Course Finished, Stuck at 580. Help needed for way forward.

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I just finished the Manhattan GMAT online course this past Sunday and I'm looking for some advice on the way forward.

Brief Background: I have a Quantitative Economics degree from a U.S. Service Academy. I've been out of school for 5 years, so it's taken some work to get back into "school mode". My goal, like just about everyone else on this forum, is to break the 700 barrier. I truly enjoy reading people's stories, strategies, and expert opinions on this forum and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to give me their opinion. I think I've built a decent foundation, but I need to reset in order to get up to that 700 mark.

Recent CAT results: 580 (Q40, V31) and 580 (Q40, V31). These were both MGMAT CATs and taken two weeks apart. My Quant results were basically identical. Number properties is a big weakness, so I plan to hit that topic hard. My verbal had a few changes. I went from 42% correct on SC to 60%, but dropped on RC from 67% to 42% (awful on specific detail ?'s). I really focused on SC two weeks prior to the practice test and completely ignored RC. I also studied extremely hard the week prior to the second CAT and I think fatigue played a factor. I may have burnt myself out a bit and this may be the reason for the stagnant score.

Proposed Way Forward (6-8 weeks): I've yet to go through all of the OG questions. I have kept solid data on the problems that I've done so far. I plan to go through all of the OG questions for PS, DS, SC, CR, and RC (specific details ?'s only). While completing problems, I'll make flash cards on certain concepts, rules, formulas that cause problems. After completing all the questions, I'll go back through and repeat all questions that gave me problems until I'm at ~95% accuracy. I'll also take practice tests as I see fit (approx. 1 a week).

Questions: Is this plan enough? What other materials do you recommend using? (I've only used MGMAT guides so far) Is 6-8 weeks enough time to see an increase in 100-120 points? Thoughts/opinions?

Thanks again!
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue May 14, 2013 6:29 am
Looks like a good plan to me.
Practice-wise, the unanswered OG questions is a good place to start. You might also consider the official quant-only (https://www.amazon.ca/Official-Guide-GMA ... 0470449764) and verbal-only (https://www.amazon.ca/Official-Guide-GMA ... 0470449756) books.

While completing questions from the Official Guide (OG), you should use an Error Log (aka Improvement Chart) to help identify and strengthen your weak areas. You can find a free downloadable Improvement Chart here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-error-log

Cheers,
Brent
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by Wrestlin27 » Tue May 14, 2013 1:47 pm
Thanks, Brent.

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by faraz_jeddah » Wed May 15, 2013 6:22 am
Wrestlin27 wrote:I just finished the Manhattan GMAT online course this past Sunday and I'm looking for some advice on the way forward.

Brief Background: I have a Quantitative Economics degree from a U.S. Service Academy. I've been out of school for 5 years, so it's taken some work to get back into "school mode". My goal, like just about everyone else on this forum, is to break the 700 barrier. I truly enjoy reading people's stories, strategies, and expert opinions on this forum and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to give me their opinion. I think I've built a decent foundation, but I need to reset in order to get up to that 700 mark.

Recent CAT results: 580 (Q40, V31) and 580 (Q40, V31). These were both MGMAT CATs and taken two weeks apart. My Quant results were basically identical. Number properties is a big weakness, so I plan to hit that topic hard. My verbal had a few changes. I went from 42% correct on SC to 60%, but dropped on RC from 67% to 42% (awful on specific detail ?'s). I really focused on SC two weeks prior to the practice test and completely ignored RC. I also studied extremely hard the week prior to the second CAT and I think fatigue played a factor. I may have burnt myself out a bit and this may be the reason for the stagnant score.

Proposed Way Forward (6-8 weeks): I've yet to go through all of the OG questions. I have kept solid data on the problems that I've done so far. I plan to go through all of the OG questions for PS, DS, SC, CR, and RC (specific details ?'s only). While completing problems, I'll make flash cards on certain concepts, rules, formulas that cause problems. After completing all the questions, I'll go back through and repeat all questions that gave me problems until I'm at ~95% accuracy. I'll also take practice tests as I see fit (approx. 1 a week).

Questions: Is this plan enough? What other materials do you recommend using? (I've only used MGMAT guides so far) Is 6-8 weeks enough time to see an increase in 100-120 points? Thoughts/opinions?

Thanks again!
The goal is achievable if you dedicate 6-8 hours a day. I assume you are not working a full time job at the moment.
I have a similar goal of breaking into the 700s.

Have you tried the Gmatprep software? The result on those tests will be the closest to your actual score on the gmat.

Best of luck.

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by Wrestlin27 » Wed May 15, 2013 6:45 am
I do have a job, but it's very slow right now. I'm able dedicate about 4-5 hours a day to studying. I try to take one day off a week for a break.

I've downloaded the software, but have yet to use it. I plan to use it more as I get closer to the exam.

Thanks for the advice and good luck! Let me know how it goes and if you have any additional advice.

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by David@VeritasPrep » Wed May 15, 2013 7:16 pm
Have you considered the $25 add on to the GMATPrep Pack. It is 400 questions and there is little if any (it depends on who you ask!) overlap with other materials. You can make quizzes with those questions and take them as if they were tests (although not adaptive).

So that is a good source of questions of official questions.

In my opinion, anything over 3 - 4 hours a day is probably best if you want your study time to be really productive. You say that you may be burnt out a bit so opt for quality of quantity. You can improve by that amount but only if you improve your tactics and techniques and approach. Some people improve 100 points just by avoiding all those silly mistakes. Here is an article on that...https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/10/ ... -handrails
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