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URGENT HELP NEEDED!! - 20 days to go! Starting Prep today.

by ash11 » Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:08 am
Hi every one!! I desperately need help. I have my GMAT on 19th Oct. And I have started my prep today.
Although, I have a fair idea what GMAT is like as I had started prep couple of months back. I was able to cover some of quants and very little of SC. But then I quit preparation at that time. Now I realized that I may miss all the deadlines, so have taken this date in 3 weeks (few dates were available).

I want to crack it with a target of 720 at least. I am good at quants, and fairly comfortable with it. SC is something I am afraid of. RC is something I havent tested my self on but i think i wd be able to do it.

Can anyone please help me putting a quick plan. I have all the relevant books. Please help!!
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:09 pm
ash11 wrote:Hi every one!! I desperately need help. I have my GMAT on 19th Oct. And I have started my prep today.
Although, I have a fair idea what GMAT is like as I had started prep couple of months back. I was able to cover some of quants and very little of SC. But then I quit preparation at that time. Now I realized that I may miss all the deadlines, so have taken this date in 3 weeks (few dates were available).

I want to crack it with a target of 720 at least. I am good at quants, and fairly comfortable with it. SC is something I am afraid of. RC is something I havent tested my self on but i think i wd be able to do it.

Can anyone please help me putting a quick plan. I have all the relevant books. Please help!!
In order to determine the best course of action, you need to know where you presently stand.
To do so, you need to take a practice test.
You can download the free, official practice test software at: https://www.mba.com/the-gmat/download-fr ... n-software

Cheers,
Brent
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by ash11 » Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:17 pm
Thanks for replying Brent(Brent@GMATPrepNow). I took the gmat practice Test as suggested by you.
My socre is 540 Quants - 43 & Verbal 22.

I was not able to complete the Quants section as I could not take last two questions.
My Trend in Quants was like this : Incorrect Questions :8,9,10,12,13, 17,19,20,23,24,25,30,31,32,34.
Do you see a trend here as I did a lot of mistakes in series (10,12,13 / 23,24,25/ 30,31,32,34)

I still think I found Quants easy and can do way better. I need more focus and some Prep. I will go through my incorrect questions.

Verbal was tricky although I was able to complete it just on time.
My incorrect answers were : 5,9,10,12,13,15,20,22,23,26,28,31,32,34,35,36,37,38,41
Here I see I did the last questions all wrong.

I can surely improve on time as well as accuracy as I practice harder in coming days.
Can you suggest a plan for me?
Appreciate your help!!

Regards,
Ash
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by akhilsuhag » Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:34 pm
Hi,

I don't want to discourage you but 720 is a very long way. You say you haven't even tested yourself on RC. You must remember 720 is in the 90 percentiles, it needs work and preparation.

Looking at your current score you must also focus on quant and make it stronger. I know verbal is difficult but you have so much room for improvement. You will however need time and sustained effort. It would be useful if you could share your study strategy and material.

I hope I can then be of some help.

A
Please press "thanks" if you think my post has helped you.. Cheers!!
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:56 pm
I have to agree with akhilsuhag - 720 is a long way to go from 540

That said, if you have only 20 days, you have only 20 days.
Given this restriction, you need to focus on activities that have the highest ROI (return on investment). This means you need to study the "big ticket" topics - ones that are tested frequently.

My suggestion:
- Learn the general RC strategies
- Learn the general CR strategies
- Spend extra time on SC (great ROI here if you are starting from a low percentile)
- For quants, focus on the concepts that are most tested - skip the esoteric stuff (e.g., counting, probability)

In addition, consider:
- taking time off work to prepare
- hiring a tutor
- investigating the application deadlines (perhaps you don't have to write the GMAT in 20 days)

Cheers,
Brent
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by ash11 » Wed Sep 28, 2011 12:58 am
Thanks akhilsuhag & Brent.

I reviewed my quant answers, and out of 15 incorrect, i was able to solve and answer 8-9correctly even without looking at the correct answer. How much would this have improved my score?
Not sure why i did it wrong on the first place. It might just be because i was taking a test for the very first time. Also, the few of the remaining questions, i think i can easily solve once i revisit some of the concepts. Although, some were unsolvable and I still need to find the solution for them.

For Verbal, I am yet to review my answers. I will post my observation once I am done.

Also, I would like to understand what should be ideal no. of hours required for GMAT prep. Lets not discuss it in terms of days. I am ready to work 4-5 hrs a day, and can take a week's off from work. I am planning it a week before my Test.

akhilsuhag : The material I have is GMAT OG, Kaplan Primier, Manhatten SC & CR Guide.
The startegy I have was to compress Beat the GMAT 60 day strategy into 20days by working more hours. Let me know if you have any other suggestion.

Regards,
Ash
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:07 am
ash11 wrote:Thanks akhilsuhag & Brent.

