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Just got a 570 on GMATprep, I'm lost! Please help!

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Just got a 570 on GMATprep, I'm lost! Please help!

by Logician » Sat Nov 22, 2014 5:38 pm
Before starting my studying a few months ago I took a GMATprep practice test and got a 440. I set my goal at 750 and looked online for what I needed to do in order to achieve my goal. After doing some research on what materials to buy I chose the MGMAT 10 Book Set for reviewing the content and the OG 2015 for practice questions. I went through all the MGMAT books and then did the questions in the OG. Of the questions in the OG I got roughly 57% of the quant and roughly 70% of the verbal questions right. I went through the answer explanations of all the quant questions and only the answer explanations of the questions that I that got wrong in the verbal section.

I was scheduled to take the GMAT next week so feeling pretty confident I took a GMATprep practice test 2 days ago and I got a 570. I was pretty bummed to get this score as I have my eyes set on 750. So I've rescheduled my test five weeks from now and am here to get help from you guys. Where do I go from here? What do I need to do to get the score that I want?

After spending some time thinking, I know one thing that I did wrong is that I spent too much time reviewing the content and not enough time to do the full length practice tests. So when I took the GMATprep practice test I was pretty nervous because I had not yet taken a full length test. So needless to say I'll make sure that I have taken a few full length practice tests before I take the GMAT in 5 weeks. So guys please help me achieve my goal. I'm feeling pretty down right now. I'm willing to put in all the effort that is required but I need guidance. I have 5 weeks to prepare and probably should mention that for the last four of those weeks I'll be off work. So during those four weeks I can put in extra time. I refuse to give up and will do everything I can to get the score I want. I know its possible.

Thanks in advance.
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by [email protected] » Sat Nov 22, 2014 5:53 pm
Hi Logician,

You've made some nice progress so far. Improving 130 points with what was essentially just some book-heavy study is no small feat. You've already come to realize that you're not quite in range of your goal yet, so pushing back your Test Date was a good move.

I'm curious about some aspects of how you studied, so if you can answer a few questions, then I'll be happy to offer some advice. I'll also offer some perspective on what you can do to adjust your studies going forward.

1) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on this practice CAT?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
3) What's your typical study schedule from week to week?
4) Other than the upcoming Test Date, are you on any particular deadlines?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

When it comes to taking CATs, you should realize that taking lots of CATs won't make you a better Test Taker. A CAT is a "measuring device" - it'll provide you with a reasonable measure of your skills and will point out your weak spots. The bulk of your time should be spent on practice and review; 1 CAT per week is a reasonable task to include amongst all of the other studying you'll do.

A 750 is the 99th percentile, meaning that 99% of Test Takers either CAN'T or WON'T do what it takes to succeed. This means that your goal is lofty, but that should not keep you from continuing to work hard. You'll likely need to invest in some new resources that will provide consistent, professional guidance and emphasize not just the content of the GMAT, but the tactics, patterns and little "secrets" behind the GMAT. This might also require more time than you've allotted.

Remember that that the GMAT is a standardized, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to CRUSH it.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by Logician » Sat Nov 22, 2014 6:28 pm
Hey Rich,
Thanks for getting back to me. So I took the CAT without the essay portion of the test, I just skipped it. My scaled scores were 5 on IR, 36 on Quant and 33 on Verbal. I was putting in about 4 hours everyday except for the weekends and then the month after that my studying was kinda all over the place, lets just say I didn't get a whole lot done in that month. The third month was similar to the first month with about 4 hours everyday except Saturdays and on Sundays I was also putting in another 4 hours. Also bedsides the GMAT I do not have any other deadlines to make.

Thanks.
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by [email protected] » Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:20 pm
Hi Logician,

With the extra information that you've provided, I think that you have to seriously consider pushing back your GMAT Test Date even further. You've admitted that you did not do much studying during the "middle month", so I suspect that part of this last month was spent reviewing and refreshing yourself on concepts that you were learning early on. This is all meant to say that you really haven't put in enough time to be truly comfortable with all of the material that you'll see on the Official GMAT (and 5 extra weeks is probably NOT going to be enough time to get you to that level).

In addition, since you skipped the Essay, you haven't faced the fatigue and endurance challenges that you'll face on the Official GMAT. By facing a shorter practice CAT, your scores were likely a bit "inflated", which means that you would probably not have scored a 570 if you had taken the entire CAT. A full review of this CAT is in order. To start, you should make a list of every question that you got wrong and WHY you got it wrong. Was it because of a silly/little mistake, a concept/rule that you didn't know or because the question was too hard? That information will give you a sense of what areas you need to work on.

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Rich
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by Logician » Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:40 pm
So I did make a list of why I got each question wrong (content or careless mistake). This time around after revising the content should I redo all the OG questions or find a new source of questions as I've already done these and looked the solutions to the ones I got wrong? Also I can't push the test date back as I'll be applying in Round 2 admissions for which the deadline for most of the programs is in the first week of January. My plan is to revise content during the week and do related questions and then on the weekends I'll be taking a full length test.
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by [email protected] » Sun Nov 23, 2014 11:06 pm
Hi Logician,

When it comes to review, there's always some value in re-visiting past material, re-doing old questions, etc. as long as you're ACTUALLY doing some work. For example, if you were to look at a question and think "I know the answer is C", then you're just wasting time. By physically solving problems again (or trying to solve them using different methods), you improve on your mechanics (how you physically go about solving the problem - note-taking, organization, calculations, etc.) and build up your tactical memory (recognizing when to use a certain approach to solving a problem).

