accuracy. Number of inaccurate answers definitely affect your score, but it is the position of those questions and their difficulty level that affects your score more. You must go through the article that I shared earlier and if you still have any queries, please feel free to write to us at support@e-gmat.com to get a detailed plan. In addition to this, I invite you to the free GMAT Strategy session that we are conducting this weekend. This session will cover all the important things that you must keep in mind while preparing for the GMAT and help you make a Study Plan as well. Register here to reserve your spot. Regards, Aditee

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