Need Help-GMAT in 5 weeks & Practice Test Scores (450-550)

[salesh.aswani]

Dear All,
I need help...I am lost with the whole GMAT thing!!!!

I have been preparing for this test for past 8 weeks (started in Jan 2nd week and this does not include the 5 weeks of prep from Nov 2010 to Dec 2010 as for those 5 weeks I just prepared notes. After which I went for a vacation) and seem to be getting no where with it. I gave a GMAT Prep test in the begining and scored 420 thereafter I have been going through the MGMAT have completed all the quant sections except the advanaced sections of 'Word Transalation' and 'Geometry' books. For verbal I have gone through basic rules of sentence corrections (even after that feel completely lost with all the rules) and currently going through Critical Reasoning.

I have taken 7 test so far out of which one MGMAT test was wated. The results of all the 7 test is below:
1) GMAT Prep 420 (N/A)
2) MGMAT Test 1 520 (Q.33 & V.28)
3) MGMAT Test 2 300 (Q.27 & V. Not attempted) (This was the test I wasted)
4) MGMAT Test 3 540 (Q.42 & V.23)
5) MGMAT Test 4 490 (Q.27 & V.31)
6) MGMAT Test 5 470 (Q.32 & V.24)
7) Princeton Review Test 420 (Q.33 & V.13)

I have 5 weeks more to prepare for this test. My work schedule is killer too. Have to work a minimum of 10 to 12 hours for 5 days a week and after that I come home and prepare for the test for a minimum of 2 hours. Have already spent 50 hours in Jan and 77 hours in Feb in preparing for the GMAT. With the scores above it seems I am all over the place and no where close to my target score. My aim is to get above 700 but looking at the above scores, makes my goal seem unrealistic.

Please advice as to what should I do in the next 5 weeks. I do not have the liberty to extend my test date beyond the 13 of April. As this year after April I will have to probably spend all my time at the office cause there are major projects going on in which I play a major role. Even getting the 2 weeks leave before the test was hard to get. Please let me know of my chances to improve and hit my target score. Desperate for help and motivation...this just seems like I am fighting a loosing battle. Any suggestions or ideas for improvements will be highly appreciated.

My Plan for Next 5 Weeks:
1) Week 1 (07/03/2011-13/03/2011): Complete the MGMT Word Translation book including the problems listed in the Advanced Section and also complete my CR MGMAT book in parallel with OG Problems listed in the CR MGMAT guide
2) Till End of March: Redo all the OG 12 quantitative section in parallel with review of and practice of SC and CR.
3) Every weekend give a CAT test. I will reset all my MGMT test soon and redo them.
4) The last 10 days i.e. from 01 April 2011 to 11 April 2011 will be giving at least 6 hours (as i will be off for 2 weeks from work) into shoring up my mistakes and working on my timing of the test. To basically be able to identify the time relative to the question I should be on.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[StaceyKoprince]

It will be extremely challenging to improve by 200+ points in 5 weeks. Most people would need 3 to 4 months of regular study in order to achieve that. That's not to say that nobody could ever do it - but it's very atypical.

I know that's not what you want to hear, but I do want to tell you the reality so that you can make the best possible decisions for yourself. The one potential bright side is item #1 in the next paragraph

There are two levels to this:
(1) your practice scores are fluctuating widely and not only in an "up" direction - that's the first thing to figure out
(2) even your highest scores are 150 points from your goal, which means once you fix the problem in #1, you still have to lift yourself that last 150 points

You have to start with #1 - whatever's causing this will likely continue to happen no matter how much additional material you learn. One of the major factors that comes into play with fluctuating scores is timing. How is your timing? Are you finishing the sections on time? Are you finish no more than about 2m early? Are you balancing your time relatively evenly between ALL questions (not less than ~45s on any question, not more than 2.5 or so min on any single quant, RC, or CR question, not more than about 2m on SC any single SC question)?

If timing is a problem, then you may be able to make more rapid progress, though I will still say that 5 weeks is tight. It typically takes about 4-6 weeks to fix significant timing problems. The good news is that, if you have significant timing problems, it might be the case that your scoring levels are deflated, and once you fix the timing, you could see a nice score jump right away. Then, item #2 above wouldn't be as big.

