GMAT Strategy

Hello to all!

I see that everyone is very helpful and gives good insight.

I plan on taking the exam in January. It was pushed back because I felt I was not ready to take it. The "safety" school that I am applying to only asks for a reported score, no guidelines or minimum score. Just a score to see applicants took the exam. However, they say a 450-500 is what they look for; but it is not written on paper as a requirement. My intention was to "wing it" so to speak, and just take the GMAT to get into this school.

I studied inconsistently for the past 2 weeks (1 hr max for maybe 1-2 nights a week). After doing this I took several practice exams to gauge myself so I can adjust my studying accordingly. I knew I was not going to score well, but figured it can't be too horrendous since my math skills are fair and I comprehend what I read fairly well. However, I cringed when I saw my scores for the practice CATs, knowing I have some grounds to gain.

Here are my results (Remember: I pretty much took these cold. All 3 taken within a 1 week span):
Veritas CAT: 480 -- Q23:V30 (had 6min left to answer 13 questions in Quant)
MGMAT CAT : 460 -- Q29:V26 (rushed #'s 27-33 then blindly guessed #'s 34-37 to finish Quant on time)
Princeton : 460 -- Q32:V22
GMAT Prep : 460 -- Q33:V20 (Q:did well to start but took too much time and had to rush #'s 22-37...yes, that many questions!)
Kaplan CAT : 500 -- Q35:V24

It seems like I always gasp for air and time in Quant. In verbal, every test I had plenty of time left over (even though I did poorly). Also, after reviewing my answers, I found that I was very, very "streaky" when it came to getting questions right and wrong. For ex: I'd get 4-Correct then get 4-Wrong, then get 7-Correct and get 5-Wrong right after that --- this applies to both Quant and Verbal. Though, it is a CAT.

I figured that I can take the GMAT and get a score around what I got on my practice to get into the "safety" program. But, like I mentioned earlier, I pushed my test back another 1.5 months to give more prep time and perhaps pull off a 550-600 to open my doors/options up a lot more and not sell myself short of my abilities.

What I have:
Official Guide: 12th Edition
Kaplan Math Workbook (Ordered: On the way)

My plan is to go through all of this and buckle down. Putting in 20-25hrs per week and keeping a running log of milestones or discoveries in my studies.

I'm hoping to push for a 550-600 by mid January. Think it's achievable? Or beyond reach?

Any tips or advice is welcomed! I saw other topics by members and they serve as good inspiration!

"Keep pushing, keep clawing, no matter...what you gave it your best."

Regards,
-Joe B.

Did some reviewing last night and earlier today.

Spent about 1hr last night doing DS problems. I reviewed the ones I missed to see where I went wrong. It seems like a couple of the ones I missed were careless errors; mainly from not reading the question correctly or mistyping numbers into my calculator (this was the biggest problem!).

Today I reviewed some SC and passage reading problems for about 2hrs. Like above, it seems like the passage questions I got incorrect were just careless errors due to me not paying attention to detail. One was almost word-for-word from the passage and I got it wrong.

Just waiting for the Math Workbook to arrive Monday so I can start more practice and concept review.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Joe B.

Good afternoon and TGIF to all!

I figured I would do a little update for myself.

I decided to go back to the basics and ensure that I tackle all the Quant concepts. Currently, I'm using the OG and taking notes and solving practice problems. Since Monday I have been working on different topics (fractions, percentages, square roots, etc.) and making sure I master them. It's rather interesting because this was all stuff I had done in elementary school/early middle school (literally). When I finished I felt confident but embarrassed. Knowing that I'm a grown man who feels good about solving elementary problems is pretty funny and makes me shake my head. But, at the same time I feel that re-learning it now and putting pride aside is a lot better than totally botching these easy questions on the GMAT. So, it's a fairly humbling experience to say the least.

Just by studying for about 1.5-2hrs per night since Monday has made a big difference in my approaches. I no longer resort to solving problems the long way. Now I implement the shortcuts I learned (or should have been using from the start) and cut my time in half.

Like many on here say..."concepts, concepts, concepts!"

Warm Regards,

-Joe

Joe,

This process indeed is a humbling one. Learning about yourself, what works, and what doesn't comes with practice. I'm glad you took the road of self-discovery!

