I started preparing for the GMAT sometime in July, so I've had almost five months of getting ready, but i really haven't made much progress from when I started. I used the Manhattan prep study guides for both quant and verbal and I also solved a lot of questions from the official guide, so I thought I had a good grip on both sections. However, my scores in the 5 practice tests I've taken prove the opposite.
My first practice test was one of the official GMAT tests and I scored 470 (Quant 22, Verbal 32). The other four tests were Manhattan prep CATs with scores 570 (Q37, V31), 460 (Q27, V28), 580(Q36, V33) and 420(Q19,V29). My self confidence was completely deflated after my last test so I decided to take some time to cool off, re-focus and re-strategize. I read a lot of stories here about people who beat the GMAT and I try to be encouraged, but its hard not to doubt myself because I'm not anywhere near the score I need. I'm aiming for 700+ .
I started an error log and I've been able to pinpoint my areas of weakness both on the quant and the verbal, but the problem is I don't know how to go about improving my score. I don't know what materials to use to tackle my areas of difficulty. I don't think going back to the Manhattan guides is a good idea and I'm not sure whether taking classes is what I should do right now since I've done a lot of self-study, plus I'm running out of time. I'm looking to apply in January - the second deadline for most of the schools I'm interested in. As an international student, it would give me enough time for my visa application than the third deadline would and it would also give me a better chance of getting admitted. The IR and essay sections are as much a struggle to me as the verbal and quant. The highest number of questions I've gotten right on IR is three and then my brain just freezes on the essay section and I end up not typing enough or just off point. I'm really struggling here, please help!
My first practice test was one of the official GMAT tests and I scored 470 (Quant 22, Verbal 32). The other four tests were Manhattan prep CATs with scores 570 (Q37, V31), 460 (Q27, V28), 580(Q36, V33) and 420(Q19,V29). My self confidence was completely deflated after my last test so I decided to take some time to cool off, re-focus and re-strategize. I read a lot of stories here about people who beat the GMAT and I try to be encouraged, but its hard not to doubt myself because I'm not anywhere near the score I need. I'm aiming for 700+ .
I started an error log and I've been able to pinpoint my areas of weakness both on the quant and the verbal, but the problem is I don't know how to go about improving my score. I don't know what materials to use to tackle my areas of difficulty. I don't think going back to the Manhattan guides is a good idea and I'm not sure whether taking classes is what I should do right now since I've done a lot of self-study, plus I'm running out of time. I'm looking to apply in January - the second deadline for most of the schools I'm interested in. As an international student, it would give me enough time for my visa application than the third deadline would and it would also give me a better chance of getting admitted. The IR and essay sections are as much a struggle to me as the verbal and quant. The highest number of questions I've gotten right on IR is three and then my brain just freezes on the essay section and I end up not typing enough or just off point. I'm really struggling here, please help!
