Welcome! Check out our free B-School Guides to learn how you compare with other applicants.
Login or Register
 

Seriously seeking advice on how to improve +100 in a month

This topic has 5 expert replies and 22 member replies
Goto page
  • 1,
  • 2
Next
Bookmark
Previous Topic Next Topic
Orchid Just gettin' started! Default Avatar
Joined
13 May 2011
Posted:
12 messages
Seriously seeking advice on how to improve +100 in a month Post Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:20 pm
Hello Everyone,

I am here to seek advice on GMAT study strategy and how to improve my scores. I work full time and am not a native English speaker. I started GMAT preparation in Mid May with online self study Veritas Course. After my first test, I signed up for MGMAT self guided preparation course on June 8.

Completed Study:
MGMAT Readings 8 books except advanced parts from some of the math books
Most of the OG 12th edition (All assigned benchmark problems after each reading) and All SC & CR sessions
7 out of 9 Online MGMAT Labs (Except the last two sessions: Problem Solving and Sentence Correction)
Beat the GMAT Online Practice Questions: Mostly CR Problems

Available Study Materials:
All MGMAT Books
3 OG Books: 12th edition, 2nd Verbal and Quantitative
Beat the GMAT: Online 750 Practice Questions
All Veritas Books

CAT:
Test 1 Veritas: 460 (June 4)
Test 2 MGMAT: 500 (Q31/V28) (July 2)

After completing MGMAT materials, I felt that I understood most of the materials but it takes me too long to solve some of the problems both in quantitative and verbal sessions. In the second test I ran out of time on quantitative session (left 6 questions unanswered) and had to rush to finish the verbal session.
I registered to take the test on July 28th. My target score is at least 600. I can spend at least 4 hours in weekdays and 10 hours in weekends to study. I haven't practiced AWA at all.

Please feel free to provide any helpful tips or suggestion you may have on how I can improve my scores.

Thanks much!

Need free GMAT or MBA advice from an expert? Register for Beat The GMAT now and post your question in these forums!
vineeshp GMAT Destroyer!
Joined
28 Jan 2010
Posted:
965 messages
Followed by:
35 members
Thanked:
154 times
Test Date:
9th Feb 2010
GMAT Score:
720
Post Wed Jul 06, 2011 7:21 am
If you can just practice for speed and get to the last question in the tests, you will see a significant improvement in your score.

Forget about AWA for now. Take atleast one practice test every week, but attempt the AWA question without any preparation. Review the tests and correct your mistakes.

You can surely hope to improve your score.

All the best. Hope you get your target score and school.

_________________
Vineesh,
Just telling you what I know and think. I am not the expert. Smile

Thanked by: Orchid
Orchid Just gettin' started! Default Avatar
Joined
13 May 2011
Posted:
12 messages
Post Wed Jul 06, 2011 8:18 pm
vineeshp, thanks for reading my post and for your advice. I will try and keep it posted.

Orchid Just gettin' started! Default Avatar
Joined
13 May 2011
Posted:
12 messages
Post Sat Jul 16, 2011 7:33 am
Recent update:
Last week, I got 590(49Q/29V) in MGMAT CAT and 530 (37Q/41V) in GMAT Prep Test 1.

This weekend, I'm planning to take two tests and see how it goes. My test day is in 12 days and my target socre is above 600.

kenji Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
Joined
20 May 2009
Posted:
40 messages
Thanked:
6 times
Target GMAT Score:
680+
GMAT Score:
520
Post Sat Jul 16, 2011 8:09 am
Orchid wrote:
Recent update:
Last week, I got 590(49Q/29V) in MGMAT CAT and 530 (37Q/41V) in GMAT Prep Test 1.

This weekend, I'm planning to take two tests and see how it goes. My test day is in 12 days and my target socre is above 600.
I can't understand your scores... with those breakdowns you'd stand around 650!

_________________
Believing is making it

Orchid Just gettin' started! Default Avatar
Joined
13 May 2011
Posted:
12 messages
Post Sat Jul 16, 2011 8:25 am
My bad. I double checked the scores. My quantitative score in MGMAT test is 43 (not 49) but Verbal is 29. However, my scores in GMAT prep test 1 are correct. I dont understand either.

kenji Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
Joined
20 May 2009
Posted:
40 messages
Thanked:
6 times
Target GMAT Score:
680+
GMAT Score:
520
Post Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:01 pm
According to this: http://www.testmasters.net/gmat/Information/scale.aspx
and this: http://www.800score.com/score2.html
your results look a bit weird?
have you submitted it to any advisor?

I think experts can be more useful here...

_________________
Believing is making it

Orchid Just gettin' started! Default Avatar
Joined
13 May 2011
Posted:
12 messages
Post Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:23 am
I haven't consulted any expert after those two tests. I took MGMAT CAT #5 yesterday and scored 620 (43V, 32Q). These scores are the same as someone (on this forum) who had the same test. I am taking another GMAT Prep today and see how it goes.

kenji Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
Joined
20 May 2009
Posted:
40 messages
Thanked:
6 times
Target GMAT Score:
680+
GMAT Score:
520
Post Sun Jul 17, 2011 8:17 am
Orchid

I had the same result but with inverted breakdowns: http://goo.gl/pZFZ5

I re took GMAT Prep 2 today and scored Q42V35->640...

how was it for you?

Let me know!

