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lol, how screwed am I??

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lol, how screwed am I??

by ricecracker » Fri Oct 12, 2012 11:56 pm
I'm about 45 days away from my exam date, and I've taken 2 of the MGMAT CAT exams. My scores were an absolutely abysmal 36 and 37, respectively (40th percentile and 44th percentile) on the quant sections.

Just to give a little more background, I've never been particularly bad with math and have done well in all my math classes in school in the past. Furthermore, at the risk of sounding pretentious, I know my IQ is relatively decent. I only bring that up to point out that I'm not a completely lost cause (at least, I hope I'm not).

I've been using the MGMAT strategy guides, but I guess the million dollar question I'm trying to ask here is: Do you think it's reasonably possible to raise my quant score from a 37 to mid-to-high 40's by test day?? I just want to get a pulse on the situation to see exactly how dire my situation really is.

Your input would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!
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by ricecracker » Sat Oct 13, 2012 12:13 am
P.S. I am in fact kind of freaking out about this. I'd really like to hear from somebody with similar experiences or anyother insights.
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sat Oct 13, 2012 6:27 am
Hi ricecracker,

It's not unrealistic to expect that kind of quant score increase. In fact, if you check the posts in this forum, you'll see several such increases. However, it may take you longer than 45 days to achieve your target score. Is it absolutely necessary to write the test in 45 days? I typically recommend that students achieve their target score on at least 2 practice tests before they take the official test.

As far as how one goes about improving in math, I believe that you should compartmentalize your learning and take the time to master each topic (e.g., percents, ratios, exponents, statistics, etc.).

This means that, for each topic, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it
Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

Cheers,
Brent
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by ricecracker » Sat Oct 13, 2012 1:48 pm
Hi Brent,

Thank you so much for your response. As much as I would like to postpone my date, I feel that I am already cutting it close before I make the round 2 deadlines for most schools. I know some schools will accept an unofficial or self-reported GMAT score, but others require the official report, which I believe can take about 20 days before they are sent to Adcoms.

If for example, postponed the exam until later in December, I am worried that the official scores won't reach the schools I'm applying for by the round 2 deadline which is in early January for most schools. Is this fear justified, or should I not worry about it as long as I actually take the GMAT before the deadline dates?

Thanks again for your input.
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sat Oct 13, 2012 1:51 pm
ricecracker wrote:Hi Brent,

Thank you so much for your response. As much as I would like to postpone my date, I feel that I am already cutting it close before I make the round 2 deadlines for most schools. I know some schools will accept an unofficial or self-reported GMAT score, but others require the official report, which I believe can take about 20 days before they are sent to Adcoms.

If for example, postponed the exam until later in December, I am worried that the official scores won't reach the schools I'm applying for by the round 2 deadline which is in early January for most schools. Is this fear justified, or should I not worry about it as long as I actually take the GMAT before the deadline dates?

Thanks again for your input.
Unfortunately, your question is out of my league. I specialize in preparing students for the GMAT; I don't know much about the admissions process.
That said, there are several qualified Experts on BTG that can help :-)

All the best,
Brent
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by machichi » Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:12 pm
Take Brent's advice about getting your target score during practice tests. I'd say study for 30 days and see how far you get. You can reschedule when you're closer if necessary. Who knows maybe you just need to get those quant brain cells in motion and you'll pop up to the 40s with no problem!

What schools are you targeting? If you're getting a high verbal score you may already be in a competitive range for your schools. However, don't sell yourself short with a mediocre score if you know you can do better!
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by ricecracker » Mon Oct 15, 2012 6:42 pm
Thanks Machichi. I'm hoping you're right and that it's just a matter of rust. I'm just getting worried now that my test date is creeping up and I still feel like there's a lot of ground to cover.

I'm not overly concerned with verbal, as I'm scoring close to 80th percentile without having gone through any of the verbal study guides yet. I'll probably start diving into those in about 2 weeks or so (could definitely use a boost by learning SC rules).

I'm mostly targeting schools within the top 10-20 area, with a few reaches for M7. Hence my concern, since I need to offset a poor gpa of 3.19 (at a decent state school) with a good GMAT score. So breaking 700 is pretty much a minimum requirement *sigh*
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