Since you seem to be focused on Round 2 admissions, I have to ask what is more important: sending in Round 2 applications or scoring 750? If applying during the 3rd Round increased your chances of scoring higher on the GMAT, then would you push your Test Date back?

I think that taking a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT this weekend is a good idea. There's a decent chance that your score will drop and that you'll run into some pacing problems, but it's important to experience those situations so that you can work to fix them before you take the Official GMAT.

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by manyaabroadtpr » Mon Nov 24, 2014 5:57 am
Hi,

More than anything else, you need to keep your hopes alive, believe in yourself and keep persevering with your preparation with full confidence.

Now, as you have yourself mentioned that you had not taken enough mock tests previously, this is exactly what you need to do now. However, remember one thing. More than taking a mock test, what is important is how you are analyzing your performance in these tests. Typically, if you spend 2 hours taking a mock test, spend at least 4-5 hours in analyzing your performance. Go through each and every question and try to identify better, smarter and a faster way to do it. Make a note of all the points and make sure you apply the same in the next test. If you do this consistently, you will see your score going up.

You may also get benefited by joining a coaching institute as it will help you to streamline your preparation, get you connected to experts and mentors and also similar individuals who are pursuing the same journey. This will keep your preparation competitive and also help you stay motivated during the course of your preparation.

In case, you have any specific queries, please do let us know and we would be happy to help. Wish you the best. Do keep us updated on the progress you are making.

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by Logician » Mon Nov 24, 2014 10:50 am
Thanks guys for all the support. I'm keeping the test date the same as I had set a goal for myself to apply in Round 2. If I don't get the score I want I'll still apply and see how it goes. If I don't make it into a school of my choice then I'll wait till the next Round 1, so I have plenty of time to improve my score and also improve my resume a little. With that said I'm back on the horse and will be putting in as much time and effort as I can from now until test date and I will be keeping you guys posted on my progress. In the mean time if you have any advice to give to someone in my situation please let me know. Thanks a lot!
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by [email protected] » Mon Nov 24, 2014 10:43 pm
Hi Logician,

It's completely understandable that you'd want to stick to your original timeline, and there's nothing wrong with sticking to your current plan. What schools are you planning to apply to? Are you planning to apply for any scholarships (and what are the GMAT score requirements, if any, for those scholarships?

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by manyaabroadtpr » Wed Nov 26, 2014 5:19 am
Logician wrote:Thanks guys for all the support. I'm keeping the test date the same as I had set a goal for myself to apply in Round 2. If I don't get the score I want I'll still apply and see how it goes. If I don't make it into a school of my choice then I'll wait till the next Round 1, so I have plenty of time to improve my score and also improve my resume a little. With that said I'm back on the horse and will be putting in as much time and effort as I can from now until test date and I will be keeping you guys posted on my progress. In the mean time if you have any advice to give to someone in my situation please let me know. Thanks a lot!
Hi,

Now, that's the spirit. Way to go and we wish you all the very best in your GMAT preparation. As you restart your journey, the key will be to stay motivated and competitive at all times. You can consider joining a study group in your city as it will get you connected to similar individuals. Besides, studying together helps you to streamlines your preparations, discuss out your strong and weak points, learn the best strategies from others and many others.

Also, you may consider at times trying something new with your preparation so that this time around, it is not exactly similar to what you tried earlier.

All the best and keep us posted.
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by Logician » Mon Dec 01, 2014 12:35 pm
[email protected] wrote:Hi Logician,

It's completely understandable that you'd want to stick to your original timeline, and there's nothing wrong with sticking to your current plan. What schools are you planning to apply to? Are you planning to apply for any scholarships (and what are the GMAT score requirements, if any, for those scholarships?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Hey Rich,
So I'm not planning on applying for any scholarships. Also I'm planning on applying to Kellogg, Stanford and Duke.
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by [email protected] » Mon Dec 01, 2014 4:10 pm
Hi Logician,

Kellogg, Standford and Duke are all highly competitive, so a strong GMAT score will be a MUST. You had mentioned that you were planning to take a CAT over the weekend; did you have the time to do so (and what were your scores?)?

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by manyaabroadtpr » Tue Dec 02, 2014 8:46 am
Logician wrote:
[email protected] wrote:Hi Logician,

It's completely understandable that you'd want to stick to your original timeline, and there's nothing wrong with sticking to your current plan. What schools are you planning to apply to? Are you planning to apply for any scholarships (and what are the GMAT score requirements, if any, for those scholarships?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Hey Rich,
So I'm not planning on applying for any scholarships. Also I'm planning on applying to Kellogg, Stanford and Duke.
Hi,

These are the top universities and to be able to get an admit to these schools, you will not only need a high GMAT score but also a good overall profile. So, while you are preparing for GMAT, make sure that you are also simultaneously working on your profile.

We are sure you are already on course to your target GMAT preparation. Do keep us updated on your journey. We wish you the best.

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by Logician » Tue Dec 02, 2014 11:49 pm
[email protected] wrote:Hi Logician,

Kellogg, Standford and Duke are all highly competitive, so a strong GMAT score will be a MUST. You had mentioned that you were planning to take a CAT over the weekend; did you have the time to do so (and what were your scores?)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
I wasn't able to take a CAT this weekend but am planning on taking one next weekend. This week I'm trying to review all the MGMAT Quant guides.
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by Logician » Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:58 am
[email protected] wrote:Hi Logician,

Kellogg, Standford and Duke are all highly competitive, so a strong GMAT score will be a MUST. You had mentioned that you were planning to take a CAT over the weekend; did you have the time to do so (and what were your scores?)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Also Rich, I sent you a private message asking about EMPOWERgmat if you could respond to that it would be much appreciated.
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