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Need to get from 460 to 550 in 5 months.. Possible?

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Need to get from 460 to 550 in 5 months.. Possible?

by kevin_s » Tue Jan 27, 2015 11:54 am
After a bit of preparation I took my first prep test last week and scored 460. I need to score 550 to get accepted to the master in management for which I applied. I want to take the official test at the end of May, but I can also do it later if I want. Currently I'm studying for one hour every day and for five hours in the weekends. After the 22nd of April I'll be finished with my bachelor and then I can study full time every day (if I want). So what so you guys think, will it be easy to reach 550?
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by MartyMurray » Tue Jan 27, 2015 1:50 pm
Yup.

In fact I just answered a similar question. Here's that answer.

https://www.beatthegmat.com/improve-scor ... 81875.html
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by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Jan 27, 2015 3:49 pm
Less than 100 points in 5 months should be more than feasible, as long as you can do two things:

1) Learn the content thoroughly. Don't just do problems from the official guide - study strategy and content from expert test prep materials. I recommend (although I freely admit that my opinion is biased) the Mprep 6th ed materials, which you can purchase here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/store/
Of course, any other test prep company's materials would also be useful, as long as they provide a solid grounding in the rules tested and the strategies you should use.

2) Balance you timing by making good decisions. If you got a 460 on your first CAT, it's likely that you ran out of time, or found yourself struggling to catch up on one or both of the sections. You have to learn (through a good deal of practice) which questions you're likely to get right, and which ones you would be better off "skipping" (by skipping, I don't mean leaving blank. I mean making a quick, educated guess, without taking time to solve).

Most students find that they need between 2-3 months to learn and master the material, and often another month or two to practice test-taking skills: pacing, strategic guessing, etc. 5 months should be ample time for you.

You can follow Mprep's comprehensive Self Study Plan: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/store ... t-toolkit/

Or if you want to just purchase books and study on your own, here's what I'd recommend:
- alternate between quant and verbal study (alternate days, or do a little of each every day)
- spend 2 weeks on each broader quant category (geometry, number properties, algebra, word problems, fractions/decimals/percents)
- spend 1 week on each SC and CR topic
- do a little bit of RC each week
- spend 2-3 hrs each week reviewing what you've already learned
- take a CAT after 5 weeks, then 4 weeks, then 3, then 2, then 1
- review each CAT thoroughly
Ceilidh Erickson
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by VivianKerr » Tue Jan 27, 2015 5:30 pm
Hey Kevin,

I'm curious as to what your prep was before you took the 460. What materials have you been using? What was the Quant and Verbal breakdown on your first prep test? And more importantly, what company's practice test did you use? A 460 on a private company's CAT does NOT necessarily translate to a 460 on the actual GMAT.

To answer your question, 90 points in 5 months is EXTREMELY do-able, especially since you'll have more time starting April 22nd.

What you need now is a consistent study plan, emphasizing high-quality material from GMAC (the GMATPreps, the OG, etc.) and targeted books to help you master the content. If you don't already have them, I'd HIGHLY recommend buying the MGMAT SC book and Powerscore's CR book.

Here's the list of concepts tested on the GMAT. I'd start by choosing 2 Verbal and 2 Quant concepts each week and aim to become an expert in those specific areas, reading up on content, watching videos, doing practice questions for that concept, etc.

Since you have 5 months, definitely don't do everything all at once! Slow and steady wins the race. :-)

QUANTITATIVE

"¢ Absolute Value
"¢ Angles
"¢ Area
"¢ Averages
"¢ Circles
"¢ Coordinate Geometry
"¢ Data Interpretation
"¢ Decimals
"¢ Distance problem
"¢ Estimation
"¢ Evaluating expressions
"¢ Exponents and Roots
"¢ Factors, Divisibility, Primes
"¢ Fractions
"¢ Functions
"¢ Inequalities
"¢ Inscribed Figures
"¢ Interest
"¢ Intersecting lines and angles
"¢ Linear Equations
"¢ Lines
"¢ Mean, Median, Mode
"¢ Mixtures
"¢ Number Properties
"¢ Parallel Lines
"¢ Percents
"¢ Perimeter
"¢ Permutations and Combinations
"¢ Probability
"¢ Profit
"¢ Quadratic Equations
"¢ Quadrilaterals
"¢ Rates and Work
"¢ Ratios and Proportions
"¢ Sequences
"¢ Sets
"¢ Standard Deviation
"¢ System of Linear Equations
"¢ Triangles
"¢ Volume
"¢ Word Problems


VERBAL

"¢ CR: Bolded Statement
"¢ CR: Assumption
"¢ CR: Complete the Passage
"¢ CR: Argument Evaluation
"¢ CR: Flaw
"¢ CR: Numbers and Percentages
"¢ CR: Must Be True
"¢ CR: Cause and Effect
"¢ CR: Method of Reasoning
"¢ CR: Inference
"¢ CR: Resolve the Paradox
"¢ CR: Strengthen
"¢ CR: Weaken

"¢ RC: Application
"¢ RC: Inference
"¢ RC: Function
"¢ RC: Main Idea
"¢ RC: Tone
"¢ RC: Detail
"¢ RC: Vocab in Context

