How to improve GMAT score - 630 to 720 - Not your usual Q/V break-up

Question

Hi All,

I have started my GMAT prep 3 weeks ago. To know my baseline, I took a GMAC Official test and scored a 630. I want to push my score up to 710-720.

Background: Before I share the break-up, I'd like to tell you a little about my background. I'm an Indian non-engineer, and have been working in Marketing and Communications for the past 5 years. I have always known that verbal was my strong suit and quant the weak, so the break-up was no surprise (Q37, V39). I'm confident that, with practice, I can push my verbal to 45/46.

Study plan currently: Over the past 3 weeks, I have been studying quant from OG and trying to grasp the fundamentals. I aim to finish solving all PS questions and atleast 30-40% of DS questions before my next mock test (26th Dec).

Target Colleges: HEC Paris, IE, and SDA Bocconi. I'd like to join the retail luxury industry post MBA.

Now that you have some context, I'd be grateful if someone could answer these questions.

1. I've always been weak in maths. Can someone help me design a study plan to improve my quant score. I'm self-aware enough to know that aiming for Q48/49 would be a stretch for me. I'd be happy with a Q45.

2. Would a lower quant score than average (Q44/45) but a high verbal score (V44/45) be a disadvantage considering the schools I'm targeting (especially HEC Paris)?

Thanks in advance

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi shubhs76,

A 630 is a great initial CAT score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 550 most years).

Since you know the Schools that you plan to apply to - and you are asking some specific Admissions questions - you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

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

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 many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What is your overall goal score?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School? If it's sometime soon, then what specific application deadlines are you facing?

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

shubhs76 · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thanks for the quick response and feedback.

To answer your questions,

1) How many hours do you typically study each week? - I'm studing 1.5 hours on a weekday and ~3 hours on weekends. 
2) What is your overall goal score? - My overall goal score 710-720, considering my target colleges. 
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School? If it's sometime soon, then what specific application deadlines are you facing? - I'm planning to take my official exam sometime in March (current target date is 27 Mar), and apply for colleges in the next cycle (Sept'21).

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi shubhs76,

Studying for the GMAT now - far in advance of when you will actually "need" your Score - is a smart choice. In addition, many GMATers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores - and you have given yourself plenty of study time (which is also great!).

If you are interested in some free math practice and help, then I recommend that you set up an account at Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The site is completely free and makes the learning a bit more fun and 'game-like' (as opposed to the dry academic approach taken by most books). While the site is vast, you should limit your studies to basic Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. You might find it useful to spend a little time re-building those overall 'math skills', then you can re-start your GMAT Quant studies.

The OG books are great sources for practice questions, but they're not designed to teach you Tactics, patterns or the little 'secrets' behind the GMAT - for those, you'll need Course-oriented materials. If you're interested in a more formal, structured Study Plan, then there are some specific materials that I can recommend that you follow. You can also feel free to PM me directly with any questions that you have.

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

IanStewart · Answer

In my experience, a lot of people who think they're weak at math actually are very good at it. They've just developed the wrong impression of what math is because of how it's often taught in school. Math is really just logical thinking, and if you're naturally good at CR (which you clearly are), you should have the potential to be very good at math if you learn it in the right way.

One reason to focus primarily on Q during your prep is that you'll most likely find it much easier to raise your Q score than your V score. I'd expect more people who start out where you're starting, assuming they prepare for Q and V in the best way for a month or two, will raise their Q to Q48 than will raise their V to V45, even if that Quant improvement seems much larger than the Verbal improvement. It's very difficult to improve Verbal scores that are already near the top of the scale (and there really aren't any prep resources designed to help people in that situation), so while it's worth trying just in case you can, you'll likely find Quant study considerably more rewarding.

For practice questions, official resources should be your highest priority. For Verbal, I wouldn't use anything else. For Quant, you might supplement official questions with outside material when you discover you need more practice in a particular topic. To learn how to approach GMAT Quant, though, the official books aren't very useful. They don't teach math in a good way. Instead you should find resources that teach the content of the test (it is a math test, and any book that is not teaching math is doing you a disservice -- avoid any material that focuses primarily on 'tactics' or 'strategy'). And because you're naturally strong at Verbal, you'll do best if you can learn to think about math logically and conceptually. So you'll want to find material that helps you to understand the underlying concepts, rather than material that just asks you to memorize a lot of formulas. The GMAT really is a test of mathematical thinking, and not a test of whether you're able to work through complicated algebra, or regurgitate and plug into pre-memorized formulas.

