Test Plan Needed Urgently

[ashyacid]

Hey!

So, I've given 3 practice tests so far of Princeton Review, and have studied from their material.
My scores changed like this - 530 -> 490 -> 640
So 640 was my last score, but after that I completely lost track of my studies, which was about 2 weeks ago, and I need to start preparing again and am planning to give the test in the first or second week of August.
Any study plan that I can stick to and will help in achieving a 700+?

Thank you!

[[email protected]]

Hi ashyacid,,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, I'd like to know a bit more about your studies so far and your timeline/goals:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on each of these CATs?
3) Did you take the FULL CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
4 Have you taken any of the Official GMAC CATs yet?

5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
6) Do you know which Schools you plan to apply to?

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

[ashyacid]

1. I've been studying from last 3 months, excluding the last two weeks where I blanked out everything.(As I think)
2. I don't remember for all the tests, but for the last one it was Q41 V36
3. No, not the full length test, just the verbal and quant sections.
4. I took one official CAT in the very start of my prep in which I scored 560. I don't remember individual scores.
5. I'm planning to apply in 2017 for Masters in Management/Global Management.
6. I'm still researching. I'm not finding any trend of the program I want in the US, so still a bit confused. But looking for UBC, Canada.

Hi ashyacid,,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, I'd like to know a bit more about your studies so far and your timeline/goals:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on each of these CATs?
3) Did you take the FULL CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
4 Have you taken any of the Official GMAC CATs yet?

5) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
6) Do you know which Schools you plan to apply to?

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

[Knitgeek]

Ashycid,

If you are looking at UBC I believe the average GMAT is in the low six hundreds with a 550 minimum. I looked at both UBC and SFU's programs and in general it seems that the GMAT requirement for both schools is quite a bit lower than most of the US schools.

I know for me I want to bump my score up a bit more from the average thanks to my poor performance from my first university dragging down my GPA but I've heard plenty of stories of folks getting in to UBC with GMAT scores in the 500's.

[ashyacid]

Hey,

Yeah, you're right that they need a low GMAT score, but I still want t get above 650 for my own satisfaction. It'd be a shame to waste $250 on a 500 something score.

Ashycid,

If you are looking at UBC I believe the average GMAT is in the low six hundreds with a 550 minimum. I looked at both UBC and SFU's programs and in general it seems that the GMAT requirement for both schools is quite a bit lower than most of the US schools.

I know for me I want to bump my score up a bit more from the average thanks to my poor performance from my first university dragging down my GPA but I've heard plenty of stories of folks getting in to UBC with GMAT scores in the 500's.

[[email protected]]

Hi ashyacid,

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your scores can become - and that's my big concern with your practice CAT scores. By skipping sections, you took a shorter Exam that didn't test you in many of the ways that the Official GMAT will (including your endurance skills and in how you handle fatigue) - by extension, you weren't properly training for the FULL GMAT 'experience', and these CAT scores are likely 'inflated.'

From here on out, you really should take the FULL CAT (with the Essay and IR sections) each time and do so in a realistic, test-like fashion. Since it's been at least a couple of weeks since you've taken a CAT, you should plan to take one soon - I suggest that you use one of the GMAC practice CATS. Once you have that score result, you should post back here.

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

[Knitgeek]

I know what you mean about wanting to hit a certain score for your personal reasons, it makes shelling out the cash for the test a little less painful. I had just wanted to make sure you weren't thinking you needed a 700+ score to get in to UBC... I've run across a couple of people who have completely freaked themselves out because they didn't realize what the average GMAT was for UBC.

It's a bit of balancing act, you have to satisfy your own expectations and school requirements. While I would probably still apply myself if I ended up in the 500's I know I would be pretty upset about it. That being said I've made my peace with not having to score 700+ at the expense of my sanity and social life. At the end of the day I keep telling myself if my application is strong enough to get me an admissions interview I'm happy because I know I can sell myself in the interview.

Good luck with your studies!

[MartyMurray]

Hi ashyacid.

Possibly the best motivation to train is seeing what you have to be better at in order to score higher.

So, one way to work going forward is to go over the practice tests that you have already taken, along with an official GMAT Prep CAT that you, as Rich suggested, might be best served by taking now, and figure out what you types of questions you found most challenging or you had the most trouble with, either in that you needed a lot of time to answer them or in that you didn't get them right.

Then going forward, focus on each of those types of questions until you master it, working on one type after another.

By working that way you are basically sure to increase your expected score, as you will be working on exactly what YOU need to work on in order to score higher.

One source of categorized quant questions, literally thousands, is the question bank here, https://bellcurves.com, which you can access by going to the GMAT area and setting up a free Practice Account.

If you need more verbal questions, there are many resources that you could look into. One good one is the Official Guide. If you get that, get the Kindle version, the manufacture of which is MUCH less destructive than that of the paper version. For a healthy planet and a healthy self use little to no paper. You don't need a Kindle to read the Kindle version. You can get the Kindle App, and in fact all you really need is the code for the online question bank that goes with the guide.

https://www.amazon.com/Official-Review- ... g=UTF8&me=

When you practice doing questions, don't worry about the time too much. You are better off taking the time necessary to see what you have to see in order to get them right. As you develop skill, you will naturally speed up. That having been said, doing some timed practice, maybe via taking practice tests, is a good idea.