GMAT Strategy

Folks,

I have been preparing for about 4 weeks now, on and off. I had been waiting to assess myself before scheduling an exam date. Thus far, following are my test scores (none taken with AWA).


GMAT-crack free test 615 (Q49,V20) - Nov 30
Kaplan CD CAT1 570 (Q40,V28) - Dec 5
Kaplan CD CAT2 570 (Q39,V30) - Dec 5
GMATPrep Test1 700 (Q49,V35) - Dec 17

I just finished taking the first GMATprep test and haven't reviewed sections yet. I committed 11 errors on Quant and 9 on Verbal. I somehow still do not understand why my Q score is so much better than V. In the Q section I got 5 wrong out of first 11, while I had 4 errors in the first 11 in the V section. I think I should not worry about algorithms!

Since I did not want repeat questions on the GMATprep tests, I haven't touched the OG yet. I've mostly studied verbal sections from

Princeton
McGrawHill
Manhattan SC
6 chapters from LSAT logical reasoning bible

My questions are the following:

1. Should I go ahead and schedule an exam date in 3 weeks ? or should I do it sooner.
2. I plan on going through OGs 10th, 11th and 12th edition. Is there something else I should be focusing on ?

I am an engineer and was very confident of my quant abilities, but I found myself struggling to finish the GMATPrep test. I should admit that I haven't practiced quant questions at all. I would like to raise my V score to 40 levels - any recommendations folks, besides timed practice ?

In the V section of the GMATPrep my error count was: 5 SC, 3 CR and 1 RC

After the kaplan tests I was really worried about my verbal speed, but I paced well on the GMATPrep. And yes, the RC is definitely more comprehensible than the ones in Kaplan CATs!

Update - Dec 30, 2010

I did take 3 more CATs in the last 3 days with following scores -

PR CAT 1 660 (Q48, V34) - 11 errors in V - Dec 29
PR CAT 2 650 (Q50, V31) - 13 errors in V - Dec 30
PR CAT 3 680 (Q51, V33) - 12 errors in V - Dec 30


I've consistently commited 3 errors in RC, 2-4 in SC and 4-6 in CR. I'm entirely focused on verbal section. I'm not sure how reflective these scores are, but I want to raise my V scores to the 40s. I definitely feel that I have improved in the last two weeks since I took the first GMATprep - however my V scores in PR CATs do not suggest so.

I think, I'll start working on OG now. Any feedback is appreciated. Also, if you have taken PR CATs please share your experience.

Mate, forget everything else and do the OG 12th edition first. Don't even think of giving the test without touching the OG.

karanrulz4ever wrote:Mate, forget everything else and do the OG 12th edition first. Don't even think of giving the test without touching the OG.

Hi Karanrulz,

I actually have to strongly disagree with your advice to stormier.

The OG is an absolutely vital resource. Any study plan for the GMAT should include it, as it has the best and most accurate questions available.

However, the OG contains very little in the way of strategy and technique. Meanwhile, its explanations, particularly of math and grammar, can be highly technical and difficult to understand without some background.

The OG should be the last thing one does. One a student has gotten strategies down, and refreshed the content required to do well on the Quant and Verbal sections, then the OG can become a great resource. But using it prematurely generally causes confusion.

Stormier, to answer a few of your specific questions: more time is good. Keep up the good work, and make sure you build in enough time to taper of study, rest, and regain your focus before the big day. As for books, it depends on where you are. Do you have a clear, focused method for attacking every question type on the GMAT? If so, then go for the OGs. if not, take a look at a test-prep book such as Kaplan's GMAT premier and make sure that you know exactly what to do for every type of GMAT problem.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions!

The OG should be the last thing one does. One a student has gotten strategies down, and refreshed the content required to do well on the Quant and Verbal sections, then the OG can become a great resource. But using it prematurely generally causes confusion.

Hi Eli

I agree with you on this. But as stormier has scored 700 on his/her 1st attempt of the GMAT Prep, I presumed he/she is well versed with the concepts. Hence asked him/her to do the OG.

karanrulz4ever wrote:

The OG should be the last thing one does. One a student has gotten strategies down, and refreshed the content required to do well on the Quant and Verbal sections, then the OG can become a great resource. But using it prematurely generally causes confusion.

I agree with you on this. But as stormier has scored 700 on his/her 1st attempt of the GMAT Prep, I presumed he/she is well versed with the concepts. Hence asked him/her to do the OG.

There is still stuff to be learned from a test-prep book. For instance, the OG will not call out concepts that are commonly, or infrequently, tested, while a book like Kaplan premier will help stormier focus effectively on the subjects tested most often. That's why I recommend saving the OG for later!

Eli