GMAT Strategy

Here I am studying for the GMAT, I've dedicated the past 3-4 months (roughly 15 hours/week) for this test, and no matter how many practice tests I do, I'm stuck in the same score range. I've gained knowledge relative to where I was before studying but considering the fact that my exam is 3 weeks away, I'm at a loss for words. I was originally scheduled to write the exam in April but postponed to May and now it seems like I just prolonged this agony for no good reason.

Here are my results (in sequential order):
Kaplan Diagnostic - 510
Kaplan Cat 1 - 550
Kaplan Cat 2 - 520
Gmat Prep 1 (first try) - 540
Gmat Prep 1 (second try) - 530

Now in between my first and second attempts at the GMAT prep Cat 1 test, I've dropped the Kaplan Live book and instead have taken up the Manhattan Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, Word Problems and other math books. While doing hte tests I'm very encouraged only to have the air taken out of my balloon upon seeing my score.

What do you guys suggest I do in the next few weeks to least bring this to a 580?

Spend more hours studying the books? I'm almost close to finishing the entire question base in the OG12 as well...so I'm running out of GMAT type questions.

Anyone? I don't have the money for a tutor so that's completely out of the question, but anything else?

3 weeks isn't enough time for you to make a substantial jump. I would consider either going forward with the test, but prepare yourself to take it again, or postpone it again. When you begin studying again for it (assuming you take it in 3 weeks) I would recommend buying all of the Manhattan GMAT math guides and their Sentence Correction Guide. Buy the Powerscore Critical reasoning bible. If you go through all of this material you will have a solid foundation. Put in the same number of hours per week, and you will see your score improve. Good luck.

osirus0830 wrote:3 weeks isn't enough time for you to make a substantial jump. I would consider either going forward with the test, but prepare yourself to take it again, or postpone it again. When you begin studying again for it (assuming you take it in 3 weeks) I would recommend buying all of the Manhattan GMAT math guides and their Sentence Correction Guide. Buy the Powerscore Critical reasoning bible. If you go through all of this material you will have a solid foundation. Put in the same number of hours per week, and you will see your score improve. Good luck.

I'm planning on dedicating at least 3-4 hours daily (on weekdayss) and 6-8 hours (on weekends) for hte next 3 weeks in an effort for one last ditch effort. Most MBA schools need a minimum of 550, but I'm aiming for 580 to be on the safe side.

How many practice tests or quizzes do you suggest I do, during the 3 week period (well, its a few days less than 3 weeks now)?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

analyst1,
Which schools are you applying to (if you don't mind me asking)? When are the deadlines?

As for the GMAT, I mostly agree with osirus0830. However, given that you do spend 15 hours/week for 3 weeks is 45 hours. Kaplan and Manhattan states that it takes about 100 hours to prepare. But since you are at 500-range level, 50 point jump is not impossible! So don't get discouraged.

I recommended writing a Manhattan CAT and finding your weak areas as the 1st step and then go from there and focus on your weaknesses.

LoveTheGMAT wrote:analyst1,
Which schools are you applying to (if you don't mind me asking)? When are the deadlines?

As for the GMAT, I mostly agree with osirus0830. However, given that you do spend 15 hours/week for 3 weeks is 45 hours. Kaplan and Manhattan states that it takes about 100 hours to prepare. But since you are at 500-range level, 50 point jump is not impossible! So don't get discouraged.

I recommended writing a Manhattan CAT and finding your weak areas as the 1st step and then go from there and focus on your weaknesses.

I'm willing to go above and beyond what i did in the past, meaning 3-4 hours on weekdays and 8 hours on weekend, putting me somewhere in the proximity of 80 hours prior to the test.

As far as the schools, the schools on my radar are Queens, Rotman, Schulich and DeGroote. All of which are based in Canada.

