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Please Critique My GMAT Prep Stragegy

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Please Critique My GMAT Prep Stragegy

by GDKern » Sun May 10, 2015 1:59 pm
Hello everyone,

My current plan is to study for roughly three months, with an initial target of 1.5-2 hours per day. I'm hoping to take the GMAT in early-to-mid August before the fall semester starts, giving me the best opportunity to prepare for and take the test with minimal distractions.

I just took my first Manhattan GMAT CAT today, completely cold and with no previous prep whatsoever.

I scored a 620 (39Q,36V).

Quantitative: 19/37 correct.
6/15 DS
13/22 PS

Verbal: 25/41 correct.
8/14 CR
7/12 RC
10/15 SC

I was a bit disappointed by this score, particularly by the Quantitative portion, but I realize that I haven't studied a lot of these topics in a long time and I'm pretty rusty on a lot (Geometry and Number Properties stuff really got me).

One thing I realized while doing the test is I need to work a lot on my pacing, as I finished the Quantitative in 50 minutes and the Verbal in 40 minutes.

My goal is to add 100+ to my score, ideally reaching at least a 720-730 on test day. I'm applying to MSF programs with average scores around 700, and I have a 3.77 undergrad GPA, so I feel like this will give me a very competitive application.

I have the entire 9-book Manhattan GMAT set as well as 3 Official GMAT Guides: the overall, verbal, and quantitative books.

Are there any additional recommendations that you have, or any glaringly obvious missing pieces in my plan?

Thanks in advance!
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by [email protected] » Sun May 10, 2015 2:09 pm
Hi GDKern,

First off, a 620 is a great 'baseline' score (the average Official GMAT score hovers around 540-550 most years). You've also given yourself plenty of time to study and hit your score goals, which is good.

It would have been interesting to see how you would have scored if you had used MORE of your available clock. Finishing a section THAT early is rarely a "good" thing and it's likely that you could have scored higher if you had used more of your time and done more work. As you study, focus on learning the content, tactics and patterns and less on trying to move so quickly.

Your plan revolves around a "book-heavy" approach, which may or may not be problematic. Most Test Takers who study in that way end up getting "stuck" at a particular scoring level, so you have to be open to adjusting your plan if you find that your CAT scores become stagnant. For now, you should study as you see fit and plan to take another FULL-LENGTH CAT in 2-3 weeks. With those scores, we'll have a better idea of how you're progressing.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by GDKern » Sun May 10, 2015 2:27 pm
Thanks for the reply!

Yeah I think I could have gotten a few more points out of the quantitative portion especially, but I was concerned about taking too long on each question and didn't really have any idea of what a decent pace was, so I rushed through some of the more difficult ones if the answer wasn't coming to me immediately.

As for taking the CATs, I have 5 more available through the MGMAT set as well as 2 of the Official Guide tests. I'll post an update when I take my next MGMAT test, and then I'll spread those out throughout my study period and finish off with the Official tests right before my test date.
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by [email protected] » Mon May 11, 2015 8:51 am
Hi GDKern,

As you continue to study, you should keep your mind open to "playing around" with a question if you don't have an immediate reaction as to how to solve it. Most GMAT questions are essentially pattern-based little 'puzzles' - you don't have to be a genius to solve them and you're never expected to do work 'in your head' (so DON'T). So try taking some notes, write down a formula, do an estimation, think about how you might use the answer to your advantage, etc.

Since you can score 620 rushing through most of the Test, I think that you have the capacity to use your clock, do a bit more work and score higher.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by pappyvanwinkle » Mon May 11, 2015 12:48 pm
Hey GDKern,

For what it's worth, I used to rush through the sections too like a crazed lune worried about running out of time, but similar to what Rich mentioned, when I started to slow down and read the questions more carefully I started to avert those stupid mistakes that make you want to facepalm. With a 640 to start, I think you're going to kill it dude.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Wed May 13, 2015 6:57 am
The one thing that's missing from your plan: how you're going to use the strategy guides and the Official Guides. A lot of students make the mistake of reading through all the guides, then just doing the OGs front to back. What you need is a TOPIC BY TOPIC mastery of OG questions.

Here's what your study plan should look like:
1. read a chapter in the Mprep guide (e.g. exponents)
2. test your knowledge with the practice set at the end of the chapter (or even do this before you read the chapter!)
3. do a set of exponent questions from the OGs
4. record your timing and accuracy for each OG problem.

Since you have the Mprep books, you should have access to Navigator, which you should use to track all of your OG data. Instructions are here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/stor ... navigator/

If you have any questions, email us at [email protected]

Good luck!
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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