First GMAT Mock and future plans

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First GMAT Mock and future plans

by anuragkumar08 » Sat Feb 22, 2020 12:09 pm
Hello all,

Recently, I decided to start my prep for GMAT (which I intend to write after 3 months or so).
I was told by many to take my first mock CAT early on in the preparations. I had actually taken a Mock Test on the Economist website a few days back. Scored a 700 on it with a 51 in Quant. I was not exactly sure how accurate that mock is but seeing some posts here, figured it lacked in comparison with the OG Mocks or the MGMAT's and Veritas CAT's.

So, today I decided to go ahead with the Full Length CAT 1. To my surprise, I managed a 730 (51 Quant, 38 Verbal and 7 IR). I must however admit, I did struggle very much in my Verbal section and was even clueless in my approach to certain problems. I have identified SC and CR as my glaring weaknesses. I feel I am quite strong in Quant, but I do want to maximise my Quant score in the actual test so I will need to practice those 700+ problems that will boost my score from say a 48/49 to a 50/51.
Further analysis of my mock CAT : Got 8/16 Data Sufficiency questions incorrect. Got 8/12 SC's incorrect. Got 3 CR questions incorrect as well. No mistakes in RC and just 1 in the Problem Solving one.

My Goal Score is 750. 700+ is a bare minimum I aspire to get as I am targeting one of the top 20 B-Schools in the US. ISB is another option but since I happen to be yet another average engineer in this overcrowded market, only a 720+ will suffice.

I am planning to write GMAT in mid/end June. That gives me about 3 months to prepare (I will need to take a 2 week break in March for some personal reasons).

Currently I am in my Pre-final year of college and have absolutely no work experience. Depending on my GMAT scores, I might try my luck with some deferred MBA programs like Yale's or the ISB YLP or even HBS 2+2. I am yet to make a comprehensive list of all such deferred MBA programs. I don't mind working for 2-3 odd years and applying later with work ex as well but I feel this is the correct time for me to write the GMAT since I have free time to prepare. Also, the scores being valid for 5 years is a huge plus point.

Just wanted to share these details with y'all.
Hope everyone has a good day :)
Regards.

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Hi anuragkumar08,

700 with Q51 is an awesome start! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Also, you may find it helpful to read the following article:

How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT — A Mini Guide for Success

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

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Hi anuragkumar08,

To start, the scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. The most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, but the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you correctly take the CAT in a realistic fashion).

The fact that you scored at a high level on both of those 2 CATs likely means that you're a strong critical thinker - and you appear to have given yourself plenty of time to study - which is great. There are a variety of factors that will influence whether you can score 750+ on the Official GMAT though. Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying:

1) How long have you studied in total? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) Since it's been about 5 weeks since you posted, have you taken any additional CATs/mocks? On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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