Starting with GMAT prep

[vishnupv]

Hi Everyone,

I have finally decided to go for GMAT and took my first practice test yesterday without any preparation. I just wanted to check where do I stand how much should I prepare for a score 720+

Here's my score:
Total score: 660
Quant: 50
Verbal: 31
IR: 7

I guess my score is down due to poor performance in Verbal. Can someone help me with a good plan for the prep? I haven't selected the exam date yet. I can study for 2 hrs during weekdays and 5 hrs in weekends. As of now I'm thinking of a 3 month plan with focus on Verbal only for the first month.

Let me know your suggestions!
Thanks in advance

[[email protected]]

Hi vishnupv,

For an initial Diagnostic CAT, a 660 is a really strong score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). If you can maintain this level of Quant ability, then you can focus solely on the Verbal; you probably will not need 3 months of study time to improve your skills in that section of the Test, so you could conceivably take the Official GMAT sooner than you might have initially planned.

I have a few questions about this CAT:
1) What "brand" of CAT was it?
2) Did you take the FULL CAT (including the AWA)?

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

[vishnupv]

Hi Rich,

Thanks for reaching out!

To your questions:

1) I used the free test from the official GPREP tool
2) I skipped the AWA as I was too eager to start Although, now I regret that decision.

I'm thinking of using the MGMAT guides for prep as I love to do the preparations offline. Will I be able to access the 6 free tests with the books even if I purchase from e-retailers like Amazon?

Thanks again for helping out.
Vishnu

[[email protected]]

Hi vishnupv,

From here on, you're going to want to make your practice as realistic as possible, so you have to put the necessary details into how you take your CATs (including - taking the FULL CAT with the Essay and IR sections, taking it at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, taking it away from your own, etc.).

If you have questions about a particular product, then you might want to contact that company directly and ask (although the product description at Amazon will likely include the necessary information to answer your question).

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

[vishnupv]

Thanks again Rich.

How many practice CATs do people normally take? I am planning to buy the official pack 1&2. That'll be 10 CATs along with the MGMAT CATs. Do you think that's sufficient?

Best,
Vishnu

[[email protected]]

Hi Vishnu,

Most Test Takers use at least 4-5 CATs over the course of their studies, but some end up using far more. The truth is that taking a CAT will NOT make you a better Test Taker, but when used correctly, a CAT can provide you with a reasonably accurate score and give you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses (so that you can continue to study and improve). 10 CATs will likely be plenty for your purposes (and you should plan to take 1 FULL CAT every 1-2 weeks).

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

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

The GMAT is a test of your math and verbal skills AND it's a test of your test-taking skills (endurance, time management, anxiety control, etc). In my opinion, 700-level math/verbal skills combined with 500-level test-taking skills will likely result in a score that's closer to 500 than to 700. So, taking practice tests will help you build your test-taking skills AND identify any remaining area(s) of weakness that you can work on.

As far as test-taking skills go, we have free GMAT time management video here https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... video/1244

We also have a free video on combating test anxiety: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1252

Cheers,
Brent

[vishnupv]

Thank you both

[MartyMurray]

Here's my score:
Total score: 660
Quant: 52
Verbal: 31

Is that quant score correct? As far as I know/knew there is not actually any way to score above 51, and the numbers from 52 to 60 don't get used.

[vishnupv]

I stand corrected. Updated