Is a 700+ Score Possible for Me?

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Is a 700+ Score Possible for Me?

by Djman92 » Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:50 pm
Hey All!

I took the GMAT last October after half-heartedly studying for a month of so. I ended up scoring a 570 on the exam which was not quite what I thought I was going to get (I know, I know, I underestimated this thing.) I decided to do it right this time and am giving myself 3 months to properly study and will be following a 90 day study plan from Magoosh. You all have so much experience with this so I just wanted to know what your impressions are. Are my expectations too high if I am hoping for a 700+ score when I take the exam in June?

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by [email protected] » Sun Mar 04, 2018 3:44 pm
Hi Djman92,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores - and you've now given yourself that time, which is good. From a statistical standpoint, only about 10% of Test Takers score 700+ (regardless of how long they study or the number of times they take the GMAT). That having been said, that data tells us nothing about YOUR capacity to learn, improve and hit that Goal on the Official GMAT.

The GMAT is a predictable, standardized Test, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. You have to commit to that task though and focus on learning and practicing the proper Tactics. When you have questions, you should absolutely post them in the forums here (you'll find that most GMAT questions can be approached in more than one way - and it could be that 'your way' of approaching an individual prompt is not the fastest/easiest option).

Since it sounds like you're just restarting your studies, it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study.

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by ceilidh.erickson » Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:12 am
Djman92 wrote:Hey All!

I took the GMAT last October after half-heartedly studying for a month of so. I ended up scoring a 570 on the exam which was not quite what I thought I was going to get (I know, I know, I underestimated this thing.) I decided to do it right this time and am giving myself 3 months to properly study and will be following a 90 day study plan from Magoosh. You all have so much experience with this so I just wanted to know what your impressions are. Are my expectations too high if I am hoping for a 700+ score when I take the exam in June?
Here's a *very* broad rule of thumb that I use to help students gauge the amount of study time they'll need: budget a minimum of 10-15 hrs of study time for every 10pts you want to gain. If you study 10 hrs/wk and want to gain 130 pts, that's a minimum of 13-19 weeks. If you can study 15 hrs/wk, that could be as low as 9 weeks.

Of course some people make gains much faster. If you had major timing issues with your 570, fixing your timing could result in an immediate increase of 30-50 pts. On the other hand, some people hit a plateau, after which increased studying doesn't yield increased gains. That said - 3 months is a reasonable plan, if you're able to put in at least 10 hrs/wk and study in a methodical, thoughtful way.

Good luck!
Ceilidh Erickson
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Harvard Graduate School of Education

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TTT

by amy_amit321 » Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:40 pm
Djman92 wrote:Hey All!

I took the GMAT last October after half-heartedly studying for a month of so. I ended up scoring a 570 on the exam which was not quite what I thought I was going to get (I know, I know, I underestimated this thing.) I decided to do it right this time and am giving myself 3 months to properly study and will be following a 90 day study plan from Magoosh. You all have so much experience with this so I just wanted to know what your impressions are. Are my expectations too high if I am hoping for a 700+ score when I take the exam in June?

Getting 700 + at least is very crucial if you are planning to apply to top business schools. However, many students lack in understanding and implementing which are required to score 700 or more at GMAT.

Though 3 to 4 months is an ideal time to prepare for the GMAT exam. However, it may require few weeks or more if one is not able to put in the required efforts on daily basis due to the work commitments.

Also, the difficulty level of the questions which are asked at GMAT exam is comparatively higher than the questions which are given in the GMAT official guide so one should have enough exposure to the questions which are commensurate to the higher difficulty questions generally asked at GMAT for scoring 700+. At times it is difficult to prepare for GMAT without any professional advice as then candidates lack in understanding shortcuts and tricks which are required to solve questions in the given time constraint. Moreover, there are tricks to identify the traps which are usually there which make one chose the wrong answer choice. So one should choose the right GMAT trainer for the preparation.