700 to 750 in 30 days - Any advice please?

[AliceP]

Hi,

Last week I took the test the second time and got a 700 (Q50, V34). The first time was last year and I also got a 700 (Q47, V39). I didn't spend much time preparing for the test (about ten days or less). I think I didn't use good materials either (just finished about one-third of the OG questions).

So this time I decide to invest more time (30 days, 6-8 hours/day) and effort to gain a 750+. It isn't just a high score but a challenge I really want to overcome (and studying for GMAT is quite intriguing I think). But I don't really know what strategy I should follow. Is it alright to use different materials? I'm thinking about using the MGMAT guide besides the OG.

Could anyone give me some advice on a suitable study plan and materials please?

Thank you.

Alice

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Hi AliceP,

Either of those scores would be considered great by most (if not all) Business Schools, so I have to ask WHY you want to retest? I understand that you "want" a 750, but there's no reason to retake the test. Before spending any more time, energy and money, I'd suggest that you talk to an Admissions Consultant about your Business School application plans. I'll bet that he/she will tell you that retaking the GMAT is not a good idea at this point.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[kevincanspain]

Which third of the OG questions had you done? To what extent did you use the GMATPrep software?

[AliceP]

Hi AliceP,

Either of those scores would be considered great by most (if not all) Business Schools, so I have to ask WHY you want to retest? I understand that you "want" a 750, but there's no reason to retake the test. Before spending any more time, energy and money, I'd suggest that you talk to an Admissions Consultant about your Business School application plans. I'll bet that he/she will tell you that retaking the GMAT is not a good idea at this point.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Thanks Rich! I did receive advice from my mentor that a 750 score would give me greater chance for full scholarships. Actually, I'm not sure about retaking the test. I think I'll study for one more month then take the CATs. If the results are around 750, I will retake.

Which third of the OG questions had you done? To what extent did you use the GMATPrep software?

Thanks Kevin! I've finished the first third of each section PS, DS, CR, SC and about 3 or 4 passages of RC. Regarding the GMATPrep software, I've done the 2 CATs under real-test conditions. The scores are 710 and 700. After seeing the CATs' results I knew that a 750 was impossible but I couldn't cancel or reschedule so decided to take it anyway.

[lunarpower]

Hi,

Last week I took the test the second time and got a 700 (Q50, V34). The first time was last year and I also got a 700 (Q47, V39). I didn't spend much time preparing for the test (about ten days or less). I think I didn't use good materials either (just finished about one-third of the OG questions).

So this time I decide to invest more time (30 days, 6-8 hours/day) and effort to gain a 750+. It isn't just a high score but a challenge I really want to overcome (and studying for GMAT is quite intriguing I think). But I don't really know what strategy I should follow. Is it alright to use different materials? I'm thinking about using the MGMAT guide besides the OG.

Could anyone give me some advice on a suitable study plan and materials please?

First...

* Make sure you have a good reason to take the test again.
For most applicants, re-taking the test after scoring 700 would be a foolish decision (and would reflect negatively on the candidate's ability to set priorities, even if the retake yielded a higher score).
On the other hand, you mentioned scholarship money to a master's program, which makes this a slightly different game.
If you were a mainstream MBA candidate, the unequivocal advice would be "don't take it again". In your situation, though, things might be different.

If you decide to take it again ...

* Don't use anything except official problems.

* If you're already getting a 700, you don't really need guides/manuals/subject-area books. You should just be able to use the official problems (OG and GMAT PREP archives).

* In sentence correction, look over the correct answers. Make sure you know how to use every construction in those answers, regardless of whether it's in the underlined part.
For each construction, try to make your own sentence using that construction.

* For critical reasoning, make sure you can give specific reasons why the right answers are right and the wrong answers are wrong. (Don't try to generalize; just think in terms of the specifics of each situation.)

* In math, find as many ways to solve each problem as possible. In additional to "traditional" methods, can you backsolve? plug in your own numbers? estimate? use common sense (if it's a word problem)? test cases on DS? etc.

* Don't burn yourself out. If you spend six to eight hours a day (!!), then you'll probably score lower by the time you actually take the test, especially in verbal.
Plan to study 3, 4, or 5 days a week, for between 2 and 4 hours.
If you spend more than 2.5 hours in a day, take a break in the middle.
If you are mentally fatigued or "checked out", then don't study, even if you were planning to. Get some extra sleep instead.

