GMAT Prep Official Mock Score 550. Looking for a 700 plus

yasirnasir wrote:Dear All,

I am at the start of my preparation and I took a GMAT Prep Official Test Cold on the software. I scored 550 on the first mock. I am actually looking for an elite score of 700. I need a plan for next 3-4 months to ace it. Can anybody honestly guide that how much could I improve in next 12 weeks to 16 weeks? Secondly, I would like to acknowledge that I am an average guy out there who cannot do the miracle. So, I want to be realistic to set my target score.

Thanks

Perfectly reasonable. If anything, a 700 is a conservative goal. Most default curricula, in my experience, seem to have been designed to help someone who starts at around 500 improve to the 700 range. (Even if you were starting a 350, you'd make 700 your ultimate goal. It would just time more time/work.) If you provide more details on what your study plan likes like, people here will be happy to help you shape it.

DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:

yasirnasir wrote:Dear All,

I am at the start of my preparation and I took a GMAT Prep Official Test Cold on the software. I scored 550 on the first mock. I am actually looking for an elite score of 700. I need a plan for next 3-4 months to ace it. Can anybody honestly guide that how much could I improve in next 12 weeks to 16 weeks? Secondly, I would like to acknowledge that I am an average guy out there who cannot do the miracle. So, I want to be realistic to set my target score.

Thanks

Perfectly reasonable. If anything, a 700 is a conservative goal. Most default curricula, in my experience, seem to have been designed to help someone who starts at around 500 improve to the 700 range. (Even if you were starting a 350, you'd make 700 your ultimate goal. It would just time more time/work.) If you provide more details on what your study plan likes like, people here will be happy to help you shape it.

Thank you so much for your reply. Actually, I have a full time job for 9 hours 6 days a week. Due to family, kids, and work, I have 2 hours daily for study. I am currently following the 60 day free email plan by BEAT THE GMAT website. On Sundays, I can work around 5-6 hours. Currently,

I am using Manhattan Strategy Guides for Concept Building and Reviews
Using OG 2015 for practice questions
(Everything recommended by that 60 day plan)
Tomorrow is Day 4 of my plan

[email protected] wrote:Hi yasirnasir,

To start, a 550 is a solid initial CAT score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). Many Test Takers hit their 'peak' scores after 3 months of consistent study - and you appear to have given yourself that proper study timeframe, which is good. Whether you actually hit a 700+ or not will come down to a number of factors, including the materials that you use and your ability to learn (and properly practice) GMAT Tactics.

It could be that you don't actually "need" a 700+ score, so it would help to know some of your broader plans:

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

As per your question, honestly, I am planning to apply for business schools in the first round of next year 2018 in August. I wanted to take the GMAT a little early to give myself enough room to retake if I needed to. Secondly, regarding the schools, I am not looking for an MBA program but for a PhD. Program in Marketing. My target will not be top elite schools but they will be among top 50 schools. Also, I am looking for a fully funded program because of the financial difficulties.

As far as materials are concerned, I will go with materials with pretty slim prices because the currency difference between dollar and our Pakistani Rupees is too much. Honestly, I will have to save money for two-three months to actually sign up for the GMAT.

So, it all comes down to the two simple things
1) I am applying in the first round of next year
2) I am looking for a PhD. Marketing program in top 50 schools and not top ten
3) I am looking for a fully funded PhD. Program
4) I might not be able to afford any test preparation classes and, therefore, I had to continue on my own
5) I will buy the best quality materials but at the lowest prices
6) I am following the sixty day plan because a friend of mine gifted me his official guides and Manhattan guides. As this plan was free and it is focused upon the only available material I have, therefore, these are my only options for now but I am saving money to invest more in future. In the next two months, I hope that I will save some money to buy the materials.

LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR HELP MENTORS

Thank you so much for your reply. Actually, I have a full time job for 9 hours 6 days a week. Due to family, kids, and work, I have 2 hours daily for study. I am currently following the 60 day free email plan by BEAT THE GMAT website. On Sundays, I can work around 5-6 hours. Currently,

I am using Manhattan Strategy Guides for Concept Building and Reviews
Using OG 2015 for practice questions
(Everything recommended by that 60 day plan)
Tomorrow is Day 4 of my plan

Two suggestions: First, make sure you incorporate some official GMATPrep practice tests into your schedule. (You can find those on mba.com. Two are free. You can purchase four more.)

