Approach; Need 6 month plan

[confused13]

Hi,

I took a mock cold the other day and scored a 540 (44%) with IR 7, Q 38 and V 26
Mistakes in Verbal: 5 RC, 5 CR, 7 SC
Math: PS 8, DS 11 with main problems in Geometry and Number Property (if n are even primes,... bla bla)
I am non-native.
I want to take the GMAT in September for a first attempt and in November for a possible second attempt but I would rather prefer to save 250 USD and take that test once, even if that means to study longer.
Goal: 700+ for LSE

I have the OG and the other two books from them. I already have access to an online tutor but haven't been able to study with it so far, and I consider buying the empower program.
However, I don't know how to approach my 700 goal. Since I have so much time, I have no idea how to use my resources.

My major problems are DS questions and Number Properties (I read quite often that the MGMAT book is very good about that)

What do you recommend?

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

I like how you carefully analyzed your practice tests to identify weaknesses. Be sure to continue this throughout your prep.

As far as a game plan goes, you might consider signing up for Beat The GMAT's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide). Over 25,000 people have signed up for it and tons of them have scored over 700.
Each day, you'll receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Cheers,
Brent

[confused13]

Thanks Brent
I had almost forgot that. I try to use every free material before I purchase anything.

Best,
confused

[[email protected]]

Hi confused13,

You've given yourself plenty of time to study, which is good (and having enough time to retake the GMAT if needed is also good planning on your part).

A 540 is a decent practice CAT score considering how early you are in the study process. It's worth noting that the 700+ score represents the 90th percentile, meaning that most Test Takers either can't or won't do what is required to score at that high level.

For now, you can do a mix of Quant and Verbal practice - you've defined some of your "problem areas", so put some time and energy into those categories and let's see how you improve. Many Test Takers find the structure of a GMAT Course to be beneficial, but you don't have to make that decision just yet. Focus on a few categories for the next 2 weeks, then take another full length practice CAT. That next score will give you a sense of how effective your studying is and what adjustments might need to be made.

If you have any questions, you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

[confused13]

Since the last time I worked through
MGMAT RC, Number Properties, Geometry and Critical Reasoning Bible.
I took my first MGMAT CAT at scored a 540!!!!! This basically means there was no improvement.
Quant: 39
Verbal:26
SC: 8 of 14 wrong
RC: 8 of 12
CR: 5/14

I attached the excel output.

I wanted to meet the June deadlines but I think that's now over.

[[email protected]]

Hi confused13,

While it may seem odd that your score hasn't improved yet, it's been less than a month since your first CAT and sometimes improvement takes time. This score, since it's essentially the same as your first CAT score, shows that you're reacting to the Test in the same "way" as before. This could mean that you haven't practiced enough to make your new knowledge/tactics your "go to" tactics; it could also mean that the stress of working under timed conditions is keeping you from staying calm and making strategic decisions.

I'd suggest that you go back and review this CAT, in its entirety (not just the questions that you got wrong). Look for patterns. Figure out WHY you were getting questions wrong (and redo them for practice - you want to get down the "mechanics" of answering the question correctly, so you don't make the same mistakes next time).

You've still got plenty of time to prepare, so don't give up just yet. All this means is that you'll have to work a bit harder to make the necessary changes to improve.

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

[confused13]

Thanks Rich.

I see your point and there is a good chance that you are right: Besides working through books, I did not foster anything I learned.

[[email protected]]

Hi confused13,

Since the GMAT is built on Quant and Verbal patterns, part of your studies should focus on learning to spot patterns in your CATs that match patterns in your homework. This should help you to answer questions faster and with a greater degree of accuracy. You still have to take plenty of notes and eliminate the silly mistakes from what you're doing, but the work itself won't be difficult (and your speed should improve over time as well).

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

[Elizabeth@EconomistGMAT]

Hi confused13,

We here at Economist GMAT Tutor actually just published a Six Month Study Guide. You can check it out here:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/gmat-tutor/Eco ... y+plan.pdf

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Regards,

Elizabeth

[confused13]

UPDATE!
I want to give an update because I had a super experience today:

On May, 23 I signed in for EmpowerGMAT course. After one week I took a CAT and improved from 540 to 580 (as I already wrote somewhere else here on BTG).
Today, 6 days before my first month with EmpowerGMAT is done, I took MGMAT CAT 3 and scored a 700!! So 160 Points within my first month!

