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Need Help - GMAT in 5 Weeks

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Need Help - GMAT in 5 Weeks

by saswani » Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:15 am
Guys I need help...I am lost with the whole GMAT thing!!!!

I have been preparing for this test for past 8 weeks (started in Jan 2nd week and this does not include the 5 weeks of prep from Nov 2010 to Dec 2010 as for those 5 weeks I just prepared notes. After which I went for a vacation) and seem to be getting no where with it. I gave a GMAT Prep test in the begining and scored 420 thereafter I have been going through the MGMAT have completed all the quant sections except the advanaced sections of 'Word Transalation' and 'Geometry' books. For verbal I have gone through basic rules of sentence corrections (even after that feel completely lost with all the rules) and currently going through Critical Reasoning Bible by powerscore.

I have taken 7 test so far out of which one MGMAT test was wated. The results of all the 7 test is below:
1) GMAT Prep 420 (N/A)
2) MGMAT Test 1 520 (Q.33 & V.28)
3) MGMAT Test 2 300 (Q.27 & V. Not attempted) (This was the test I wasted)
4) MGMAT Test 3 540 (Q.42 & V.23)
5) MGMAT Test 4 490 (Q.27 & V.31)
6) MGMAT Test 5 470 (Q.32 & V.24)
7) Princeton Review Test 420 (Q.33 & V.13)

I have 5 weeks more to prepare for this test. My work schedule is killer too. Have to work a minimum of 10 to 12 hours for 5 days a week and after that I come home and prepare for the test for a minimum of 2 hours. Have already spent 50 hours in Jan and 77 hours in Feb in preparing for the GMAT. With the scores above it seems I am all over the place. My aim is to get above 700 but looking at the above scores, makes my goal seem unrealistic.

Please advice as to what should I do in the next 5 weeks. I do not have the liberty to extend my test date beyond the 13 of April. As this year after april I will have to probably spend all my time at the office cause there are major projects going on in which I play a major role. Even getting the 2 weeks leave before the test was hard to get. Please tell me if I can still improve and hit my target score. Desperate for help and motivation...this just seems like I am fighting a loosing battle. Any suggestions or ideas for improvements will be highly appreciated.

My Plan for Next 5 Weeks:
1) Week 1 (07/03/2011-13/03/2011): Complete the MGMT Word Translation book including the problems listed in the Advanced Section and also complete my CR MGMT book in parallel with OG Problems
2) Till End of March: Redo all the OG 12 quantitative section in parallel with review of and practice of SC and CR.
3) Every weekend give a CAT test. I will reset all my MGMT test soon and redo them.
4) The last 10 days i.e. from 01 April 2011 to 11 April 2011 will be giving at least 6 hours (as i will be off for 2 weeks from work) into shoring up my mistakes and working on my timing of the test. To basically be able to identify the time relative to the question I should be on.

Thank you in advance for your help.
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by tpr-becky » Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:01 am
You goal is a very high one and you seem very very busy. From your score reports it looks as if you are working problems, not working strategy - meaning each problem seems new to you when it comes up instead of feeling like a part of a system.

The best use of your time at the begining is to find out what information is actually tested on the GMAT and then organize that information.

For example in coordinate geometry they really only ask about distance and line equation/slope. do you know how to do both of these things and how to recognize them when they show up in any problem?

The same is true for every verbal section and all of the math knowledge - the key is knowing how to identify that you are working on a specific type of problem and then knowing the facts or formulas the GMAT asks you to know when solving that type of problem.

For instance - in Sentence Correction if you see the word "and" you know you are looking at a list and lists need to be parallel. the work is to find all items in the list and then make them parallel - constantly re-reading the answers will not bring this type of clarity.

if you are still struggling consider finding a tutor or a class that can help you to organize this inforamation in a way that is useable on the GMAT for YOU>

Best of Luck
Becky
Master GMAT Instructor
The Princeton Review
Irvine, CA
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by saswani » Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:22 pm
Hi Becky,

Thank you for your reply. I do realize that my target score is too high and the point I am at today tells me that I require considerable amount time to understand my core issues.

Also with regards to recognizing the problem, I have just started to identify the areas some problems belong to but rather than applying the concepts or shortcusts mentioned in MGMAT books I tend to go through the working of the porblems. This leaves me with little time to complete the test in the alloted time. I always end up guessing on last 7 problems.

I am trying to see if I can shift the test to 1st week of May which effectively gives me 7 - 8 weeks more to prepare for the test. If this happens what do you think my plan of attack should be. I do not want to give my self more time as more time means it could lead to burn out and I might entirely give up on the test itself. Also things at work are uncertain therefore it is bit of a risk to post pone the date of the test. But looking at my scores and the amount of work I still require I think this will be the best decision for me.

In the mean time I am still not letting go of the amount of time I am putting on this test. Where it has been 3 months of complete lock down between work and this test I am willing to put in a month more.

But please do let me know how to identify my weak points. Currently there are three things I will look at.
1) The timing issue which could be due to my working out the details of the problems
2) The reasons for fluctuation between the lowest and highest scores in my practise test
3) And to better my recognition of the area a problem belongs to

Please let me know if there is something else I should be looking for.
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by tpr-becky » Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:26 am
All three of your problem areas are actually part of the same thing(doing problems instead of looking for concepts). I would suggest creating a sheet labled with each content area the GMAT tests - then break it down to the actual knowledge contained in this. after that you should look at each question and try to place it on your outline of topics.

Best of Luck.
Becky
Master GMAT Instructor
The Princeton Review
Irvine, CA
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by saswani » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:04 pm
By Content Area you mean Decimal, Digits, Lines and Angles, etc. which are part of Number Properties and Geometry respectively...right. And when you say "Outline of Topics" you mean that if I see a problem related to Polygons then should i place it under "Outline Topic" of Geometry or Polygons?

Thank you & Regards,
Salesh.
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by tpr-becky » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:33 pm
There are basically three big topics - Algebra, Geometry, Number properties and formula based. and example of what i am talking about would be:

Geometry (have to determine which shapes)
Right triangles (about Pythagorean theorum or special rt. triangles)
45:45:90 triangle - (means that the sides are in ratio a:a: a rt2)

Then you can plug the problem into that. By the way there are really only squares and triangles on this test - polygons are some conglomerate of them. sure you can use polygon formulas but most of the time taking it to its simplest level is actually more efficient both from the perspective of studying and from the test taking perspective.
Becky
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The Princeton Review
Irvine, CA
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by saswani » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:05 pm
Great, Thanks!!!

I will work on this for few weeks and get back to you if further clarification is required. I will also soon post my analysis of the test I have given thus far to get better clarity with regards to my weak areas.


Regards,
Salesh.
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