All that said, I'd bet a Q45 will be good enough for the schools you're considering (though I'm not an Admissions Consultant, so I'd trust the opinion of an expert in the field over mine). But my impression is that if you could get to a 700+ and Q45+, it will be the rest of your application that will determine your chances at those schools. Good luck!

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi shubhs76,

Since you are looking for a quant specific study plan, have you considered a quant self-study course? Also, here is a helpful article to get your started:

How To Increase Your GMAT Quant Score

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi shubhs76,

If you want a personalized study plan, you can get it for free by signing up for the free trial of GMATWhiz. The concepts are organized based on their difficulty level and you will be provided with weekly tasks. So, you will be clear of what to study on any given day. But, if you want any specific advice regarding the study strategy, I would like to have a one-one-one discussion with you so that I can understand your concerns better and can suggest you in a better way. You can get in touch with me using the below link.

Click here to schedule a call

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Is it that you worry about difficulty level or a few topics? If it is the latter case then what topics in quant do you worry about?

shubhs76 · Answer

Thank you Ian, Rich and Scott for your help. Looks like increasing quant score would be easier than verbal and a better use of time.

I have started a fundamentals math course to brush up my high school math skills, hopefully that'll maybe take away the fear of quant, further help me apply the concepts well.

CAMANISHPARMAR , I think more than difficulty level, I have this inherent fear about quant that's not letting me see past that. And I feel I'm weak in almost all topics. I'm currently trying to brush up my quant skills by taking a basic math course and then would get on to applying those in GMAT.

Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

I'm happy to help. If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out.

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Fear will gradually go away as you prepare well for the exam. What you should do is go topic by topic and ensure you master each topic one by one until you become confident on a particular topic. As you finish the entire quant section in such a manner, you will realize that you are feeling confident about quant in general. Please feel free to reach out in case if you need further help.

Wishing you all the best!

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hi shubhs76

At the outset, we congratulate you on your first score of 630 which is a very good score to start with.
This shows that you have grasped a basic understanding of the test.
We would be more than happy to assist you in your Quant Prep.
For the initial start, try to incorporate the following pointers that may help you to better your score and reach to your goal of Q45.

(i)Complete covering your basic/fundamental concepts earliest and have flashcards ready for the concepts. "Understand"[/ the concepts by learning the concepts through questions and be aware that logic prioritizes over formula.
For example if you understand that LCM*HCF =Product of numbers for a and b, you need to be alert and aware that in situations like this, where HCF=12;LCM=48;One number =8.
Find the other number?
(a)72 (b)36 (c)Cannot be determined
The answer is NOT 72 because 8 & 72 cannot have 48 as LCM.
[b]Exposure to questions that help you remain aware and not make the obvious GMAT trap mistakes will go a long way.
As another example, when you plug in values to check in a DS question, be careful about using zero, negative integers and/or fractions.

(ii)Once the concept phase is completed, begin with Medium and then Advanced Questions and a daily consistency in solving questions would be of high help. Break the habit of watching solutions when you fail to arrive at an answer. Instead mark it as a "*" and think through the ways to answer it. "Thinking" is the "training" and quality of preparation will matter any day over how many questions you solve in a day.

(iii)Work on both ends-Maintaining accuracy in answering the questions while keeping the time pressure of 2-2.5 min/question.

(iv)Complete the OG, but more importantly analyze your mistakes so that you avoid repeating them in future.

(v)Give enough mocks and analyze your errors and issues. Connect with a mentor if you feel the need. Get guidance to understand your weak areas so that you can fix the sooner and get through in one attempt.

(vi)GMAT is more of a psychometric and analytic test. It not only tests your knowledge but your "awareness" to avoid traps and not fall for them.So prep with an open and aware mind.

(vii)Revise.. Revise and revise. This part is non-negotiable!

Make notes wherever necessary and also use your flashcards to revise. We suggest a weekend revision of a week's work.

To summarize the process : Schedule + Basic + Practice Medium/Advanced Questions + OG(simultaneously) + Mock Tests + Revision

We hope you have gained some perspective on fine-tuning the prep!
Feel free to reach out to us.
We wish you all the very best and hope to see you in your envisioned B-School soon.

Thanking You
Devmitra Sen(Math)

Make notes wherever necessary and also use your flashcards to revise. We suggest a weekend revision of a week's work. To summarize the process : Schedule + Basic + Practice Medium/Advanced Questions + OG(simultaneously) + Mock Tests + Revision We hope you have gained some perspective on fine-tuning the prep! Feel free to reach out to us. We wish you all the very best and hope to see you in your envisioned B-School soon.

Thanking You Devmitra Sen(Math )

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