_________________
Believing is making it

Orchid Just gettin' started! Default Avatar
Joined
13 May 2011
Posted:
12 messages
Post Sun Jul 17, 2011 8:30 am
Kenji, That is a pretty good score for me. What is your target score and when is your GMAT test? I am taking it tonight and will keep you posted.

kenji Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
Joined
20 May 2009
Posted:
40 messages
Thanked:
6 times
Target GMAT Score:
680+
GMAT Score:
520
Post Sun Jul 17, 2011 8:35 am
I'm targetting 680, but 660 or 650 would do aswell.

I'm planning to take the exam before the end of the month.
And you?


Good luck for the test!

_________________
Believing is making it

Orchid Just gettin' started! Default Avatar
Joined
13 May 2011
Posted:
12 messages
Post Sun Jul 17, 2011 8:53 am
So you are pretty close to your target score. With more practice, I am sure u can achieve your target score. What is your study plan before the exam?

My exam date is on July 28th. I need to get at least 600+. I work full time and now am feeling a time crunch.

GMAT/MBA Expert

lunarpower GMAT Instructor
Joined
03 Mar 2008
Posted:
2980 messages
Followed by:
1051 members
Thanked:
1736 times
GMAT Score:
800
Most Active Expert Most Responsive Expert Most Thanked Expert
Post Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:35 am
hi --

received a PM

although this post contains a fair amount of detail about specific books etc., it doesn't really say anything about specific strengths or weaknesses, and so there's not much that i can say in particular. however, here are a couple of key posts that can get you started:

how to review problems:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/550-to-720-in-5-weeks-experts-pls-help-t72949.html#330724

prioritizing topics in SC: (scroll down to the part of the post about “prioritizing”; the post is very long)
http://www.beatthegmat.com/confused-how-to-proceed-further-t82861.html#366523

you should also watch the following videos:
FEBRUARY 4, 2010: quantitative backup methods (= by far the quickest way to improve your quant performance, if you are mentally flexible enough to employ them)
NOVEMBER 18, 2010: a new way to approach SC
... at the following link
http://www.manhattangmat.com/thursdays-with-ron.cfm


Quote:
I can spend at least 4 hours in weekdays and 10 hours in weekends to study.
this is *way* too many hours.

* you should spend no more than 4-4.5 hours studying on any one day -- and, if you do 4 hours of studying, you should do 2 hours, then a LONG break, then 2 more hours. (adult humans are incapable of sufficient retention when studying for more than this long.)

* you MUST take 1-2 days OFF per week.
for the reason, see the first part of this post:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/confused-how-to-proceed-further-t82861.html#366523
(this is the same post i linked before, but now i'm referring you to a different part of it.)


Quote:
I haven't practiced AWA at all.
be sure to practice the essays whenever you take a practice test.
you should have two main goals with the essays: (1) get to the point where they are effortless, even if they are not perfect, and (2) learn to last through the entire length of the exam.
the only way to get to these two goals is by consistently doing the essays whenever you take a practice test.

_________________
Ron is a Director of Curriculum Development at Manhattan GMAT. He has been teaching various standardized tests for almost 20 years.

He wears white after Labor Day, gets 55% of his calories from protein, and takes standardized tests for fun.

Pueden hacerle preguntas a Ron o en inglés o en español.

If you send Ron a private message, please allow 1-2 weeks for a response.

Learn more about ron

Thanked by: Orchid, jopawilson, ngalinh
Free Manhattan GMAT online events - The first class of every online Manhattan GMAT course is free. Classes start every week.
mundasingh123 GMAT Titan Default Avatar
Joined
15 Jan 2010
Posted:
2330 messages
Followed by:
23 members
Thanked:
55 times
Post Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:57 am
Ron,
Could you please illustrate an exaple of how an SC could serve as a test of lateral thinking . I understand there is enough scope for checking lateral thinking tghru CR . But SC ?

A well written sentence can convey only 1 message when read properly.
So Could you please illustrate the lateral thinking concept with an example .

The post was extemely informative . A lot of us feel that the only way to excel in a test is to keep focussing on it all the time .
But the problem with me is that i feel as if i lose my rhythm when i take a break from a section for example RC for a couple of days.If i dont do RC for a day,i feel blunt and clumsy, and i need to sharpen up.

_________________
I Seek Explanations Not Answers

mike_gm Just gettin' started! Default Avatar
Joined
18 Jul 2011
Posted:
2 messages
Post Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:50 am
I think this will be very challenging. I'm trying to boost my score by 50 and think I'll have a hard time.

I may be wrong, but I remember reading a statistic that said 93% of people who retake the GMAT a second time score within 30 points of their original score.

Goto page
  • 1,
  • 2
Next

Best Conversation Starters
1 varun289 31 topics
2 sana.noor 23 topics
3 killerdrummer 21 topics
4 Rudy414 19 topics
5 sanaa.rizwan 14 topics
See More Top Beat The GMAT Members...

Most Active Experts
1 image description Brent@GMATPrepNow

GMAT Prep Now Teacher

 199 posts
2 image description GMATGuruNY

The Princeton Review Teacher

 134 posts
3 image description Jim@StratusPrep

Stratus Prep

 106 posts
4 image description Anju@Gurome

Gurome

 47 posts
5 image description Jon@Admissionado

Admissionado

 39 posts
See More Top Beat The GMAT Experts