I reviewed my quant answers, and out of 15 incorrect, i was able to solve and answer 8-9correctly even without looking at the correct answer. How much would this have improved my score?
Not sure why i did it wrong on the first place. It might just be because i was taking a test for the very first time. Also, the few of the remaining questions, i think i can easily solve once i revisit some of the concepts. Although, some were unsolvable and I still need to find the solution for them.

For Verbal, I am yet to review my answers. I will post my observation once I am done.
Hi Ash,

There really isn't any time for this kind of score deconstruction; it doesn't really help to indicate where specifically you need to focus your efforts. Plus, you should be studying every spare minute between now and October 19th.
ash11 wrote:Also, I would like to understand what should be ideal no. of hours required for GMAT prep. Lets not discuss it in terms of days. I am ready to work 4-5 hrs a day, and can take a week's off from work. I am planning it a week before my Test.
To move from 540 to 720 will most likely take hundreds of hours. I could elaborate on this, but every second you spend reading this sentence would be much better spent studying.

My final suggestion. Start preparing now. This instant. We've already given you some ideas regarding where to start.

Cheers,
Brent
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by paras747 » Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:15 am
So what would be the best guides to review from? For all the subjects?
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by artistocrat » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:30 am
The Official Guide is probably your best bet. It has been said that if you can answer all of the questions in The Official Guide in under 2 minutes, and understand all of the content therein, you will be quite well prepared. It has also been said numerous times that it is not good enough to simply answer the questions, but rather understand why the right answer is right, and why the wrong answers are wrong for every problem, including the ones you answer correctly. This level of analysis will help you to see patterns. Besides, The Official Guide is the source (along with GMATPrep) for official questions similar to those found on the actual GMAT. Good luck!
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by vishal.pathak » Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:20 am
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:
ash11 wrote:Hi every one!! I desperately need help. I have my GMAT on 19th Oct. And I have started my prep today.
Although, I have a fair idea what GMAT is like as I had started prep couple of months back. I was able to cover some of quants and very little of SC. But then I quit preparation at that time. Now I realized that I may miss all the deadlines, so have taken this date in 3 weeks (few dates were available).

I want to crack it with a target of 720 at least. I am good at quants, and fairly comfortable with it. SC is something I am afraid of. RC is something I havent tested my self on but i think i wd be able to do it.

Can anyone please help me putting a quick plan. I have all the relevant books. Please help!!
In order to determine the best course of action, you need to know where you presently stand.
To do so, you need to take a practice test.
You can download the free, official practice test software at: https://www.mba.com/the-gmat/download-fr ... n-software

Cheers,
Brent
Hi Brent,

I took one of the in this software and scored 680 in it. I need your expert opinion on a few issues

1) Some of the questions in the test appeared familiar. I wonder if this was because I have practiced enough or because I have seen those questions in some forum. If the later case is true then my score is probably inflated. What are your thoughts on this?

2.a) Essay writing and quantitative section were not troublesome but I felt stressed out in the verbal section. I have seen the analysis which experts do on this forum and I tried doing the same for sentence correction but it took a lot of time. In fact, I spent 5 mins on the 1st 2 questions. I am a bit slow in reading so I was hoping to save time in SC and use it in RC but analysis was ruining this plan. So I started using my ear to answer SC questions
Does this mean that I am not well prepared for SC and need more practice. Should detail analysis of every option be my approach for SC. How justified is it to use one's ear to answer the question in the exam

2.b) Answering verbal was quite boring. At one point in time, I just wanted to finish it one way or the other. I understand that this attitude will cause a serious damage to my results but does this happen to everyone. What can be done to get out of it. Does taking more tests help in overcoming this

3) My score was 28 in quant and 27 in verbal. What should be my approach if I intend to appear in the next 1 month and want to score 730 (I know this is a bit ambitious, but no harm in having ambitions :) )

4. This forum is a good place to get good questions but is there a place to get authentic tests which can help me in practicing to answer 37 quant and 41 verbal questions together, without hampering the quality of my answers

Thanking you in anticipation of your kind help

Regards,
Vishal
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:23 am
vishal.pathak wrote:
Hi Brent,

I took one of the in this software and scored 680 in it. I need your expert opinion on a few issues

1) Some of the questions in the test appeared familiar. I wonder if this was because I have practiced enough or because I have seen those questions in some forum. If the later case is true then my score is probably inflated. What are your thoughts on this?

