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by gmatacolyte » Tue Sep 27, 2016 11:59 am
Background: -
I have been preparing for GMAT since the last 2-3 months. Have covered all the required material (list given below).
QUANT: - Basics from Manhattan. Practiced from OG & 700 level collections found on the web (Bunuel).
Verbal: - Enrolled myself in the e-gmat Verbal Online Course, also read the basics of SC from Aristotle SC Grail, used Powerscore CR Bible for CR.
Mocks taken: -
MG_1 - 610 Q45 V28(taken in actual test like conditions)
MG_2 - 640 Q47 V31 (taken in actual test like conditions)
MG_3 = 710 Q48 V38 (paused the exam a lot)
GMAT Prep 1 - 710 (paused in between)
I also took the Essay & IR sections for all tests.

To my dismay, when i took the actual GMAT yesterday i got a measly 610 (Q45, V28).

I have decided to take the test again within the next 45 days.
Target Score: - 720+
Kindly tell me if 45 days is enough to reach my target score?
Also any help/advice regarding how do i go about my preparation to get my target score is welcome. I am willing to put in 10+ hours/day as long as i know how to achieve a 720+ score on the GMAT.
Thank You in Advance.
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Sep 27, 2016 12:37 pm
Your prior practice test results suggest that your test results are not indicative with your abilities.
To help determine what caused this, it might be useful to answer a few questions:
- How did your time management during the practice tests compare with your time management during the official test?
- Did you consistently take practice tests at the same time as your scheduled official test?
- During the test, did you feel anxious/tired/angry/hungry/frustrated/confident?
- Were the conditions at the test center adequate?
- Did you sleep well before the test?

Once we identify the reason(s) for this significant score decrease, we'll be able to determine the best course of action.

That said, one thing that stands out for me is that your two 700+ scores both occurred when you took the liberty of pausing the practice test. So, it may be the case that you need to build your endurance so that you can complete the test without any pausing.

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Brent
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by gmatacolyte » Tue Sep 27, 2016 9:26 pm
Q: -'How did your time management during the practice tests compare with your time management during the official test?'
A: - Well, in the mocks i took, i faced a few timing issues in the Quant section. But i was usually left with some minutes by the time i had finished the Verbal section. Also, i came across a lot of 700 level questions in Quant section (in mocks)which made it difficult for me to finish the 37 questions in 75 minutes. While on the real GMAT, i hardly got any such questions. Hence time wasn't an issue there. Though i knew the lack of difficult questions meant i didn't do well in it.
Verbal on the other hand cost me more time on the real GMAT than it did in the mocks.

'Q: - Did you consistently take practice tests at the same time as your scheduled official test?'
A: - No. I took the mocks when i felt there were a few hours during which i could take them in an uninterrupted manner. But a couple of them did actually coincide with my actual GMAT in terms of time.

Q: - During the test, did you feel anxious/tired/angry/hungry/frustrated/confident?
A: - I have a fear when it comes to taking exams. Even during mocks i used to be too worried about what score i would get at the end of 4 hours. So yeah i faced a few jitters the night before the actual GMAT. To counter it, i slept for almost 10 hours before my GMAT. And by the time i woke up i was too numb to feel any fear. The only thing i had in my mind was to go to the test centre and take the 'one question at a time' approach. I DID NOT FEEL CONFIDENT. But then i figured i never do before any exam, so it won't cause me to panic while taking the exam.

Q: - - Were the conditions at the test centre adequate?
A: - Yeah, there are no issues regarding the official proceedings at the test centre.

Q: - Did you sleep well before the test?
A: - Yeah i slept for 10 hours. I did not feel tired while taking the test. Though during the Verbal section i felt i was not putting in enough effort.

What surprised me was my low Quant performance. Even in the mocks i took that was my lowest score(only once). Does it mean i have conceptual gaps? Or do i just have to keep taking sectional mocks?
And regarding Verbal what should be my approach to gain at least 12 points?

Thanks,

Ratul
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by [email protected] » Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:33 am
Hi gmatacolyte,

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 what happened here. By pausing your CATs, taking them at different times of day, etc., you weren't properly training for the FULL GMAT 'experience.' As such, we have to ignore your last two CAT scores. With the CAT scores that remain, your Official Score makes sense.

Raising a 610 to a 720+ in 45 days will be challenging. While the task is not impossible, you will have to make some significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. By extension, you will have to learn/practice some new Tactics which will likely require that you invest in some new practice materials.

