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GMAT postponed from Nov 17 to Dec 22. New strategy help reqd

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GMAT postponed from Nov 17 to Dec 22. New strategy help reqd

by josh80 » Mon Nov 04, 2013 1:45 pm
After giving my first CAT yesterday and getting advice from experts here on this forum, I have pushed back the date from Nov 17th to Dec 21st. That gives me 7 weeks to practice and improve to push my score beyond 700.

Now the experts have mentioned on this forum that it is highly unlikely that the score will jump by 100 points in that amount of time, but I have started working on my RC and am reading the tagged Quant questions on this forum to see how experts approach the problem. Besides this, I plan on purchasing a questions bank for both verbal and quant (I have already burnt through OG13 and official review guides) to keep practicing. Also, upon strong suggestions from experts here, I plan to give a full length CAT only once every 5 days.

Conceptually I am above average but I have discovered that I am solving (or did so on the CAT yesterday) GMAT problems like Math and English. I reckon if I can change this approach and concentrate harder, and treat it as problem solving (sort of like puzzles), I can cross 700 before Dec 21st.

I am willing to put in 6-8 hours a day (my work is very light end of the year) so any direction from the experts here will be very helpful.

Thank you to the experts for helping me figure out the initial bit quickly.
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by [email protected] » Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:01 pm
Hi josh80,

You've made a very smart decision and the extra time that you now have can be put to good use.

You mentioned in the prior post that you had taken just 1 CAT. How long ago was that?

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by josh80 » Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:58 am
Hello Rich,

I took my first CAT (MGMAT) on Sunday, November 3rd. This was also my first ONLINE and TIMED test; till then I had only done practice problems from the books. So I am not sure if is a true representation of where I stand right now, but I am definite I am not in the 700+ group.

I believe 80% of my problem in achieving a 700+ score is the way I am approaching the CAT problems - hurrying through questions, poor concentration, silly mistakes. 20% of the problem is fundamental weakness (RC, number properties, probability etc) that I have already started working on.

Is there any study plan you can recommend over the next 5-6 weeks that will help me overcome these problems and get a 700+ score.

Thanks.
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by VivianKerr » Tue Nov 05, 2013 11:27 am
100 point jump is 6-7 weeks is definitely ambitious. Here's what I'd suggest:

Create an Error Log so you can get REALLY specific about what concepts you're missing (and why). Re-take quizzes and questions from the very beginning of your GMAT studies. Do you find yourself getting the same questions incorrect? This can be a sign that you haven't learned the content you think you have. Be honest with yourself about what is "sinking in" and what is not.

Put the emphasis of your study-time on reviewing. Use the 40/60 rule. 40% of your time should be spent actually answering questions. At minimum, 60% of your time should be spent reviewing. Most people who aren't improving are simply spending WAY too much time answering question after question and not focusing on learning "takeaways."

Focus on STRATEGY -- working out a step-by-step approach to EACH question type. This is HUGE, and is probably the only way you have of boosting a score by 100 points. You might want to work with a tutor once you isolate what questions you're not super-strong on strategy-wise, but there's also a LOT of great strategy articles online. Here's my own RC strategy advice: https://learni.st/users/60/boards/41432- ... nd-for-all

Here's an example RC passage -- you can see how extensively I break down the passage. RC requires a LOT of work/time to really get close to 100% accuracy. To improve, I suggest you slow waaaaay down and delve into the nitty-gritty of each passage and question. Working on RC untimed is really the only way to get high accuracy. Once you're rocking the strategy and getting 90%+ correct untimed, you can slowly pace yourself back up. https://gmatrockstar.com/2013/10/24/gmat ... y-purpose/

Good luck!
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by josh80 » Tue Nov 05, 2013 4:56 pm
Thanks for the detailed insight Vivian. I am now aware, after my first CAT couple of days back and it's analysis, that majority of the problem is in my strategy and approach to the GMAT problems. I need to LEARN this process in the next 5 weeks. Just trying to chalk out an effective study plan now.
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