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GMAT prep strategy - unsure how to improve further

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GMAT prep strategy - unsure how to improve further

by Fmaier » Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:25 am
Hi all,

I've been studying for the GMAT for a few months now. I've purchased a few books (Kaplan GMAT 2014, Kaplan Math Workbook, Kaplan Math Foundations, Manhatten GMAT Advanced Quant, OG 2015) and worked through all the content in these books. As I'm based in Germany and have not been able to find any courses here, I've also been taking some 1-on-1 tutoring with an instructor in the US to supplement my own studies.

I've taken approx. 10 practice exams to date and have scored in the 640-690 range, but have developed the bad habit of using the 'pause' feature on these exams when I get stumped by a question - which still happens quite a lot. I'm currently taking the practice exams offered by Manhatten GMAT and am finding the problems really tricky, particularly Quant. I know I need to improve on my speed overall and stop relying on the pause feature, but I'm not sure how.

My exam date is coming up in two months and I'm aiming for a 700+ score.

Do you have any recommendations on what I can do to build up my confidence and increase speed at this point? Continue taking practice exams and take educated guesses where necessary? Or take a step back and start timing myself on questions outside the CAT setting until I feel more certain?

Any and all suggestions would be much appreciated!
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Nov 07, 2014 11:22 am
To begin, I think you need to begin taking full-length practice tests WITHOUT pressing the pause button.
This is the only way to:
1) get a solid idea of your current skills
2) identify your strengths and weaknesses

Your scores suggest that you have a pretty good understanding of the material. But, I get the impression that your test-taking skills (time management, endurance, anxiety reduction) may need some work. Keep in mind that GMAT is a test of your math and verbal skills AND it's a test of your test-taking skills.

My suggestion:
Keep taking full-length tests, but NO MORE PAUSE BUTTONS.
After each test, you must carefully analyze the results. During this analysis, there are four main types of weakness to watch out for:
1. specific Quant skills/concepts (e.g., algebra, standard deviation, etc.)
2. specific Verbal skills/concepts (e.g., verb tenses, assumption CR questions, etc.)
3. test-taking skills (time management, endurance, anxiety etc.)
4. silly mistakes

For the first two weaknesses, the fix is pretty straightforward. Learn the concept/skill and find some practice questions to strengthen that weakness. To focus on one topic at a time, you can use BTG's tagging feature to isolate one concept. For example, here are all of the questions tagged as statistics questions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/forums/tags/ ... statistics
See the left side of that linked page for more tag options.

If your test-taking skills are holding you back, then you need to work on these. For example, we have a free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244.

Finally, if silly mistakes are hurting your score, then it's important that you identify and categorize these mistakes so that, during tests, you can easily spot situations in which you're prone to making errors. I write about this and other strategies in the following article for BTG: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/09/ ... n-the-gmat

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent
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by [email protected] » Fri Nov 07, 2014 12:00 pm
Hi Fmaier,

First off, you need to STOP taking practice CATs. A practice CAT score is really only meaningful IF you take the ENTIRE CAT and do so under Test-Like conditions. If you've used the pause button on most (or all) of your CATs, then you don't have much in the way of meaningful data to help you adjust your study plan. Your scores are likely "inflated" and you don't have a genuine sense of your pacing and endurance skills. Right now, you probably need to do more practice, drills, review, etc. so that you can build up a bit more confidence before taking another CAT.

Speed and pacing problems are usually the result of some other issue and not problems in-and-of themselves. To that end, there are some aspects to HOW you answer questions that you can assess (and hopefully improve upon). How many times do you read a prompt before you get to work? How often do you have to go back and reread the question while you're in the "middle" of solving it? How often are you trying to do work in your head? Could you be taking more notes, labeling your work, etc. in a more thorough way than you currently do? Do you know how to answer questions using more than one approach?

Part of your overall problem is that you're focused on a book-heavy approach. Books are limited in what they can show you and a book can't force you out of any bad habits that you've developed. To score 700+, you're likely going to need to invest in some online resources that offer consistent, professional guidance/training so that you physically "see" how you could be solving problems.

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by BestGMATEliza » Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:34 pm
The first thing I would recommend would be to stop pausing on your exams and take the mocks under as close to test day conditions as possible. At first this will be very frustrating and your score will hurt, but it will improve your mental endurance and be better for you in the long run. Another important part of braking the 700 mark is practicing with the most difficult material, so I would recommend getting the Kaplan 800 and Advanced GMAT quant books and working your way through them.

