Please Help!!! - Stuck at 560

[JaneDobbs]

I'm feeling extremely stuck and disheartened. Here's my story..
I started my main prep end of Jan 2015.. I used the following resources -
- OG guide (2015 ed) Completed
- All MGMAT guides Completed
- GMAT Forums & OG guide explanation videos

Mock Test results:
Princeton 33 32 550 Jan 2015 (pre-study)
Veritas 40 37 630 Feb 2015 (Completed Quant only)
Kaplan GMAT 40 25 550 Mar 2015 (Completed Quant only)
Manhattan GMAT 39 34 600 Apr 2015 (Completed Quant & Verbal)
Manhattan GMAT 39 29 560 Apr 2015 (2 weeks after revisiting weak quant. concepts (ran out of time so guessed last 8 questions in verbal)

It looks like there has been no improvement in my abilities, I had initially planned to take the GMAT in Apr. 2015 but I rescheduled it to June. I really can't afford to take it any later, due to b-school deadlines (I plan to apply in Round 1 and I need time to write good essays)..

My target score is ideally 700 (but at this rate I would be perfectly fine with a 690)

What do I need to do? I have roughly 38 days until my test.. Any suggestions? I would really appreciate any thoughts on this.. I'm seriously considering taking a course or something, but I don't want to waste money if it wont help...

Thanks

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Hi Jane,

It's important to point out that the GMAT is a test of your math and verbal skills AND it's a test of your test-taking skills. It sounds like you've been working on your math and verbal skills a lot more than your test-taking skills.

By test-taking skills, I mean time management, anxiety reduction (many people suffer from test anxiety), and endurance.

It looks like time management and endurance may be harming your score.
8 questions remaining in Verbal is a killer, as evidenced by your worst Verbal score to date (if we ignore the tests where you completed the Math section only). This suggests possible time management issues.

The other (possibly bigger) issue is endurance. It looks like you have never completed an ENTIRE practice test . The GMAT is a mental marathon, and you can't master it if you don't build your endurance. When taking practice tests, complete EVERY SECTION (AWA and IR too).

I suggest that you focus a good portions of your prep on your test-taking skills and see whether that helps your score.

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

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

Cheers,
Brent

[[email protected]]

Hi JaneDobbs,

From what you've described, you've taken a 'book heavy' study approach; when Test Takers study in this way, they often get 'stuck' at a particular scoring love, so you're not alone.

From an academic standpoint, increasing your scores 100-150 points in a little over a month will be difficult. It's not impossible, but you've been studying a certain way for awhile now and you've likely developed some 'bad habits' that will take time to get you out of. As such, if the goal is to score 700+, then you're probably going to need MORE time than you've given yourself, so rescheduling your Test again might be required. While you probably don't *want* to do that, the reality is that you could still make the Round 1 deadlines (or shift your applications back to the Round 2 deadlines). Getting accepted into a Business School that interests you IS the REAL goal and having the proper GMAT score is a necessary part of that process.

However you choose to proceed, the next step in all of this will likely involve investing in some new GMAT study materials. There are plenty to choose from, but you'll want to focus on more computer-based options and a GMAT Course of some kind (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-Led) will likely be the most beneficial to you. If you're interested, we have a variety of free practice materials at our site (www.empowergmat.com) that you can work with.

The good news is that the GMAT is a predictable, standardized Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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

[ceilidh.erickson]

I'm detecting a potential flaw in your approach: you've listed the books as "completed," as if just having been through them was enough. You haven't mentioned anything about TRACKING your work, or focusing on mistakes.

As Brent mentioned, your biggest hurdle is timing - you're never going to see the score improvement you want without fixing your timing. Pinpoint where on the verbal you ran into the most trouble - was it too much time spent reading the RC passages? Too much time on CR? Then work on picking up speed in those areas.

I disagree in part with Rich - it's not a question of getting new materials. Most students make the mistake of focusing on quantity of questions covered, rather than on the quality of thoughtfulness with which they study. You say you've "covered" OG13, but have you truly and deeply understood each problem (not just memorized the answers)? Have you analyzed the patterns in the mistakes that you tend to make, and thought about how to avoid those in the future? If so, you shouldn't need a ton of new materials. Here's an article on how to review and track: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/ ... -studying/

Focus now on reviewing and analyzing what you've already done, not on finding new material.

[JaneDobbs]

Thanks so much for your replies.

@Brent - Thanks, I will look into the issues you mentioned around test taking strategies, my timing for verbal is definitely off.. I'll also start taking full tests as well to build endurance.

@ceilidh.erickson - I actually have an error log which I used while answering OG guide material - I did go through my errors once (for quant) - so I suspect I didn't utilize it fully and that's probably why my scores have not improved. I think I will revisit and focus on them as you suggested - Thanks for the advice and the article was also great, thank you

@Rich - Thanks, I'll also check out the materials you suggested.

[Rich@EconomistGMAT]

Hi JaneDobbs,

I have to agree that the next step should be to go through your previous practice exams and look for patterns. You'll likely find a common thread between either concepts you're not grasping as well as you'd like to be. You'll also get a clearer picture of whether or not you're having timing issues that are holding you back. Now that you know how you'll score by just plugging away at books, it's time to narrow your study plan down to something that's 1) more digestible and 2) far more focused on your weaknesses than before.

If you decide to consider additional resources, here is a link to sign up for a free trial of Economist GMAT Tutor: https://bit.ly/1bPAHuW. The adaptive technology that comes included will hone in on your weaknesses and create a far more focused study plan for you going forward.

Best,
Rich