A few pointers:
1. do not practice with a calculator, since you are not allowed one on the gmat!
2. Mid 500's is achievable, if you are committed to it. SOunds like you are.
3. Verbal will buy you more points
4. Slow down when learning a concept and hurry up with practicing (i.e. time urself when practicing)
5. Beware of mental exhaustion (I'm currently going thru one)
6. Quality of study matters more than the quantity.
6. Find what works best for you.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice!

It's been a while since I posted.

Anyway, I'm set to take the GMAT on the 23rd. In the past I always did well when it came to testing. I had to take state exams at exam sites for my company a couple years ago. My boss would sponsor me and fork up about $400-$500 for my 4 exams. I needed to get a 70%+ to pass...I was nervous but not like how I feel now -- not sure why! My sole reason is probably because I put $250 cash on the line when I desperately needed it for something else. Also, knowing that I prepped for about 4 months (inconsistently) and I possibly won't see a score I'll accept. Overall, the fear of the unknown.

Like my first post stated...I'm looking for a so-so score for my target -- pretty much 500 or more.

I understand it's not in the upper tier (600, 650, 700, 720, etc)...but that's what I'm aiming at for a particular program.

Good news (for me) is that I took one of my Kaplan CATS and got a 500 (35Q - 24V). Halfway through the Quant I was about to withdraw because I was getting frustrated...thinking I was doing horrible! For Verbal, I got 2 of 13 correct for SC -- yes, that is no typo! When I got my score I was somewhat encouraged knowing that I gave a somewhat botched attempt at the CAT and escaped with a 500 (my highest of all CATS to this point).

In addition to the good news, I feel good about my recent studying. I focused on mediocre questions that I feel like I'll be working with on test day. I also focused on SC for about a week and saw slight improvement. Assuming I bust my butt next week and don't flop on SC, I seem like I can fare well on game day. However, I'm still a tad jittery.

Thoughts are appreciated!

Regards,
Joe.

I took a practice Quant section from 800score.com. From what I've read around here, 800score isn't really that indicative of your real GMAT score.

I had some thoughts on their practice section...

1 - It was unusually easier than any Quant section I've taken before. It seemed like the questions never increased in difficulty.
2 - There were only 8 DS questions -- usually there are around 13-14.
3 - I finished with 5min to spare. This was incredibly rare since I always push to make time.

Overall I got a 49Q (30/37). Felt kind of skeptical when I got the results. However, there were some questions that I would never get correct but managed to tackle them because I studied concepts and similar problems.

Anyone familiar with 800score?

PS: Gameday is soon! I'm starting to feel some pressure!

Took the Knewton CAT yesterday evening. I was pretty disappointed to say the least. The Quant section was giving me problems right from the start. The 1st question dealt with radicals (which I need to work on) -- I narrowed it down to 2 choices -- then had to guess since I spent 3min on it. The next 10 questions or so were making me sweat. Almost every single questions dealt with algebra/trig & inequalities with radicals. I was livid! Mainly because the whole Quant section was the epitome of my 'achilles heel' in mathematics. Though it was a shot to the jaw, I was humbled to know that I was challenged, and that the GMAT can't be taken lightly.

I'm excited that Knewton helped me out, but after looking at my score and reviewing my questions I couldn't help but notice a disparity in difficulty between the Quant I took last night and the Quant on the GMATPrep test, MGMAT, Kaplan, and PrincetonReview.

There was a stretch last night where I got 8 straight wrong in quant. This came immediately after the 1st question was answered correctly -- so 2-9 were bleeding red X's. When I checked my answers at the end, question #9 needed distance with midpoint formula to solve. The answers were all in radical form. After reading the explanation I thought it was clearly a 600 level + type of question. I didn't figure I would get this after answering 7 consecutive incorrect. For the most part of the section, I thought I was doing somewhat well because I was struggling and seeing mildly difficult questions. But, the answer sheet shows I got almost everything wrong and the questions didn't seem to ease up. Overall, I got an abysmal Q25.

Other than that I enjoyed using Knewton. Very solid CAT program. The test was rough but it was what I needed.

My studying has been kicking in well lately and I've been attacking Quant questions a lot better...but this doused me with cold water just days before I take the real exam.

Feedback is much welcomed!

Kind regards,
-Joe