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Need advice on study strategy

by aditi.m89 » Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:50 am
Hello.

I am new to Beatthegmat. I took the GMAT in October 2013 and score 600 (42Q, 29V) which was a huge shock since I was scoring between 680-700 in the tests in the week before (tests included Manhattan GMAT and official GMAT prep). Then I didn't really study for the GMAT after that (change in plans and decided to apply for MA etc) Long story short, I am considering giving the GMAT again. Probably in August or so. I need advice on how I should go about studying it.

I have always been maths-phobic (for the want of a better term) and sufficiently good at verbal, which is why the final exam score really alarmed me.

These are the resources I have as of now.

Official guide 13
Manhattan guides (both quant and verbal)

I am using the free trial for the Economist GMAT tutor and I think it's good but I am still unsure if I should purchase the full version.

I would really appreciate any advice you may have regarding resources/study schedule etc.

Thank you so much!
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by ThomasLHall » Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:29 am
It sounds like the last time you took the official test, you didn't perform up to your abilities. Perhaps nerves played a large role there? Had you taken quite a few CATs in the month before the test under test conditions? Its important to get yourself ready for the challenges of the official test that way.

And you say you are math-phobic, but on did far better on Quant last test than verbal. So, when you prep this time around, you want to be sure to build your skills on both sections effectively.

Your resources look good. With those and my guide to self-study - GMAT Clarity (amazon link)- you don't necessarily need to use a course. Although I have heard good things about Economist GMAT. The whole idea of adaptive teaching is possible in self-study as long as you know how to adjust to your needs. GMAT Clarity will teach you how to do that.
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by aditi.m89 » Thu Apr 24, 2014 10:08 am
Thank you so much for your advice.

Yes, I had tried to take tests in test conditions as much as possible. I will definitely try and concentrate on both sections this time around.

Thank you for the suggestion on GMAT clarity, I will take a look at that.

I was hoping someone could give me a first hand review of the Economist tutor. Since the full version is not too cheap, I will probably research before I take the plunge. There were a few reviews here that said it was easier than the official gmat hence a bit misleading.

Thanks again for the advice!
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by GeneralEducation » Tue Apr 29, 2014 4:04 am
Hi Aditi,

2 possibilities look apparant from what you have stated.

First reason could be your endurance level. I will assume here that you are ok with concepts since you were scoring relatively high in your mocks. If this is true then then u need to prepare yourself to sit for close to 4 hrs at a stretch without losing your concentration levels. Remember that first 2 sessions are AWA and IR in actual gmat test and then math/verbal follow.
Second possibility is that few mocks given earlier were not a true reflection of your capability. To check this I would suggest you to take few more mocks and try to figure out error prone areas for you.
A good possibility is that your case is a mix of above 2 reasons. If you ponder on above points probably you can figure out your way forward.
Would recommend this Mini GMAT Diagnostic Tool visit https://gmat.general-ed.info/ too as one of your mocks to check your preparation level.

Will be happy to support in case you need more help.

Regards,
Manish
www.general-ed.com

aditi.m89 wrote:Hello.

I am new to Beatthegmat. I took the GMAT in October 2013 and score 600 (42Q, 29V) which was a huge shock since I was scoring between 680-700 in the tests in the week before (tests included Manhattan GMAT and official GMAT prep). Then I didn't really study for the GMAT after that (change in plans and decided to apply for MA etc) Long story short, I am considering giving the GMAT again. Probably in August or so. I need advice on how I should go about studying it.

I have always been maths-phobic (for the want of a better term) and sufficiently good at verbal, which is why the final exam score really alarmed me.

These are the resources I have as of now.

Official guide 13
Manhattan guides (both quant and verbal)

I am using the free trial for the Economist GMAT tutor and I think it's good but I am still unsure if I should purchase the full version.

I would really appreciate any advice you may have regarding resources/study schedule etc.

Thank you so much!
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by [email protected] » Thu May 01, 2014 12:26 am
Hi aditi.m89,

While a couple of the other responses to our original post touched on this issue, it really requires some detailed analysis:

What was different about your Official GMAT relative to your practice CATs? Here are some things to consider:

1) What time of day and day of the week did you take each exam?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT every time or did you skip sections?
3) Was there anything about HOW you took your CATs that would be considered unrealistic (did you pause the CAT? Eat/drink while taking the CAT? Listen to music? ANYTHING?)

4) When did you take your last CAT before your Official GMAT?
5) What did you do the night before your GMAT?
6) How did you sleep the night before?
7) Was there anything about Test Day itself that was surprising or different?
8) Did you have to travel a great distance to get to the Testing Center?

Since you've shown the capacity to score at a high level, I'd expect that you should be able to do so again. Your practice needs to match the various aspects of Test Day though. Before you make any big purchases, you should be sure to test out all the various GMAT products that are available. Once you've made your evaluations, you should pick the one that best matches your personality, budget and timeline.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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