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Preparing for GMAT- Advice needed!

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Preparing for GMAT- Advice needed!

by Duaabasheer » Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:36 pm
Hey guys

I've been a member of Beatthegmat for ages, though this is officially my first post :-)

This will be my third time sitting for the GMAT- I took a couple of tests in March and April but never really studied for more than one week at each take. I went with a ' what's meant to happen will happen' mentality, which obviously doesn't work , evidenced by the fact that I scored in the 500's both times. I know, what was I thinking? Yes, very stupid move. Moving on..

So I started preparing for the GMAT again around mid-end of July and I was hoping on taking the test by end of September in order to apply for R1. I've gone through all the material for Quant ( haven't touched verbal yet) and solved all the problems in the OG ( though not the separate Quant/Verbal workbooks). I have a math tutor who is going through the material with me, although we never once covered GMAT test taking skills like number plugging, guessing and skipping. I have also not touched the Verbal section yet.

I am now shooting for a 700+ score. I know in my heart of hearts that I can do this.. I got full scores on my O-level/ A-level maths and I was always very comfortable with numbers- and I realize that this score will only come with blood , sweat and tears from hours of studying. My question is, since I am looking to elevate my score by over 150 points, do you think I should take a Manhattan course that will take me through GMAT specific tips and tricks, and allow me to drill down on Verbal for a few more weeks, get more practice, and apply for R2 instead with a hopefully better GMAT score? If so, then I will be taking the test around mid-November.

I already foolishly sat for the GMAT twice, and I know this might look bad to a top tier schools adcom , so I realize this is the once chance I should fully seize to get a great score.

Sorry for the long post.. just clueless as to what to do. Help and advice is very much welcomed as making intelligent GMAT related decisions is clearly not my forte :mrgreen:

Cheers

Duaa
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by brightwinds » Thu Aug 09, 2012 4:12 pm
Glad to hear you're taking a bit more time with it right now!

Having sat for the test twice, you've got some data that the rest of us don't know--how does your quant compare to your verbal score? Is there a big spread between them, or do they both need improvement?

As for classes, that really depends. The best thing a class is for is to make you do the prep (the info you can get through reading and browsing the resources on this site), so if you've got the discipline, I'd say save the money. Take a practice test now to see where your score is, and use that as a base for your next decision.

Resources I used--manahattan gmat books, practice tests, 60 day study plan from BTG, GMATprep, and a whole lot of discipline and perseverance...keep going with your studying until your practice scores are close to where you want to be. Good luck!!
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by NextGreatLeader » Fri Aug 10, 2012 4:57 am
If you're currently working with a math tutor, than you are likely building the foundational concept knowledge you need to be successful. The next important step is to learn the strategies specific to the GMAT. You can build that knowledge from the MGMAT books, without taking the course.
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by Duaabasheer » Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:55 pm
Thank you both for the reply!

@brightwinds- Both my verbal and quant scores are very low.. so that is what led me to do some research on online tutoring as well as courses. My friend gave me the 9 classes of Manhattan GMAT course so an alternative would be to just go through those.

Do either of you know how many weeks of studying a score rise of 150+ points ?

Thanks so much

Duaa xx
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by machichi » Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:06 pm
I think it's more about hours than weeks and it's also easier to move 150 points from 400 than from 500. Test-taking strategies are so important and it sounds like you have a much clearer idea of what you need to do to improve. I highly recommend the MGMAT books and online exams since they track your progress over time and give you a run-down of the types of questions you're missing. I totally agree that you should take a practice test--maybe with the official software now to give you a sense of how much improvement you've made.

For me it really helped having a tutor who focused exclusively on the test's type of questions and looked at GMAT questions with me. Perhaps you could give your tutor materials to prep lessons for you?
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by sam2304 » Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:57 am
Check these links. Hope they help you :)

https://www.beatthegmat.com/590-620-560- ... tml#460598
https://www.beatthegmat.com/700-in-7-wee ... tml#483183
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by Duaabasheer » Sun Aug 12, 2012 3:26 pm
Thank you SO MUCH! Those two links actually put a lot of things in perspective..

Just a question.. roughly how many hours of prep should go into studying for GMAT? i know it varies from person to person but on average?

Duaa
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by sam2304 » Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:29 pm
I don't think it can be generalized. It entirely depends on how disciplined, scheduled and creative you are, because every time you realize you are not making progress, you should switch to new strategy to see improvement and that depends on how soon you realize you aren't making any progress. 3 months of preparation with 15 to 20 hours a week would be fine to see a reasonable score improvement say 50 to 100 points.
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