1) Do you have the flexibility to push back your Test Date?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:11 pm
It sounds like there are a few possible weaknesses you need to address/strengthen:
1) confidence/anxiety management
2) time management (in quant)
3) endurance (possibly)

So, here are some suggestions and some resources:

1) confidence/anxiety management
If you're interested, we have a free video on the topic on overcoming test anxiety: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... video/1252
Also, 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

2) time management
I suggest that you manage your time in batches of 5 questions. To that end, you can use the following Milestone Charts to keep you on track:
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These times are easily remembered so you can quickly jot them on your noteboard on test day.
This (and more) is covered in our GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

3) endurance
Keep taking practice tests...without clicking the pause button.
------------------------------------------

Finally, you should keep working on any remaining weaknesses you may have. So, when you write more practice tests, be sure to CAREFULLY analyze the results. To this end, there are four main types of weakness to watch out for:
1. specific Quant skills/concepts (e.g., algebra, standard deviation, etc.)
2. specific Verbal skills/concepts (e.g., verb tenses, assumption CR questions, etc.)
3. test-taking skills (time management, endurance, anxiety etc.)
4. silly mistakes

For the first two weaknesses, the fix is pretty straightforward. Learn the concept/skill and find some practice questions to strengthen that weakness. To focus on one topic at a time, you can use BTG's tagging feature to isolate one concept. 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.

Finally, if silly mistakes are hurting your score, then it's important that you identify and categorize these mistakes so that, during tests, you can easily spot situations in which you're prone to making errors. I write about this and other strategies in the following article: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/avo ... teaks-gmat

Cheers,
Brent
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by gmatacolyte » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:23 am
Q: - 1) Do you have the flexibility to push back your Test Date?
A: - I am planning to apply the MiM (Masters in Management) programs during Round 2. It's deadline is November 21. So its vital i take the exam within 14th(at the latest) as i would like to have some time on my hands to work on my essays. I can't take before 27th October (i took the earlier one on 27th September). i would ideally like to get as close as my target score (720+) as possible before i apply a test date. I know it's challenging. But i would be to study all day long the next 2 months, so i can put in the necessary effort. All i need is a plan which would help me optimize my efforts properly & in the right areas. Any regarding how to go about my preparation would be very helpful.

Q: - 2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
A: - Round 2. (Late November).

Q: - What Schools are you planning to apply to?
A: - My target is the top 25 MiM schools.

As far as materials are concerned, i still have the following left: -
- 1 GMATPREP mock.
- 3 MG mocks.
- 2 Veritas mocks.
- 15+ sectional mocks on gmatclub.com (Quant)
- e- Verbal Online Course (It's scholaranium is huge. Difficult. Quizzes can be customized.)
Considering i have the above, would you still advise me to go other materials?

Kindly tell me how should i utilize my time & resources to reach my target score. I don't think the usual 'brute force' method which i had previously utilized won't work me in the next 6 weeks.
What areas should i focus on? I understand improving my Verbal score(a measly V28) significantly would greatly help me improve my overall score. I am confident enough to get my Quant up to Q48 at the very least. A few sectional tests should take care of it i guess as i am familiar with all the necessary concepts. I feel i need to cut out my silly mistakes & improve my pacing in the quant section.
But regarding Verbal i am quite apprehensive. I find CR challenging. SC, i usually go the 'ear' approach. RC is ok as far as i get the pacing right. Any regarding how to improve my verbal score to atleast a V40 would be very helpful.

Thank You.

P.S. : - I am ready to follow any regime (both Quant & Verbal) no matter how demanding it is. Kindly help me figure out one. I need this very badly.
Background: - I have been studying for the last 3 months so as far as concepts are concerned i am quite familiar with them especially regarding the Quant portion. I am done with the OG 2016 (along with its supplementary guides). Powerscore CR Bible. Aristotle SC Grail. I also finished a 700+ level quant collection set (900+ sums).
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by [email protected] » Thu Sep 29, 2016 5:53 pm
Hi gmatacolyte,

Are there any later application Rounds (after Round 2) for the MiM Programs that you're interested in? If there are no later Rounds, then what is the minimal score that you think you would need to apply for Round 2?

I ask these questions because I now think that you're going to need more than 45 days of additional study time to score 720+. So you either need more time or you need to change your score goal.

Based on what you described about the Verbal section, you haven't learned the proper Tactics for SC, RC or CR - and I think that you're "narrowing down the choices and then picking the answer that 'sounds good'" far too often. You cannot expect to score V40 if you handle the Verbal section in that way. You really need some significant time to learn and practice the proper Tactics for that section AND you still have to improve in the Quant section too. I think that you would have a far better chance of hitting your current score goal if you had 2-3 months of consistent, guided study. In addition, if you've been using your current study materials for the last 3 months, then it's unlikely that continuing to use them (and use them in the same ways) will lead to a big score improvement.

The work that you've done so far has gotten you to this score level, but an overall change in how you study is required to raise your score to a much higher level. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to hit your score goal.

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