2.a) Essay writing and quantitative section were not troublesome but I felt stressed out in the verbal section. I have seen the analysis which experts do on this forum and I tried doing the same for sentence correction but it took a lot of time. In fact, I spent 5 mins on the 1st 2 questions. I am a bit slow in reading so I was hoping to save time in SC and use it in RC but analysis was ruining this plan. So I started using my ear to answer SC questions
Does this mean that I am not well prepared for SC and need more practice. Should detail analysis of every option be my approach for SC. How justified is it to use one's ear to answer the question in the exam

2.b) Answering verbal was quite boring. At one point in time, I just wanted to finish it one way or the other. I understand that this attitude will cause a serious damage to my results but does this happen to everyone. What can be done to get out of it. Does taking more tests help in overcoming this

3) My score was 28 in quant and 27 in verbal. What should be my approach if I intend to appear in the next 1 month and want to score 730 (I know this is a bit ambitious, but no harm in having ambitions :) )

4. This forum is a good place to get good questions but is there a place to get authentic tests which can help me in practicing to answer 37 quant and 41 verbal questions together, without hampering the quality of my answers

Thanking you in anticipation of your kind help

Regards,
Vishal
Hi Vishal,

I'll do my best to answer your questions.

1. The questions on the GMATprep practice tests appear throughout these forums, so if one spends any time here, he/she will see several test questions. This will inflate your score.

2a. Using your ear for SC is okay up to a point. But, if you want 730+, you need to be able to analyze/dissect the sentences.

2b. Engaging in the verbal section is tough. It's easy to "zone out." I created a free video with tips to help students engage in the passages. It's video #4 at: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... prehension

3. Are you sure that you scored 28Q and 27V? This would give you a score in the 400's, not 680. To increase your score, you need to carefully analyze your prep and note your areas of weakness. Then find the appropriate resources to strengthen those areas.

4. The major GMAT prep companies all have a free test you can take.

Cheers,
Brent
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by vishal.pathak » Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:54 am
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:
3. Are you sure that you scored 28Q and 27V? This would give you a score in the 400's, not 680. To increase your score, you need to carefully analyze your prep and note your areas of weakness. Then find the appropriate resources to strengthen those areas.

Cheers,
Brent
Hi Brent,

Thanks for your reply.

These are my scores and I remember that the screen said 680. It made me feel that putting some efforts will get me close to 730. Probably I saw 680 because I wanted to see it. Is there a way to find out the score of an already completed test. It has become important for me to find this out because an inflated score of 400 does not look too good :). Right now, I only see options to review the incorrect answers

11 of my quant questions and 14 of my verbal question were incorrect so I calculated my score as 28 out of 37 in quant and 27 out of 41 in verbal

Regards,
Vishal
Last edited by vishal.pathak on Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:05 am
vishal.pathak wrote:
Hi Brent,

Thanks for your reply.

These are my scores and I remember that the screen said 680. It made me feel that putting some efforts will get me close to 730. Probably I saw 680 because I wanted to see it. Is there a way to find out the score of an already completed test. It has become important for me to find this out because an inflated score of 400 does not look too good :). Right now, I only see options to review the incorrect answers

Regards,
Vishal
I'm not sure about reviewing your software score (I haven't yet downloaded the GMATPrep software on my new computer). I can tell you that scaled scores of 27Q and 27V result in a total score of 460 (see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/please-help- ... 55277.html).

So, if you're certain about your scaled scores, then I think your score is around 470.

Then again, perhaps you misread one of your scaled scores.

To get a better idea of your current score, you can take one of the free practice tests from Veritas/MGMAT/Knewton/etc. Given the amount of time before your test, it's probably a good idea to practice some full-length tests anyway.

Cheers,
Brent
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by vishal.pathak » Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:15 am
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:
vishal.pathak wrote:
Hi Brent,

Thanks for your reply.

These are my scores and I remember that the screen said 680. It made me feel that putting some efforts will get me close to 730. Probably I saw 680 because I wanted to see it. Is there a way to find out the score of an already completed test. It has become important for me to find this out because an inflated score of 400 does not look too good :). Right now, I only see options to review the incorrect answers

Regards,
Vishal
I'm not sure about reviewing your software score (I haven't yet downloaded the GMATPrep software on my new computer). I can tell you that scaled scores of 27Q and 27V result in a total score of 460 (see: https://www.beatthegmat.com/please-help- ... 55277.html).

So, if you're certain about your scaled scores, then I think your score is around 470.

Then again, perhaps you misread one of your scaled scores.

To get a better idea of your current score, you can take one of the free practice tests from Veritas/MGMAT/Knewton/etc. Given the amount of time before your test, it's probably a good idea to practice some full-length tests anyway.

Cheers,
Brent
Hi Brent,

Does every question carry equal marks. I am starting to doubt this now. I guess I have to do some research in GMAT marking patter and stop bothering you with my kindergarten questions

I scored 28 out of 37 in quant and 27 out of 41 in verbal

Regards,
Vishal
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:38 am
vishal.pathak wrote: Hi Brent,

Does every question carry equal marks. I am starting to doubt this now. I guess I have to do some research in GMAT marking patter and stop bothering you with my kindergarten questions

I scored 28 out of 37 in quant and 27 out of 41 in verbal

Regards,
Vishal
Those numbers don't really help.
Your score isn't based on the number of questions that you answered correctly. It's based on the difficulty level of the questions that you answered correctly.

I suggest that you take another practice test.

Cheers,
Brent
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