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680....would like to improve

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by misterchipper » Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:21 pm
I got a 680 on the GMAT about 2 months ago. My hope is to take it again in mid April-late April. I'm shooting for the magic 700 mark.

Anyone have a good idea of a study plan. Open to any and all ideas

Thanks so much for your help
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by DanaJ » Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:05 pm
The GMAT is built to have a 30-point confidence interval, which means that if you score a 680, your true score is between 650 and 710. As you can see, this interval does contain the coveted 700-mark, but it's up to you to make sure that you're there and not at 650.

You can check out a few prep plans at Resources - GMAT Study Plans.

In order for me to make more specific recommendations, you need to let me know what resources you've used so far and how you've been studying. Don't worry, you've got plenty of time to hit that 700!
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by misterchipper » Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:20 pm
I have taken Manhattan GMAT and have all the Manhattan GMAT books.

I have found that I am making some relatively stupid mistakes on the test....I am still specifically having trouble in combinatorics, probability, critical reasoning, and reading comprehension.

Your help is most appreciated.
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Sun Feb 07, 2010 3:17 pm
misterchipper wrote:I have taken Manhattan GMAT and have all the Manhattan GMAT books.

I have found that I am making some relatively stupid mistakes on the test....I am still specifically having trouble in combinatorics, probability, critical reasoning, and reading comprehension.

Your help is most appreciated.
We're in the same boat. I got a 680 also. Here is what I'm doing.

I'm going through all of the manhattan gmat math guides. Drill constantly. What I mean by drill is do two problems from the problem sets of each chapter, every other day. This will ensure that you don't forget anything and you aren't attempting to remember how to do something on the test, it will be second nature. With the Reading comp, the most important thing I'm working on is just developing a consistent approach. Approach every passage in the same systematic way, to ensure that you will get the questions right that you know how to do right every single time.
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by misterchipper » Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:25 pm
That sounds like a good approach...

Have you thought about taking another class? There is the online class Knewton, which guarantees 50 points higher, or your money back.

Also the class only costs $600, as opposed to the $1500 for Manhattan.

Any idea if taking a class again is worth it/good idea?
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by akuma » Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:51 pm
DanaJ wrote:The GMAT is built to have a 30-point confidence interval, which means that if you score a 680, your true score is between 650 and 710. As you can see, this interval does contain the coveted 700-mark, but it's up to you to make sure that you're there and not at 650.

You can check out a few prep plans at Resources - GMAT Study Plans.

In order for me to make more specific recommendations, you need to let me know what resources you've used so far and how you've been studying. Don't worry, you've got plenty of time to hit that 700!
With all due respect, the flaw with this argument is that the confidence interval should be applied to the average. 680 could be the upper boundary of misterchipper's interval, meaning that it could possibly be between 620-680. Granted, this interval could also be 680-740. The point is that the difference between a 620 and a 740 is quite large and that extra precautions to determining your "ability" should be taken in order to factor in how much prep is necessary. A 680-740 may indicate that other factors besides concepts/strategies might have contributed to a score on the lower end of your spectrum.
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by DanaJ » Mon Feb 08, 2010 6:55 am
@akuma: Of course, the 30-point interval can also work against you - it's not something I'm disagreeing with. It's just that once you're at 680, a 700 is more accessible to you than to a person who scored a 500, for instance.

@misterchipper: As to which plan you should be following, there are a number of options. Did you go through the MGMAT guides thoroughly or do you feel that maybe you missed some stuff on your first go? If it's the second option, then you might gain the 20 points you're missing by simply redoing the books. If it's the first one, then it's a bit more complicated. For the two math topics that you've mentioned, I have not reviewed any resource that's better than MGMAT (they are pretty advanced topics). For CR, maybe you could take a look at the PowerScore CR Bible, a book I personally loved. It's also good for RC!

You say you're thinking about getting into another prep course... The answer to that depends solely on you and your study habits: do you study in a structured manner on your own or do you need some deadlines to keep you motivated? Is it intimidating to think that your questions cannot be answered live by a teacher (remember, you can always post them here on the forum for some good, debated answers)? Do you feel that you could gain a lot by going through the basics once more (because you will do that, since the course is designed for people who start fresh)?There's also a plus side to enrolling in the Knewton course: since your baseline score will be a 680, unless you get a 730, you won't pay a dime for the course. But again, it depends on your way of studying!
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:02 am
misterchipper wrote:That sounds like a good approach...

Have you thought about taking another class? There is the online class Knewton, which guarantees 50 points higher, or your money back.

Also the class only costs $600, as opposed to the $1500 for Manhattan.

Any idea if taking a class again is worth it/good idea?
I've never taken a prep course. My feelings on taking a class varies depending on the day. On one hand, I feel like the best thing a class can give you is approach, since you have already taken a class, I don't know if a different class would be all that valuable to you. What were your scaled scores?
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by money9111 » Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:56 am
"There is the online class Knewton, which guarantees 50 points higher, or your money back."

This would make it seem as though Knewton would be worth it for you... I'm not sure how long the Knewton class is, but at the very least, you get another X weeks of studying. of course depending on when you need to take the exam by.

The way I think of it is... if you knew you could pay $600 for an extra 50 points without a shadow of a doubt would you? sure... so I say go for it
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by misterchipper » Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:58 am
@Dana J--I think the problem is that if I go through the Manhattan GMAT books again, I may start drinking heavily---it's just quite boring, and I have little motivation I say.

I guess the pluses to the class are that I do love the deadlines and the competition--it motivates me quite a bit. However, I want to make sure tha the class is worth while and I will learn something. Additionally, I took the free trial of "Grockit" and I found that to be a really interesting concept--like I said, I like competition. However, I found the questions to be too easy and not remotely representing the GMAT. Then again I only completed 35 questions.

@Osirus0830--Actually I don't remember. I think it was 85% for Quant and 70% for Verbal. I think.
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by DanaJ » Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:38 am
I agree with the fact that the MGMAT guides could have been written better: you can check out my book reviews in the Resources tab and compare the SC guide review to the CR Bible review :) Then again, math is math no matter how you put it and no GMAT book will be an easy read.
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by bolandnm » Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:45 am
misterchipper wrote:@Dana J--I think the problem is that if I go through the Manhattan GMAT books again, I may start drinking heavily---it's just quite boring, and I have little motivation I say.
These forums can be a little dry, but that was hilarious. Ah, but in all honesty drinking heavily won't yield impressive results :)
I think variety is key, but the problem is that books and courses are so expensive. Do you have anyone to study with? That can be helpful and a lot more fun. I'd also try to take advantage of some free resources. They have some good materials here, as well as discounts, and you can look around the web for more. Gmatclub.com also has some good material, as well as winningprep.com (and they also have some really affordable subject e-books that have helped me).
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by money9111 » Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:28 pm
bolandnm I find the PowerScore Bibles to be quite hilarious. I've definitely laughed out loud many a times while going through the SC guide. A lot of "Duh" moments... I actually liked reading them more than I like reading the MGMAT guides
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