GMAT Strategy

Hi everyone,

I'm glad I found this website! I hope to get some valuable information from you!

I took the GMAT last November with a preperation time of 21 days while I studied 8h/day. The GMAT score I achieved was 500 with the following subscores:
Verbal: 24
Quant: 35

I prepared for my first GMAT with the Kaplan GMAT Premier 2014 book as well as the GMAT Official Books for the Verbal and Quant part.
The test scores I got within the GMAT Prep Software were 500 and 530.
I also took 5 Kaplan CATs receiving scores on a range from 540 to 630. In total I took 7 practice tests, although looking backwards I feel the Kaplan once weren't accurate! Overall I did not feel well prepared last time, so I want to improve now, by starting with a solid plan!

My goal is to get a score of 600 for my Master application by redoing the GMAT. So I need to improve by 100 points!

My time schedule looks like this:

I'll take the exam on the 23.04.15!

For the next two months I can study 5 days about 1h-2h on the go and one day about 8 hours per week.

In April, the month of the test date, I have 25 full days to prepare!

Now my questions:

1. How can I best prepare on the go, during the 2 months I don't have that much time? I already have the GMAT-Mobile-App. I'm thinking of Audio books and flashcards! Does anyone have suggestions here?

2. What would be the best way to prepare during the 25 full days right before the exam?

3. Do you think my goal of a score of 600 is realistic with the mentioned time resources?

Thanks a lot in advance! I'm looking forward to your ideas & help.

Given the amount of time you have and the amount of studying you plan to do, a 100 point score increase is realistic.

Of course, you need to prepare the right way.

I see you talking about books and flashcards and things and that makes me wonder if you are preparing for this as if it were a test about concepts, or material. It's not.

The GMAT is a test of skill in getting to solutions using often limited or confusing information. So while yes, learning concepts and understanding things like the use of idioms is useful, you also need to get gooooood at applying all of that and more.

So it sounds to me as if you need to add more practice to your program. This would include doing at least dozens and more likely hundreds of questions, and then going back to look at ones you get wrong to see what you could have done differently to get them right and even to look at some of the ones you get right to see how you might have done them faster.

Veritas, Magoosh, GMAC and BellCurves, among others, have question banks that you can use for this.

Play them as if they were video games, score, score, score, blow up, score, blow up, score, and work on getting better at the game all the time.

Thank you very much for your help so far!
@Marty Murray: Actually I realized that practice and getting fast at applying is highly important! The books I used, do to a great proportion consist of questions. Nevertheless I get your point and will focus strongly on practising and reviewing my own wrong answers!

Hi there,

Just to add, as others mentioned, 100+ points is VERY do-able. Try to visualize where those points are actually going to come from -- what do you want from the Quant and from the Verbal? An even 50 point gain in both, or do you see a bigger jump happening in one or the other?

A few more thoughts:

Nail down your Step-by-Step approach for EVERY Q-type. Ask: how am I using my scratch paper to move through each type of question (DS, PS, CR, RC, SC). Strategy is the most important step in your preparation because it dictates how you are actually taking the test, so if you are struggling with a certain area or question type, you're definitely not alone! Reach out to an expert for supplemental help.

Work on pacing OUTSIDE of practice CATs. Don't worry about your pacing too much until you've reviewed most of the Quant and SC content and you have excellent strategies with high accuracy. If you try to move too quickly too soon you will likely never move beyond a limited accuracy. Once your strategies are good, try to set an "ideal" time for yourself and practice with different sets of questions.

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Seriously, one of the biggest problems I see with low-scoring students is the over-emphasis on quality of study. Be sure you're really getting value from the questions you do attempt.

Hope this helps!

For the jump in Quant or Verb part: I thought of trying to improve in both parts. For know I don't see that I'll improve stronger in one or the other part if I spend equal amounts of time!

Pacing during the last test:
I finished all the sections on time although, if I was in time trouble I skiped a question every now and then, maybe 3-4 for each Verbal and Quant!

Thanks again!

Hi,

I am by no mean an expert, but based on what I've read around I would say definitely doable.

For Quant, I would think you can easily gain some point just by smart identification of the type of problems GMAT asks and one which you have problems, and practice, practice, practice. My feeling so far is that up to roughly 600-650 level, GMAT questions are pretty straight forward in their structure and the type of thinking you need to deploy. I've been studying for three weeks and already do see a lot of repeating pattern in the type of questions, so I would think in three month you can efficiently work on those that pose problem and improve on speed as well (again just an opinion based on my limited study time so far )

verbal, to be honest I have no clue how one who could about 'hard' studying it. I would suggest reading the economist, and doing some reading of classics.

Hi DJLH12,

Here are some last minute strategies which will help you pull up your GMAT score.

In these two months, take as many CATs or mock tests as possible and thoroughly analyze your performance in the same.Go through each and every question and try to identify better, smarter and a faster way to do it. Make a note of all the points and make sure you apply the same in the next test.Remember GMAT is not only about working hard but working smart as well.

To improve in verbal, it is important that you get to the Verbal section stress free. So, make sure that you don't carry the stress & pressure of the previous sections to the Verbal section.

Lastly, it is essential to work on the pacing of the questions & how much time you spend on each question.Do leave enough time to attempt the last few question & don't rush through these.

Let us know if you require any further guidance.Good Luck!
www.manyagroup.com

Kiura wrote:My feeling so far is that up to roughly 600-650 level, GMAT questions are pretty straight forward in their structure and the type of thinking you need to deploy. I've been studying for three weeks and already do see a lot of repeating pattern in the type of questions, so I would think in three month you can efficiently work on those that pose problem and improve on speed as well (again just an opinion based on my limited study time so far )

This is an excellent observation. In my experience with students, going from a 500 to a 600 takes amount the same amount of time/work (≈200 hours all told of studying, test taking, reviewing, meeting with a tutor, etc.) as going from a 660 to a 700. The keys are (i) mastering all the basics before focusing on time/strategy/practice exams and (ii) learning from your mistakes.

I can't stress that one enough: you have to know why the right answer is right, along with (iii) both a mathematical and a clever but not really mathematical way of solving most math problems and (iv) why the wrong answers are wrong in CR and SC.