GMAT Strategy

nicoleschan wrote:I've been studying for about a month and a half and took three practice tests. The results were in the 640-670 range. While I aim to be in the 700 club, I secretly knew it may take another try. What I did not expect, however, was to be so far away from my practice test scores... I'm most disappointed in my verbal section.

I have the MGMAT study guides and the 12th edition GMAT review. I'm not sure what my next steps should be. I wasn't overwhelmingly nervous or overwhelmed, so I can't really blame it on that. Some of my friends have tossed around the option of a personal tutor. I did some a quick google and read a bit about the Knewton program. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Private tutoring can be a fantastic option if you have done a ton of the ground-work studying on your own but just haven't been able to translate that into the score you want. Your tutor can help you determine specific weaknesses/strengths and target your additional study to very focused areas. I know that I often work with students on problem areas they never expected!! A good score doesn't come from just one thing; it comes from a strong layering of skills and techniques:

- better depth of content knowledge
- skill & drill work to ensure careful/accurate/efficient computation
- strategy sets to make sure that you're comfortable enough applying various methods to certain problem types that even if the test tries to disguise the question, you can still recognize the "easier" version underneath
- focusing on improved timing awareness and stress management
- learning how to let certain problems go early so you have time for others later
- etc......

Trying to nail down the elements of the problem solving process where you are weak (in both quant and verbal) can be a tough thing to do when you can't really see yourself in the 3rd person. That is what a tutor is there for.

Note that you don't have to meet with someone for hours and hours on end - maybe a few short sessions are all you need to get a fresh take on your study needs before going off to hit the work hard on your own!

As for finding a tutor you can work with - many companies and individuals offer private tutoring, so the choices are truly vast! If you work with a tutor, I would just make sure to expect/request the following things:

(1) You should have access to a bio or other information that will let you know the tutor's experience before you officially agree to the tutoring (in other words, you should be able to check the person out and decline to work with that tutor if you don't want to for any reason).

(2) You should have an email or phone conversation with the tutor before you officially meet for a paid tutoring session, and the tutor should ask you some questions about your strengths and weaknesses and / or give you some kind of work to do before the first meeting (for example, an MGMAT tutor might ask you to take an MGMAT test, if you haven't already, so that s/he can review your results before the session).

(3) Your tutor should ask you enough questions to know your situation to a certain extent: how long have you been studying? what have you done so far? what do you think your strengths and weaknesses are? what is your goal score? when do you want to take the test? do you have any deadlines you have to meet? (these questions might come before the first session or at the first session - the point is, the tutor should be developing a strategy for your specific situation, not just applying a one-size-fits-all approach.)

(4) You and your tutor should set up a general game plan at the first meeting: what your goals are and the general plan for how to accomplish that, including what you'll do on your own, how often you'll meet, etc. This game plan then gets adjusted over time based on where you are and aren't improving.

And at the end of the day STAY POSITIVE! There are a lot of reasons why very bright and capable students end up with a lower-than-expected score on the exam - you are NOT alone! If your score is important to you (obviously it is or you wouldn't be here!!) then do a bit of research and consider getting some outside help - if even just to get a new direction!


Good Luck!
Whit