Studying for a Month Using the 60-Day Study Guide

[fermar84]

Hi, I would like an advice. I have been studying for a month now following the 60 day guide (using the MGMAT material) while doing the OG13 problems. However my approach is to answer the questions without caring the time, obviously avoinding mistakes like performing long math operations. I understand that for the real exam, timing is a very important issue, however I will plan to take on this issue when I have all the material reviewed.
What do you think?

Thanks in advance,
Fernando

[[email protected]]

Hi Fernando,

Planning your studies in this way is fine, as long as you have enough time for each "phase" of the process. When are you planning to take your Official GMAT?

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

[fermar84]

Hi Rich, thanks for your answer. My exam is scheduled on Oct-11. I am on Day 32 of the Study Guide and a couple of days behind of it. I am taking more than 2 minutes for answering the OG13 practice problems.

My weakest sections in Quant are Number properties & Counting while in Verbal is Sentence Correction. I am following MGMAT books, but if you have additional resources for these topics specifically, I would really appreciate them.

Thanks in advance again,
Fernando

[[email protected]]

Hi Fernando,

With the additional information that you've provided, I can offer some additional perspective.

Since you've been studying for just a month, pacing should not be a concern just yet. Pacing should naturally improve with time and repetition though. If you find yourself taking an abnormally large amount of time on any particular questions, then you have to do some analysis to figure out WHY that's happening. Are you staring at the screen and doing nothing? Is there another approach that could be used to answer the question? Are you just not familiar enough with the concepts? Etc. You can attempt to "fix" these individual situations as they occur.

With a Test Date on October 11th, you have 6 weeks of study time remaining. While that seems like a lot of time, many Test Takers need 3 months (or more) to hit their scoring goals. By the time you get to October 11th, you'll have spent about 10 weeks. I only bring this up because if your goal is to score at the 700+ level, you might not have given yourself enough time to succeed. Are you open to the idea of pushing back your Test Date?

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

[fermar84]

Hi Rich, thanks again for your answer. Sure, I am willing to push back my test date, however I would miss the first round deadline (Nov 3rd) for my selected Business School. My goal for the first round is to take advantage of scholarship availability (although universities claim that it does not matter, it does). Do you have some advice?

Thanks in advance,
Fernando

[[email protected]]

Hi Fernando,

Your prior posts didn't offer any information about your goals.

1) What is your goal score?
2) What schools are you planning to apply to?

Since you mentioned an interest in scholarships, do you know what range of GMAT scores you'd need to apply for any particular scholarship? If the first Round deadline is November 3rd, then you have some "wiggle room" to push back your GMAT and still make Round 1; this would likely mean that you'd have to work on your applications while still studying, but it's an option that I think would help you to improve your GMAT score. If needed, you could push back further.

As to your studies so far, what have your scores been on your practice CATs (include the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

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

[fermar84]

Hi Rich, actually took only one CAT and my score was around 540. However, It was a lame try and did not even try all the questions, I guessed a lot. Then I started the 60-day study guide, I am on Day 37, no days behind.

I want your advice on my approach:

1. I already read the concepts and noted very specific topics to reinforce: combinatronics, triangles inscribed within circles and the whole sentence correction. I am working on these.

2. I started to do the Quantitative Review and Verbal Review additional exercises, 5 problems for each type per day (PS, DS, RC, CR and SC). But I do not know it I am overspending my efforts.

3. From now on, I will do a CAT every Saturday before the exam which I plan to take now on October 25 (Saturday), I followed your advice on this matter. This allows me to take 6 CATs before the test Day.

4. My target is 700, as a Colombian I am very interested in the work permit post-MBA so my schools are, in order of preference:
a) Rotman (Toronto)
b) McGill (Montreal)
c) Manchester Business School
d) Sauder School of Business (Vancouver)
I know they are not Top schools but I really love the programs and think they are a good fit for me.

Thanks in advance,
Fernando

[[email protected]]

Hi fermar84,

It sounds like your plan is reasonable, so now we need to get a better sense of how much your studies have helped you to improve. You should plan to take a FULL LENGTH practice CAT sometime in the next week (or so) and report back with your scores. That data will give you an idea of how close you are to your goal and what areas you need to spend some extra time on.

Any specific questions that you have about the 60-day plan should probably be posted in that sub-Forum.

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

[fermar84]

Hi, I am really heartbroken, I just took my first CAT using the GMATPrep software and I got 540 (Q34, V30).

1. For the Quant section, I answered 12 question incorrectly of which I really do not know how to do 4. Actually, as you can see below, I finished before time.

2. For the Verbal section, I basically ran out of time and my greatest weakness is SC, which I am working on.



However, I am really sad, I am aiming at 700 and I plan to take the exam by Oct 25. I think I wont make it...

Thanks in advance,
Fernando

[[email protected]]

Hi Fernando,

Since this is your first realistic CAT, I'm actually not surprised that your score has stayed the same. The act of taking a CAT measures a number of skills that doing practice problems and drills simply can't account for - pacing, endurance, consistency, focus, etc. Now, all those practice problems, etc. are what you need to do to IMPROVE, but you now have additional (non-content) areas to work on.

The score report stated that you finished the Quant section 17 MINUTES early. That is a HUGE amount of time on this exam. Imagine what you could have done with that time IF you had used it correctly. Of all the Quant questions that you got wrong, could you have gotten ANY of them correct if you had spent a bit more time on them? How many? Be honest.

You should plan to do a full question-by-question review of this entire CAT (even the questions that you got correct). You're looking for things that you did right (so you can repeat those same steps again) and silly mistakes that you can fix.

You still have 6 weeks before your Official GMAT, so it's not time to panic. If you're looking for additional resources to help, then I can offer some suggestions.

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

[fermar84]

Hi Rich, thanks for your answer. I already went through the review of every problem in the CAT.

For the Quant section that I finished early, I definitively could do those problems but a pair of them that involved combinatronics.
For the Verbal section I messed up with all the sentence correction, which I know is my biggest weakness.

This week I am planning to focus on SC and pacing in Verbal. Sure, any resources you recommend me will be really appreciated. If my issues continue after next Saturday, when I plan to take the next CAT, I plan to take the e-GMAT online classes.

Let me know your suggestions, and thanks again,
Fernando

[[email protected]]

Hi Fernando,

I've sent you a private message with some personal suggestions.

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