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3 weeks till test day

by hazpazfaz » Mon May 18, 2009 3:31 am
Hey everybody

First of all I would like to say that this is a very informative site, and I have gotten a lot of info from here.

My situation
I have 3 weeks till test day, I haven't had the chance to study much and since I'm working right now, my availble hours for studying will be limited.

I have to get a 600, so I'm aiming for 700 to be sure.

My question
How do I go at this? Are there parts I should focus on more, should I concentrate on doing practice tests? Or if you have any tips or pointers that can help me out, please don't hesitate.

Thank You
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by VP_Jim » Tue May 19, 2009 7:30 am
What materials have you used to study so far? Do you know what your weak areas are? Have you taken any practice CATs already? If so, what were your scores and your score breakdowns? If you are starting at, say, a 680, then getting to a 700 score will not be nearly as difficult as if you were starting from a 480. Lastly, have you already set up a schedule for your future studying?

If you can be a little more specific with your questions, I'm sure more people will be able to help you out.
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by hazpazfaz » Thu May 21, 2009 1:22 am
I'm sorry, I've been really busy and my head isn't always screwed on the right way.

I used McGraw-Hill 2009 so far. I have been told to use OG 11 & Kaplan. I didn't get a chance to do a practice CAT. I thought my weak point would be math, but I've been going over some of the practice questions and I seem to manage well. So I would say the verbal part in general is my weak spot.

Thank you for your help
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by VP_Jim » Thu May 21, 2009 8:54 am
Definitely, definitely, definitely do a practice CAT as soon as you can. You need to get a baseline score and begin to familiarize yourself with how CATs work and feel.

Also, get the OG. It includes actual old GMAT questions, and is probably the best study material out there (as long as you can put up with its sometimes-awful explanations).
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by gabriel16 » Thu May 21, 2009 9:21 am
Jim,

You seem like a firm advocate for the OG (I certainly am with you on this sentiment). Do you think it is worth it to purchase an OG companion? Thanks.

Gabe
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by tdadic84 » Thu May 21, 2009 9:35 am
Let me answer this on behalf of Jim, since I read almost all his post and know where he stands on this question...

Yes, if you feel you need more practice and would like additional questions, def. get the OG green and Purple books. thre is nothing better then the OG's.
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by gabriel16 » Thu May 21, 2009 12:16 pm
Thanks very much for the reply. However, in regards to the OG companion, I actually was wondering if it would be a good idea to buy the book that gives detailed answers to all of the OG questions?
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by tdadic84 » Thu May 21, 2009 12:33 pm
ohhhh..you meant that book...by GMAtfix right? sorry..i have not tried that book, but from what I hear it is alright.
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by VP_Jim » Thu May 21, 2009 8:04 pm
I've never used/seen the OG companion. Personally, I think a big part of learning how to conquer the GMAT is stuggling through the explanations yourself, thinking of your own ways to solve problems. I imagine you would learn less by having it handed to you.
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by Bara » Thu May 21, 2009 9:55 pm
I'll jump in here.

VITAL: find out your strengths and weaknesses via a diagnostic real test. As the Wall Street Journal article pointed out about the SATs, its the SAME for the GMAT <https://online.wsj.com/article/SB124278685697537839.html>, and students can best see where they are really are at by using real tests, instead of 3rd party tests. These have a firm place in practice, but not in gauging how one might score.

Once you know where you're at, it's time to hone in on FIXING what is isn't working for you.

I, too, have not seen the OG companion, however, I agree with Jim...it's often better to work something out, then figure out shortcuts for yourself.

The journey in figuring it out is sometimes more valuable, plus with ownership of the process, you're more likely to replicate it when it counts the most.

Good Luck!
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by hazpazfaz » Fri May 22, 2009 3:53 am
So I did my diagnostics test from Kaplan.

General Results

Result: 590
Percentile: 80
Quant: 35
Verbal: 36

Detailed Results
Math

Problem Solving: 58%
Data suffiency: 60%

Arithmetic: 60%
Algebra: 50%
Geometry: 78%

Verbal
Sentence Correction: 70%
Critical Reasoning: 85%
Reading Comprehension: 32%

It seems my weak points are obvious...

Any tips?
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by 4score20 » Tue May 26, 2009 11:38 am
Kaplan is viewed by some to be great for students aiming for 500-650. However, students trying to score higher should consider using a different source of prep. Tougher problems can usually be found in the challenge archive of Manhattan GMAT.
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