Looking for advice for a Third Time Test Taker

[Thorayah]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for some hard core advice and essentially the "ugly truth." I have taken the GMAT twice and have used all my resources to prepare for the exam. My first GMAT score was a 570, which I cancelled immediately after the exam. The reason for this was because earlier on in the exam I had requested that my score be sent directly to a list of top schools and I did not want them seeing my low score. Immediately after completion of the exam, I sought help from a Princeton review representative in Kuwait to provide me with private tutoring to prepare for my second attempt at the exam. I will admit the sessions felt rushed and the timing was only a month of preparation or less before my second exam. I should also add that I work full time and did not have sufficient time to prepare for the exam as I would have hoped. The second time around I completely tanked and received a score of 510. I also cancelled the second score. I realize in hind sight that I have really bad test anxiety. I dread taking any practice exams let alone taking the real exam for fear of failure.
In my practice exams the highest I scored was a 590. I do relatively well on practice questions that do not have time constraints so I am considering that I need to practice more on time management as in the second exam I ran out of time in both sections and panicked due to the lapse in time.

I want to apply to elite programs that require a 600 and above. I do not want to give up or lose sight of my dream of attending a top business program. I would like to know if there are any suggestions on what to study or how to study the third time around. I know I can improve with the right guidance, which I feel I haven't received as of yet. I'd be grateful to anyone who could offer advice or suggestions on studying the third time around for the GMAT.

I am not a quitter and am looking to succeed!

Thank you in advance,
Thoraya

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Sorry to hear about your test experiences. Don't lose sight of your dreams; you can do this.

I suggest a systematic approach, in which you take the time to master each topic/concept (e.g., percents, ratios, assumption questions in critical reasoning, comparison questions in sentence correction, etc).

So, for each topic/concept, you should:
1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)
2) Learn GMAT-specific strategies related to that topic
3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.
4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it

Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

To help you focus on one topic at a time, you can use BTG's tagging feature. For example, here are all of the questions tagged as statistics questions: https://www.beatthegmat.com/forums/tags/ ... statistics
See the left side of that linked page for more tag options.

While completing questions from the Official Guide (OG), you should you use an Error Log (aka Improvement Chart). You can find a free downloadable Improvement Chart at the top of this page: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-error-log
This will help you identify and strengthen your weak areas.

You should also spend a lot of time reviewing the responses from the Experts on this site. They model the steps one should take when tackling problems.

In addition to learning the core concepts and GMAT-specific strategies, be sure to work on your endurance and test-taking skills (e.g., time management) by taking several practice tests. If you're interested, we have a free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

In addition, you might consider signing up for Beat The GMAT's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide).
Each day, you'll receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Finally, regarding test anxiety, we have a free video on the topic on overcoming test anxiety: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... video/1252

As part of managing anxiety, it's crucial that you adopt the proper mindset/attitude on test day. To this end, you may be interested in reading the following articles:
- https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/min ... -destroyer
- https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/jun ... g-big-gmat

Cheers,
Brent

[[email protected]]

Hi Thorayah,

You've hinted at a number of things in your post, but it would help if you provided more details about how you've studied and your overall goals.

1) What materials have you used during your studies?
2) Do you remember your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores from each of your Official GMATs?

3) What Schools do you plan to apply to (what Schools did you send your scores to?)?
4) Do you have a specific score goal?
5) When do you plan to apply to Business School?

Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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

[Thorayah]

Thank you Brent and Rich. I really appreciate the responses.

I wanted to ask you Brent if you suggest I focus on my areas of weakness when studying the concepts again. I found it hard to balance between focusing on improving my weak areas and practicing on my strengths. I'd really appreciate any advice you may have. Thank you for the attached links I will definitely visit them to get an idea of how to go about studying and succeeding on my third try.

Hi Rich,
Thank you for your response. Id like to respond to the questions asked:

1) during my first attempt I used Manhattan GMAT books to focus on various concepts in both the Quantitative and Verbal sections. I felt that the Manhattan prep books were great for understanding the concept but didn't really highlight strategies and tips for taking the exam and managing time and the concepts were a bit overwhelming at times as there was just too much information to distinguish between what is necessary and what is background info. So I decided to subscribe to Magoosh GMAT prep site. I found the videos and content helpful but again did not feel they highlighted essential test taking tips or strategies for managing time. I also used the OG for practice problems. In addition to that, I used the GMAT application that is downloaded from MBA.com and took two full length practice exams. In my second attempt at the GMAT, I hired a private tutor that used Princeton Review techniques and books. I am subscribed to their website and was able to take six practice exams and online practice questions that mimic the screen of the exam. I found the strategies really helpful but the content was not as thorough as Maggosh or Manhattan.

