Hi All,
First post here. I took the GMAT on March 3rd and needless to say I was quite disappointed with my results of Q32, V35, 560 score.
My Prior CAT scores are as follows.:
2/25/18 Q40, V30, 580 Score
2/11/18 Q38, V35, 610 Score
I'm happy that I was able to match my high verbal score but disappointed I bombed the quant as I was pretty confident going in. From analyzing my prior CAT's my biggest issue was time management. I consistently kept leaving less than 1 min per question for the last 8-10 quant questions so managing this was my priority. Unfortunately I think during the actual exam I was a bit too liberal with the questions I decided to bail on in order to make up time. From the "enhanced score report' from MBA.com (such a ripoff that they charge for this by the way). It looks like all of my questions were "medium level" (i'm guessing this translates to 500-600 level?). I answered 57% correctly on the first two sets of questions and 43% correctly on the 3rd and 4th set of questions. This is consistent with my Manhattan CAT's. On the last two exams 500-600 level PS questions I answered 37% correctly and 500-600 level DS 71% Correct.
My immediate plan is to master 500-600 level questions within the next 10 days which I know I have it in me. After re-doing all of the questions on this level on my CAT's I was able to answer every single one correctly. I then will focus on 600-700 level questions, first focusing on topics that I am weaker in (quadratic equations, algebraic translations/word problems, and rates) followed by mastering all other problem types in this level as well.
My question, is this a solid plan? If I can get a 45 on quant and maintain or improve my 35 verbal this should be enough to get my score.
On the Verbal Section, RC is definitely my weakest area so that is what I will be focusing on the most.
Verbal breakdown as follows:
SC: 86th Percentile
CR: 79Th Percentile
RC:52nd Percentile
Any input and advice will be greatly appreciated. I know I have what it takes to get my score in 30 days, I just need to make sure that my plan and focus areas are solid for my goal.
As for Study Schedule:
Mon/Wed/Fridays: 1 - 1.5 hours in the morning prior to Work
All Weekdays -1.5 - 2 hours in the evenings.
Weekends - 8-10 Hours combined plus one CAT every weekend.
Materials - OG17 and Manhattan books.
560 to 660 in One Month Help
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Hi mlo0703,
Pacing issues don't exist on their own - they're the results of OTHER issues (likely a combination of your Quant knowledge, inconsistent use of Tactics and inefficient work). Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. That having been said, raising a 560 to a 660+ will likely take at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. This is meant to say that you might need to consider pushing back your Test Date. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:
Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) When you took your CATs, did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
Goals:
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Pacing issues don't exist on their own - they're the results of OTHER issues (likely a combination of your Quant knowledge, inconsistent use of Tactics and inefficient work). Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. That having been said, raising a 560 to a 660+ will likely take at least another 2 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. This is meant to say that you might need to consider pushing back your Test Date. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:
Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) When you took your CATs, did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
Goals:
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
5) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
GMAT/MBA Expert
- ceilidh.erickson
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Your biggest issue isn't content. It's STUBBORNNESS!
Until you're at a 48+ level, you should be skipping questions on the quant. If you skipped (took a random guess in 10 seconds) on 1 out of every 5 questions on the quant, you'd have more time to spend on the ones you do want to solve, and you'd probably end up with a better score.
The fact that you're getting way lower scores on PS than DS indicates that your conceptual knowledge is decent, but your techniques are rusty. PS is where you do more of the work, so you're likely making a lot of mistakes here. Here's what you need to do:
1. Master non-algebraic strategies - backsolving, picking numbers, estimation - to save time and increase accuracy on PS:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -pen-down/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... m-solving/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... mat-quant/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... rt-1-of-5/
2. Start tracking your careless errors obsessively!
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -studying/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... rt-1-of-2/
3. Learn when to skip - and practice skipping!
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... our-score/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -to-guess/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -problems/
4. Have a solid timing strategy
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... ut-timing/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... tch-paper/
If you're not seeing the increase you want after working on these issues, consider investing in 1 or 2 sessions with an expert tutor. They can help you pinpoint specific issues that will make a big difference quickly.
Good luck!
Timing issues on quant aren't simply going to go away by improving on the medium-level questions. As you improve, the questions will get harder, so you'll be even more inclined to spend more time on them, and you'll still run out of time at the end... causing you to miss those easy ones.mlo0703 wrote:From analyzing my prior CAT's my biggest issue was time management. I consistently kept leaving less than 1 min per question for the last 8-10 quant questions so managing this was my priority. Unfortunately I think during the actual exam I was a bit too liberal with the questions I decided to bail on in order to make up time. From the "enhanced score report' from MBA.com (such a ripoff that they charge for this by the way). It looks like all of my questions were "medium level" (i'm guessing this translates to 500-600 level?). I answered 57% correctly on the first two sets of questions and 43% correctly on the 3rd and 4th set of questions. This is consistent with my Manhattan CAT's. On the last two exams 500-600 level PS questions I answered 37% correctly and 500-600 level DS 71% Correct.
Until you're at a 48+ level, you should be skipping questions on the quant. If you skipped (took a random guess in 10 seconds) on 1 out of every 5 questions on the quant, you'd have more time to spend on the ones you do want to solve, and you'd probably end up with a better score.
The fact that you're getting way lower scores on PS than DS indicates that your conceptual knowledge is decent, but your techniques are rusty. PS is where you do more of the work, so you're likely making a lot of mistakes here. Here's what you need to do:
1. Master non-algebraic strategies - backsolving, picking numbers, estimation - to save time and increase accuracy on PS:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -pen-down/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... m-solving/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... mat-quant/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... rt-1-of-5/
2. Start tracking your careless errors obsessively!
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -studying/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... rt-1-of-2/
3. Learn when to skip - and practice skipping!
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... our-score/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -to-guess/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -problems/
4. Have a solid timing strategy
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... ut-timing/
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... tch-paper/
If you're not seeing the increase you want after working on these issues, consider investing in 1 or 2 sessions with an expert tutor. They can help you pinpoint specific issues that will make a big difference quickly.
Good luck!
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education