Need some advice to improve scores

[poonam1279]

Hi,
Many thanks in advance.
I need some advice to improve my GMAT scores.
I recently gave GMAT PREP 1 test and scored 630. But my target score is 750.
I need to be able to score atleast 720 in GMAT. My test date is 24th Feb 2008. Still have some time to go. My weak areas are sentence correction, Data sufficiency. Probability problems, Geometry are weak areas in Maths.
Please advice me and which are the good tests which will be accurate predictors of actual GMAT scores.
I have recently bought MGMAT guides all 8. Is it required to go through all of these. I also have Kaplan book and 2 OGs verbal and quant. I have solved all problems of OG 11th edition except for DS section and some RCs are remaining. How good are the 2 Supplement OGs. Should I focus on Kaplan book or Verbal and Quant OG supplements. Which MGMAT guides should i go through?

Normally I spend 12 hours every week. 6 hours on weekdays and approximately 6 hours on weekends. Saturday I have scheduled time for mock tests. Need advice on how to plan to improve scores. I have found Flash cards very useful.
Please advice
Thanks

[cramya]

Go through all MGMAT guides (definitely all quant guides + sentence correction)

Kaplan RC/CR or MGMAT whichever works best for u. I dont have them and hence cant say which is better but once u start reading these u should be able to get a feel for what works best for u

Work through the official guides (11 th edition definitely and supplements(10 the editions) if possible. I think a good way would be to work through the og problems after u finish each chapter in MGMAT guides(they indicate what og problems correspond to what topic they have covered)


Since u bought the manhattan guides u should have free access to all their questions banks (do this as additional practice while going through each mgmat book and og problems ) which u can use for additional practice.

GMAT prep software would be the most accurate indicator of your scores.
Take it as many times as possible by resintalling it (remove the old installation files before u do this) U may see some repeats but u will definitely see some new questions. U may have to do it atleast 10-15 times or more before u exhaust all questions.

U also get access to MGMAT's 6 CAT practice exams (save GMAT PREP/MGMAT exams for the last phase (month/month and a half))

Kaplan exams are also good(not sure what edition u bought but what I have heard is that the scoring algorithm in the 2009 editions have been fixed to reflect the scores as closely as possible to the gmat score of an individual). I have seen some people say they are confidence breakers but trust me they have some good questions. I have used their quiz bank and found it to be very useful .IMO almost every problem (hard or easy) has some takeaway so additional practice will never hurt.


Strictly my opinion but changea any of the above to what works best for u.


PS: Continue making flashcards. They are very valuable when u r revising as u may not have time to go through all the study materials again during the last phase of your prep. In the last pahase (month 30-40 days) u should be concentrating more on taking as much CAT's as possible and working on weak areas if any.

[pbanavara]

Cramya has covered it all. Just an addition:

Since you are already scoring 630 in GMATPrep - you are in the 600-650 range of scoring. You have also identified your weak areas. You need to assess them. It might sound funny but the principles of GMAT test you at the very basic levels. So a proper assessment of your weak areas is very important. One of the ways I found to help me was what I term 'redo the incorrect'. I think Ursula mentions this in her blog as well. Here's what I do:

Step 1: Take 40 questions in a particular 'area'. (I work with OG and of course my tests are timed).
Step 2: Assess your percentage of wrong answers.
Take a 15 minute break.
Step 3: Come back and solve the questions to which you got wrong answers. ( Do not look at your previous answer choices).
Step 4: Again re-assess the percentage of wrong answers. There might be a decline or there might not be. If there's a decline then you are looking at a shorter 'post analysis study time'. If not you are looking at a longer study time.

Now go to the test explanations and compare your methods with those of the source. Get an understanding of your mistakes and how to correct them.

Take the next 40 questions, at a higher difficulty or at the same difficulty level of the set you just completed and you'll see a definite improvement.
Repeat this for all sections until your desired percentage is reached.

Good luck.

- pradeep

[poonam1279]

Many Thanks cramya and pradeep for your valuable suggestions.

[poonam1279]

I just took Kaplan test and scored 520. It was one of the premier 2009 CATs 1. I read in the forum that Kaplan tests are confidence breakers and should I add 70-100 points to it. So I can consider that I am at 600-650 level? Need serious advice on this.

[Jen Kedro]

Hi there,

Just to clarify the Kaplan 09 CAT you took-- was it on the CDROM or online? If on the CDROM, it would score you lower than it should; if you use the online CATs, it has the updated, accurate algorithm. Our retail division is removing the CD entirely for the next printing/edition, but for now I believe you have the choice still of using the CD or online versions. I recommend the online versions! Apologies on Kaplan's behalf for any confusion.

Good advice on this thread for your studying overall. Data Sufficiency is a question type that is very susceptible to dramatic improvement based upon learning a step-by-step approach, applying it to every problem, and practicing relentlessly with those problems. So in addition to doing full tests, which is great practice, mix in times when you practice a single question type repetitively to develop those skills. Also, be sure to focus a lot on your timing, particularly as it gets closer to test day.

Good luck!

[poonam1279]

Hi Jen,
I took the test on CD Rom. Can you please let me know how the tests on CD are different from online versions? Is scoring algo only different. Will the questions in CD be same as online tests?
Could you please let me know what is the conversion score if I score 520 on CD Rom. As I am not going to repeat the test in the online version which I already took on the CD it would be helpful to know the score mapping.
Many Thanks for your advice and great tips to concentrate on DS and timing. I will be taking rest of the tests using online version. Also I was short of time for 2 questions in quantitative and 2 questiosn in Verbal. Was in fact terrible in timing. Had to rush through the questions at the end.
Thanks,
Poonam

[msmith8754]

Cramya,

Can you tell what is the site for the GMAT prep software you are referring to .

[Jen Kedro]

Hi poonan,

I may have already answered your question elsewhere, but yes the tests taken on CD will score you roughly 70-100 points lower, according to our retail division, due to the fact that it is outdated. Our publishing group will be removing that outdated CD for the next edition. The online version of the tests has the up-to-date accurate scoring.

As for timing, keep in mind that if people are rushed or short on time, it's not generally that they are slow per se, it's more that they got stuck on one or a few specific questions and let too much time go by, and that threw you off for the rest of the test. Try not to get stuck--if time is ticking on a tough question, sacrifice it and make an educated guess, so that you can get through the whole test to the end and have time for other q's you CAN do.

Best of luck!

PS-- to another question here, the GMAT Prep software is from the makers of the GMAT, available through www.mba.com.