Study advice for last 3 weeks

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spain55: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 7; Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:25 pm

by spain55 » Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:01 pm

What have people done to study for the final three weeks before the test?

I've been studying since early August and have been taking CATs weekly and the most recent ones have been in the 660-670 range. I am hoping to reach 700. I took an official GMAT prep practice test a couple of days ago and scored a 670 (45Q/37V). Is 700 doable in three weeks? I think pacing was an issue as I was definitely rushed from questions 30 onward in both sections. I went through and redid the quant questions I missed and was able to get 75% of them right within two minutes each. As far as Verbal, I missed the last five questions as I pretty much had to guess. Not sure if my Verbal can improve more than a point or two, so I think nearly all improvement will have to come from Quant. Also, do people recommend taking the GMAT practice tests rather than Kaplan/Manhattan GMAT during the final weeks? Any advice would be great appreciated! Thanks!

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:01 pm

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Dan@VinciaPrep: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 384; Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:54 amFollowed by: 13 members; Location: Paris; Thanked: 92 times

by Dan@VinciaPrep » Tue Sep 28, 2010 2:36 am

spain55 wrote:What have people done to study for the final three weeks before the test?

I've been studying since early August and have been taking CATs weekly and the most recent ones have been in the 660-670 range. I am hoping to reach 700. I took an official GMAT prep practice test a couple of days ago and scored a 670 (45Q/37V). Is 700 doable in three weeks? I think pacing was an issue as I was definitely rushed from questions 30 onward in both sections. I went through and redid the quant questions I missed and was able to get 75% of them right within two minutes each. As far as Verbal, I missed the last five questions as I pretty much had to guess. Not sure if my Verbal can improve more than a point or two, so I think nearly all improvement will have to come from Quant. Also, do people recommend taking the GMAT practice tests rather than Kaplan/Manhattan GMAT during the final weeks? Any advice would be great appreciated! Thanks!

Hello!
Taking the GMATPREP tests is definitely a good idea although taking both Manhattan tests and GMATPREP tests is better. You should also make sure you spend plenty of time reviewing all of the material that you have done- especially the problems that you got wrong, spent too long on, had to guess on etc... How much are you studying a day? When you're taking the practice tests are you doing the writing section as well?

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spain55: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 7; Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:25 pm

by spain55 » Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:06 am

Daniel Heart wrote:
spain55 wrote:What have people done to study for the final three weeks before the test?

I've been studying since early August and have been taking CATs weekly and the most recent ones have been in the 660-670 range. I am hoping to reach 700. I took an official GMAT prep practice test a couple of days ago and scored a 670 (45Q/37V). Is 700 doable in three weeks? I think pacing was an issue as I was definitely rushed from questions 30 onward in both sections. I went through and redid the quant questions I missed and was able to get 75% of them right within two minutes each. As far as Verbal, I missed the last five questions as I pretty much had to guess. Not sure if my Verbal can improve more than a point or two, so I think nearly all improvement will have to come from Quant. Also, do people recommend taking the GMAT practice tests rather than Kaplan/Manhattan GMAT during the final weeks? Any advice would be great appreciated! Thanks!
Hello!
Taking the GMATPREP tests is definitely a good idea although taking both Manhattan tests and GMATPREP tests is better. You should also make sure you spend plenty of time reviewing all of the material that you have done- especially the problems that you got wrong, spent too long on, had to guess on etc... How much are you studying a day? When you're taking the practice tests are you doing the writing section as well?

I work full-time, so I can spend about 2-3 hours a day during the week and use the entire weekend to study. For practice tests, I complete one of the writing prompts, so I practice those. I normally have time to take only one practice test a week (Sunday) since I have limited time during the week. Not sure if that changes your answer on which practice tests to take. Thanks again

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Dan@VinciaPrep: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 384; Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:54 amFollowed by: 13 members; Location: Paris; Thanked: 92 times

by Dan@VinciaPrep » Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:59 pm

spain55 wrote:
Daniel Heart wrote:
spain55 wrote:What have people done to study for the final three weeks before the test?

I've been studying since early August and have been taking CATs weekly and the most recent ones have been in the 660-670 range. I am hoping to reach 700. I took an official GMAT prep practice test a couple of days ago and scored a 670 (45Q/37V). Is 700 doable in three weeks? I think pacing was an issue as I was definitely rushed from questions 30 onward in both sections. I went through and redid the quant questions I missed and was able to get 75% of them right within two minutes each. As far as Verbal, I missed the last five questions as I pretty much had to guess. Not sure if my Verbal can improve more than a point or two, so I think nearly all improvement will have to come from Quant. Also, do people recommend taking the GMAT practice tests rather than Kaplan/Manhattan GMAT during the final weeks? Any advice would be great appreciated! Thanks!
Hello!
Taking the GMATPREP tests is definitely a good idea although taking both Manhattan tests and GMATPREP tests is better. You should also make sure you spend plenty of time reviewing all of the material that you have done- especially the problems that you got wrong, spent too long on, had to guess on etc... How much are you studying a day? When you're taking the practice tests are you doing the writing section as well?
I work full-time, so I can spend about 2-3 hours a day during the week and use the entire weekend to study. For practice tests, I complete one of the writing prompts, so I practice those. I normally have time to take only one practice test a week (Sunday) since I have limited time during the week. Not sure if that changes your answer on which practice tests to take. Thanks again

My answer is still the same. However, you should work for the full 3.5 hours. Either you should do both writing prompts or you should do extra questions before the rest of the test so you get the same drain that will come with 3.5 hours of work. Stamina is definitely an issue for most people.

If my post helped you- let me know by pushing the thanks button

I'm a private tutor in Paris, I provide online and in person consulting for the GMAT and MBA application essays.
GMAT tutor paris
Prepa GMAT

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