GMAT Strategy

Hello Experts,

I have been studying for GMAT for about 4 months now. I have MGMAT books to help me with the studies. Once done with the basic preparation (i.e. completing all the 10 books of MGMAT), I took the GMATPrep test today and scored a 510.

After taking the GMATPrep, I found that I am extremely slow in both Quant and Verbal (especially RC and CR) and I need to focus to improve my speed more than anything. I am planning to take the GMAT on first week of June and so I have around 2 months more to prepare.

Could you experts please guide me as to how I can effectively use this two month timeframe to prepare for the GMAT?

I am a working guy so I can devote 1.5 hours of study in the morning before leaving for office and in the night, I study for around 2 hours. I mostly study for around 8~10 hours each day in the weekends.

Books that I currently have:
OG 2015
OG Quant + Verbal Review
MGMAT: All 10 books
MGMAT: Advanced Quant
Kaplan Premier 2015

Thanks in advance for your kind help.

Can you give us a little more info? Was this your first practice exam? What was the quant/verbal split on that GMATPrep test? When you say that you were slow on both sections, does that mean that you feel as though you consistently spent too much time on questions, or does that mean that there were a handful of questions that you got stuck on, and this caused a ripple effect on subsequent problems?

(And one quick observation: 8-10 hours/day on weekends is a lot of time. I fear this will lead to burn out. You might want to consider shortening those a bit. You should still live your life while you're preparing for the exam.)

Hi Dave,

Thanks a lot for your reply. This was the first timed practice exam. The score split is as below:
Total Score: 510 (Q35/V26). I am consistently spending too much time each question.

Earlier to this, when I took the GMAT Diagnostic Test, I figured I am spending approximately 4 minutes per question.

As for the 8/10 hours of study: I feel that in the weekdays, I cannot devote as much time as I should to studying so I utilize my weekends to catch up.

Considering my current situation, can you please guide as to how to effectively I can utilize my remaining two months to help me break the 700+ barrier.

Thanks in advance.

I'd start by doing a thorough analysis of that first CAT. Take note of anything that you missed or spent too much time on. Were quant questions giving you trouble because you didn't understand the underlying concept being tested, or were you doing a lot of tedious calculation/formal algebra when a strategy, such as picking numbers or back-solving, may have worked better? Were there patterns on the verbal? If anything is unclear, either post the question here, or check the archives to see if there's already a discussion available. Make it a goal to generate five concrete takeaways for both quant and verbal.

Once you establish some patterns, use the Official Guide and your prep books to practice any concepts that give you difficulty. Do the OG problems online so you get accustomed to the format and become comfortable dealing with time constraints. Note the time elapsed when you do practice questions - anything that takes over 3 minutes must be revisited. Again, make brief lists of takeaways/reminders.

Then take another practice test, keeping those takeaways in mind. Repeat the process with the new practice test. If your score jumps right away, the issue was probably just getting accustomed to the CAT format. If your score remains in the same general vicinity, let us know, and we'll offer advice accordingly.

Dear Experts,

Thanks for your replies. I have already started reviewing my CAT by going through the problems and making sure I DID understand the underlying principles being tested. I am also keeping an eye out for any strategies that I could have applied but DID overlook.

Hi Rich,

When I first thought to take the GMAT 4 months back, I decided to have my Quant and Verbal concepts built before going through the OG problems. I have just finished all the MGMAT books and hence started with problem solving. I do understand I need to solve the entire OG atleast twice to gain familiarity with the GMAT question types. Below are the answers to your questions asked:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
A: Yes, But I didn't particularly pay much attention to the Essay and IR section. I thought I'll first build confidence on the core Quant and Verbal before moving to the Essay/IR. Am I wrong in this approach?

2) What time of day did you take this CAT?
A: I plan to take my GMAT in the morning slot and hence I took my CAT around 10:00 am.


3) How many questions did you have to guess on at the end of the Quant section? Did you leave any questions unanswered?
A: I left 2 questions unanswered and guessed around 10 questions towards the end.

4) Did you have the same pacing problem during the Verbal section or did you finish early/on time?
A: I had almost the same pacing problem in Verbal. SC was okay with me but I struggled in RC and CR; mostly RC.


I am planning to go through all the incorrectly answered questions and planing to start solving the OC rigorously to get familiar with the Quant and Verbal question types.

Please advise.

Again, thanks in advance.

Hi Rich,

My target GMAT score is 720.

Thanks.

Hi Rich,

Thanks for your reply. I am currently practicing the OG questions in a timed approach and I plan to take the OG in a couple of weeks. Will share the score.

Thanks for the guidance.

Hello Experts,

I took my second CAT today (MGMAT) and scored 590 (Q39/V32). My earlier (GMATPrep) score, taken exactly 2 weeks before was 510 (Q35/V26).

I spent the last two weeks solving OG problems sets (although I am yet to entirely complete the OG problems!)

Few observations:

Quant was comparatively better for me this time. I struggled in testing cases in DS (it took a lot of time) and I also struggled choosing smart numbers (mainly in percent related problems). I did guess few problems mid way but was able to complete the Quant with 1 minute remaining to solve the last Quant problem.

Verbal seemed better than Quant. RC, which was a nightmare for me in my first CAT, looked friendlier. CR and SC were okay to tackle. I did, however, guess few questions in this section too.

With the recent score, please comment on how I'm currently preparing and how I can improve more. I still plan to take the GMAT on the first week of June.

While I wait for your expert comments, I will continue to solve the OG (both Quant and Verbal) and keep a track of my timing.


Please advise.

Thanks in advance!