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HELP! Stuck at 580!

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HELP! Stuck at 580!

by hummusoflima » Sun Apr 19, 2015 4:03 pm
Hello experts,

I am a non-native speaker. I have been studying for six months and have some problems with my progress so far. My CAT scores have been the following:

MGMAT CAT 1: 580 (Q40 V30)
MGMAT CAT 2: 640 (Q43 V34)
MGMAT CAT 3: 580 (Q40 V31)
MGMAT CAT 4: 590 (Q38 V34)
MGMAT CAT 5: 570 (Q39 V30)

I took classes in order to review the fundamentals, I had long sessions of practice OG exercises, I also retook all the CATs in order to know what are my weaknesses, but nothing change in my last score. I gave it around 3pm, quietly and very positive. My goal score is 680.

What do you think I am doing wrong? What do you think I should be doing in order to improve my score? I hoped to gave the real test at the end of April, but now it seems impossible. What do you suggest? Please help!
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by [email protected] » Sun Apr 19, 2015 4:14 pm
Hi hummusoflima,

You mentioned that you RETOOK all of the CATs, so are these CAT scores your original CAT scores or the "retake" scores?

Since the end of April is less than 2 weeks away, you're not likely to hit your score goal during that time, so you'll have to push back your Test Date.

I have a few questions about your studies so far:

1) Have you taken any CATs besides the MGMAT CATs?
2) What practice materials have you used besides the OG and these CATs?
3) Do you normally take your CATs at 3pm?
4) Do you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) each time?

5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

From these CAT scores, it looks like your 'fundamentals' are pretty good, but that you're lacking a bit when it comes to strategies and knowing the "secrets" of the GMAT. All of that can be improved, but it's going to take some time and you'll likely need to invest in some new resources.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Apr 24, 2015 5:00 am
I took classes in order to review the fundamentals, I had long sessions of practice OG exercises, I also retook all the CATs in order to know what are my weaknesses, but nothing change in my last score.
Simply doing a lot of questions won't necessarily have a beneficial impact unless you're mindful about how you're doing these questions, and what goes wrong when you miss one. When you break old practice tests down, get in the habit of making a list of things you could improve on, and then post any questions that you struggled with here. Consult that list before taking another practice test, and make your next practice test an official one.
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by Rich@EconomistGMAT » Fri Apr 24, 2015 10:46 am
Hi hummusoflima,

I have to agree that doing long practice sets alone won't help you get to the score you're shooting for. I'm also curious to know if you're currently keeping an error log as you take/review your practice exams. While it's clear that you're willing to put in a lot of work to crack the GMAT, knowing what your problem areas are will help you use your time more wisely. You don't want to burn yourself out reviewing questions that you already understand, so make life a little easier on yourself and spend more of that time improving in the areas that are holding you back.

We recently posted on our blog about how to start an effective error log, which you can check out here to help you get started: https://bit.ly/1K9yqpM

Best,
Rich
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