Hi analyst1,
I am guessing you are aiming Fall 2011 entry then since Queen's, Rotman, and Schulich deadlines have already passed?
Only Degroote is June 15 for which you can enter Fall 2010

You aren't looking into Ivey (Western)? Western is very good as well.

Why Degrotte when you are aiming top schools like Queen's, Rotman, and Schulich?

If you are aiming Fall 2011 entry, my suggestion would be to postpone the GMAT and study hard and score ~680 as Queen's avg GMAT is 684 and Queen's is the top school of Canada.

I know you are being discouraged, but don't give up! If you are aiming Fall 2011 entry, postpone the test and take 1 week off from GMAT and come back and KILL it with Manhattan material!

What's your background like?

LoveTheGMAT wrote:Hi analyst1,
I am guessing you are aiming Fall 2011 entry then since Queen's, Rotman, and Schulich deadlines have already passed?
Only Degroote is June 15 for which you can enter Fall 2010

You aren't looking into Ivey (Western)? Western is very good as well.

Why Degrotte when you are aiming top schools like Queen's, Rotman, and Schulich?

If you are aiming Fall 2011 entry, my suggestion would be to postpone the GMAT and study hard and score ~680 as Queen's avg GMAT is 684 and Queen's is the top school of Canada.

I know you are being discouraged, but don't give up! If you are aiming Fall 2011 entry, postpone the test and take 1 week off from GMAT and come back and KILL it with Manhattan material!

What's your background like?

I'm aiming high but i'm also being realistic as well. Although it would be nice to get into those top schools, it isn't an absolute must (and by top schools i'm referring to Queens and Rotman). I'm quite comfortable with either Schulich or Degroote as they are close to work, more affordable and doable with a full-time job (MBA would be completed part-time).

The problem lies in the fact that the scores I'm getting don't even put me in the ballpark for the degrootes or schulichs of the world (i think). Since my initial post, I've spent on average 3-4 hours every night going over the material in one last ditch effort to bump up my score.

Hi,
Well here's two approaches:

Trying Fall 2010 Entry:
Do a Manhattan GMAT CAT and find the weak areas and focus on those.
SC: If SC is your weakness and considering your test is coming close, I would recommend reading Parallelism, Comparisons, Modifiers, and Pronouns chapters 2-3 times and memorize the rules. When you read the SC question, quickly try to identify which category that problem could lie under. If you can, you'll know how to fix it. If you can't, go to the answer choices and start eliminating.

CR: Go over Strengthen, Weaken, Assumption, and Inference chapters from Manhattan and do some practice questions. Those 4 types are most common and at your level, you are more likely to get those types than rare types. Don't worry about diagramming - I found it too time consuming.

Math: Practice the content that you are good with, and learn some of the new stuff. (Manhattan CATs will give you specific breakdown of Quant section). I would not worry about Probability and Combs at this stage. Focus on Algebra, Number Properties, Geometry, and Arithmetic

Trying Fall 2011 Entry:
Do a Manhattan GMAT CAT and find your strengths and weaknesses and create a 3-month study plan to focus on everything and write the GMAT end of Summer. And then apply for Round 1 and hopefully you get in!!

When you do a 3-month schedule, set your goal of increasing your score by 30 points per CAT instead of 100 points over 3 months. This way you will stay motivated as you will reach small goals. Its like taking baby steps.

Goodluck!

analyst1 - i also want to stress the importance of not taking exams for practice... they should only be used as benchmarks and for timing practice. I've had scores in your range even though I'm aiming for a 720.

My exam is next Saturday and I'll be taking a practice exam tonight... saturday... sunday... and wednesday... inbetween those days i will be reviewing my mistakes and drilling what i already know... i cant really learn any new information at this point.

