GMAT Strategy

I currently have my GMAT scheduled for October 19th. I set the date about 2 months ago because I figured I'd be ready by then and also because I wanted to apply to the UCLA FEMBA program in the first round. Due to my work schedule, I'm about 2 weeks behind schedule in my studying. My question is, should I reschedule the test for a later date 2 weeks out, or should I give myself even more time and give myself 1 more month?

I'm apprehensive about scheduling one month after my original test date because I feel that I might fall out of GMAT studying mode. On the other hand, if I do stay focused, the extra time would allow me to really focus and target my weak areas. I'm on the last MGMAT Quant guide and expect to finish in one week. I still have 4 remaining MGMAT CAT tests as well as the 2 GMAT prep tests.

I need some guidance and help as to how to proceed. If I do decide to postpone it for one month, what is the best way to study and review to ensure I don't forget any of the concepts I learned?

For reference, quant is my weak area. I'm going to take CAT 3 this weekend (haven't taken one in 3 weeks) and see if my quant studying has paid off.

I'm targeting a 670-700 and feel that I will probably get very close to that number this weekend. My last two tests have been 630 and 620. I had barely made finished the 2nd MGAT Quant guide when taking those tests and missed most questions regarding geometry, work/rate problems, and roots/power. I think I've cleaned up many of those areas so I'm excited to see where I end up on Saturday.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hello

I have faced the same issue. I had scheduled it for the 28th October, and in the end I have now rescheduled to the 16th December because I am nowhere near ready.

I think it's up to you to know if you will be consistent with your studying for longer. In terms of cost, I'd rather pay $60 to reschedule than go in and waste $250 + transport when I know I won't have dne enough to get the score I need.

Best of luck!! Keep it up.

I took MGAT CAT 3 this weekend and scored a 640. Q38 / V39. Once again a big divide between my verbal and quant scores.

The positive take aways from this test were that it was my highest test score to date. I'm moving in the right direction and showed improvement in both my verbal and quant sections. I finished the verbal section with 5 minutes left. After reviewing my mistakes, I feel that with a little more attention to detail, I can get into the 40-41 range.

On the other hand, quant once again felt pretty difficult. Is it true that the Manhattan quant is tougher than the real test? I sure hope so. There was a section where I was missing 3 out of 6 questions and I was still getting a mix of 700-800 level questions despite missing a 600-700 level question earlier. In addition to that, most of the quant questions were very variable based with no true numbers given. I know part of the quant section is picking smart number but I felt like 80% of the questions were in terms of variables.

After finishing up the Manhattan quant guides, I know I need to focus my time on algebra and word problems. Due to my work schedule, I was forced to reschedule my test for November 23. Obviously this gives me a good amount of time to brush up on the areas that need to be improved upon.

My question for you all out there is, how difficult is it to move from the 50th percentile in quant (38) to the 70th percentile (44)? What is the best way to improve my algebra? What focus items will yield the highest return in terms of points? How should I go about reviewing my CAT tests? I have the motivation to finish out strong but I just feel like I need some direction. I was hoping that after the MGMAT quant guides, I would magically be up to the 70th percentile in quant but that is not the case.