From 570 to 640

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the nona: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 53; Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:20 pmFollowed by: 2 members

by the nona » Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:12 am

Hi Brent . I took the GMAT on Feb the 13th and scored a 540 ( 36 Q 28 V ). Took 2 weeks almost free and started working since the beginning of March for a retake on April the 3rd to catch my target school deadline aiming at a 640 (they demand a minimum score of 600 but I want to secure myself) . After covering almost 50% of the 3 official guides and taking 2 Manhattan CATs (560- Q36 31V , 600 Q 37 V35) I retook one of the GMAT Preps yesterday (already took both while preparing for my first attempt , the scores were 450 and 510 ... and totally forgot the questions .. i.e it was a true testing experience) .The one I retook yesterday was the 450 test and I scored 570 on the retake ( V27 with 20 incorrect answers , Q 42 with 15 incorrect answers .. took the test under some noise and slept interruptedly last night ) , although I had been almost sure the verbal would be far better than the quant since I guessed fewer questions !!!!!

Any specific advice ? Thanks a million in advance

Source: Beat The GMAT — Ask a GMAT Prep Now representative | Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:12 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16206; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sat Mar 23, 2013 5:30 am

Hi The Nona,

First of all, a thousand apologies for taking so long to respond. Your other two posts somehow slipped past our radar.

The 120-point increase (from 450 to 570) on the GMATPrep test is very encouraging - great work!
With 10 days left to prepare, you should be strengthening any weaknesses you have identified during your practice tests and working through the official guides. Are you using an Improvement Chart (attached) as you work through the OG13? This is a great tool for identifying weaknesses.

Given the limited time frame, I suggest that you focus on concepts that have the greatest return on investment (ROI). These are concepts that are tested frequently and require the least amount of time to learn. In my opinion, these concepts are:
- Sentence Correction
- Data Sufficiency strategies
- Percent
- Integer Properties
- Powers/roots
- Algebra
- Geometry

I say all of this because I see a lot of students spending a lot of time agonizing over concepts like Probability and Counting, when these concepts are seldom tested.

Now CR and RC questions probably have the lowest ROI. I'm not saying that you shouldn't prepare for them; I'm just saying that improvements take a long time, especially for non-native English speakers. For CR, be sure you understand the various question types.

Finally, try to take several official practice tests in order to perfect your time management skills and build your endurance.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent

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the nona: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 53; Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:20 pmFollowed by: 2 members

by the nona » Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:26 pm

Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:Hi The Nona,

First of all, a thousand apologies for taking so long to respond. Your other two posts somehow slipped past our radar.

The 120-point increase (from 450 to 570) on the GMATPrep test is very encouraging - great work!
With 10 days left to prepare, you should be strengthening any weaknesses you have identified during your practice tests and working through the official guides. Are you using an Improvement Chart (attached) as you work through the OG13? This is a great tool for identifying weaknesses.

Given the limited time frame, I suggest that you focus on concepts that have the greatest return on investment (ROI). These are concepts that are tested frequently and require the least amount of time to learn. In my opinion, these concepts are:
- Sentence Correction
- Data Sufficiency strategies
- Percent
- Integer Properties
- Powers/roots
- Algebra
- Geometry

I say all of this because I see a lot of students spending a lot of time agonizing over concepts like Probability and Counting, when these concepts are seldom tested.

Now CR and RC questions probably have the lowest ROI. I'm not saying that you shouldn't prepare for them; I'm just saying that improvements take a long time, especially for non-native English speakers. For CR, be sure you understand the various question types.

Finally, try to take several official practice tests in order to perfect your time management skills and build your endurance.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent

Thanks a lot , Brent :)I took today a test in the older version of GMAT Prep scoring 650 (43 Q 35 V) and only a very few repeated questions . Verbal went fine but I felt I mixed up quant despite I scored a 43 . I am still struggling with DS after massive practice , and the same applies to IR by the way. Any how , I thank you again for the precious advice which I sincerely follow

GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16206; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:54 pm

the nona wrote:I am still struggling with DS after massive practice

If DS is still causing you grief, don't forget that we have a free set of videos that cover everything you need to know: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat-data-sufficiency

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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