Help! GMAT Math 3, ME 0

[lukelanglinais]

I've taken the GMAT three times. First time, I barely studied 460. Second time, more intense personal study 460. Third time, intensive 12 week course in person at a university PLUS a few math private tutoring sessions, 510. My verbal is above 70% percentile but my math is unbelievably low. The excuse? I was homeschooled and math was not a focus. I lack confidence and basic skills. More importantly I lose my nerve when faced with a math problem and can't focus. I am not an idiot. My bachelors GPA was 3.8 and masters GPA was 3.5. I can make it through math classes, I just can't deal with standardized tests. Please help me figure out how to conquer math...I need at least a 600 to make it into a business PhD program. What should my next step be to increase my math score?

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

To improve your quantitative score, I believe that you should compartmentalize your learning and take the time to master each topic (e.g., percents, ratios, exponents, statistics, etc.). This means that, for each topic, 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 math 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

Finally, 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

Cheers,
Brent

[[email protected]]

Hi lukelanglinais,

There are a variety of different Quant and Verbal Score 'combinations' that will get you to 600+, so you might not need to improve your Quant Score that much to hit your score goal. I'd like to know a bit more about your Official Scores:

1) On what dates did you take each of those 3 GMATs?
2) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on each?

As far as your broader plans are concerned:

1) When are you planning to apply to School (and what is the application deadline?)?
2) How do you know that you need 'at least 600' to get into the PhD Program that you're interested in.

For free general math practice and help, I recommend that you set up an account at Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org). The site is completely free and makes the learning a bit more fun and 'game-like' (as opposed to the dry academic approach taken by most books). While the site is vast, you should limit your studies to basic Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. After spending a little time re-building those skills, you can restart your GMAT studies.

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

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

There are a lot of great websites out there to learn basic mathematical concepts (like Khan Academy), HOWEVER none of them address GMAT-specific concepts and strategies (data sufficiency strategies for one). Also, users are often exposed to concepts that are not tested on the GMAT. For example, if you look at the Basic Geometry module on Khan Academy, you'll find that many of the concepts covered are not tested on the GMAT. Finally, many of Khan's modules assume that you have a calculator available, but you don't get to use a calculator for the quant section of the GMAT.

If possible, I suggest that you stick with resources that a specifically towards the GMAT. Our free video course starts with the most basic concepts and works up to 800-level concepts. I'm sure there are other courses that do the same.

NOTE: Throughout our videos, we often direct students to reinforce learning via very specific Khan Academy videos and quizzes, but the goal is to first present concepts in the context of preparing for the GMAT.

Cheers,
Brent

[lukelanglinais]

Hi lukelanglinais,



1) On what dates did you take each of those 3 GMATs?
2) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on each?

As far as your broader plans are concerned:

1) When are you planning to apply to School (and what is the application deadline?)?
2) How do you know that you need 'at least 600' to get into the PhD Program that you're interested in?

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

Thanks for the advice. My first GMAT of 460 was over 5 years ago so it's no longer on my report. It got me into my local university for their MBA program. The second 460 was Oct 2014. V 31, Q 21. The third time was a 510 in April 2015. V 35, Q 25.

I applied to schools this past Fall with the 510 and have received 4 rejections, waiting to hear from the remaining 6, but it's definitely not looking good. So I will apply again this Fall. In the meantime I want to work on my GMAT and hope to get some research experience to bolster my resume. I suppose my target of 600 is mostly made up, but it seems attainable. Most of the universities I applied to this time said they "don't have a minimum GMAT requirement for PhD program but the average is -----" I never saw an average lower than 600...
Luke

[lukelanglinais]

Hi lukelanglinais,



1) On what dates did you take each of those 3 GMATs?
2) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on each?

As far as your broader plans are concerned:

1) When are you planning to apply to School (and what is the application deadline?)?
2) How do you know that you need 'at least 600' to get into the PhD Program that you're interested in?

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

Thanks for the advice. My first GMAT of 460 was over 5 years ago so it's no longer on my report. It got me into my local university for their MBA program. The second 460 was Oct 2014. V 31, Q 21. The third time was a 510 in April 2015. V 35, Q 25.

I applied to schools this past Fall with the 510 and have received 4 rejections, waiting to hear from the remaining 6, but it's definitely not looking good. So I will apply again this Fall. In the meantime I want to work on my GMAT and hope to get some research experience to bolster my resume. I suppose my target of 600 is mostly made up, but it seems attainable. Most of the universities I applied to this time said they "don't have a minimum GMAT requirement for PhD program but the average is -----" I never saw an average lower than 600...
Luke

[[email protected]]

Hi lukelanglinais,

PhD Programs tend to be really competitive since there are so few 'slots' available for the pool of applicants. As such, you can expect that every aspect of your application will be scrutinized - anything that you can do to strengthen your application should help, but you also have to be careful about any glaring 'weak spots.'

1) If you get accepted to one of the remaining 6 Schools that you're waiting to hear from, will you retake the GMAT or go to that School?
2) When do you expect to hear back from the remaining Schools?
3) If you receive no acceptance letters, then when is the next series of application deadlines?

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

[lukelanglinais]

Hi lukelanglinais,

1) If you get accepted to one of the remaining 6 Schools that you're waiting to hear from, will you retake the GMAT or go to that School?
2) When do you expect to hear back from the remaining Schools?
3) If you receive no acceptance letters, then when is the next series of application deadlines?

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

1) I will definitely go if one if my schools accept me. However, I have heard that almost all of them have sent out their first round of acceptances, and I haven't been notified of making a waiting list or been invited for an interview.
2) I should probably hear back by mid-April. I think the schools wait till their open slots are filled and then send all the rejections at once. From what I hear, the students that receive acceptance letters have until mid-April to accept/decline.
3) The deadlines vary by school but range from mid-November to January.

Luke

[lukelanglinais]

Hi lukelanglinais,

1) If you get accepted to one of the remaining 6 Schools that you're waiting to hear from, will you retake the GMAT or go to that School?
2) When do you expect to hear back from the remaining Schools?
3) If you receive no acceptance letters, then when is the next series of application deadlines?

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

1) I will definitely go if one if my schools accept me. However, I have heard that almost all of them have sent out their first round of acceptances, and I haven't been notified of making a waiting list or been invited for an interview.
2) I should probably hear back by mid-April. I think the schools wait till their open slots are filled and then send all the rejections at once. From what I hear, the students that receive acceptance letters have until mid-April to accept/decline.
3) The deadlines vary by school but range from mid-November to January.

Luke

[[email protected]]

Hi Luke,

From what you've described, you could end up waiting for the better part of another month until you've heard from the remaining 6 Schools. Since the next round of deadlines won't be for another 8 months, you have a choice to make for the immediate timeframe - you can either continue studying right now (then possibly stop if you receive an acceptance letter) or you can take a little time off to relax, wait for the application results and pick up your studies again in a month (if necessary). Considering this situation, there's no 'wrong' answer, so it's just a matter of what you'd like to do with the immediate time.

If you want to fully get back into your studies now, then I'll be happy to help you put together a study plan. If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

[Matt@VeritasPrep]

I never saw an average lower than 600...

This isn't too surprising, though: the average GMAT score is about 560, and any school that has an average rate that's below the public average would be loathe to report it!

I wouldn't worry *too* much if the rest of your application is strong; I've seen lots and lots of students get into good MBA programs with scores below 560.