GMAT Strategy

HI All,

I wrote GMAT for the first time in 2010 with very little preparation and got 620. However rather than apply to schools with this ( I had planned to attend top schools such as LBS, Wharton), I got a job in clo's and postponed my plans of obtaining an Msc in Finance.
However 2 years on I have decided to apply to London Business School for their MiF program in hope that this will help me get a job in my preferred area of work (Corp Fin.)
LBS have indicated if I get higher than 650 in my GMAT score that I would be considered for interview and if I got above 700 that would highly bolster my application. As a result I am aiming for a 100pt improvement on my GMAT score of 2010. 720!!!!
I have bought the entire set of MGMAT books and OG books, they arrived today. I have booked my exam date for the 28th of January and I cannot take it any later than that because I will have to start studying for CFA level 2 in February.
My verbal score has always been better than my quants score i
I took a test in August and got 610v (v38 and q35) - lower than my actual GMAT score in 2010 and rather disappointing. Since then I hadn't really had time to do much studying but I got back on the horse last week and just went over some quant areas that i was rather shaky in (Geometry and FDP). I have always always done better in verbal than quants and always run out of time in
Took another test yesterday and I got 640 v39 and q39 .I didn't finish the quant as usual ( missed our 3 questions). And now I have decided to take a more structured approach to my studies as I need to get 720 and I don't want to postpone my test .
Quants are my problem area. I always panic when it comes to the quants. Obviously finishing a section would help a lot but I still believe I need to brush up on the basics esp wrt prblems etc. I would appreciate any guide on completing my studies by the 28th of January. ( the standard one is for 2 months and has more focus on verbal than I need - advice on how to tweak it to make it quant-centric and based on 6 weeks would be much appreciated)
Currently What I am planning on doing is going over the MGMAT books - quant. I thought it would be a good idea to follow the 60 day plan but cut out the verbal part. So I can improve my quant score. ( Next 3 weeks)
And then run over critical reason and reading comprehension as these are my weak areas. spot learn verbal using results on practise questions. ( 2 weeks for Verbal) and the rest for practise tests.
Thanks for taking the time to read and help in advance!

Your plan sounds good. However, I would try to practice both the verbal and the quant at the same time - simply devote 75% of your time to the quant and only 25% to the verbal. Start taking tests 3 weeks before your exam, note down your mistakes carefully and revise the topics that you find more challenging. Don't focus on your timing currently (when learning theory) but on quality, focus on time management when you start taking tests.

HI Kaisa,

I'm practicing test and doing OK but when it comes to learning from my mistakes I am still coming up empty. What is the best way to learn from my mistakes?

Hi Brian,

Thanks so much for the articles. I am currently going through my errors as we speak .

I have one more query.

I completed my 2nd gmat prep test today and I got a score of 660 Q44 V37. This is the first time I completed the whole test ( typically I never finish)

My last score on the gmat prep test was 640 (q69 v39) I take the test on Monday and I have all of Saturday and Sunday to prepare.

What advice would you give me for these last 3 days. I really would like to get 700 on the test, I know its a long shot but what strategy would make this a possibility.

Thanks! in advance !!

brianlange77 wrote:

taeyasalm wrote:I have one more query.

I completed my 2nd gmat prep test today and I got a score of 660 Q44 V37. This is the first time I completed the whole test ( typically I never finish)

My last score on the gmat prep test was 640 (q69 v39) I take the test on Monday and I have all of Saturday and Sunday to prepare.

What advice would you give me for these last 3 days. I really would like to get 700 on the test, I know its a long shot but what strategy would make this a possibility.

Thanks! in advance !!

So, here's what I would truly recommend. Enjoy the Super Bowl on Sunday and go to bed at a reasonable time. Spend Friday and Saturday focusing on two or three content areas that have always given you a lot of trouble. See if you can improve your knowledge/understanding by 25%. That just might make the difference.

I'd rather you be fully rested for the exam -- rather than burn yourself out and make careless mistakes on Monday.

One last article for you -- https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Good luck!

-Brian

Hi All,

I took the GMAT today and got 640 v35 q42 which means back to the drawing board. my score was really no surprise to me as I was a bunch of nerves and was not comfortable at all during the quantitative section despite having gone through 90% of the quants material on the gmatprepnow website.

Its back to the drawing board for me as disappointed as I am in my score, I find that I am more determined to beat the GMAT! Do you have any suggestions on how to improve my score into the 700's. I want to retake the exam in 4 to 6 weeks.

I think I have to improve my verbal score too as it seems to have fallen quite a bit and I must admit I was a little more unsure than usual when I got to the verbal round!.

I would appreciate any structure/ content suggestions available!

Many Thanks

Taeya

Also I'd say I had to guess approximated 7-8 questions on the quantative section and 4-5 on the verbal because I just kept blowing time on questions. (I will be reading some time management articles!)

Hi Brian,

I think its an even split between both. I'd say in particular it throws me when i cant answer the question once or twice after spending a lot of time on a question and the rest of the test is spent worrying about time i have lost and some of the difficult questions!

I'm not sure how to arrange my revision for the test with 4-6 weeks of study? Any suggestions
I know i need stress/time management but I'm unsure where else to go. I obviously need to master certain areas in topic knowledge. (Inequalities and word problems)

Honestly i I think im obsessing a little bit about the processs rather than getting on with it



HAHA time to start alll over again! thanks for the advice Brian! I really appreciate it.

I read a book!

So I took some time off to relax and I've been to several poetry nights ( i LOVE poetry) and reading a ton of non fiction books

Im back on grind now tho.

Wrote my first CAT exam to get a sense of where I am it was a MGMAT test and scored 670 which was nice to see. I wasnt feeling stressed at all when I took and I think that was a contributor to the score.

Exam wise I have given myself another 6 weeks to prepare. I think for now I will continue to use gmatprepnow and the couple of manhattan gmat books I have ( as well as the OG guides )

I am going to use this to plan out how I will be splitting out the next 4 weeks of ironing out my kinks and then I will use the last 2 weeks of prep to start my CAT exams in depth (error coverage and all)