550 w/out studying, how much can I expect to improve?

[jjones]

I scored a 550 w/out studying at all for the GMAT (like 24th percentile quantitative and 87th percentile verbal), which was sufficient for the school I wanted to get into given my GPA and experience.
Since entering graduate school, I have been intrigued by some of the research projects that I have undertaken and I would now like to look into a Ph.D. program. Since my current GMAT is obviously not good enough to get into any reputable Ph.D. program in marketing, I am wondering if anyone out there happens to know what the "average" improvement is for people who study vs. people who do not. Obviously the amount an individual studies affects the amount they improve, but I am just looking for a general idea of whether or not it is worth spending three months of my life studying for the GMAT if I cannot get at least a 650 (need more like 680+). Does anyone have any information about this?

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[VP_Jim]

As you said, there is obviously a huge variation - you might score anywhere from 550 to 800!

That said, the average improvement for a student who takes a Veritas class is about 110 points. You can use that as a baseline for yourself. So, you might reasonably expect to get somewhere around 650, maybe pushing 700.

Now, your situation is a little unique in that your verbal is strong and your quant is quite low. If you want to get a PhD, understand that you'll be doing LOTS of math. So, if you're rusty, you'd probably want to brush up on your math basics, anyway - I would even suggest taking a math class or three at your local community college.

If you put in lots of work on the quant, that score should go up significantly. It's generally harder for people to improve verbal, so it seems that you're in pretty good shape. It all depends on how much you're willing to put into your math studying.

Good luck!

[jjones]

Thanks Jim--To be honest, I was a bit surprised when my math scores came back so low. I studied finance and economics as an undergrad, am nearly finished with my MBA program and I have never felt like my math skills have been lacking. That being said, I understand a Ph.D. in marketing would certainly require a greater level of math.

Given your advice, if I were to go back and take a few community college math courses, which ones would you recommend? I understand that the GMAT requires good algebra skills, but I think I am probably lacking the most in Geometry. Also, I don't believe it would behoove me to take any clases beyond algebra (precalc, calc, etc.), correct? I have heard that the GMAT does not test mathematical maturity, so I don't want to spend time studying for material that would not likely end up on the GMAT.

I appreciate your advice!

Jason

[VP_Jim]

You are correct in that you don't need to study anything beyond algebra for the GMAT, so precalc, calc, etc. won't help you (on the GMAT, at least).

I'd recommend college algebra. It might be a little bit harder than what you'll encounter on the GMAT, but if you can handle that, GMAT math shouldn't be much of a problem. As for geometry, the geometry tested on the GMAT is quite simple and I wouldn't recommend a class for it. Just brush up on the basic rules on your own.