2) unfortunately I don't remember my quant and verbal scores exactly. I believe in my first exam I received 37 in quant but a low 30 in verbal. In my second attempt i received mid twenties in both quant and verbal. It was extremely disappointing that I had gone backwards instead of forward. It's been a frustrating experience especially since I've invested so much time, effort and money.

3) my previous list was: NYU, UNiversity of Chicago, I.E. And IESE. But I've had to rethink the list considering my scores.

4) my score goal is 650. My dream score would be 670. I am not sure if it's possible given my scores.

5) I am planning to apply for Fall 2017.

I look forward to hearing what you think from my responses.

I would like to thank you both again. I truly appreciate the advice and responses.

Best regards,
Thoraya

[MartyMurray]

I want to ask you Brent if you suggest I focus on my areas of weakness when studying the concepts again. I found it hard to balance between focusing on improving my weak areas and practicing on my strengths.

Hi Thorayah.

From what you said it sounds as if the real issue is the amount of time you have spent on this project. Rightly or wrongly, scoring high on the GMAT can take a fair amount of time spent preparing, and a month or two of "rushed" preparation is often not the path to hitting a score goal.

In other words, if you want to go to one of those schools on your list, you DEFINITELY can score high enough on the GMAT to get accepted, but if your time constraints are such that you have to choose between working on your weaker areas and working on your stronger areas, your hitting your score goal may not happen. There is no mystery here. In order to achieve a top 10% - 20% GMAT score you need to work on all areas, weaker AND stronger.

I felt that the Manhattan prep books were great for understanding the concept but didn't really highlight strategies and tips for taking the exam and managing time and the concepts were a bit overwhelming at times as there was just too much information to distinguish between what is necessary and what is background info.

That sounds like a great assessment. You should readily increase your score on the GMAT as scoring high on the GMAT is all about assessing what's going on in the questions and answer choices.

unfortunately I don't remember my quant and verbal scores exactly. I believe in my first exam I received 37 in quant but a low 30 in verbal. In my second attempt i received mid twenties in both quant and verbal. It was extremely disappointing that I had gone backwards instead of forward. It's been a frustrating experience especially since I've invested so much time, effort and money.

I say strike the word frustrating from your vocabulary. With every step that you take you are making progress. Many people's scores decrease at first after they start preparing. I am sure that you learned a lot from the books and from the tutor. Now likely you need to learn how to better apply what you learned, in addition to maybe learning a few more conceptual types of things.

My previous list was: NYU, UNiversity of Chicago, I.E. And IESE. But I've had to rethink the list considering my scores.

If the rest of your application will be strong enough to get you into one of those schools, it is way too early, WAY TOO EARLY, to be changing that list because of your performance so far on the GMAT.

My score goal is 650. My dream score would be 670. I am not sure if it's possible given my scores.

C'mon. You already hit 570 once. 670 is just 100 points away.

From what you wrote here, you are within striking distance of 40+ in quant, and one can see that you won't need English lessons in order to score much higher on verbal.

100 points is roughly equivalent to 10 more right answers. In other words, if you get better in five quant areas and improve your accuracy some, you could get five more quant questions right. OK. Now you get two more SC, two more CR and two more RC right than you did on that 570 test and you have blown away your score goal.

The only things between you and a 670+ score are confidence, some serious work preparing and effective approaches to preparing for and taking the test.

Enjoy the game and make it happen!!!

[Thorayah]

Hello Marty!

Thank you so much for your response! I truly appreciate it and I feel that the responses made here are motivational.

100 points is roughly equivalent to 10 more right answers. In other words, if you get better in five quant areas and improve your accuracy some, you could get five more quant questions right. OK. Now you get two more SC, two more CR and two more RC right than you did on that 570 test and you have blown away your score goal.

I especially want to thank you for the above. A 100 points improvement can sound daunting but the way you have broken it down makes it seem within reach. And most importantly it answers the question of how I can ultimately improve my score and succeed. It really puts things into perspective. I agree that the GMAT requires a greater investment in time than perhaps I was devoting to it. You are spot on when you say I need the confidence, serious preparation and effective approaches to taking the exam.

I'd like to ask if you could recommend your top pick of materials for improving my score.

