First practice test 360â€¦targeting a 650. Best strategy?

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Mark5596: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:58 pm

by Mark5596 » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:41 pm

Hi everyone,

I'm planning on taking the GMAT for the first time after about 3 months of prep (end of June) and I am aiming for a 650.

I took my first CAT exam through Manhattan GMAT and scored a dismal 360 (Q3/V29). Clearly quant is a MAJOR weak spot. I did not study at all before taking the exam and it has been ages since I have done any math.

I decided to enroll in Manhattan GMAT's Complete Course online after this, as I knew I needed the extra help and structured guidance. However, after starting the class I soon realized that I was in way over my head with the math and it was hard to keep up. I needed to spend more time covering basic math before the class started to get everything out of it.

I attended the online classes through out the rest of the class, but did not take the CAT's etc as I knew I would not be following through with taking the GMAT after the class was over.

I have decided to restart from the beginning. So, my question to everyone is what is the best strategy for myself with a three month timeline? I can give myself more time if need be, but I would like to keep it under 4.5 months. I need to focus on Math big time and build my basics up to be comfortable enough to tackle the rest of the materials.

My resources:

1. Barron's E-Z Math

2. Manhattan GMAT: I have the complete book set, access to six practice CAT's, all online resources and can access all of the classes again.

3. Magoosh Premium

To start off with, I want to focus on the Barron's E-Z Math and Manhattan GMAT's Foundations of GMAT Math books. How much time should I spend on these books and are there other resources out there that I should be using to strengthen up my basic math skills? I found that even in the Foundations of GMAT Math book when I was using it, it took me a long time to really get and understand concepts.

Since I have a full-time job, I was thinking of studying 2 hours a day M-F and then 4 hours each Saturday and Sunday.

Any help, suggestions, tips, tricks, etc. are much appreciated. If you would like additional information just ask away and I will respond.

Thanks

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:41 pm

Rich@EconomistGMAT: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 163; Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2015 12:47 pmFollowed by: 13 members; Thanked: 27 times

by Rich@EconomistGMAT » Wed Apr 01, 2015 6:48 am

Hi Mark5596,

It sounds like you're on the right track, in terms of starting fresh. A great place to start is to take a practice GMAT exam. Not only will this give you a good idea of where you stand, but it will also give you the opportunity to truly understand which concepts in the quant section you really need to focus on. This is a great starting point to help you develop your study plan over the next 3-4 months.

It's also great to hear that you're prepared to invest a good amount of time studying while working full time. To keep yourself on track, I'd suggest putting the blocks of time you're planning on committing to on your calendar (if you're not using something like Google Calendars or Outlook already, I'd suggest doing that as well). Setting up the recurring blocks of time with alerts is not only a great way to remind yourself it's time to study, but will also give you a little flexibility if you need to reschedule. You'll quickly find you'll get into the habit of moving a block to another day if need be, which will help you stay on track.

Here's a link to sign up for a free 7-day trial of The Economist's GMAT Tutor: https://bit.ly/1bPAHuW. Just like the GMAT, GMAT Tutor's materials are fully adaptive and will help you focus on your biggest areas of need over the next 3-4 months.

Additionally, here's a link to a previous blog post where we discuss some steps you can take to get started developing your study plan: https://bit.ly/1aiRDcx

Best of luck!
Rich

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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] » Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:22 pm

Hi Mark5596,

Based on what you're describing, you might need more overall study time to achieve your goals than you've accounted for (even at the higher end). A certain amount of the work that you'll have to do on Test Day is based on your knowledge of the content (and your ability to 'manipulate' it); the rest is in your critical thinking skills, pattern matching, use of strategies, note-taking, etc. Building up your knowledge, skills and tactical abilities takes more time than most Test Takers realize, so this process might be more time-consuming than you want it to be. It's important to keep your focus on the GOAL. A 650 is what you're after, so you can't lose sight of that.

If you're looking for a great free resource to help you (re)-learn the necessary math, I suggest that you visit Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The materials there are very 'friendly', easy to use and 'game-like', so you'll likely enjoy the experience more than just reading books and doing drills. To score at a high level on Test Day, you really need to have a solid ability with basic Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry and Formula/Rules based math.

You might also find that the GRE is an *easier* option for you. If the Schools that you're planning to apply to accept a GMAT or GRE score, then you might want to investigate that Test a bit before you commit too much effort to the GMAT. You can read more about it and download some free practice materials from www.gre.org.

When are you planning to apply to Business School?
Have you thought about which Schools you want to apply to?

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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Mark5596: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:58 pm

by Mark5596 » Thu Apr 02, 2015 4:57 pm

Thanks for the pointers!

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