Gearing up for my next attemp

[arambhan.snehin]

Hello,

I've just taken my GMAT a couple of days ago and got an average 640 (Q43, V35) .
Realistically, this score does reflect my ability at the moment so i'm not disappointed.
But what i want to do is up my level in Quant and Verbal to get a score in or around 710.
Is it possible to achieve that big a jump in score in a couple of months and how should i approach my next attempt.

Regards,
Snehin

[StaceyKoprince]

A 640 to 710 is probably a 3-ish month process for most people (though there's no way I can tell what it will be for any one person - so you'll have to see how it goes!).

Start here:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Also, I'd like to get some more detailed data on your strengths and weaknesses in order to advise you. Use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and tell us the results of your analysis and what you think you should do based on that analysis. We'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)

[arambhan.snehin]

Hi Stacey,

I do know what my weaknesses are.
Quant is definitely a weakness, although, i manage to solve 70-80% of quant questions within the 600-700 difficult level but that is clearly not good enough.
700-800 level questions are definitely a challenge for me. The success rate on those questions falls drastically to 30-40% percent. Wasting too much time on these questions, i end up guessing the last 4-5 questions.
Futhermore, if i end up getting a few questions wrong, i loose my composure and mess up questions that i could have probably done under normal conditions.

For Quant, i refer to the MGMAT study guides and i have also purchased the questions banks along with the test series.

In verbal, long meaning oriented sentence correction questions definitely pose a challenge. I noticed that even though i had taken sufficient mock tests, towards the later half of the verbal section i was fatigued to the extent that nothing made sense to me and lost valuable time rereading CR and RC passages. I may not be a native english speaker, but i have a fairly decent command of the language.

For SC, i refer to MGMAT sentence corretion 3rd edition as well as the OG.
For CR and RC, i mainly refer to the OG again.

To make matters worse, I am an IT professional and work from 8 am to 6pm , 5 days a week. The only time i do get to study is after work for say 3-4 hrs before and after work.

Getting a 710 i realize isn't an easy task.
Is there anything i should be doing differently or anyother material i should be referring to?
Would you suggest i take time off from work as getting a 700 is a job in itself ?

Regards,
Snehin

[StaceyKoprince]

You asked me whether there's anything you should be doing differently. Yes. :) For starters, your description of your strengths and weaknesses is way too high level for everything except SC. What you did tell me is good info to know - it's a start - but you need to analyze to a much greater level of depth than that.

That in-depth analysis is crucial because it actually tells you what you need to do. Part of your struggle right now is that you don't know what to do, because you don't *really* understand your weaknesses.

Do that analysis that I described in my last email - and expect to spent 30 to 60 minutes doing so. You'll be able to give me much more specific information.

You mentioned timing issues. Read these:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... to-win-it/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -to-do-it/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/

For SC, try this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... orrection/

There are 4-5 articles linked in there to start. You can continue by looking up more SC articles on the blog - there are a lot!

Have you looked through the other article that I posted last time (studying and struggling)? Pay particular attention to the section on How To Study. The analysis doesn't end with analyzing your practice test results - you've got to analyze every problem. That article will help you learn to do that.

The fatigue thing is definitely a real problem. You're always going to experience some fatigue - that's a normal consequence of a 3.5-hour-long test - but there are some things we can do to reduce that fatigue.

First, no, I don't think you need to take time off of work. It's not that useful to study for more than a few hours in one day anyway. Your brain gets fatigued and doesn't take the material in as efficiently.

On week-days, don't plan to study for more than 2 hours. You can do more on week-ends, when you're not working.

Let's say that you're going to sit down for a 2-hour study session. In advance, figure out what you're going to do for the entire 2 hours. In fact, plan extra, just in case you finish early. Then GO for 1 hour without stopping. No checking email, no chatting with a friend, etc. Take a 10-15 minute break, then GO again for another hour, no stopping.

Then stop. Don't do the above for more than 2 hours straight. It's actually a lot more mentally fatiguing to study than to take a test. When studying, you're both recalling existing memories and trying to create new memories to use in future. When taking a test, you're only trying to recall existing memories.

During tests (practice and the real thing), make sure that you are eating and drinking well to replenish your brain energy. Before the test starts and during the first break, eat complex carbs, protein and fat. Eggs and whole-grain toast. Hummus and lentils in whole-grain pita. Tuna / peanut butter / lunch meat on whole-grain toast.

During the second break (before verbal), you need glucose in liquid form. Fresh fruit juice or coconut water are the best choices. (If you live near a specialty-nutrition store, you can also ask them about liquids that are high in glucose but do not have any high-fructose corn syrup and that also have less fructose than glucose.)

Take a look at everything, do the test analysis, then come back and let me know what you think!