Hope this helps and best of luck!
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by Fmaier » Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:15 am
Thank you all for your responses - really value your input! Am already working with the Advanced GMAT Quant book, which has proven to be immensely helpful, but have decided to take a break from taking practice CATs for a while and sign up for a two-month Empower GMAT membership before I take some more exams.

Will keep you posted on how that goes!

Thanks again.
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by [email protected] » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:30 am
Hi Fmaier,

If you have any questions throughout this process, you can feel free to contact me directly.

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by manyaabroadtpr » Thu Nov 13, 2014 10:48 pm
Fmaier wrote:Thank you all for your responses - really value your input! Am already working with the Advanced GMAT Quant book, which has proven to be immensely helpful, but have decided to take a break from taking practice CATs for a while and sign up for a two-month Empower GMAT membership before I take some more exams.

Will keep you posted on how that goes!

Thanks again.
Hi,

Here's what you should do. Firstly, follow all the advices given by experts above specifically about taking the test without hitting the pause button.

Secondly as your test scores are looking good, what you need to do is figure out ways by which you can optimize your score and push them towards your target score. To be able to do this, take as many mock tests as possible. We would advice, take 1 every 2-3 days since you still have some time before your exam. As you approach the exam, take a mock test every second day. In case, you finish out of new tests, repeat the old one's.

However, more than giving the exam, what is important is that you spend as much time as possible in analysing the same. Typically if you spend 2 hours on a mock test, spend at least 6 hours on analysing your performance. Write down all the ways in which you think you could have improved your score. Then try these strategies in the next test. Keep trying this and you will see how your score will start pushing towards being where you want it to.

If you have any specific queries, please do let us know and we would be happy to help. Wish you all the best.

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by Fmaier » Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:45 am
Hi all,

I took the GMAT today for the first time after completing the 2-month prep course through EMPOWERgmat, and studying for approx. 10 months before that on my own, and I scored a 690 (Quant 44, Verbal 40 - IR 5). Although this isn't a bad score, I'm disappointed nonetheless as I was aiming for 700+ and I've been scoring 720-730 consistently in all of my practice tests, both MGMAT and GMATprep. I don't have a background in Math and I'm not a native speaker, but I do think I can do better than a 690 with additional practice and better pacing overall. I'm planning to apply to HBS, Stanford and Sloan in round 1 in September and I'm uncertain whether I should re-take or not. I know the GMAT score is just one part of the application, but I'm just not sure it's good enough...

But I'm also about to start a new job in two weeks with additional responsibility and increased workload - which means I'll have even less time to study!

What do you recommend?

Your advice is much appreciated.

Kind regards,
Francisca
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Jun 26, 2015 1:02 pm
took the GMAT today for the first time after completing the 2-month prep course through EMPOWERgmat, and studying for approx. 10 months before that on my own, and I scored a 690 (Quant 44, Verbal 40 - IR 5). Although this isn't a bad score, I'm disappointed nonetheless as I was aiming for 700+ and I've been scoring 720-730 consistently in all of my practice tests, both MGMAT and GMATprep. I don't have a background in Math and I'm not a native speaker, but I do think I can do better than a 690 with additional practice and better pacing overall. I'm planning to apply to HBS, Stanford and Sloan in round 1 in September and I'm uncertain whether I should re-take or not. I know the GMAT score is just one part of the application, but I'm just not sure it's good enough...
First off, know that 690 is a very solid score. It may be a little below the mean GMAT score for the schools you're looking at, but it's certainly close enough that if the other elements of your application are sound, you'll still be a good candidate.

It also could be the case that your 690 was an off-day, and that getting a 720 will be as simple as taking the exam again, provided that you were accurately simulating exam conditions during your practice tests. (GMAC announced yesterday that you can now sit for the test every 16 days, so you could take the exam again very quickly, if you'd like.)

If nerves were a factor, I'd suggest incorporating some mindfulness meditation into your routine, as this can make a difference in your score very quickly:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... on/275564/

Last, have you worked through the question pack available at mba.com? If not, it would be worthwhile to complete this set of problems for a bit of additional practice.
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by [email protected] » Fri Jun 26, 2015 6:08 pm
Hi Francisca,

First off, a 690 is a fantastic score (it's just shy of the 90th percentile overall), so you should apply to any School that interests you. While the average GMAT scores at the Schools you named will be slightly higher than yours, your score is 'in the range' of every Business School on your list.

Since you've named some highly competitive programs, you should seriously consider working with an Admissions Expert on your applications. There is a Forum full of them here:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/ask-an-mba-a ... t-f40.html

There is one specific Admissions Expert that I can personally recommend, if you're interested. All things being equal, I think that you're set with this score and that you should put your efforts into your overall applications (essays, interview prep, etc.).

Congrats again!

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