GMAT Strategy

Hi everyone,

I've scheduled my GMAT on 23rd aug, and last saturday i took the first GMATprep test and got a score of 580.
I've been on and off of my preperation for the actual GMAT, though planning to invest some good time and put in concentrated efforts before the D-day arrives.

What actually i wanted to ask was, my score breakdown was as follows.,
Q47- correctly answered questions 17- wrong 20
V26- correctly answered questions 25- wrong 16
overall score 580.

Seeing that i scored 47 on quant i was quite happy but after coming to know that I've answered only 17 Q's right I started doubting on the actual score. I mean is it really possible to score a 47 just by answering 17 Q's right. Also in verbal though i answered more than half of the questions right, the score was just below 30.

I need some good advice from people over here, as to how actually to interpret my GMATprep test scores and how to actually frame my strategies for reaching a 49 in quant and a 36-40 in V. I am really confused please help me out.

Thanks
Prithvi

Thank you @[ceilidh.erickson] and @[Rich.C]


Thank you both for your wonderfull replies. I knew that the number of right n wrong answers do not matter as much as the type of questions i answered correctly. Still i needed some sort of reassurance that I'm on the right track, and the score i got is the perfect reflection of where i stand. I thank you both for the reassuring comments.

Hey Rich.C
Currently I have OG13 and prep material of Manhattan-review, also I depend on BTG and GMATclub during freetime for my prep. Also, I've got GMAT-math bible but with the amount of time i have on my side I've decided to solve only topics which Im weak in rather than grind the whole math bible. What are your views on the ammunition I've got in my arsenal?? Are they sufficient??

Also, please advice me on how can i best utilize my available time to reach the desired score breakdown of 49 in Q and 36-40 in V.

Thank you
Prithvi

Update!!!!!!! Update!!!!!

Hi BTG community,

How y'all doing? Hope everyone's doing good. So in continuation to my previous post i made in july 2014 I've got some updates.

Here it goes. Learning that i require bit more time to reach my desired raw scores in both quant and verbal, i rescheduled my GMAT to 30th-Oct-2014. Yes, yesterday i gave GMAT and scored a paltry 530:(:(:'( Q=38 V=25. The percentiles stands at 41 and 38 for quant and verbal respectively.

So, here's the brief synopsis of the GMAT-prep CAT's and the actual GMAT scores

GMAT-prep 1: take 1 580 Q=47 V25
GMAT-prep 2: take 1 550 Q=41 V26
Actual GMAT: 530 Q=38 V=26

Now, i do regret that i did make some mistakes and even after rescheduling the exam which i thought would help increase my scores-which didn't happened. I was a bit overconfident over quants and took it for granted that ill easily score more than 45 if i get 2-5 PS q's wrong and 5-7 DS q's right. Coming to verbal, after analysing my GMAT-prep CAT's i found that i was consistent in SC and CR with an accuracy of 70-80% but RC's I'd only hover around 50-55%. So I chalked out a plan that, I'll take it easy with quants and pay extra attention to the RC's.
And as god would have it, I failed miserably. My quant strategy failed as i was too much relying on GMAT-prep scores as a reference and failed to consider the reality of the test and the scoring process. Coming to verbal, I still feel that i did much better in SC and CR and RC again got the better side of me; I could not execute my strategy of paying extra attention to RC's, I remember I got three RC's
One, after the first three questions
Second one in the middle-(longer RC with 6-7 Q's)
Third- before the last four Q's

The last RC, was were i compltely panicked took the RC for being a longer one and hence guessed all the four Q's after which i noticed that i was at Q38 and left with 10-minutes more. Thats where i really felt that I committed a blunder mistake. I completed the verbal section with four minutes remaining.

P.s: This post was only to let the community know about the kind of mistakes i committed during my so called prep and actual GMAT. I hope it gives some insights to the future test takers about the things that should'nt be done. I hope it helps. I'm planning to put up the log-spreadsheet of my GMAT-prep tests very
soon.
I'm planning to retake GMAT again, would request experts on the BTG to comment and give some valuable guidance.

Thanks
Pruthvi

Thanks for your reply Rich.C,

Well I dont have any deadlines I'm looking forward to; as my plan was to gain few more years of work-ex, I just wanted to get done with GMAT as early as possible so that I can invest my time in building my extracurricular as well as professional profile by the time I start applying.

As such, I want to start fresh as far as my GMAT prep is concerned. Right now, I have the OG 12, OG 13 along with Jeff Sackman's math bible and GMAC official quant and verbal review, in my arsenal for the preperation. I would be glad if you could give your opinion on the prep material that i have, is there anything else you could suggest to include?

Thanks

Hi prithviyr1,

Since you already have an experience of appearing for GMAT and are thinking in terms of restarting. We suggest you join a classroom training program this year. Classroom training has two clear advantages:

1. Expert coaches and up to date curriculum helps you prepare hard and smart for the exam and the following application processes

2. Presence of fellow students will keep you motivated. Most institutes including us provide you with score for every test you take. Comparing the same with your friends at the institute will push to keep working harder

For an exam like GMAT, it is not only important that you work hard but also critical for you to work smart. It is here that a classroom training helps.

Let us know if you would want to know anything else.

Thanks Rich and Manya for your replies,

I'll definitely look into the prospects of joining a classroom training.

And as promised, I'm posting the spreadsheet of my GMAT-prep tests. I hope it helps

Thanks