The main thing about increasing your score is that I feel that you'll know when you'll score higher on the next practice exam. For instance, I've been drilling CR and SC HARD for the last 3 weeks since that was my weakness. I'm good in the Quant section but I know I won't get a 50+ in quant and score a 700+ that way. So I focused on verbal with the hope of getting it to a 40+. I know that if I can get my verbal up to a 40+ my quant will be in the range where I can score over 700. But my confidence lately with CR and SC has gone through the rough... I have an 85-90% hit rate now and I feel that when I take my practice exam tonight I'll see that verbal score increase... It's about confidence, your mind knows when you'll improve.

I used to get frustrated because I wasn't seeing an increase week/week, but then I figured that taking practice exams was not the best way to practice just yet.

i just realized that my post is all over the place... i'm sorry for that.. help something in there helps lol

LoveTheGMAT wrote:Hi,
Well here's two approaches:

Trying Fall 2010 Entry:
Do a Manhattan GMAT CAT and find the weak areas and focus on those.
SC: If SC is your weakness and considering your test is coming close, I would recommend reading Parallelism, Comparisons, Modifiers, and Pronouns chapters 2-3 times and memorize the rules. When you read the SC question, quickly try to identify which category that problem could lie under. If you can, you'll know how to fix it. If you can't, go to the answer choices and start eliminating.

CR: Go over Strengthen, Weaken, Assumption, and Inference chapters from Manhattan and do some practice questions. Those 4 types are most common and at your level, you are more likely to get those types than rare types. Don't worry about diagramming - I found it too time consuming.

Math: Practice the content that you are good with, and learn some of the new stuff. (Manhattan CATs will give you specific breakdown of Quant section). I would not worry about Probability and Combs at this stage. Focus on Algebra, Number Properties, Geometry, and Arithmetic

Trying Fall 2011 Entry:
Do a Manhattan GMAT CAT and find your strengths and weaknesses and create a 3-month study plan to focus on everything and write the GMAT end of Summer. And then apply for Round 1 and hopefully you get in!!

When you do a 3-month schedule, set your goal of increasing your score by 30 points per CAT instead of 100 points over 3 months. This way you will stay motivated as you will reach small goals. Its like taking baby steps.

Goodluck!

I just spent the past week (3-4 hours everyday plus weekends) studying the manhattan books, specifically what you recommended. I just completed by Manhattan CAT and scored 490 (Q32 V26). Here is a snapshot of my manhattan assessment. https://img191.yfrog.com/img191/820/asse ... ummary.jpg

Seriously, what is going on here? Is it that Manhattan scores are much harder than what the GMATPrep is? Aren't my scores supposed to increase? Compared to how I did my first few tests, I understand more theory but is theory pointless?

I'm at a loss for words now, like I don't even know what to do. [/url]

Take a break... take a looong break... especially if you don't have your exam scheduled yet. You need to clear your head. I had the same study regimen as you and I my scores decreased too. My verbal score has gotten better but Quant has gone down.. and that's my strong point. Since my exam is Saturday, I'm not taking any more practice tests because I'll get discouraged. All I'm doing from now until Saturday is reading through all of the answers in the MGMAT guides and the OG. That'll joggle my memory back to where it was. For instance on my last practice exam I got a question wrong about the difference of 2 squares. Really? That's like one of the easiest things to do... so yeah... clear your head...

money9111 wrote:Take a break... take a looong break... especially if you don't have your exam scheduled yet. You need to clear your head. I had the same study regimen as you and I my scores decreased too. My verbal score has gotten better but Quant has gone down.. and that's my strong point. Since my exam is Saturday, I'm not taking any more practice tests because I'll get discouraged. All I'm doing from now until Saturday is reading through all of the answers in the MGMAT guides and the OG. That'll joggle my memory back to where it was. For instance on my last practice exam I got a question wrong about the difference of 2 squares. Really? That's like one of the easiest things to do... so yeah... clear your head...

I know I shouldn't let these scores get the best of me, but when your scores are progressively getting worse while your knowledge is increasing, its disheartening. One thing I realized is for some reason, could be the nervousness of the test but I pretty much forget most of the general rules in the first few questions of each section (mind going blank of sorts).

