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Just beginning- Would love help

by PKGguy » Thu May 12, 2016 3:56 pm
Hey guys,

I have just begun studying for the GMAT. I had a decent GPA in college, 3.45, and my top school choices right now are Emory, Georgia Tech, Duke, UNC, and Indiana.

The only resource I currently have is the 2016 OG. I have taken the diagnostic test completely cold and scored the following:

PS: 9- Below Average
DS- 8- Below Average
RC- 17- Excellent
CR- 12- Above Average
SC- 13- Above Average

Obviously my quantitative needs a lot of help. What are the best resources for improving my quant score? Honestly, I got stuck on a lot of questions simply because I didn't know the basic formula/geometry that was essential for solving. I'm hoping I can drastically improve my scores in those sections. DS is definitely a new format that will require a lot of practice.

Any help would be much appreciated! I am planning on a October-November test date.
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by [email protected] » Fri May 13, 2016 9:09 am
Hi PKGguy,

Since you're early-on in your studies, it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by Knitgeek » Fri May 13, 2016 9:11 am
Hi PKGguy!

I have to reply because my diagnostic tests scores were basically identical to yours and my main struggle has been that I don't remember a lot of the concepts/formulas needed from high school. I will say I'm still early in my studies but here's what I've done:

Personally I signed up with Magoosh and am working my way through their lesson videos and doing lots of practice but I would say for you look around at what self study or classes are available that have good quant review. I opted for self study because I have a good understanding of the math but haven't used a lot of it since high school but if you are completely unfamiliar with some of the concepts, depending on how you learn you might look at what courses are available or what books are out there. I know a lot of people like the Manhattan series (I bought one volume to get the access code to the practice CATs).

In addition to doing lots of concept review its good to look in to some of the strategies and "tricks" that are commonly employed on the GMAT. The more comfortable you get with the format of the test and some of the timing the better off you are going to be.
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by PKGguy » Fri May 13, 2016 9:54 am
Thanks guys for the quick replies!

I am planning on taking the full length practice test soon. Hopefully this weekend. My goal score is around 710-720 and I am planning on applying about a year and a half from now.

Knitgeek - I have been exposed to all of the basic math concepts on the test and at one point I knew them all. That time has passed, but I am fairly confident that with a lot of targeted studying I can get it back!

Thanks for recommending some resources, I will look into those. Since you had similar diagnostic scores, did you see a large improvement after your studies?
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by Knitgeek » Fri May 13, 2016 11:09 am
The short answer is yes. I'm still working my way through my review (I'm about a third of the way through my study plan) but I know how to tackle pretty much every question I come across in the subjects I have reviewed now, its kind of like riding a bike, you get your balance back pretty quickly....

What I am still working on is knowing the most efficient way to tackle questions and that is the key to the GMAT! And that goes for the verbal section too. While I'm not worried about my skills in the verbal, I have found personally that I can't get too cocky about it because then I don't pay close enough attention to what the questions are really asking and make really dumb mistakes.
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by [email protected] » Fri May 13, 2016 2:30 pm
Hi PKGguy,

If you're not planning to apply to Business School for at least another year, then you have plenty of time to focus on the GMAT, which is good. With a September or October Test Date, you have the flexibility to adjust your studies as needed, so you can start them off in any way that you like. That initial CAT score will provide some important information on how you should probably begin your studies, so you should make sure to take the FULL CAT (with the Essay and IR sections), so that we can get the most realistic score result possible.

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