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GMAT in 2 weeks, should I reschedule?

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GMAT in 2 weeks, should I reschedule?

by jmn012 » Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:34 am
I am scheduled to take the GMAT in two weeks (August 19) and I am nowhere near prepared. So my question is if y'all think it is a good idea for me to reschedule my GMAT. I am only wanting to take it once since I am paying for all this on my own. If I need to take it again I will but I am trying to see if I can make the first one count. Paying $50 to reschedule in the hopes I'll do better is worth it for me if I don't have to shell out the $250 again. My plan was to spend the whole summer getting ready and following a two month study plan. However I was taking classes and working throughout the summer and did not devote nearly enough time to it (this is not an excuse by the way, I know many people still manage to study and work full time). For perspective I only made it to day 14 of my study plan in the span of the entire summer. I realize I did a lot wrong and didn't devote nearly enough time to studying/preparing. I just seem to get very frustrated trying to reteach myself math I learned in high school/freshman year of college.

So here's what I've been doing/how I've been doing:
I am working with the Official GMAT Review 2017 books and have been following the Beat the GMAT 2 month study plan. I have also been watching some of the GMAT Club videos over the quantitative section (just the ones that are free).
I have only taken one practice test from the GMAT prep app (only made a 490) and the diagnostic test from the OG Review 2017 book. My goal is to get above a 680.


Here is where I am conflicted about rescheduling:
1. I start classes on August 21 for my last semester. I'm only in 15 hours which is what I've taken every semester and haven't had a problem with. My concern is if I schedule my test for during the semester (I am thinking September 16) I will end up getting very busy with school and not devote the time I need to for the GMAT.

2. I am applying to three schools, one of which is University of Texas for their MPA program. It is a very competitive program and one that has a rolling admissions process, so the earlier I apply, the better chance I have of getting in/getting scholarships. I am wondering if the middle of September is too late to take the GMAT if I am trying to get my applications in by October/if I am giving myself enough time if I need to take the GMAT again (which I am hoping I don't have to do).

Please be brutally honest with me. I know my goal score and my practice test score are worlds apart and I clearly need some more prep so I am hoping one of y'all can offer some advice on what to do!

Thanks in advance!
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by ceilidh.erickson » Mon Aug 07, 2017 8:07 am
Yes, I think you should reschedule. It's highly unlikely that you would achieve a 190 pt score increase in 2 weeks. Here's a very broad rule of thumb (lots of variation & exceptions, obviously): I tell students to plan for ~1 week for every 10-20 pts they want to gain. So to gain almost 200 pts, the minimum time would be 10 weeks, and it could take up to 20.

Then again, you've only taken one practice exam. As I'm sure you've read on this forum, you should be taking a practice exam at least once every 2 weeks when you're in the final phase of your prep. I'm recommend a minimum of 4 CATs to practice your time management & strategic decision-making.

Push your test back at least until the end of September, and plan to study an hour a day, and take CATs at least every other weekend. Yes, your target school has rolling admission, but you'd still have a better chance of getting in with a higher GMAT score later in the application cycle.

Good luck!
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by [email protected] » Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:20 pm
Hi jmn012,

How long ago did you take that practice CAT (the 490)? I ask because raising that score to a 680+ will take some serious effort - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. All of that work will likely take at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study. Given your current timeline, it will almost certainly be best for you to push back your Test Date.

If it's been more than 2 weeks since you took that CAT, then I suggest that you take a new CAT soon and make sure to make it as realistic as possible (so take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you think you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back and we can discuss how best to proceed.

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by jmn012 » Mon Aug 07, 2017 5:18 pm
[email protected] wrote:Hi jmn012,

How long ago did you take that practice CAT (the 490)? I ask because raising that score to a 680+ will take some serious effort - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. All of that work will likely take at least another 3 months of consistent, guided study. Given your current timeline, it will almost certainly be best for you to push back your Test Date.

If it's been more than 2 weeks since you took that CAT, then I suggest that you take a new CAT soon and make sure to make it as realistic as possible (so take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you think you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back and we can discuss how best to proceed.

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

Thank you for responding! I took the practice test in June, so it has been awhile. I plan to take another practice test in two days to see if I have improved at all. However I have already gone and changed my test date to the beginning of October since I have started to realize how unrealistic my goal is in such a short amount of time.
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by [email protected] » Tue Aug 08, 2017 2:41 pm
Hi jmn012,

Pushing back your Official Test Date was a smart move. You could potentially improve a great deal in the next two months if you can commit to a consistent study routine and focus on the proper Tactics. We'll know more about what you'll need to work on once you've completed your next CAT.

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by jmn012 » Wed Aug 09, 2017 3:25 pm
I just retook the GMAT Prep Practice Exam 1. I did a lot better than I expected. I thought the improvement might be because I have taken this practice exam before but it has been almost 2 months and I didn't recognize the questions/remember the answers so I am thinking some of my studying has actually paid off.

My score was:
610
Verbal: 33
Quantitative: 41

Before it was:
490
Verbal: 30
Quantitative: 28
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by [email protected] » Wed Aug 09, 2017 6:10 pm
Hi jmn012,

While you almost certainly have stronger GMAT skills now than you did 2 months ago, retaking a CAT that you've already taken is NOT a realistic situation. Recognizing even a handful of the questions could significantly throw off your performance, anxiety, pacing, etc. and almost certainly led to an 'inflated' score result (although there's no way to determine how inflated). As such, we cannot view this 610 as a realistic assessment of your skills - so you should plan to take a NEW CAT sometime soon (in the next week or so). In the meantime, you should review this CAT and continue studying as you see fit.

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by jmn012 » Sat Aug 19, 2017 1:50 pm
I have just taken a Veritas Prep Practice Test, here were my results:

590 overall
38 Quantitative
33 Verbal

I definitely need to work on quantitative more, seeing as I didn't do too well in that. According to my study plan (the Beat the GMAT 60 day study plan) I only have one more day of math studying then onto verbal until the test day. Should I switch it up and add in more quantitative studying?
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by [email protected] » Sun Aug 20, 2017 10:01 am
Hi jmn012,

This 590 is a nice improvement over your initial 490, so you're clearly learning/retaining what you've been studying. Your concerns about your Quant Scaled Score are valid - and many Business Schools view an applicant's Quant Scaled Score as a measure of how well that person would handle the 'academic side' of the Program, so raising that Score would help your applications in a number of ways. As such, adjusting your routine to include more Quant would be a good idea. You should also do a thorough review of every CAT that you take - with the goal of trying to define WHY you're getting questions wrong. For example, on this last CAT, how many Quant questions did you get wrong because of a silly/little mistake?

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by ceilidh.erickson » Sun Aug 20, 2017 11:36 am
jmn012 wrote:I have just taken a Veritas Prep Practice Test, here were my results:

590 overall
38 Quantitative
33 Verbal

I definitely need to work on quantitative more, seeing as I didn't do too well in that. According to my study plan (the Beat the GMAT 60 day study plan) I only have one more day of math studying then onto verbal until the test day. Should I switch it up and add in more quantitative studying?
I disagree with study plans that have you "finish" the quant, then move on to the verbal. It's much more productive to mix things up - do a little bit of every question type every week.

So yes, definitely continue to work on the quant. If you've covered all of the content lessons, you should be doing mixed timed sets from the OG. Make sure you're timing yourself accurately and recording your work.
Ceilidh Erickson
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Harvard Graduate School of Education
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by jmn012 » Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:12 pm
Thank y'all both for your help and advice I really appreciate it!
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