Gmat 680, how can i improve my score to 720+?

Question

Hi, 
I gave my gmat exam on 21st April and scored 680(Q48, V35). I would like to improve my score to 720+. I have booked the next gmat exam on 26th july so that i can start Round 1 applications after that. Any suggestions for score improvement? Background of what i have studied till now : I am currently enrolled in target test prep course for improvement of my quant scores. Before the 1st gmat i was enrolled in the quant course by wizako. Also had bought gmat club quant tests and given 10 quant tests before the real exam. Solved OG 19. For verbal i have gone through Manhattan books (CR, RC and SC), powerscore CR bible. Solved OG 19 and verbal review.(All this before the gmat exam) Currently watching Ron`s SC videos. During my exam, the first section I gave was quant and got nervous in the beginning and lost time due to which I had to rush though later questions. During verbal since i had fever on test day it caught up to me when verbal section started and i remember that one of the RC paragraphs i got was very tough with lots of dates and centuries and the answer options were one paragraph long and inference type. I just couldnt get my head around it. PFA ESR.

Mock tests given before gmat: Gmatprep 1 : 640 (Q44, V35) Gmatprep 2 : 640 (Q42,V36) . Manhattan mock 1 : 630 (Q42, V34) . Veritas prep mock 1 630 (Q45,V32). Gmatprep 3: 710(Q49, V38) (this was given 1 week before the test).

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi DiyaDutta,

First off, a 680/Q48 is a strong score, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Depending on the Schools that you plan to apply to, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

There's certainly no harm in retesting - and you're actually closer to a 720+ than you probably realize. Before we discuss the data in your ESR, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long have you studied in total? How many hours do you typically study each week? Have you been studying consistently since you took the GMAT in April?
2) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs that you took AFTER your Official GMAT (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
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

delmoneyy · Answer

also recently got a 680 V38 Q 45. Wondering how to improve at least 20 points?

Diya52 · Answer

Hi Rich,
I am looking to apply to top schools like Emory Goizueta. And i am the stereotypical Indian software engineer working in an IT company. So top schools won't be impressed with my 680 score. 1.I have been studying consistently both before and after my official gmat exam. 2.I usually study 4-5 hours on weekdays and 6-8 hours on weekends. Started studying for gmat from Dec 1st 2018. 3. I want to apply before the round 1 deadlines for fall 2020 ie usually by September.
I haven't given any mock test after my official gmat.

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi DiyaDutta,

I've sent you a PM with some notes, an analysis of your ESR and some additional questions.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi DiyaDutta,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. The good news is that 680 with Q48 is a great start! That said, to improve your score to 720+, you should look to improve your quant score by a few points and make a larger jump in verbal by improving your Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension skills. To improve your quant skills, just keep moving through the TTP course. If you can follow the study plan and complete the course, there is no reason why you can’t score a Q50 on test day. To improve your verbal skills, here is some more detailed advice you can follow. Let’s start with Critical Reasoning.

To improve in Critical Reasoning, you first need to master the individual topics: Strengthen the Argument, Weaken the Argument, Resolve the Paradox, etc. As you learn about each question type, do focused practice so you can track your skill in answering each type. If, for example, you get a weakening question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize the specific question type? Were you doing too much analysis in your head? Did you skip over a keyword in an answer choice? You must thoroughly analyze your mistakes and seek to turn weaknesses into strengths by focusing on the question types you dread seeing and the questions you take a long time to answer correctly.

A major mistake that people make when training for CR, and for GMAT verbal in general, is that they do practice questions too fast. To get Critical Reasoning questions correct, you have to see exactly what's going on in the passages and answer choices, and you won't learn to do so by spending a few minutes on each question. At this stage of your training, you may need to spend up to 15 minutes on each question, learning to see what there is to see. Here is a way to look at this process: If you get a new job in a field in which you are not experienced, you may not be as fast as the other people working with you, but you know you have a job to do and you make sure you learn all the angles, so that you do the job well, if not as quickly as those around you. Rushing through the job and doing it incorrectly would not make sense. Then, as you gain more experience, you learn to do the same job more quickly. Think of Critical Reasoning questions similarly. Your job is to do what? To get through questions quickly? Not really. Your job is to get correct answers.

So, first you have to learn to get correct answers, generally at least 10 to 15 in a row consistently, and more in a row would be better. Doing so is your job, and if it takes you 15 minutes per question to get correct answers consistently, then so be it. Only after you have learned to get correct answers consistently can you work on speeding up. Working quickly but not doing your job is useless. Better to work slowly and learn to do your job well. You can be sure that with experience, you will learn to speed up, and then you will still be doing your job well, i.e., getting correct answers consistently.

Finally, a key aspect of getting correct answers to Critical Reasoning questions is noticing the key differences between trap choices and correct answers. Trap choices can sound temptingly correct but don't get the job done. The logic of what a trap choice says simply doesn't fit what the question is asking you to find. So, to get better at your job, learn to see the key differences between trap choices and correct answers.

To improve in Reading Comprehension, you need to focus on understanding what you are reading. When you incorrectly answer Reading Comprehension questions, it’s partly because you didn’t truly understand what you read, right? Thus, you likely have to slow down in order to (eventually) speed up. At this point, your best bet is to focus on getting the correct answers to questions, taking as much time as you need to see key details and understand the logic of what you are reading. You have to learn to comprehend what you read, keep it all straight, and use what you are reading to arrive at correct answers. If you don't understand something, go back and read it one sentence at a time, even one word at a time, not moving on until you understand what you have just read. There is no way around this work. Your goal should be to take all the time you need to understand exactly what is being said and arrive at the correct answer. If you can learn to get answers taking your time, you can learn to speed up. Answering questions is like any task: The more times you do it carefully and successfully, the faster you become at doing it carefully and successfully.

Another component of understanding what you are reading is being “present” when reading. Don’t worry about how things are going at work, or what you will eat for dinner, or even how long you are taking to read through the passage. Just focus on what is in front of you, word by word, line by line. Furthermore, try to make reading fun. For example, even if you are reading about a topic that bores you, pretend that you are the person making the argument. By doing so, you will make the passage more relatable to YOU, and ultimately you should be able to read with greater focus.

As with CR questions, RC questions contain one or more trap answers that seem to answer the question but don't really. So, you have to learn to see how trap answers in RC seem to follow from what the passages say, but don't really, while correct answers fit what the passages say exactly.

Feel free to reach out with further questions. Good luck!

Diya52 · Answer

Hi Scott,
Thanks a lot for the tips on improving RC and CR. It was very helpful. I am definitely going to apply them during my further preparation.

Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Awesome! My pleasure.

Gmat 680, how can i improve my score to 720+?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards