OK, so I took the test yesterday and got a 610. Keep in mind that I had not taken a single practice test prior (so this was the first time I had taken the CAT) and had only done 3 weeks of really intense prep beforehand. I was really expecting a 650 or so, maybe higher, but things didn't happen quite as expected.
I have a few questions:
1) Is it possible to improve the quant from 53rd percentile up to 80th at least? I just ordered all five Manhattan GMAT prep books for the quant section, and I plan to pick up the OG today or tomorrow at the local bookstore. I was pretty decent at math in high school and college, but I had poor timing issues and got caught up on a few questions, leaving me to rush through the final five and make a couple of guesses. And for several problems, I just flat-out didn't remember or apply concepts I already knew.
2) What can I do to bump up the Verbal from 80th to 90th? I've already taken the LSAT ( my aim is to do a dual JD/MBA program) I barely even prepped for this section, with the exception of buying the MGMAT SC guide , which helped tremendously. Should I just keep studying that guide from time to time and just read a lot on the side in prep for the other areas?
3) In regards to timing issues: I was always told that the first 10 questions are the most important, and that you should spend a little extra time on those to make sure that they are correct. For the quant section, I believe I might have taken that a little too much to heart - I spent at least 3 minutes on each of those questions, leaving me rushed and nervous for the rest of the test.
As for Verbal, I thought it was extremely easy and had about 20 minutes to go with about 15 questions left, so I actually SLOWED DOWN intentionally so I didn't finish up too early. Should I have gone as quickly as possible and finished the section early?
Since the GMAT supposedly takes into account how quickly you answer the problems, I wonder whether the computer took the excessive amount of time that I took into account when calculating my final grade.
Anyways, sorry for the somewhat-lengthy description, but I would be grateful if some GMAT vets could give me some advice on how to score higher and correctly diagnose my timing issues based on this information. My optimal goal is 700+, but I'd be happy with at least 650-680. Thank you all very much in advance for your response(s).
I have a few questions:
1) Is it possible to improve the quant from 53rd percentile up to 80th at least? I just ordered all five Manhattan GMAT prep books for the quant section, and I plan to pick up the OG today or tomorrow at the local bookstore. I was pretty decent at math in high school and college, but I had poor timing issues and got caught up on a few questions, leaving me to rush through the final five and make a couple of guesses. And for several problems, I just flat-out didn't remember or apply concepts I already knew.
2) What can I do to bump up the Verbal from 80th to 90th? I've already taken the LSAT ( my aim is to do a dual JD/MBA program) I barely even prepped for this section, with the exception of buying the MGMAT SC guide , which helped tremendously. Should I just keep studying that guide from time to time and just read a lot on the side in prep for the other areas?
3) In regards to timing issues: I was always told that the first 10 questions are the most important, and that you should spend a little extra time on those to make sure that they are correct. For the quant section, I believe I might have taken that a little too much to heart - I spent at least 3 minutes on each of those questions, leaving me rushed and nervous for the rest of the test.
As for Verbal, I thought it was extremely easy and had about 20 minutes to go with about 15 questions left, so I actually SLOWED DOWN intentionally so I didn't finish up too early. Should I have gone as quickly as possible and finished the section early?
Since the GMAT supposedly takes into account how quickly you answer the problems, I wonder whether the computer took the excessive amount of time that I took into account when calculating my final grade.
Anyways, sorry for the somewhat-lengthy description, but I would be grateful if some GMAT vets could give me some advice on how to score higher and correctly diagnose my timing issues based on this information. My optimal goal is 700+, but I'd be happy with at least 650-680. Thank you all very much in advance for your response(s).
