Hi. I've found myself in a very sticky situation. I am due to take my

Question

Hi. I've found myself in a very sticky situation. I am due to take my GMAT in a week or two. I want to practice a lot, and more importantly take mocks. However, I have exhausted all my mba.com mocks - all 6 of them. What should I do now?

Experts, and anyone who's been in my shoes before, please help.

Experts, and anyone who's been in my shoes before, please help.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi simonden4,

Can you tell me your most updated GMAT score? Also, what is your score goal?

simonden4 · Answer

My most updated score is 670 (Q49, V33). My goal score is 700.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi simonden4,

To start, 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. In addition, the process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day. Going forward, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week.

In addition, while the most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, retaking a CAT that you've already taken is NOT a realistic way to assess your skills - since you will likely see some 'repeat' questions that you have already faced. Unfortunately, seeing even a couple of repeats can 'throw off' the Scoring Algorithm and impact your pacing, energy levels, fatigue, etc. (meaning that they would likely all appear to be better than they actually are). Thankfully, the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you correctly take the CAT in a realistic fashion that matches the parameters that you will face when you take the Official GMAT) - so you can use any NEW CATs from any of those sources next.

Assuming that this recent 670 is an accurate assessment of your current skills, then you are actually closer to a 700 than you probably realize. Before we get into those specifics, 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? 
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

simonden4 · Answer

1) How long have you studied? 7-8 months. I sucked at Quant when I started out. It's been an uphill battle.
2) What study materials have you used so far? Signed up with a tutor in my city. Gave two months. After it ended, I still was no where near my goal score of 700. Kept reading things and practicing stuff without a proper strategy. Then, came across Manhattan guides two months ago. Thoroughly studied them. Most of the stuff I already knew but still they put all my disorganized knowledge into order. Practiced hundreds and hundreds of question using GMATCLUB tags. Finally, got comfortable with most of the question types, and got to a Q49. 
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)? The recent one that gave me 670 (Q49,V33) was taken 13 September 2020. 
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to? Fall 2021. My goal is to get into London School of Economics MSc Finance.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi simonden4,

I'd like to know a bit more about your Score 'progression' over time (as that data can help to define patterns in your studies and what you might need to adjust to score higher):

1) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
2) Did you take any of those CATs more than once?

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

simonden4 · Answer

Right. So, on July 11, I took a mock and scored a miserable 560 (Q31,V33) (if I remember Quant correctly, but it was either 30 or 31). Before that, I hadn't studied for the GMAT for three months, thanks to the uncertainties that corona brought with it. I was due to write my GMAT on 25 March 2020, but stopped studying on the 20th March because I felt online GMAT would be a disaster especially using the online whiteboard. So, for three months I didn't study. Started studying in July again and took a mock that gave me that 560. I realized then that things had deteriorated massively, so I crafted a strategy, and stuck with it for two months. Thankfully, my strategy proved to be absolutely effective, and I improved from Q31 to Q49. I did take a mock yesterday, and my score dipped to 630 (Q44, V32) but I made some really silly mistakes in my quant section because I was overconfident maybe and rushed through some really simple questions that otherwise would have been a piece of cake. I guess that hurt my score big time. But I am much better at Quant now than I ever was. I do want to improve my Verbal score too because it has hovered around V33 since day 1.

All the mocks I took were fresh, different mba.com mocks with no repeats.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi simonden4,

There's a significant difference between a Q49 and a Q44, so if you've hit Q49 just once, we have to be careful about assuming that you can easily do so again (as you may have gotten a bit 'lucky' on that one CAT). If your Verbal Scaled Scores have been 'stuck' in the low-V30s for months, then you will almost certainly need to score at that higher level in the Quant section to hit 700+.

Many Schools (and especially Finance-based Programs) view an Applicant's Quant Scaled Score as an indicator of how that Applicant might handle the 'academic side' of the Program - and a Q44 won't impress anyone. That score implies that you did fairly well on most of the "math" questions that you saw on that CAT, but you made some little mistakes and you missed out on LOTS of 'strategy-based' points. This is meant to say that by focusing on Quant Tactics, you'll be better able to increase your GMAT Score AND better impress how School Admissions Officers will view your potential to handle their respective Programs.

The Verbal section is as consistent and predictable as the Quant section is, but Verbal questions have no 'safety net' - meaning that if you make a little mistake or miss a vital piece of information, then you will convince yourself that one of the wrong answers is correct (and not realize it). To start, proper note-taking is essential for all RC and CR prompts; your ability to predict what the correct answer will state before you look at the 5 choices can greatly increase your Scores, so you have to train to do the proper work on every Verbal question that you face.

Based on the information that we have discussed so far, I think that you should push back your Test Date a bit (so that you can focus on honing some specific Quant and Verbal skills). There would be no harm in taking the GMAT in a week or two, but if you're going to continue studying and retesting until you hit 700+, then you could potentially save some time, money and effort by continuing to study and not 'rushing in' to take the GMAT if you're not consistently scoring at (or near) your Goal Score yet.

1) Assuming that you would need another 1.5 - 2 months of study time, how many hours do you think you could consistently study each week?

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

simonden4 · Answer

I am already doing 21-23 hours of studying every week. I guess that much studying might bring that 1.5-2 month prep time down somewhat. Am I right, sir?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi simonden4,

With 21-23 hours a week of consistent, guided study time, you could potentially improve a great deal over time - but since you're going to have to work on BOTH your Quant and Verbal skills, you will likely still need at least another 1.5 months of study time before you can consistently score at that 700+ level. While I understand that you would probably prefer to take the Official GMAT sooner rather than later, if you ultimately "need" a 700+ Score to apply, then THAT Score Goal has to come first. You do not appear to be facing any immediate application deadlines, so there's no reason to 'rush in' to take the GMAT if you're not certain that you can hit your Goal.

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

simonden4 · Answer

Right, sir.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

When is your actual GMAT?

simonden4 · Answer

Between 20th and 25th October.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Got it. How are things coming along? Do you still need some advice for your final leg of studying?

Hi. I've found myself in a very sticky situation. I am due to take my

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