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GMAT Goal from 430 to 650! Is 4 months study time enough?

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GMAT Goal from 430 to 650! Is 4 months study time enough?

by alex_katharina » Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:04 am
When I took the GMAT the first time around, I have to say that I was really clueless..... I did study the concepts and took practice questions, but obviously did not do enough, nor did I prepare the right way....

I want to get into a good program, so my goal is to get a GMAT score of 650. I am willing to work really hard on this.
I want to take the GMAT in August and now need to create a study plan for the next four months...
I am planning on signing up for the Knewton online course, and I have also bought some of the materials that are recommended on this site.. MGMAT SC prep, OG guides, Kaplan Math book, etc....

I am just wondering if there are some people out there who have been in similar situations, trying to get from a 430 to 650... and if they have any suggestions regarding a study plan... Any tips, suggestions are very much appreciated! Also, if you can share insights into the Knewton online course, I would love to hear about this as well.
Thanks in advance!!

By the way, this site is amazing!! It really motivates me to study hard and do well and there tons of great tips.....
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:45 am
Can't comment on Knewton, so I will allow someone else to give insight on that. I would suggest doing the following with your four months:

Month 1 and 2 go through all of the MGMAT math guides, the MGMAT SC guide, the Power Score CR bible. Make sure you're constantly reviewing the material you cover. Do not cover a chapter and never return to it. Constantly review the older material.

Month 3: Begin taking a practice CAT a week. By now you should have completed all of the books. This is what you need to do going forward with the math books. 2 days a week designate those as math days. Do two problems from every end of the chapter problem set from each chapter of each book of all of the Manhattan GMAT guides. For example. On one day you may do problems 1 and 2 from every single chapter in every single book. The next math day you may do problems 3 and 4 from every single chapter of every single book. The reason I think this is important is that it serves as an active flash cards. It will stop you from forgetting the material, so all the gains that you make you will retain. With verbal, do 20 SC, 20 CR and 4 RC passages each verbal day (twice a week)

Month 4: Do the same as Month 3 except begin to really focus and hone in on timing. Make sure you are confident that you have timing down, so that is not a concern on test day.

Good luck.
https://www.beatthegmat.com/the-retake-o ... 51414.html

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by frank1 » Sat Apr 24, 2010 3:31 am
I am not an expert....but since he is trying to improve

do all the things as said,
but dont forget to access,
what was wrong with earlier exam ...
which part did you missed the correct answers...
and so on...

I feel One thing about gmat is people dont become 750+ mam/woman studying for 3-4 months.Infact they claim that gmat,gre cannot be taught to a person.It is cumulative of all the things learned from school till now.....

I think good schooling and academic background has attributed to 700+ score of lots of users....so some feel it is just bcoz of their preparation ....but it is much due to schooling and mind set as well
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by alex_katharina » Sun Apr 25, 2010 9:27 am
osirus0830 wrote:Can't comment on Knewton, so I will allow someone else to give insight on that. I would suggest doing the following with your four months:

Month 1 and 2 go through all of the MGMAT math guides, the MGMAT SC guide, the Power Score CR bible. Make sure you're constantly reviewing the material you cover. Do not cover a chapter and never return to it. Constantly review the older material.

Month 3: Begin taking a practice CAT a week. By now you should have completed all of the books. This is what you need to do going forward with the math books. 2 days a week designate those as math days. Do two problems from every end of the chapter problem set from each chapter of each book of all of the Manhattan GMAT guides. For example. On one day you may do problems 1 and 2 from every single chapter in every single book. The next math day you may do problems 3 and 4 from every single chapter of every single book. The reason I think this is important is that it serves as an active flash cards. It will stop you from forgetting the material, so all the gains that you make you will retain. With verbal, do 20 SC, 20 CR and 4 RC passages each verbal day (twice a week)

Month 4: Do the same as Month 3 except begin to really focus and hone in on timing. Make sure you are confident that you have timing down, so that is not a concern on test day.

Good luck.
Thanks so much for the recommendations! I appreciate your help!
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by ReachingHigher » Mon Apr 26, 2010 10:37 am
Hello,

I agree with Alex. This site is motivating.

Does everyone think that four months is OK? I have taken this test twice, and have never scored above a 550.

I would like to do what Alex is doing...at least move up to a higher 600 level. I truly feel that my math/english skills are great. I just get very anxious. Halfway through both exams, I just gave up. I want to be more comfortable with timing.

My MGMAT tutor said my number properties skills are great. She said my main problems are geometry, sc, and cr.

So, is four months a good timeframe? I wanted to start preparing my applications in September.

Thanks!
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:37 am
ReachingHigher wrote:Hello,

I agree with Alex. This site is motivating.

Does everyone think that four months is OK? I have taken this test twice, and have never scored above a 550.

I would like to do what Alex is doing...at least move up to a higher 600 level. I truly feel that my math/english skills are great. I just get very anxious. Halfway through both exams, I just gave up. I want to be more comfortable with timing.

My MGMAT tutor said my number properties skills are great. She said my main problems are geometry, sc, and cr.

So, is four months a good timeframe? I wanted to start preparing my applications in September.

Thanks!
4 months is more than enough time. I recommend getting the PowerScore Critical Reasoning Bible for Cr. That will help a lot.
https://www.beatthegmat.com/the-retake-o ... 51414.html

Brandon Dorsey
GMAT Instructor
Veritas Prep

Buy any Veritas Prep book(s) and receive access to 5 Practice Cats for free! Learn More.
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