My friend, I wish I could take a long break. My exam is next week and I can't postpone it (I've already done that once before).

analyst1 wrote:

money9111 wrote:Take a break... take a looong break... especially if you don't have your exam scheduled yet. You need to clear your head. I had the same study regimen as you and I my scores decreased too. My verbal score has gotten better but Quant has gone down.. and that's my strong point. Since my exam is Saturday, I'm not taking any more practice tests because I'll get discouraged. All I'm doing from now until Saturday is reading through all of the answers in the MGMAT guides and the OG. That'll joggle my memory back to where it was. For instance on my last practice exam I got a question wrong about the difference of 2 squares. Really? That's like one of the easiest things to do... so yeah... clear your head...

I know I shouldn't let these scores get the best of me, but when your scores are progressively getting worse while your knowledge is increasing, its disheartening. One thing I realized is for some reason, could be the nervousness of the test but I pretty much forget most of the general rules in the first few questions of each section (mind going blank of sorts).

My friend, I wish I could take a long break. My exam is next week and I can't postpone it (I've already done that once before).

I don't think you understand how similar your story is to mine. It's as if I'm talking to myself lol. I'm scoring now on practice exams what I scored before my MGMAT class back in January and in some cases I've scored lower. So believe me... I definitely feel your pain. Of course my knowledge and understanding has increased so yes.. it's very disheartening. My exam is this Saturday so it's too late for me to reschedule. I did the best on exams when I was the calmest, so that's what I'm focusing on right now. I'm not putting any more pressure on myself about this exam. I think that was my demise. All I can do now is know what I know... and do the best I can. I know I'm going to retake the exam so... hey I'll retake it and do better.

Don't get down on yourself... it's just a test!

Hey
I wrote Manhattan CAT 3 yesterday and scored 80 points less than CAT 2. I was stunned! I was hoping going up 20 points, so I was 100 points below my expectation! My test is in 2 weeks today and I feel totally discouraged! But I am trying to keep it together.

I have postponed my test twice, so I don't want to postpone now. I am hoping for Fall 2010 entry.

Postponing 2 times is okay! But if you are hoping Fall 2010 entry, then I can understand. If you are aiming Fall 2011, then postpone and take a break like money9111 has suggested. Taking some time off helps you re-energize and come back and not be all discouraged.

So my questions to you are:
1) When are you hoping to start MBA?
2) What are other parts of your application like? If you have significant work exp., good GPA, extra curriculars, and volunteering, maybe just getting 500 will be sufficient for you! Btw, 490 on Manhattan can easily mean 520-530 on real test. Manhattan CATs are harder! The CR on Manhattan involves calculations sometimes, barely in OG. Even Quant of Manhattan is much harder than real GMAT.

Goodluck!

LoveTheGMAT wrote:Hey
I wrote Manhattan CAT 3 yesterday and scored 80 points less than CAT 2. I was stunned! I was hoping going up 20 points, so I was 100 points below my expectation! My test is in 2 weeks today and I feel totally discouraged! But I am trying to keep it together.

I have postponed my test twice, so I don't want to postpone now. I am hoping for Fall 2010 entry.

Postponing 2 times is okay! But if you are hoping Fall 2010 entry, then I can understand. If you are aiming Fall 2011, then postpone and take a break like money9111 has suggested. Taking some time off helps you re-energize and come back and not be all discouraged.

So my questions to you are:
1) When are you hoping to start MBA?
2) What are other parts of your application like? If you have significant work exp., good GPA, extra curriculars, and volunteering, maybe just getting 500 will be sufficient for you! Btw, 490 on Manhattan can easily mean 520-530 on real test. Manhattan CATs are harder! The CR on Manhattan involves calculations sometimes, barely in OG. Even Quant of Manhattan is much harder than real GMAT.

Goodluck!

1)January 2011
2) 3-5 work experience, B+ GPA in final 2 years and a few extra curricular activities here or there.