What Should I Do Now To Get 700+?

Your score is perfectly fine both in quant and verbal for getting closed to 670 (approximate). Getting 700+ you should have Q49 and V40 (approximate). So, you should increase the verbal score right on the moment, i guess. What materials do you use for verbal right away? Also, could you tell us what materials do you use for quant, please?
Thanks__

Hi jam315,

650 is actually not a bad start. To improve your GMAT score to a higher level, you need to go through GMAT quant and verbal carefully to find your exact weaknesses, fill gaps in your knowledge, and strengthen your skills. The overall process will be to learn all about how to answer question types with which you currently aren't very comfortable, and do dozens of practice questions category by category, basically driving up your score point by point. For example, if you find that you are not strong in answering Number Properties questions, then carefully review the conceptual underpinnings of how to answer Number Properties questions and practice by answering 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. When you are working on learning to answer questions of a particular type, start off taking your time, and then seek to speed up as you get more comfortable answering questions of that type. As you do such practice, do a thorough analysis of each question that you don't get right. If you got a remainder question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not properly apply the remainder formula? Was there a concept you did not understand in the question? By carefully analyzing your mistakes, you will be able to efficiently fix your weaknesses and in turn improve your GMAT quant skills. Number Properties is just one example; follow this process for all quant topics.

Each time you strengthen your understanding of a topic and your skill in answering questions of a particular type, you increase your odds of hitting your score goal. You know that there are types of questions that you are happy to see, types that you would rather not see, and types that you take a long time to answer correctly. Learn to more effectively answer the types of questions that you would rather not see, and make them into your favorite types. Learn to correctly answer in two minutes or less questions that you currently take five minutes to answer. By finding, say, a dozen weaker quant areas and turning them into strong areas, you will make great progress toward hitting your quant score goal. If a dozen areas turn out not to be enough, strengthen some more areas.

You can work on verbal in a similar manner. Let’s say you are reviewing Critical Reasoning. Be sure that you practice a large number of Critical Reasoning questions: Strengthen and Weaken the Argument, Resolve the Paradox, find the Conclusion, Must be True, etc. As you go through the questions, do a thorough analysis of each question that you don't get correct. If you missed a Weaken question, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize what the question was asking? Did you skip over a key detail in an answer choice? Getting GMAT verbal questions right is a matter of what you know, what you see, and what you do. So, any time that you don't get one right, you can seek to identify what you had to know to get the right answer, what you had to see that you didn't see, and what you could have done differently to arrive at the correct answer.

So, work on accuracy and generally finding correct answers, work on specific weaker areas one by one to make them strong areas, and when you take a practice GMAT or the real thing, take all the time per question available to do your absolute best to get right answers consistently. The GMAT is essentially a game of seeing how many right answers you can get in the time allotted. Approach the test with that conception in mind, and focus intently on the question in front of you with one goal in mind: getting a CORRECT answer.

In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new quant and verbal materials, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the best quant and verbal courses. You also may find it helpful to read the following article about The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT.

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

Hi jam315,

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? How many hours do you typically study each week?
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)?

Goals:
4) What is your exact goal score?
5) What is your exact Test Date?
6) 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

Thanks for your replies. With regards to questions asked:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week? Since the start of Jan 2020. Around 150 hours in total at the moment.
2) What study materials have you used so far? Princeton Review "Cracking the GMAT" for an overview of GMAT, doing all the Wiley practice questions for Verbal and Quant and then taking the practice tests on GMAC and Veritasprep website. Given my score is below 700, I am now going through more theory and have taken up the Manhattan GMAT Prep Strategy Guides
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)?
All taken in March 2020
- Test 1 Q42 V30 590
- Test 2 Q42 V34 620
- Test 3 Q45 V31 620
- Test 4 Q42 V32 610
- Test 5 Q43 V34 630
- Test 6 Q47 V33 650
- Test 7 Q43 V38 660


Goals:
4) What is your exact goal score? 730
5) What is your exact Test Date? Mid-April (although considering delaying until mid-May to boost chances of higher score)
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to? 2021 or 2022. Aiming for the top names

Please let me know if you have any feedback! Thanks!!!

Hi jam315,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, most of your CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 630 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. In addition, taking 7 CATs over the course of 3 weeks was NOT a good idea. 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. As such, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week.

Raising a 630 to the point that you can consistently score 730+ will likely require at least another 2 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. By extension, you might want to consider pushing back your Test Date.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

Thanks EMPOWERgmatRichC.

I agree it was my GMAT naivety to do so many tests so soon and that I need to target the underlying theory.
In fact, that is my plan now and I have pushed my exam date to be in mid-May.

Given coronavirus has restricted me to work from home, I can put in substantial hours per week.

My current strategy going forward will be:

- Go through each of the ManhattenPrep Strategy books to get a comprehensive understanding of each section in Verbal and Quant.
- Take the respective practice questions in VeritasPrep.
- Use GMAT Club Test Center to hone in on harder questions.
- Take GMAC and VeritasPrep practice exams as I approach the exam date.

Does that sound like a good plan to you? Anything to add to this?

Hi jam315,

From what you describe about this next phase of your studies, the immediate issue is whether you'll be able to significantly change how you 'respond' to the GMAT or not. If you've developed any 'bad habits' during your prior studies, then working through lots of theory and practice questions (in the same ways as before) likely will not lead to a big increase in Score. As such, I suggest that you study as you choose for the next 2 weeks or so - then take a NEW, FULL-LENGTH CAT (and make sure to 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 the results and how you might adjust your studies going forward.

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