*The only book I would recommend to use additionally(!) is the MGMAT Sentence Correction book, but I am non-native, so for others just relying on EmpowerGMAT SC is enough. I want to mention, that the overlap is small. MGMAT provides a lot of content (in all of their books), but almost no strategy (in all of their books). EmpowerGMAT does a good job imo to provide both. I also watched the veritas free sc lesson and a bit of thursdays with ron, but I basically took no notes, so I doubt that these materials had any impact - besides SC is not the major driver.

*Because of this development I am keen to take the test next month. If I score +-20 around 700 I am totally happy. I am convinced that sticking with EmpowerGMAT for full 3 months enables one to score even higher.

* At first, I felt like the Quant section in the Empower course is qualitatively way higher than the verbal. I considered to buy e-GMAT program. But I am a student so money is a reason for a lot of my decision. After today, I think Max does a wonderful job and no other program is necessary. I think the luxury-"problem" of EmpowerGMAT is that the Quant part is so good, that verbal just looks like it is not as good as Quant, but compared to other programs it's still like the grail.

*Subscribe to Rich's answers on this board. Not only are these posts applications of strategies he recommends and therefore useful for empowergmat students, but also are good for ANYONE!

I sincerely recommend EmpowerGMAT to anyone. And even if I fail on test day, after today I know a) I am capable of a better score and b) it would not be because the program didn't prep me sufficiently.

[VivianKerr]

I'm glad you found the Economist GMAT useful! Anything that helps you quickly learn the Quant content is A+ in my book! That said, I worry that you are putting to much faith in the scores these non-official test prep companies are churning out. Remember, they are only weak approximations of the actual GMAT, as opposed to the GMATPrep, which are at bare minimum strong approximations. Also, since Economist and MGMAT are totally different companies, the practice score on one company's CAT will NOT equate to a score on another CAT.

To make things even more confusing, not all CATs from the same practice company are created equal! If you check out this board, you'll see people even closely discussing the difficulty level between a GMATPrep 2 and a GMATPrep 3!

The moral of the story: It isn't the "score" that matters. The true value of a CAT is as a diagnostic tool: it tells you WHAT YOU'RE GETTING WRONG. Your job after each CAT should be to spend 2-3 hours logging incorrect answers into your own personal Error Log noting what types of questions you get wrong by concept, and WHY you get them wrong.

So I don't mean to burst your bubble -- I agree you DEFINITELY seem to be improving and by all mean keep going with EmpowerGMAT, but it could very well be that the EmpowerGMAT 540 CAT simply had slightly harder questions than the 580 CAT.

Make sure you're studying with the OG13 and incorporating the GMATPrep CATs. Have you taken GMATPrep 1 or 2 yet?

If you'd be happy with a 680+, then I would aim to score a 700+ on the GMATPrep's 3 and 4. Take the GMATPrep 1 if you haven't already. It will really give you the most accurate insight into "the distance from there."

Good luck!

[confused13]

Hi Vivian,

I agree with you. I don't take for granted that I will score a 700+ because I scored a 700 once in some prep test.
And I also agree with you about using CATs to actually LEARN something about strategy (less content wise).
I also agree with you to use OG material only. I think MGMAT questions (from the books) are designed so differently, that these Q' do not indicate anything GMAT-like but rather how well have you understood that content. And the content is usually like this: rule1, exception to rule1, exception, exception...

I really appreciate your reply because it sums up my thoughts as well.
Do you have any recommendations how to get the most out of CAT reviews?

[VivianKerr]

My suggestion from the CAT reviews (Error Logs) would be to follow a template such as the one I've attached. MGMAT can be great as a supplement, but OG and GMATPreps are your best friend.

Once you fill in the Error Log, look for commonalities in the types of questions you are getting incorrect, repeated concepts, repeated types of errors. Are your mistakes largely due to (1) Content, (2) Strategy, or (3) Pacing? You can read up on how to classify errors here: https://gmatrockstar.com/online-gmat-tutor/

You might find it helpful at some point to check in with a GMAT instructor and tutor to make sure your strategies are solid.

Good luck!