GMAT Retake: Help Needed!

[missiongmat15]

I gave GMAT for the first time in Dec, 2010 and scored 530(24v 37q 3aw). I will be taking GMAT for the 2nd time somewhere around Sep 2015. But i have no clue where to start from now. I am very poor at quants. Can you please guide me through.

[[email protected]]

Hi missiongmat15,

Many Test Takers take the GMAT more than once, so you're not alone.

Since you took the GMAT back in 2010, the Test has gone through some changes (the second essay has been replaced by a section called Integrated Reasoning - which is based primarily on interpreting data from charts, graphs, emails, etc.). Many of the concepts that you faced on your Original GMAT will show up again though, so you'll be familiar with some of the material.

With a September Test Date, you have plenty of time to study, but I'd like to know a bit more about your goals and plans so that I can offer you some pointed advice:

1) What is your score goal?
2) When are you planning to apply to school?
3) How much time do you think you would be able to study each week?

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

[missiongmat15]

Hey Rich!
1. My score goal is 720.
2. I am planning to apply from January.
3. I will be able to study 14 hrs a week.

[manyaabroadtpr]

Hey Rich!
1. My score goal is 720.
2. I am planning to apply from January.
3. I will be able to study 14 hrs a week.

Hi,

14 hours per week is a good time commitment to start with. As you approach the test date, make sure you keep on gradually increasing the number of hours per day.

Now, as mentioned above, the GMAT has indeed undergone some changes in the last few years. We would advice you to walk into the nearest GMAT preparation institute and appear for a mock test. This will get you familiar with the new format and also help you identify your strong and weak areas. Based on this, you can restart your preparation for GMAT wherein you can go back to basics for your weaker areas and strengthen the strong areas by giving more and more practice tests.

To be able to get 720, you need to stay consistent with your preparation and figure out ways by which you are improving daily. Also, if you are planning to apply to top business schools, make sure you also simultaneously work on your profile as this will help you stand out from rest of the students.

Let us know if you would have any specific queries and we would be happy to advice.

Wish you the best for your GMAT preparation.

www.manayagroup.com

[[email protected]]

Hi missiongmat15,

You've given yourself plenty of time to study for the GMAT, which is a smart choice. Since you're not planning to take the Test until September, you can focus on the Exam and work on your applications later.

Most Test Takers spend the better part of 3 months (or more) on their studies. It might be that you'll be ready to take the GMAT in the Spring of 2015, but we can see how your studies progress and adjust the timeline accordingly. Using your prior GMAT score as a "baseline score", you're going to have to make some big adjustments to how you handle the Quant AND Verbal sections to hit your goal.

Assuming you plan to start studying soon, it would make sense for you to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT so that we can get a sense of your current strengths and weaknesses. You can download 2 practice CATs for free from www.mba.com. It takes about 4 hours to complete a FULL CAT, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to do so. Once you've taken that CAT, you should report back here with your scores. We can then talk about your study options.

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

[JTuquero]

Hi missionGMAT15

I saw that you mentioned that quant is a weakness. It could be a good time to review the basics. Get a book that reviews the foundations of GMAT math. You'll find that the basics are the foundation to all other Quant problems. Also, this could help build your confidence level so that you're not as intimidated by the math section.

Hope this helps.

Jessica

[MartyMurray]

I gave GMAT for the first time in Dec, 2010 and scored 530(24v 37q 3aw). I will be taking GMAT for the 2nd time somewhere around Sep 2015. But i have no clue where to start from now. I am very poor at quants. Can you please guide me through.

Getting better at quant involves multiple things. Here are some of them.

You need to understand the basic concepts. While the test is not really a test of concepts, it is a test of applying concepts. So to answer the questions you need those tools, those building blocks, those concepts.

You need to do practice questions and learn how to use the concepts to get to answers.

You need to learn how to be efficient in getting to answers because you don't have much time per question.

You need to learn to get questions right. This is key. A GMAT score is basically based on the number of questions one gets right. So not only do you need to understand what is going on and how to get answers, you need to be good at noticing details, answering the question asked and making sure you do the work in a way that gets you to correct answers.

As far as verbal goes, it is similar to quant in that much of what it is about it effectively applying concepts to get to correct answers. So while the verbal section does require some grammar and language skills, it is not as much a test of grammar and language as it is a test of skills in areas such as application of logic and recognition of effective structure.

So in order to prepare for this test effectively, make sure you are learning not just about all kinds of stuff, but also, or even more so, about how to apply that stuff.

I agree that a good next step would be to take a GMAT Prep or PowerPrep practice CAT and thus see where you are with all this and refamiliarize yourself with what the test is tesing.

Alternatively, you could start reviewing concepts so that you are not taking the practice CAT totally unprepared, and then in a few weeks or a month, once you have at least gotten some sense of things, take a CAT at that point.