GMAT Strategy

I have been studying for a few months now, started at a 450 (30Q 16V) in May and just completed a second Kaplan CAT and only received at 50 point bump 500 (31Q 27V). In order to get into any of the programs that I am looking towards, I need to get at least a 700 on my practices tests. Does anyone have any feedback as to what I can do to raise my score? I have been using Kaplan and OG 13. Any feedback would be helpful.

Hi!

Just to be clear about what you are asking... You moved from the 19th percentile to the 31st percentile in two months, and now you want to move from the 31st to the 90th in 2 months. That is going to be really difficult based off of past performance. Not impossible, but probably not likely as well. For starters you need to understand what types of things you need to be able to do to get that score and what you are doing now. (Quick plug - my program, does exactly this). With your scores where they are, you have some fundamental gaps; the first step is to figure those out. Grammatical rules, mathematical operations etc.

Start by fixing those.

Happy to answer any other questions.

[email protected] wrote:Hi alxmarie,

Unfortunately, raising your score 200+ in 2 months will be difficult (not impossible, just really tough). Given what you're describing, I'd like to know a bit more about your studies and your overall plans:

1) What exact materials have you been using?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) Do you know which Schools you'll be applying to?
4) How much time to spend studying during a typical week?

To hit your goals, you're likely going to need to invest in a more formal study plan/course.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

1) What exact materials have you been using? I have been using OG 13, and Kaplan Premium
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School? 2nd Round for 2016
3) Do you know which Schools you'll be applying to? Anderson's FEMBA, Haas, Stanford (some of these are reaches I know but I don't want to have any regrets)
4) How much time to spend studying during a typical week? 10-15 hrs

I have been out of school since 2004, and decided a few months back if I was gonna make this happen, it couldn't wait any longer. I am just trying to be realistic here and see if it is even possible. I would be happy with a score from 650-680 but I feel like if I am getting near a 700 on the practice CATs then I have a better chance of not blowing it on test day.

Any help support or suggestions would be appreciated.

[email protected] wrote:Hi alxmarie,

Unfortunately, raising your score 200+ in 2 months will be difficult (not impossible, just really tough). Given what you're describing, I'd like to know a bit more about your studies and your overall plans:

1) What exact materials have you been using?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) Do you know which Schools you'll be applying to?
4) How much time to spend studying during a typical week?

To hit your goals, you're likely going to need to invest in a more formal study plan/course.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

1) What exact materials have you been using? I have been using OG 13, and Kaplan Premium
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School? 2nd Round for 2016
3) Do you know which Schools you'll be applying to? Anderson's FEMBA, Haas, Stanford (some of these are reaches I know but I don't want to have any regrets)
4) How much time to spend studying during a typical week? 10-15 hrs

I have been out of school since 2004, and decided a few months back if I was gonna make this happen, it couldn't wait any longer. I am just trying to be realistic here and see if it is even possible. I would be happy with a score from 650-680 but I feel like if I am getting near a 700 on the practice CATs then I have a better chance of not blowing it on test day.

Any help support or suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi alxmarie,

As David already touched on a bit, I'm curious to know if you've had a chance to review your practice exam to identify any patterns in your test-taking. Your action plan will vary depending on whether you're struggling with entire concepts, having timing issues, or a combination of the two. In any case, getting down to the nitty gritty of exactly what you're struggling with will also help us prescribe even more meaningful tips going forward, especially with the jump you're looking to make (just to reemphasize Rich's point - difficult, but not impossible).

Best,
Rich

I just signed up for Magoosh and have begun to use their 3 month study schedule. I was using Kaplan's online self study solution (access to book, quizzes, videos, and 5 CATs). If there are any suggestions on any other study guides to follow I am open.

Thanks for the feedback!

Yes, be wary of jumping around to a bunch of different programs - after you have found one that suits your style stick with it.

Hi alxmarie,

I'd recommend you stop using Kaplan entirely. Magoosh, however, does have some quality material, but I think they work best as a supplement. If you're looking to break 700+, you need to heavily emphasize official material (glad you've got the OG13 --- are you using this Error Log with it?) and what are widely recognized as the best GMAT books on the market: Manhattan GMAT. If I were you, I'd buy the complete set: https://amzn.to/1LIwnvr. You'll find them MUCH more advanced than Kaplan.

However, if you feel you have a solid foundation in the basics, then only get these two:

"¢ Manhattan GMAT Number Properties: https://amzn.to/1KBA1Xd
"¢ Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction Guide: https://amzn.to/1KBA6KD

Read the reviews on Amazon and you'll see why. I'd also suggest their Word Problems book. For CR, this is widely-agreed upon as the best book on the market:

"¢ PowerScore Critical Reasoning Bible: https://amzn.to/1HCJe2p

To really move yourself 200+ points, read this blog from MGMAT: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/10/ ... ce-problem. Review is tough and tedious, and it's harder than just answering 1,000 questions. A student who does 5 questions with this level of review is getting WAY more out of their GMAT prep than the student who blindly answering hundreds of questions. To improve quickly you need to review DEEPLY.

Fill in the attached Error Log after you complete each of your practice tests going forward, using the attached list of GMAT Concepts as a reference, then select 3-4 topics from the GMAT Concepts list to tackle in SERIOUS depth during the next week. Don't do everything all the time. A short list of topics will allow you greater depth of knowledge. Start with the concepts you're missing the most often. I suggest you only do MGMAT CATs (there are 6 and they are free with any book order), and the 4 GMATPreps from mba.com. If you want to supplement with Magoosh, go for it!

You may also want to consider working with a tutor to make sure your Quant and Verbal strategies and your usage of your scratch pad is in tip-top shape.

Feel free to email me if you have additional questions, but hopefully this gives you some solid ideas! I think the biggest mistake you've been making is using lightweight material and an unfocused study plan. Change those things and your score will improve significantly!

Best,
Vivian