Advice for 1 Month GMAT 2nd Try

Expert replies

mikehan: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 8:50 am

by mikehan » Sat Nov 11, 2017 9:11 am

Hi I am hoping to get some advice on this:

My first attempt at GMAT I got 690 (Q47, V3*), I used the following materials already but even on practice tests I always get stuck in the 670-710 range and I really want to make sure that I hit my target school's median of 720-730 (HBS and Yale).

-MGMAT guide books
-OG 2017
-GMATprep tests
-VeritasPrep
-GMATclub math and grammar guides
-watching Ron Thurs GMAT prep videos (despite this still felt unsure of my SC selections on the actual GMAT)

It's just been really frustrating trying to break through and I only have 1 month left till my next try. Any advice would be greatly helpful. Thank you

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Sat Nov 11, 2017 9:11 am

DavidG@VeritasPrep: Legendary Member; Posts: 2663; Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 amFollowed by: 128 members; Location: Boston, MA; Thanked: 1153 times; GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Mon Nov 13, 2017 1:39 pm

The quickest way to make the jump from your current 690 to 720 is to add a few raw points on the verbal side of things. Very doable in a month. Here's my verbal crash course:

Read voraciously everyday for 10 days. (Anything challenging will do.) There's research suggesting that the physiology of our brains changes when we read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/ar ... in/282952/

Consider incorporating some mindfulness meditation. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... on/275564/

Afterwards, review the official material you've worked through and see if there are patterns to the questions you've missed. Anything unclear, post here. Jot a few notes to yourself about simple adjustments you can make. Remember that for all the strategies/grammar rules we teach, the verbal section is primarily about logic and focus. Practice boiling everything down to its essence. Always ask yourself, before you select an answer in sentence correction, if the sentence, when read literally, is clear and logical. Before you select an answer in Critical Reasoning always take another moment and ask if your answer really does impact the conclusion. Before you select an answer in Reading Comp ask yourself if there's textual support for that answer. Be relentless. Then hit some fresh official tests: https://www.mba.com/us/store/store-catal ... ack-1.aspx

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ceilidh.erickson: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2095; Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members; Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Sat Nov 18, 2017 1:48 pm

mikehan wrote:Hi I am hoping to get some advice on this:

My first attempt at GMAT I got 690 (Q47, V3*), I used the following materials already but even on practice tests I always get stuck in the 670-710 range and I really want to make sure that I hit my target school's median of 720-730 (HBS and Yale).

-MGMAT guide books
-OG 2017
-GMATprep tests
-VeritasPrep
-GMATclub math and grammar guides
-watching Ron Thurs GMAT prep videos (despite this still felt unsure of my SC selections on the actual GMAT)

It's just been really frustrating trying to break through and I only have 1 month left till my next try. Any advice would be greatly helpful. Thank you

If you're in the 670-710 range, you're not too far off. You clearly know the material, but it's likely that your technique isn't as solid as it should be. If it's feasible, I'd recommend doing a few sessions with a tutor who can pinpoint that places where your approach is faulty.

Also... make sure that you're focusing on your applications as much as you're focusing on the GMAT. A 700 with stellar essays and resume is better than a 730 with poorly-thought-out essays and a poorly formatted resume.

Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sun Nov 19, 2017 11:24 am

Hi mikehan,

First off, a 690/Q47 is a strong score (it's above the 85th percentile overall), so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Since you've listed some highly-competitive Schools, it's worth noting that no GMAT Score (not even an 800) will 'guarantee' you anything - and you really have to make sure that you have a strong OVERALL profile AND that you properly 'market yourself' to each individual School that you plan to apply to. By extension, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admission ... tants-124/

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) How have you scored on EACH individual CAT (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each)?
3) Did you take the FULL CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?

Goals:
4) What is your exact Test Date?
5) What application deadlines are you currently facing?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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