GMAT Strategy

I just took my first practice test (MGMAT) and received a 520 33Q and 28V (note: I did not do Essay/IR). Is it possible to get to a solid 600 by the middle of July? My initial plan was to go through MGMAT Foundations of Quant, some of Kaplan Quant, and then go through the RC and SC book of the MGMAT books since those are my weakest areas. I was then going to go through all OG Quant Review questions and then hit the OG book and really focus on the questions I am getting wrong. Will that get me to a 600 in 8 weeks? Due to me trying to take the GMAT in the past, I just used my last MGMAT Prep Test. I was going to take 3 more practice tests within the 8 weeks (GMAT Prep Tests. Are those sufficient practice tests, or should I take the Kaplan practice tests?

Hi! Thanks for the reply. I took the MGMAT course last fall. I was, however, enrolled in school so my full attention wasn't given to the class. Would you suugest maybe taking the class again? (I believe prior students can take it again for $250). I am will try anything to get to that 600. The school I am applying to has a rolling deadline.

Hi Kristinaw14,

As Rich alluded to earlier, it sounds like you should consider adding some online resources to your arsenal. Many students plateau at a certain score when taking a book-heavy approach, so one way to avoid this is to consider additional materials. The good news is that many of the online resources available to you offer free trials. Take advantage of this and try a few out. You'll quickly be able to identify which one(s) work best for you.

That being said, here's a link to try Economist GMAT Tutor for 7 days: https://bit.ly/1bPAHuW. You'll find that its adaptive technology will even adjust your study plan based on your specific needs.

Best of luck!
Rich

Hey Kristina!

A solid 600 by the middle of July is 100% achievable, but here's what you need to know: quantity of study does NOT equal quality. As mentioned, your plan seems very focused on simply completing books. The GMAT is way more than that. It's a three-headed beast: content, strategy, pacing. Your books will only give you the 1st one. And you can't learn all the content at once.

There's a lot of people who answer hundreds (if not thousands) of questions and their score doesn't move an inch. Let's be sure you're not one of those!

Here's what you REALLY need to do to improve your score quickly:

- Go concept by concept. Attached you'll find everything that is tested on the GMAT. Print it out. Select a limited number of concepts each week, and MASTER them. For example, think how much improvement you could get if you only did Inequalities, RC: Main Idea, and SC: Pronouns for 5 days? You'd be an expert at those three!

- REVIEW (and take regular CATs). Not only should you read the incorrect explanations, but you need to use an Error Log to thoroughly analyze WHY you're getting questions wrong. See the attached template. I would schedule 1 CAT a week and use the Error Log for that CAT to decide which concepts you want to hone in on for the next week. Don't bite off more than you can chew!

- Develop clear, solid strategies. You need to figure out how you're going to effectively use your scratch pad, so develop a systematic approach for each of the main 5 (non IR) question-types. Attached you can see the ones I use. If they work for you, great! If not, find ones that do!

If you decide you want to work with a tutor, feel free to scope out my free blog: https://gmatrockstar.com/blog/. If you're interested in my approach, I'd be happy to work with you on setting up your plan and implementing killer strategies.

Best,
Vivian