Trying to get 500

[john.walker]

Hello!
I'm new to the forum. I have been out of school for some time (37 years old). I have another Master's Degree but wanting to go back for my MBA. The school in my hometown requires a minimum of a 500 on the GMAT. I have never taken the test before but I did the trial test on the MBA.com website and got like 250. It was a little bit disheartening however I'm picking up the pieces and hoping you can give me some advice on the quickest route to get to 500 in terms of the best guides, training, etc.

Thank you in advance.
John

[[email protected]]

Hi John,

Many Test Takers are unhappy with their initial practice scores, but you really shouldn't be. That first CAT Score is just a measure of your skills right now - and you'll improve on that result over time as you learn more about the content, Tactics and little 'secrets' of the Exam. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on your timeline and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long ago did you take that first CAT? Did you do any studying before taking it (or since taking it)?
2) What study materials do you currently have?

Goals:
3) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

[john.walker]

Thank you for your response.
I have not done any formal prep yet. I do have a 2017 review book however my time is a bit limited due to having two kids and a full time job so I want to ensure the time I spend preparing are the best utilized. I was also tossing around the idea of doing a pMBA at the local university as they offer this without GMAT however I want to explore this option as well because the online program they offer is a bit more flexible and gives you up to 5 years to complete.

1. I took the CAT about 2 weeks ago. I didn't do any studying before taking it or yet.
2. I have a 2017 review book. I have not purchased anything else yet.

3. I would like to take the GMAT by June/July
4. I am going to apply as soon as I have taken my GMAT with an overall of 500 and writing of 3.5.

Thanks
John

Hi John,

Many Test Takers are unhappy with their initial practice scores, but you really shouldn't be. That first CAT Score is just a measure of your skills right now - and you'll improve on that result over time as you learn more about the content, Tactics and little 'secrets' of the Exam. Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on your timeline and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long ago did you take that first CAT? Did you do any studying before taking it (or since taking it)?
2) What study materials do you currently have?

Goals:
3) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
4) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

[[email protected]]

Hi John,

Many GMATers lead 'busy' lives, so you're not alone. If your study time will be limited, then you'll clearly need to be efficient with your studies, but it will take some significant effort to raise a 250 to the point that you can consistently score 500+. That having been said, you'll likely find most of the work to be fairly straight-forward - and you don't have to correctly answer ANY questions that you think are too hard or too weird to hit your Score Goal (so part of your training will need to involve getting comfortable "dumping" questions on purpose, so that you don't waste too much time on those tougher questions).

1) To clarify, has the Program that you're interested stated (in writing) that it requires a 500+ for someone just to apply? What if you scored 490?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

[john.walker]

Thanks again for your reply.

1) To clarify, has the Program that you're interested stated (in writing) that it requires a 500+ for someone just to apply? What if you scored 490? Unfortunately yes, I have asked for a exemption however the only program they allow waivers is for the pMBA. In order to be accepted in this program I must score a 500. If i score a 490, I will have to retake the exam.

From WKU's Website:
It depends upon the Option into which you wish to enroll:

Both the Full-Time Option and the Online Option require a minimum score of 500. Sorry, but we do not accept students in these two options with scores lower than 500 unless they meet the GAP Admissions Exception (click here for more information). If you fail to achieve the minimum score, but are close, we strongly encourage you to take the exam again and reapply (there is no additional application fee for reapplying within a time limit). Some of the GMAT materials say that a common improvement score for someone retaking the GMAT might be an additional 60 or 70 points. We have seen applicants improve more points than that, but generally only if the applicant is from another country and is still learning English.

2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week? 5 hours however I'm willing to bump this up if it's not enough.

[[email protected]]

Hi John,

Many GMATers typically spend 10-15 hours per week (or more) each week for several months before they take the GMAT. It's worth noting that the time to take each FULL CAT - and properly review it - will likely require 7-10 hours just for that one part of your study plan. If you're going to limited to fewer than 10 hours of study a week, then you will almost certainly need a much longer study timeline to hit your Score Goal. To hit 500+ by June or July, you'll have to commit to learning a great deal of content, Tactics and patterns - and that training takes time.

From what you describe, you have a lot of 'draws' on your time, so you'll want to be really efficient with your studies so that you can make the most out of your study time. As such, you'll likely benefit from a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led), so you should plan to look into the available options.
Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at out site (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional question, then you can post here or you can feel free to contact me directly.

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

[Scott@TargetTestPrep]

Hi John,

How did things end up working out with your GMAT?

[Chandanagarwal]

Try Egmat for Verbal and TTP for Quant. They are really great resources