Look forward to hearing from you,
Thoraya

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

I wanted to ask you Brent if you suggest I focus on my areas of weakness when studying the concepts again. I found it hard to balance between focusing on improving my weak areas and practicing on my strengths. I'd really appreciate any advice you may have. Thank you for the attached links I will definitely visit them to get an idea of how to go about studying and succeeding on my third try.

Hi Thorayah,

I suggest that you work on your areas of weakness first in order to bring all of your skills to roughly the same level.
For example, if you have 600-level Geometry skills and 400-level Statistics skills, it makes more sense to improve your Statistics skills first.

Cheers,
Brent

[[email protected]]

Hi Thorayah,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their peak scores. From what you've described, it's likely that you just have not put in the necessary time and effort yet to score at a higher level. In addition, while you've used a variety of different resources, it doesn't sound like you truly 'committed' to any of them (which is not surprising since you studied in small 'bursts').

A 650 is closer to a 570 than you probably realize, but you're going to have to make some adjustments to how you 'see' (and respond to) the GMAT. The Schools that you named are all highly competitive, so scoring at a high level will likely be essential to your applications. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

1) How much time do you have available to study over the next 3 months?
2) What was your prior study routine? Did you study most days or just on the weekends?

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

[MartyMurray]

I'd like to ask if you could recommend your top pick of materials for improving my score.

Hi Thorayah.

From what you said, you have already used and still have access to a variety of materials, and here's the fact of the matter. When one is preparing for the GMAT, ideally one is going beyond learning stuff to developing skills. You can't read a skill in a book. You have to develop it yourself.

Those skills include, among other things, remaining calm under pressure, seeing key details, noticing the logic of what's going on in situations and using available resources to get to solutions. Can a book make you, for instance, see key details? Not really. It can give you some ideas for how to organize what you do, but you need to learn to see the details yourself.

That having been said, maybe the next question that you have to ask yourself is to what degree you understand the basics. If you get the quant and verbal concepts involved in the construction of the questions and used to answer them, then you need to get better at applying those concepts. To the degree that you are not comfortable with the basics, you need to work on them more.

Beyond that, I think that you need to drive this project by keeping the end goal in mind. In other words, you have taken many practice tests. Now, you can go over those tests and see what it is that you have to learn and to do differently in order to hit your score goal, and consider the following.

Every step you take that makes you either more knowledgeable or more skilled increases your expected score.

If you get better at handling triangle questions, your expected score goes up 10 to 20 points. If you get better at noticing key details of RC passages, your expected score may go up 20 points. So a great way to handle this project is by finding ways to drive your expected score up 10 points at a time.

Here's an example of how that can work. A guy came to me wanting to increase his quant score from 44 to 47 in a week. So we went over his practice tests and found that he was getting smoked by exponents questions, I believe it was, and was achieving a low hit rate in a couple of other areas. Also, his accuracy was not great. So he had four or five specific things to change in that one week. He did the work and sure enough on Sunday he got the 47 that he wanted.

There's no mystery here. If you change or get better at five or six things, your score will go up 30 to 50 points.

So how are you going to do that? By deep diving into things topic by topic. For instance, if you too have gotten tricked by Exponent questions, then you would work on them, first by going back the resources you have used, and then by doing more practice questions until you are super fluent in handling Exponents questions.

I realize that you said that you want your speed to increase, but really what you need first is to not do pretty well, but to do rather or even extremely well when you are doing the questions untimed. In other words, get to a point such that you can get a type of question right 85 - 100% of the time untimed. Then seek to speed up, if you even have to speed up at that point. If you are wicked good at handling a question type, then likely you will naturally be doing questions of that type fairly quickly.

Check out this great blog post that discusses phases of preparation. What has your level of understanding typically been? What do you think it needs to be in order for you to hit your score goal?

The Phases of Preparing for the GMAT

Don't be an explanation junkie. Develop skills such that as time goes by to an increasing degree YOU are creating the explanations.

To get better at verbal, you need to work in a similar way. Figure out what you have to get better at and do questions of certain types slowly, developing the eye for details and the analytical skills necessary for achieving a high hit rate in GMAT verbal.

I guess maybe the key theme here is that increasing your GMAT score is a project of self development that you have to manage yourself. You have to determine what you need to get better at in order to hit your goal and you have to find ways to MAKE SURE that you do indeed get better at those things. If you get better at those things, your score will increase, you can be sure.

For more information on how to score above 700 on the GMAT you could check out this post. How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT - A Mini Guide for Success