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jciraczz
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Interrobong
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Hi all,

I would like fo ask some advice for those who have taken the GMAT. I am at a tough point right now. I have been studying for the gmat for 4 months using several materials (Kaplan, ExamPAL, and the GMAC quant questions). I typically studied 7 days a week (I work full time but did 2 hours a night and 7 hours on the weekend). In my practice tests I got 480, 480, 560 and 510 but after taking the test today I got 430. I chose not to cancel my score.

For the program I want to get into I need about a 600. What more can I do to achieve this? I’m not going to give up I want to get into business school very bad. What do you guys recommend I do? When should I retake my test? What other materials do I need? Should I quit my job and study exclusively? Thanks in advance for the advice, cheers!

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Hello jciraczz,

I'm sorry to hear that your GMAT score was not up to your expectations. You have put in a considerable amount of effort and I can understand your frustration at this moment. You mention that you have been studying from various materials, but the OG does not appear in the list. Did you solve the OG questions? Additionally, out of the practice tests you mention writing, what was your score on the GMAT Prep mocks? Did you try and simulate a test environment (not pausing the test, not taking breaks in the middle of a section, etc) while writing these practice tests?

Don't get disheartened and don't quit your job. It is possible that you merely need a structured approach to preparation to reach the score you are capable of achieving.

-IB

Thank you for the tips! What do you mean by OG? I bought questions from the GMAC website. I scored 480, 510, and 560 on the GMAT prep practice tests and I did simulate the conditions as much as possible but I did take some breaks for a few minutes because I felt exhausted. I'm not sure what other structure I can use.
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jciraczz
Hi all,

I would like fo ask some advice for those who have taken the GMAT. I am at a tough point right now. I have been studying for the gmat for 4 months using several materials (Kaplan, ExamPAL, and the GMAC quant questions). I typically studied 7 days a week (I work full time but did 2 hours a night and 7 hours on the weekend). In my practice tests I got 480, 480, 560 and 510 but after taking the test today I got 430. I chose not to cancel my score.

For the program I want to get into I need about a 600. What more can I do to achieve this? I’m not going to give up I want to get into business school very bad. What do you guys recommend I do? When should I retake my test? What other materials do I need? Should I quit my job and study exclusively? Thanks in advance for the advice, cheers!

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Hi,

I would like to provide a suggestion. Why don't you try Manhattan Guide Set? Many test takers highly recommend those books.

I think that from 600 to 700 could be hard, but going from 400 to 600 isn't. Hope you could reach your target soon.

Oh, I think that you shouldn't quit your job since your job is the back up if your application is failed. Working everyday keeps your brain fresh.

Also, many test takers took their jobs while preparing GMAT. They still earned high score. So your job isn't the reason to blame.

I have not used Manhattan Prep although I've heard both good and bad things about them. I don't really want to spend too much money on a course as I've spent over $600 on prep material so far. I was thinking perhaps Empower GMAT since it looks pretty cheap. Do you think Manhattan is worth it?
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jciraczz
Interrobong
jciraczz
Hi all,

I would like fo ask some advice for those who have taken the GMAT. I am at a tough point right now. I have been studying for the gmat for 4 months using several materials (Kaplan, ExamPAL, and the GMAC quant questions). I typically studied 7 days a week (I work full time but did 2 hours a night and 7 hours on the weekend). In my practice tests I got 480, 480, 560 and 510 but after taking the test today I got 430. I chose not to cancel my score.

For the program I want to get into I need about a 600. What more can I do to achieve this? I’m not going to give up I want to get into business school very bad. What do you guys recommend I do? When should I retake my test? What other materials do I need? Should I quit my job and study exclusively? Thanks in advance for the advice, cheers!

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

Hello jciraczz,

I'm sorry to hear that your GMAT score was not up to your expectations. You have put in a considerable amount of effort and I can understand your frustration at this moment. You mention that you have been studying from various materials, but the OG does not appear in the list. Did you solve the OG questions? Additionally, out of the practice tests you mention writing, what was your score on the GMAT Prep mocks? Did you try and simulate a test environment (not pausing the test, not taking breaks in the middle of a section, etc) while writing these practice tests?

Don't get disheartened and don't quit your job. It is possible that you merely need a structured approach to preparation to reach the score you are capable of achieving.

-IB

Thank you for the tips! What do you mean by OG? I bought questions from the GMAC website. I scored 480, 510, and 560 on the GMAT prep practice tests and I did simulate the conditions as much as possible but I did take some breaks for a few minutes because I felt exhausted. I'm not sure what other structure I can use.
By OG I mean GMAC's Official Guide to the GMAT. It is the bare minimum of preparation required for the test. Questions in this book bear the closest resemblance to questions on the actual GMAT. Everything else is supposed to either complement the OG - by way of teaching you strategy which you can then use to solve OG questions - or supplement it by providing you additional practice.

Since you didn't solve the OG, it can be safely assumed that you are capable of a much better score. Like broall says, you can use the Manhattan GMAT (MGMAT) guides for learning strategies which you can then use to solve OG questions. What's more, buying the MGMAT guides will give you access to 6 of their practice tests for free. If you adopt a methodical approach, you can easily break the 600 barrier. Good luck!

-IB

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app
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Hi jciraczz,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as hoped. Before we talk about that specific event, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) Can you go into more detail about the study materials that you've used so far? Were they books? Classes? Which practice CATs did you use? Etc.
2) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
3) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for your Official GMAT (the 430)?

Goals:
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) When you say that you "need" a 600+, what does that mean exactly? Is that a minimum score requirement to apply? Would a 600 guarantee you entry (and how do you know that?)?

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