Suggestions and Feedback

It has been 3 weeks since my second GMAT attempt. Results are as follows:

Date Verbal Quant Total AWA IR
17 April 2013 36 / 79% 37 / 44% 610 / 66% 5.0 / 57% 5 / 52%
21 May 2012 28 / 48% 29 / 22% 490 / 30% 5.5 / 77% ~ / ~

Couple of thoughts
- My first score was the result of inadequate prep and naivety about the structure and intricacies of the test.
- I have a target score of 700, and plan to apply to a part-time MBA program in the NYC area
- After evaluating my performance up to this point, I have decided to give the GMAT a 3rd try
- Prep has been exclusively self study up to this point including a recorded online course prep with Veritas, OG problems and self study using MGMAT books (most effective material so far IMO).
- I am concerned, given the amount of prep so far, that I will run out of quality prep material needed to get the score I want. Quality practice tests, I find, can be a scarce and valuable resource.
- I evaluate each practice test thoroughly after completion and struggle to find clear weak points to focus on. (even though MGMAT does a nice job with their custom reporting)

Going Forward
The way I see it I have a few options for prep going forward.

Sign up for a course: an online format is best fit for me since I travel for work. Price points for these courses are within reach but I am concerned that I sacrifice the customized assistance I suspect I need given my current progress. I typically have 2-3 hours per night to study during the week and typically spend the majority of the weekend taking tests & reviewing results.

Supplement Prep with One-on-One Tutoring: I am curious to hear if anyone has purchased 2 or 4 hours of personal tutoring to help highlight weak areas and focus my future prep based on that advice.

Continue Self Study: While the jump in score is encouraging I am concerned that the next ~100 points will be much more challenging than the last ~100 points. I also prefer not to spend another 11 months studying for GMAT!

Any feedback on the current state of my GMAT prep is greatly appreciated![/u]

My honest opinion, and I know I have a bias, is to get professional help. 1 on 1 tutoring can help open your eyes to the proper approach to this exam. At a 600 it is likely that you 'understand' most of the concepts but lack efficiency in applying those concepts to questions and good solution paths - a good tutor can help you see how to make decisions on the exam...

Hi bigperm10011 - congrats on your perseverance! The improvement from test 1 to 2 is indeed impressive. You're right, a comparable jump in your third attempt is going to be more challenging, as you've already gotten the 'low hanging fruit' based on figuring out how the test works. We're not the experts in the GMAT realm but we did have a recent guest post from one on the EssaySnark blahg: https://essaysnark.com/2013/04/practical ... oosh-gmat/

It's hard for a stranger to recommend a particular approach since everyone has different preferences in learning. For many people, the classroom environment is the best, as it's a structured, formal approach. Others do great on their own with the online format. We've had a few clients who found success with a tutor (but we also know of a few for whom that wasn't enough). So, your mileage may vary, as with everything in life, right?

One caution: Don't let it drag out. This is just speaking from personal experience... whenever we give ourselves such an open-ended chunk of time to do something, then it becomes hard to maintain the focus. Also, you don't want to be writing your essays at the same time you're doing GMAT prep. We're so early in the season that it seems like you have forever, but believe the 'Snark when we say this, the time will go FAST. You might want to put a stake in the ground and register for your GMAT test now, so that you have a deadline to work against. And, make sure you have at least a month (at LEAST) before the school's deadline that you can dedicate to just essays. So work backwards from that and plan your attack accordingly.

We didn't directly answer the question that you've asked but maybe others can chime in on techniques and resources. There's definitely a lot of good stuff on this forum for that. Good luck on it and keep us posted!
EssaySnark