280 GMAT Score (Day 0)

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280 GMAT Score (Day 0)

by CamCam » Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:01 pm
I am very concerned about what I made on my day 0 test score. I went through GMATPrep test 1 and I received a 280!!!!!!!!!

My target score is a 710 or better and my target schools are UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC, and NYU, specifically their part time programs.

Is this normal to have a score this low?!?!?! Starting to feel defeated before even studying...

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by DominateTheGMAT » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:55 pm
Hi CamCam,

The first thing to remember is that studying for the GMAT is a process. It's not time to get discouraged yet. As you see in this article (link below), most students who score 700+ on the GMAT studied for almost 100 hours to get that score:

https://www.dominatethegmat.com/2012/07/ ... -the-gmat/

What sort of preparation did you do before taking this first GMATPrep practice test? If the answer is "not a whole lot," then don't worry too much. You probably have a lot of "math cobwebs" that you need to brush off, and the reality is that students seeing the slightly bizarre Data Sufficiency question type for the first time stand almost no chance without some sort of instruction.

The good news is that the GMAT is entirely beatable, and everything you need to learn (from content to strategy to time management) is teachable. I'd suggest that you give yourself enough time to adequately prepare, certainly, and find yourself a good coach or prep course so that you have a proven study plan to follow. Then, you can use future practice tests as a measuring stick to track your improvement and determine whether a 710 is realistic for you, or if you may need to revise your list of target schools.

Large strides can certainly be made on the GMAT, but it will take significant work to be sure. The main question you need to ask yourself at this point is, How committed are you to the process?

Let me know how else I can help,

Brett
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by CamCam » Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:38 pm
Prior to Zero Day, I had drill for the GA National Guard and I was very tired when I woke up yesterday to take the test. I know math is my weakness and I made a study plan to address. Starting today, my goal is to study one section of math in 1 week then move to verbal and do the same thing. I plan to take the GMAT on April 30 which is alot of time from now.

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by DominateTheGMAT » Tue Jan 14, 2014 9:54 am
It is a lot of time, CamCam, which is great. In terms of studying, I would recommend that you actually do a little bit with each question type each week rather than just focusing on one topic at a time. One of the mistakes I see students make is that they exclusively focus on, say, Data Sufficiency, at the detriment of the other question types. As a result, they lose their edge. You want to make sure you're sharp in all five major question types (Problem Solving, Data Sufficiency, Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension) when you're ready to sit down and take the real thing. Does that make sense? Toward that end, one strategy you might consider employing is doing 20 of each question type from the GMAT Review Official Guide each week. That'll be 100 questions per week, which is a lot, but it will get you into the more difficult questions in that book by the end of month two, which is what you'll need if you're really looking to crack 700.
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:07 am
I just want to add a few things to Brett's useful advice.

First of all, don't be disheartened, CamCam. You certainly won't be the first person to get a low baseline score and then go on to later crush the GMAT. If you check BTG's "I Just Beat the GMAT" forum, you'll find several such stories.

Where do you go from here? I suggest a systematic (even methodical) approach, in which you take the time to master each topic/concept (e.g., percents, ratios, assumption questions in critical reasoning, comparison questions in sentence correction, etc).

So, for each topic/concept, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it
Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

To help you focus on one topic at a time, you can use BTG's tagging feature. For example, here are all of the questions tagged as statistics questions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/forums/tags/ ... statistics
See the left side of that linked page for more tag options.

You should also use an Error Log (aka Improvement Chart) while completing questions from the Official Guide (OG). You can find a free downloadable Improvement Chart here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-error-log. This will help you identify and strengthen your weak areas.

I also suggest that you spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts on this site, since they often model the steps you should be taking when answering question.

In addition to learning the core concepts and GMAT-specific strategies, be sure to work on your endurance and test-taking skills (e.g., time management) by taking several practice tests. If you're interested, we have a free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

Finally, you might consider signing up for Beat The GMAT's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide).
Each day, you'll receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Cheers,
Brent
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by [email protected] » Thu Jan 16, 2014 4:10 pm
Hi CamCam,

You've given yourself plenty of time to study, which is good. Try to keep the proper positive attitude and keep your eye "on the prize." Look to improve in "small chunks" over the next 3 months. Your next practice score is NOT going to be close to 700, but it should be better than your first score. Review is a big part of this process, so make sure that you factor in the time that it takes to go back and fully review each practice CAT that you take as well as prior homework problems, drills, etc.

What resources are you going to use during your studies?

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