"¢ SC: Subject-Verb Agreement
"¢ SC: Comparisons
"¢ SC: Run-on Sentences
"¢ SC: Meaning
"¢ SC: Idioms
"¢ SC: Modification
"¢ SC: Noun-Verb agreement
"¢ SC: Diction (Superative/Comparative, Countable/Uncountable, etc.)
"¢ SC: Parallelism
"¢ SC: Passive Voice
"¢ SC: Pronouns
"¢ SC: Punctuation
"¢ SC: Sentence Fragment
"¢ SC: Verb Tense
"¢ SC: Wordiness/Redundancy

Hope this helps!
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Former Kaplan and Grockit instructor, freelance GMAT content creator, now offering affordable, effective, Skype-tutoring for the GMAT at $150/hr. Contact: [email protected]

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by [email protected] » Tue Jan 27, 2015 5:32 pm
Hi kevin_s,

You've given yourself plenty of time to study, which is good. Your goal is also reasonable and you sound like you've thought far enough ahead in the process that you should be able to think logically through the entire process.

I'd like to know a bit more about this first CAT result:

1) What were your Scaled Scores for the Quant and Verbal sections on this CAT?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
3) Did you finish any section early? Did you have to rush through a section and guess on questions at the end just to finish (or did you leave any questions unanswered?)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
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by JTuquero » Wed Jan 28, 2015 4:25 pm
kevin_s wrote:After a bit of preparation I took my first prep test last week and scored 460. I need to score 550 to get accepted to the master in management for which I applied. I want to take the official test at the end of May, but I can also do it later if I want. Currently I'm studying for one hour every day and for five hours in the weekends. After the 22nd of April I'll be finished with my bachelor and then I can study full time every day (if I want). So what so you guys think, will it be easy to reach 550?
As folks here already noted, your goal is definitely achievable. Feel free to download our six-month study guide: econgm.at/0VAWKM. While we generally recommend that three months is a solid amount of time to prep for the GMAT, we understand that a three month prep plan isn't right for everyone. You can certainly take this guide's outline and adjust it to your 5-month time frame.

I hope you find this helpful.

Best of luck!
Last edited by JTuquero on Wed Jan 28, 2015 4:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by JTuquero » Wed Jan 28, 2015 4:25 pm
kevin_s wrote:After a bit of preparation I took my first prep test last week and scored 460. I need to score 550 to get accepted to the master in management for which I applied. I want to take the official test at the end of May, but I can also do it later if I want. Currently I'm studying for one hour every day and for five hours in the weekends. After the 22nd of April I'll be finished with my bachelor and then I can study full time every day (if I want). So what so you guys think, will it be easy to reach 550?
As folks here already noted, your goal is definitely achievable. Feel free to download our six-month study guide: econgm.at/0VAWKM. While we generally recommend that three months is a solid amount of time to prep for the GMAT, we understand that a three month prep plan isn't right for everyone. You can certainly take this guide's outline and adjust it to your 5-month time frame.

I hope you find this helpful.

Best of luck!
The Economist GMAT Tutor Representative
https://econgm.at/freetrial7
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by kevin_s » Thu Jan 29, 2015 7:53 am
Thanks for all your replies, these are really helpfull tips.

I took a prep test from the software I downloaded from mba.com. My percentile scores were Q14 and V48. I reviewed the quant questions and I saw that all the mistakes I made were stupid mistakes and I knew the right way to solve the questions, so I think I need to focus on getting all the easy questions right on the Q section.
When I did the diagnostic test from the official gmat guide, I scored well above average on the verbal section, but I took enough breaks between the questions. When I did the prep test I made more mistakes on the verbal section because I just couldn't keep my mind focused. When I read a sentence I immediately forgot what I actually read. So for the verbal section I think I need to find a way how I can keep myself focused. And again, thanks for all the replies.
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by manyaabroadtpr » Fri Jan 30, 2015 2:45 am
Hi Kevin,

It would be best if you start reading articles, science journals , business tabloids and read them online, the more you will read, the more focus you will gain in your reading abilities.Also, try to figure out for yourself if you can understand the language and the main idea present in the passage. This would help you improve your vocabulary.Let us know if you have any further queries

www.manyagroup.com
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Jan 30, 2015 9:28 am
Looks like most of your work will be on improving your quantitative score.

To improve your quantitative score, I believe that you should compartmentalize your learning and take the time to master each topic (e.g., percents, ratios, exponents, statistics, etc.). This means that, for each topic, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it

Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

To help you focus on one topic at a time, you can use BTG's tagging feature. For example, here are all of the questions tagged as statistics questions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/forums/tags/ ... statistics
See the left side of that linked page for more tag options.

While completing questions from the Official Guide (OG), you should you use an Error Log (aka Improvement Chart). You can find a free downloadable Improvement Chart here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-error-log. This will help you identify and strengthen your weak areas.

You should also spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts on this site. They model the steps one should take when tackling math problems.

In addition to learning the core concepts and GMAT-specific strategies, be sure to work on your endurance and test-taking skills (e.g., time management) by taking several practice tests. If you're interested, we have a free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

Finally, you might consider signing up for Beat The GMAT's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide).
Each day, you'll receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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