13 Days left, need advice, need a 600

[gsw699]

I have 13 days left until I am scheduled to take the GMAT. My study regimin so far consist of the Princeton Review 2007 and the OG 11th edition. I have worked through the diagnostic test in the OG and am scoring on the high end of the "average" categories. I have been through most of the Princeton Review strategies and concept sections.

My plan for the next two weeks is to take four practice exams and continue to work every night in the OG. There are some concepts I am struggling with. Am I better off to focus my time on the concepts or to focus more on answering problems and reviewing the explanations?

I am not comfortable with my current preparation level, am I better off to reschedule the test and pay the rescheduling fee or continue with my plan and do the best I can?

Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Greg

[aim-wsc]

you need 600 & you are performing at average level.
so why you wanna postpone the test.

i am sure with good plan and dedicated efforts you d cross 600.

if u hv difficulties in specific areas- just put it here... i know we havenot discussed specific areas on this forums as such but i am sure we ll come out with good suggestions.
try Eric s blog. he's covered all areas

[gsw699]

Just took my first practice test and scored a disappointing 490 on the Priceton Review CAT1.

25 - Verbal
33 - Math

Ran out of time of the verbal and ended up guessing on the last 4-5 questions. Missed 3 of the first four test questions. They were on reading comprehension - specific.

80% of my studying has been Math related, I will shift to the verbal, and plan on taking the GMAT CAT practice test tomorrow.

[Stacey Koprince]

Hi, Greg

It is reasonable to think about postponing your test date. Prepping for the test is typically a months-long process (I'd say the average is about 3 months) and it is very difficult to lift your score 100 points in 2 weeks. I would take another practice test soon and see whether the initial test was accurate or just a fluke (meaning, your second test is higher). If it was accurate, you'll likely need more than the time you have left.

Your verbal score was obviously brought down by the fact that you ran out of time, so you will have to work on pacing yourself better, but correcting your pacing is very much tied into your performance on the individual questions - so it's not a really easy thing to fix. (It is, however, fixable! It just takes some work.)

It is important to do a mix of content study and question analysis - it's tought to get even an easier question right if you don't know the content in the first place, and it's tough to get a harder question right if you don't know how that content is likely to be tested specifically on the GMAT.

You can use your first practice test to diagnose your strengths and weaknesses - first, do this as pertains to content. Make a list of the math and grammar concepts that you understand thoroughly and a list of the ones which you need to study more. Then, also take a look at your strengths and weaknesses from the point of view of the test - the 5 broad question categories and then the types of questions within a category (e.g., you might be really good at CR questions that ask you to find an assumption but not so good at the ones that ask you to weaken a conclusion). Use this to target your content and strategy study in whatever time you have (whether you reschedule or not).

Good luck!

[gsw699]

Stacey,

Thank you for the advice, I am giving the rescheduling serious consideration. I was able to bring my score up 20 points on the second Princeton Review CAT. My scores were:

Verbal: 30
Math: 31

Total: 510

I still ran out of time on the verbal and had to rush through the last 1/4 of the test. Need to practice my pacing. I think if I just had another 4-5 weeks that I could reach my goal.

[gsw699]

Ended up rescheduling for March 1st. This was definately the right thing to do. My lesson learned was to not schedule your GMAT until you take atleast one practice test and have a good assessment of the improvements you need to make.

I look forward to the challenge of improving my score over the next two months.

[beatthegmat]

Ended up rescheduling for March 1st. This was definately the right thing to do. My lesson learned was to not schedule your GMAT until you take atleast one practice test and have a good assessment of the improvements you need to make.

I look forward to the challenge of improving my score over the next two months.

Smart move. Look forward to seeing your improvement over the next few months--please keep us updated!