Good luck.

[AliceP]

Thanks Ron.

* For critical reasoning, make sure you can give specific reasons why the right answers are right and the wrong answers are wrong. (Don't try to generalize; just think in terms of the specifics of each situation.)

I think CR is my weakest section. If I spend about 2.5-3.5 minutes for each problem, I hardly get the wrong answer choices. But if I try to find the answer in the time limit (of 2 min), it's usually wrong.

* Don't burn yourself out. If you spend six to eight hours a day (!!), then you'll probably score lower by the time you actually take the test, especially in verbal.
Plan to study 3, 4, or 5 days a week, for between 2 and 4 hours.
If you spend more than 2.5 hours in a day, take a break in the middle.
If you are mentally fatigued or "checked out", then don't study, even if you were planning to. Get some extra sleep instead.

Good luck.

I still have 7 to 8 hours for sleeping every night. Since I stay at home all day, I think 6-8 hours for GMAT is not really a problem, isn't it? I also take a break every 2 hours.

In addition, I'm afraid I couldn't improve much with just 2-3 hours/day because I only have about 20 days left for a retake.

I intend to take the CAT of MGMAT soon to figure out my current strengths and weaknesses. Do you think it is necessary?

[lunarpower]

If you spend 6+ hours a day studying, you will almost certainly get worse at CR, which you've cited as already your worst area.

CR depends fundamentally on normal real-world common sense. It's impossible to master CR by memorizing rules or by putting in endless hours of studying. (If you could make rules that would solve CR problems, then you'd have invented artificial intelligence all by yourself, and you would have billions and billions of dollars.)

For instance:

* On #94 in the 13th edition OG, you have to know (a) that tall buildings are primarily built in big cities, and (b) that land in big cities is expensive. How do you know these things? Because you're a normal human being who lives in the real world.
A computer wouldn't know these things.
If someone memorized 1,000,000 "rules" for CR, (s)he wouldn't know these things.

* On #111 in the 13th edition (#109 in the 12th edition), you have to know that people will be less likely to do bad things if they know there's a possibility that they'll be caught. How do you know that? Because you're a normal human being who lives in the real world.
A computer wouldn't know that.
If someone memorized 1,000,000 "rules" for CR, (s)he wouldn't know that.

Etc.

If you study for too many hours, then your real-world thinking will become more and more occluded by "rules" that don't really work. Not good.

[lunarpower]

Basically, CR is designed to be something that you can walk in and do, pretty much right from the start.

You should practice it a certain amount, so that you're familiar with what types of thinking are required and what types aren't. (E.g., the above comments about real-world thinking. Also, after a little practice, you'll quickly realize that "formal logic" isn't tested at all on the GMAT. And so on.) But only a certain amount.

Once you are generally familiar with the kinds of tasks you'll be asked to perform -- and once you understand the proper mentality for solving the problems -- there's very little benefit in continuing to study.
There's no knowledge to accumulate, and no rules that can be memorized; you have to think through the problems. So, as soon as you know how you should generally think about the problems... you're basically done studying.

[AliceP]

Many thanks Ron! Maybe that was the reason why I didn't beat the last exam. I felt tired on the test date and skipped many CR problems because I couldn't think thoroughly and didn't have enough time. Timing is also a weakness I have to improve.

By the way, do you think it is necessary to take CATs regularly from now to the test date or just practice OG problems?

[lunarpower]

Many thanks Ron! Maybe that was the reason why I didn't beat the last exam. I felt tired on the test date and skipped many CR problems because I couldn't think thoroughly and didn't have enough time. Timing is also a weakness I have to improve.

Sounds like that's the issue.

Let your brain get some rest. From the descriptions you've given here, it seems that you don't really need to study much at all between now and your test date.

By the way, do you think it is necessary to take CATs regularly from now to the test date or just practice OG problems?

If you do full practice tests, the main reason should be to practice your timing. At this point, full-length tests won't be valuable for much else.

You did mention that timing is an issue, so you should run through a couple of practice tests to solidify better timing habits. You don't even necessarily have to review the problems -- just run through the tests as pure timing practice.

Most importantly, do nothing at all, whatsoever, for the last 2 days before your exam.

[AliceP]

Thanks again Ron!

I'll follow your advice and let you know the result as soon as possible.