GMAT Strategy

Hi, I need tips and advice -
I gave my GMAT last week and ended up with a disappointing score of 580 (Q40, V30). I am planning to re-take in another month. This is where I need help. I want to make sure I get 650 range.
- Is it possible to improve 50+ points in a month?
- I was consistently scoring 630-660 range on my practice tests
- its hard for me to nail down my weaknesses since they are inconsistent between tests. (Except RC, where I consistently make mistakes)
- I have exhausted my mgmat practice tests and gmatprep tests
- I studied using mgmat guides, OG12/13

Any suggestions and advice are welcome.

Thanks.

Hi Monica - sorry to hear about the disappointing results! The good news is that there's a strong correlation between time spent studying and the score -- it's absolutely possible to raise the score by 50 points! Whether you can do it in a month or not is up to you of course.

People often score lower on the actual test than they do on practice tests - what you experienced is common. There's a bunch of factors that go into this phenomenon. Now that you've been through the real experience once, you should be better equipped to handle it the next time.

Part of the issue for most people is pacing. That may be something to pay closer attention to in your practicing.

EssaySnark is not GMATSnark for a reason - so we'll leave it to the other experts around here to chime in and hopefully give you additional tips! You've come to the right place in terms of resources.

Good luck with it and can't wait to hear about your success story!!!
EssaySnark

Probably there are a number of problems you need to work on in order to improve your score.
It is possible to improve by 50 points in a month but you need to be efficient and probably get help.

As to tracking your mistakes, you need to pay attention to every single mistake that you make in tests and make sure that you know what went wrong. I mean - find the correct answer and be able to support this answer with a rule or an example.
You cannot go by your gut-feeling.

What about your timing?