GMAT Newbie 580GMAT Prep 2 months until the real thing

[yearzack]

Hello All,

I am normally don't post in forums so forgive me if my forum etiquette is a little off at times. I apologize. I have recently decided to take the GMAT. With almost no preparation and a whirlwind of frustration I completed the GMAT Prep Test 1. I received a 580 (Q36, V33, IR7), needless to say not a stellar score to begin with. I plan to take the test in about sixty days time. I have access to Magoosh's GMAT prep website, the Official Guide, as well as some MGMAT prep books that I was able to pick up.

Upon review of some of the test questions I have noticed a couple of things. 1) I definitely need to brush up on basic math. I found myself struggling with simple order of operations and rules of triangles and other things that I need to dust off. In essence making simple mistakes that I know cost me dear points. 2) Data Sufficiency is a definite weakness that I need to further my understanding on. 3) Taking the test while trying to watching the Finals probably not conducive to a good score. 4) The sentence correction needs some work. 5) Room for improvement in all areas, particularly my embarrassing Quant score. It seems as if the general consensus is to study 2-3hrs/day with about 5-6 on the weekend with a day off. Is this generally a good strategy to follow?

A little background on me. I completed my degree in Economics with a 3.6 from a state school in California while on Active Duty. I am looking to score in the 700s (Isn't everyone). In regards to schools that have piqued my interest, I will say that I that I have not done enough research yet to make an intelligent choices.

Any help in regards to a decent study plan and ways to improve besides good old-fashioned hard work, I am all ears (or eyes in this case).

[GMATinsight]

Hello All,

I am normally don't post in forums so forgive me if my forum etiquette is a little off at times. I apologize. I have recently decided to take the GMAT. With almost no preparation and a whirlwind of frustration I completed the GMAT Prep Test 1. I received a 580 (Q36, V33, IR7), needless to say not a stellar score to begin with. I plan to take the test in about sixty days time. I have access to Magoosh's GMAT prep website, the Official Guide, as well as some MGMAT prep books that I was able to pick up.

Upon review of some of the test questions I have noticed a couple of things. 1) I definitely need to brush up on basic math. I found myself struggling with simple order of operations and rules of triangles and other things that I need to dust off. In essence making simple mistakes that I know cost me dear points. 2) Data Sufficiency is a definite weakness that I need to further my understanding on. 3) Taking the test while trying to watching the Finals probably not conducive to a good score. 4) The sentence correction needs some work. 5) Room for improvement in all areas, particularly my embarrassing Quant score. It seems as if the general consensus is to study 2-3hrs/day with about 5-6 on the weekend with a day off. Is this generally a good strategy to follow?

A little background on me. I completed my degree in Economics with a 3.6 from a state school in California while on Active Duty. I am looking to score in the 700s (Isn't everyone). In regards to schools that have piqued my interest, I will say that I that I have not done enough research yet to make an intelligent choices.

Any help in regards to a decent study plan and ways to improve besides good old-fashioned hard work, I am all ears (or eyes in this case).

I would suggest you here that please don't start Quant with MGMAT AGAIN because it might cause you some disappointment or NO help for improvement as the Quant questions that it offers as practice to the students are usually higher difficulty level questions and are not suitable for starter. You can refer to the same set of questions once you are prepared to take GMAT.

If you are targeting any score around 700 score requires a minimum of 48 scaled score in Quant and 36 Scaled score in Verbal (looking at usual trend of 700 scorers) which is pretty much achievable by consistent efforts in right direction.

In your case, Basics of Quant desperately need to be strengthened (as suggested by your Quant score of 36) and I would suggest that you should take help and guidance of some expert (whoever you prefer based on credential, willingness and availability to help you achieve your goal) while preparing without any hesitation because it makes a difference. Please note that score around 700 is not an easy score.

Please feel free to write your GMAT related query.

[[email protected]]

Hi yearzack,

This first CAT score is a really good 'baseline' score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). As you continue to take practice CATs, you should make sure to take the FULL CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) and take it under test-like conditions (away from your home, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, etc.).

For some free math help/practice, I suggest Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.edu) - the site is free and the lessons have more of a 'game-like' feel to them (and less of a dry, academic presentation).

While commitment to the task and hard work are both big parts of the process, you should remember that GMAT questions can typically be solved in more than one way. Thus, beyond knowing the essential academic subjects (math formulas, grammar rules, etc.), you would benefit greatly by learning tactical approaches to questions. In real basic terms, having a flexible way of thinking and the ability to approach prompts using various tactics can improve your chances at hitting your score goals.

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

[jbmonu]

Hey there yearzack,

I'm actually pretty similar to you! Recently decided to take my GMAT, got a 590 on my first CAT (M 36, V 36 - I took it a little hungover on a Sunday afternoon and rushed through it just to get it done...I finished both sections with over 20 minutes left) so I was a little disappointed by my score but now that I have gotten in a good groove studying I realize how crazy I was thinking I would get a 600+ in my baseline test.

I was an economics major at an Ivy league college with a 3.45 GPA while playing on the football team all four years. I'm also hoping to get around a 700 on my exam.

I would suggest signing up for the 60 Day Study Guide from the website and getting the Manhattan Prep complete GMAT strategy guide (10 books - and maybe the two extra baseline books if you feel you really need them). The 60 Day Study Guide helps you make a plan using these books and the official guide and it gives you a number of practice problems on the OG to do everyday. I've been doing this for a couple of days now and it's been incredibly helpful! A lot of the questions are rather easy (though there are some hard ones mixed in), but I figure I want to get those right 100% of the time. I also have the official verbal and quant books which I will look over toward the end of my prep (I hear they have harder questions).

The Manhattan Prep books suggest you review your answers one problem at a time so you can see if you did them correctly and better understand where you made a mistake on the problems you missed. I definitely suggest doing it this way and making sure you understand your mistakes - this is one of the better ways to learn. I also write down each problem I missed, along with what I did wrong, as I plan on looking at them again in a couple of weeks and making sure I understand how to do them (look up posts on creating your own error log).

Lastly I am also signed up for a class so if you have the funds and think you need the extra discipline I would suggest doing that as well. I signed up for the class before I discovered this website and bought the Manhattan Prep books, so I'm not sure if I necessarily need the class but I figure I will take all the help I can get.

I hope this helps and wishing the both of us the best of luck! I plan on taking it in early August.

[yearzack]

Thank you everyone for the support. I would agree that I definitely need to brush up on the fundamentals particularly in Quant. I have decided that I will spending most of my time in the earlier stages of my preparation on learning the correct approach to the questions. I understand that I will need to build up an endurance for the actual test, however I think at this stage it is imperative that I understand the questions, formulas, approaches, etc. before I start working on my endurance for the test. I have scheduled my test for August 19th, which gives me just over 50 more days until the actual test. Once again thank you for the support.

[stephanieh]

This question is for Rich. You mentioned using Khan Academy to review basic math. Which lessons there do you think are relevant for the GMAT? Thanks!

[[email protected]]

Hi stephanieh,

The Khan Academy site is rather vast, but there are some specific sections of "math" content that can help you to hone your the math skills that you'll need for the Quant section of the GMAT. I would suggest that you focus on the basic Algebra, Arithmetic and Geometry to start. Much of this math should remind you of work that you probably did when you were 14 or 15, so it's okay if you feel a little 'rusty' with it.

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