60-Day GMAT: 750+ Goal

[vm733]

Hi,

I am going to take the test on January 17, 2015 and my target score is 750 or above. I signed up for the 60-day GMAT study guide to be on track to achieve my goal. In the coming weeks, I hope to write in with my progress and post questions that caught me blind-sighted. I took the GMAC diagnostic test and below is my result:

* Quantitative - 18/24
* Data Sufficiency - 18/24
* Reading Comprehension - 16/17
* Critical Reasoning - 10/16
* Sentence Correction - 12/18

What strategy should I employ for SC? Is it important that I know the grammar rules or should I read more to familiarise myself with correct sentence structure, etc.? Also, what options do I have for practice exams if I don't have uninterrupted internet connection? Kindly let me know.

Best regards,
Vivek

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Hi Vivek,

Those are pretty good results for the diagnostic test (killer test!)

What strategy should I employ for SC? Is it important that I know the grammar rules or should I read more to familiarise myself with correct sentence structure, etc.?

You need to learn the grammar rules.
The rules you need are covered in either of the resources (GMAT Prep Now or MGMAT) used in the Study Guide.

Also, what options do I have for practice exams if I don't have uninterrupted internet connection?

I don't believe that any of the test prep companies offer practice tests that can be taken offline (i.e., without an internet connection).
However, you can order official paper and pencil tests from GMAC: https://www.mba.com/global/store/store-c ... tests.aspx


Cheers,
Brent

[vm733]

Hi Brent,

Thanks for the reply! Today my internet worked flawlessly so I took the GMATPrep Exam 1. But I did poorly. This is the first time I timed myself and I could feel the difference. The clock put more pressure on me and that affected my work. I couldn't fully complete any of the sections. Below is my score:

Section Scaled Score Percentile
IR 5 52
Quantitative 38 46
Verbal 26 41
Total 540 44

Section - question attempted(out of)/got wrong
IR - 8(12)/2
Quantitative - 29(37)/11
Verbal - 36(41)/10

From the attempted questions, in Verbal, 4 of my last 6 questions were wrong, and, in Quant, 3 of my last 5 questions were wrong. This was when I was racing against the clock in the last 5 mins.

Brent, I am very disappointed in myself because I know I can do much better.I took more than 2 minutes to solve PS or DS. In the verbal section, I was within the time constraint for RC and SC. However, I took almost double the time I should take to solve CR questions. How can I improve my time management skills?

Best regards,
Vivek

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Hi Vivek,

A 540 is a VERY solid baseline score. It's in the 42nd percentile, which means that, AFTER FULLY PREPARING for the test, 42% of test takers received a score that's less than 540.
Things will only improve from here.

Regarding time management: I suggest that you use the following Milestone Charts to keep you on track:

We (at GMAT Prep Now) feel that these times are easily remembered so you can quickly jot them on your noteboard on test day.

This (and more) is covered in our free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

Also, early in one's studies, it's a good idea to use a stopwatch to help get an idea of what 2 minutes feels like. This tip and others can be found in my BTG articles on "making friends with time on the GMAT"
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/06/ ... mat-part-i
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/07/ ... at-part-ii

CR questions are a killer time-wise. If, after studying for a couple of months, you find that they still eat up far too much time, you might consider guessing on a couple of them, just to get back on track. More specifically, you might consider guessing on a few that have VERY LONG passages AND very long answer choices. A couple of well-placed guesses can free up a lot of time for you.

Remember that you can answer some questions incorrectly and still score an 800.

Cheers,
Brent

[vm733]

Hi Brent,

Unfortunately, I will have to cancel my GMAT appointment because of unforeseen circumstances. I understand that I will forfeit my $250 dollars if I cancel the appointment. That's ok. My question is - Will the schools I apply to be able to see that I cancelled an exam appointment? Will cancelling the appointment have any negative consequences when I apply to business schools?

Kindly let me know. Thank you.

Best regards,
Vivek

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Hi Vivek,

Sorry, but my company focuses exclusively on preparing students for the GMAT.
So, I don't know much about the Business School application process.

I suggest you post your question in this forum: https://www.beatthegmat.com/the-applicat ... s-f44.html

Cheers,
Brent

[uhappyy]

CR questions are a killer time-wise. If, after studying for a couple of months, you find that they still eat up far too much time, you might consider guessing on a couple of them, just to get back on track. More specifically, you might consider guessing on a few that have VERY LONG passages AND very long answer choices. A couple of well-placed guesses can free up a lot of time for you. ???