GMAT Strategy

Hi All,

Need some advice. Took the official test after 5 weeks of study due to requirements of an MBA Prep Program I got into which required official scores by the commencement of the program (I knew this in advance just was a procrastinator - shame on me).

Here is my history:

Princeton 1/5/15 - 500 V34 Q26
MGMAT CAT 2/2/15 - 490 V32 Q26 (didn't finish half of quant)
MBA Prep 1 2/7/15 - 540 V31 Q33

Test Day 2/14/15 - 610 V38 Q35 (Received Enhanced Score Report which showed 96% in SC and 45% in RC which is like a weird nightmare as those numbers are usually reversed)

Needless to say I was in shock that I did as well as I did. I had no confidence whatsoever that I was getting above a 550.

Now I have signed up for a Manhattan GMAT full course and plan to retake in early June 2015. Is it possible to break 700 (720 is the score I really want)? I've read other posts that seem like it may be possible. I have some confidence now that I went up 110 points with self study using only 2 books (MGAMT Fundamental Math and Fundamental Verbal) and doing about 100 OG practice questions and reviewing the 3 exams I took. I also kept a mistake journal where I jotted down problems I was getting wrong.

However, I am worried about my low math. I want to purchase the MGMAT Advanced Quant and keep pace with that too but I heard you need a Q40 to begin it. Any advice on whether I can begin to use that or Kaplan 800? I am doing daily Fundamental Math Drills in the MGMAT website (all the drills in the book I finished already).

Also, thinking it will probably be A LOT harder to go from 610 to 720 than from 500 to 610? I'm assuming this based on the nature of the test?

I am EXTREMELY dedicated to making the next 3 months count (class starts March 2015 and Test Day is June 2015). Any advice anyone has is greatly appreciated!

Additional information: I also work full time at a Big 4 so I don't have a lot of free time. Trying to dedicate about 10-15 hours a week.

Hi Rich,

Thanks so much for your insight. I will take a full CAT this Sunday. My practice CATs were always started after 6pm at the office and my official GMAT appointment was at 8am. This might have made a difference as I generally am fresher in the morning. Nervous to find out on Sunday!

Thanks Again!

In addition to Rich's sound advice, I'd suggest not worrying about that advanced quant book until you've thoroughly mastered the fundamentals. The instinct to want to tackle the hardest material is a very common one - almost all of my students want to grapple with the the most challenging questions they can find from the start. The thing to remember is that you'll only encounter multiple challenge questions if you correctly answer the simpler ones! (And every tutor on this site can vouch for the fact that jumping from a 600 score to a 700+ score takes some work, but is extremely doable.)