BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Need Help to discuss next 1.5 month study schedule

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:50 am
Thanked: 1 times

Need Help to discuss next 1.5 month study schedule

by poonammarwah » Tue Aug 18, 2009 4:41 am
Hi DanaJ(moderator),
I have seen you giving very good suggestions to GMAT aspirant and that inspired me to discuss my study plan with you.
I am Poonam, I had GMAT scheduled for 29th August but I postponed it to 7th Oct after getting 600 in GMAT prep twice.

My quant score is 44 while verbal is 28.

As per my analysis I am week in RC and need more practice in SC and CR. I need time management in Math section.
I can do all the question in quant section, its only time that i need to manage.
I can crack SC if I know the rule.
I am good in CR.

In RC If I understand the passage then I can answer all questions.

I have studied individual section(PS,DS,CR and SC)except RC a lot in last 2 months. I have completed following books. I have spent more time in completing these books than in analysis of Q/Ans.
OG11
OG12( Not done DS)
PR 1012 Q(not done CR and RC)
KAPLAN Premier(only Quant and SC).
Manhattan SC guide twice.

I have decided following plan for next 1 month.
first 10 days
1.morning 3-4 hours RC from OG Verbal Guide. Understand each and every word and read on internet information related to RC passage. complete 2 Passage.
2.Evening 10 10 Q for PS and DS from OG quantitative review. understand each Ans, note down time for each Q.
3.Night 10 10 Q for SC and CR from OG verbal review. understand each Ans, learn the new rules if any for SC and CR. complete analysis of each Q.

Repeat all these 3 steps for OG 11 and PR1023/Kaplan 800.
Last 15 days
DO following Practice test
Manhattan 4 tests
Kaplan 2 test
GMAT PREP 4 times.

I was wondering if doing all the sections(PS,DS,CR,RC,SC) in one day have any negative effects?

Is it better to do Verbal one day and Quant next day than doing all section in one day?

Kindly provide your suggestions/feedback on this plan. Can doing only OG properly in last 1.5 months improve my score from 600 to 720+.
Top
Source: — GMAT Strategy |
User avatar
Site Admin
Posts: 2567
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2009 10:05 am
Thanked: 712 times
Followed by:550 members
GMAT Score:770

by DanaJ » Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:18 am
Well, to start in reverse order, I do believe that anyone can achieve a 120 point increase in 1.5 months. If you put your heart into it, it's gotta payoff.

It's not a bad idea to work on all sections each day - I used to work on about 3 (PS and DS every day, but just answering questions on the forum + a verbal section). There are many ways to study for the GMAT and you need to find the one that's good for you. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me three days from now that your initial plan didn't quite feel right and you've decided to work on just two sections each day. Of course, this is up to you to decide, but don't take too long: you only have about 6 weeks, so you don't want to waste too much time on the routine or schedule. So in about 5/7 days, I think you'll be able to tell for yourself if it's working or if you feel too exhausted by practicing too many sections a day. But hey, you might like the variety!

RC is a pretty tricky section, since there's no clear way to improve upon it. While SC is the "quant of the verbal" and CR is somewhere in the middle (if you learn the question types, take a few tips and practice you'll be able to ace it), RC is more like poetry. You either have a feel for it or you don't, in which case reading a lot is your best bet. There's a reason why it's called reading comprehension... Since I could bet all my money that you're not a native speaker, I suggest adding some English literature/high quality written material to your daily routine, to improve on both speed and understanding. My spoken French is pretty rusty nowadays, since I haven't used it in months... Same goes for all languages: you need to keep it fresh in your mind.

I would also like to suggest another book, the PowerScore CR Bible. I used it for both RC and CR and it might help you as well. You could also try buying the OG verbal for more practice. I for one jumped every occasion I had to practice using official questions! Their quality is unmatched, maybe only by the CR bible...

Improving quant timing... Here are a few tips:
- don't write everything down or write stuff down in an orderly fashion. Getting confused by all the scribbling on the piece of paper in front of you will do no good

- practice a lot, particularly on your weak spots. If you feel uncomfortable with number properties, work on that as much as you can, increasing the difficulty of problems

- there are a few things you could memorize before test day, so you'll tap into a library of data quickly when you need to. Some suggestions in my last post here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/dana-s-quant ... 37055.html

- learn how to use mental math. For instance, how much is 38*49? Normally you'd write this down, doing all the multiplications, but that's not the fastes way. You could notice that 49 = 50 - 1 and that 38 = 40 - 2. Rewrite the initial thing:

38 * 49 = 38 * 50 - 38 = (40 - 2)*50 - 38 = 2000 - 100 - 38 = 1862.
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:50 am
Thanked: 1 times

by poonammarwah » Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:58 pm
Thankyou so much for you detailed feedback. I did not expect the feedback so early, you are too good:-)

I will start working as per your suggestions and will discuss with you whenever I face any problems/issues.

And yes you are right, I am not a native speaker.

Thanks once again!

Poonam
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1