Second: when you're going through a lot of material, it's quite easy to miss the forest for the trees. You do several hundred questions, it feels like they're flying at you from dozens of angles, and after getting bombarded this way for a few weeks, it can be easy to lose sight of what's important to internalize. To avoid this scenario, try to make a list of takeaways after every study session. It could just be an equation or two that you have difficulty remembering. It could be a strategy that's useful, but that you don't employ quite as often as you should. Then keep coming back to your takeaway sheet. (And it's a good idea to try to distill each prep book you complete into a single sheet of reminders.) That way you don't forget the most important elements you should be absorbing from earlier sessions once you transition to other topics.

DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:

Thank you so much for your reply. Actually, I have a full time job for 9 hours 6 days a week. Due to family, kids, and work, I have 2 hours daily for study. I am currently following the 60 day free email plan by BEAT THE GMAT website. On Sundays, I can work around 5-6 hours. Currently,

I am using Manhattan Strategy Guides for Concept Building and Reviews
Using OG 2015 for practice questions
(Everything recommended by that 60 day plan)
Tomorrow is Day 4 of my plan

Two suggestions: First, make sure you incorporate some official GMATPrep practice tests into your schedule. (You can find those on mba.com. Two are free. You can purchase four more.)

Second: when you're going through a lot of material, it's quite easy to miss the forest for the trees. You do several hundred questions, it feels like they're flying at you from dozens of angles, and after getting bombarded this way for a few weeks, it can be easy to lose sight of what's important to internalize. To avoid this scenario, try to make a list of takeaways after every study session. It could just be an equation or two that you have difficulty remembering. It could be a strategy that's useful, but that you don't employ quite as often as you should. Then keep coming back to your takeaway sheet. (And it's a good idea to try to distill each prep book you complete into a single sheet of reminders.) That way you don't forget the most important elements you should be absorbing from earlier sessions once you transition to other topics.

Thank you for your valuable advice Sir. I have already downloaded the official tests and I have taken one of them scoring 550 without any prep. I will retake the first test and the second one after completing my Prep.

Secondly, your suggestion is really great. I will keep a log for every book I solve. I plan to focus on the official guide 2015 and I will first try to solve all of its questions.

yasirnasir wrote:

DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:

Thank you so much for your reply. Actually, I have a full time job for 9 hours 6 days a week. Due to family, kids, and work, I have 2 hours daily for study. I am currently following the 60 day free email plan by BEAT THE GMAT website. On Sundays, I can work around 5-6 hours. Currently,

I am using Manhattan Strategy Guides for Concept Building and Reviews
Using OG 2015 for practice questions
(Everything recommended by that 60 day plan)
Tomorrow is Day 4 of my plan

Two suggestions: First, make sure you incorporate some official GMATPrep practice tests into your schedule. (You can find those on mba.com. Two are free. You can purchase four more.)

Second: when you're going through a lot of material, it's quite easy to miss the forest for the trees. You do several hundred questions, it feels like they're flying at you from dozens of angles, and after getting bombarded this way for a few weeks, it can be easy to lose sight of what's important to internalize. To avoid this scenario, try to make a list of takeaways after every study session. It could just be an equation or two that you have difficulty remembering. It could be a strategy that's useful, but that you don't employ quite as often as you should. Then keep coming back to your takeaway sheet. (And it's a good idea to try to distill each prep book you complete into a single sheet of reminders.) That way you don't forget the most important elements you should be absorbing from earlier sessions once you transition to other topics.

Thank you for your valuable advice Sir. I have already downloaded the official tests and I have taken one of them scoring 550 without any prep. I will retake the first test and the second one after completing my Prep.

Secondly, your suggestion is really great. I will keep a log for every book I solve. I plan to focus on the official guide 2015 and I will first try to solve all of its questions.

Keep us posted on your progress!