Use the below article to analyze your most recent tests. Try to figure out what's leading to this huge fluctuation that you're seeing - in particular look at the data across just quant or just verbal. Quant ranged from 27 to 42. Why was that one so much better than the others? What about verbal - what's different between the 23 test and the 31 test?

Here's the article: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/e ... -part1.cfm

When you're done with that analysis, come back and share it here. (Please don't post just the data. Analyze it. Tell us what you think.) We'll tell you whether we agree and we'll start to figure out what to do from there.

Re: taking 2 weeks off before work, that's actually not the best idea. You can't cram for this test, not if you're looking for that kind of score and that kind of score improvement. I'd rather that you spread that time off over 2 to 3 months so that you can study more steadily, if possible, and then take only the final day or two off (and not to study! you don't want to burn yourself out - you just might want the last day or two off b/c it sounds like your work is super stressful).

Also, do NOT take a bunch of additional CATs. CAT exams are really good for (a) figuring out where you're scoring right now, (b) practicing stamina, and (c) analyzing your strengths and weaknesses. The actual act of just taking the exam is NOT so useful for improving. It's what you do with the test results / between tests that helps you to improve. You have enough data for the moment.

[salesh.aswani]

Hi Stacey,

Thank you for the reply. Since the last time I posted up here and got your reply I had to revaluate my plan and come to terms that the time I am left with is not sufficient. I will need more time to seriously consider the core reasons for not scoring well on the practise test.

Based on your suggestion I looked at my 5 test results and analyzed it based on the article posted earlier. Here is what I have gatthered...(by the way the analysis below is only for quatitative section)

Like you rightly said there is a huge timing issue...In all the test I gave there were 7+ question on which I spent more than 3+ min doing the problem in some of them I went up to 5+ min. This also led me to rush through my last 10 questions due to which I got 6 wrong in the test where I scored 490 and 470 while in the 540 and 520 test I got 4 and 7 questions qrong.

Also another thing I noticed between my highest score of 540 and lowest score of 470 i.e. I got 4 questions with the level of 700 - 800 in the test where i scored 470 and in the test where I scored 540 I did not get any question in the same level. Also I missed 2 questions at the level of 300 - 500 in the test where I scored 470 while in the same level I got all questions (i.e. 3) right where I scored 540.

I also divided sub topics in each area such Geometry, Algebra, etc. into my streangths and weaknesses. This was identified based on two things i.e. if accuracy is below 50% and if time is 2+ min. The distributions is below:

Weak Areas:
Overlapping Sets (Poor Accuracy i.e. Less than 25% correct)
Statistics (Slow and 71% accuracy. Weak cause of time)
Combinatorics (Slow avg time 2.41 min with 50% accuracy)
Probability (Slow, avg time 2.41 and Poor Accuracy)
Rates & Works (This one is interesting. When i see overall results between 5 test I see that I have 50% accuracy and my avg time is 2.02 but when I list out all the questions in 5 test where I spent time more than 3+ min, this type of question shows up in all my 5 test and from that in 3 three test I got all 600 - 700 level question wrong for Rate & Work)
Algibraiac Translations (Slow avg time 2.29 accuracy 60%)
Basic Equations (Slow avg time 2.32 min and 60% accuracy)
Exponential Equartions (Poor Accuracy i.e. 43%)
Formulas (Poor Accuracy 0% correct)
Inequalities (Poor Accuracy Less than 25% correct but fastest time)
VIC's (Slow avg time 2.38 and accuracy of 67%)
Functions (Slow avg time 4.20 min)
Polygons (Slow & less than 50% accuracy)
Trangles and Diagonals (Less than 25% accuracy)
Coordinate Geometry (Poor accuracy and slow)
Positives & Negatives (Less than 50% accuracy and Slow avg time is 2.33)
Divisibility and Primes (Less than 40% accuracy and Slow avg time 3.09)
Odds and Even (Less that 20% accuracy timing fast)
Consecutive Integers (Less than 25% accuracy & timing fast)
Fractions (Less than 25% accuracy out of 8 questions i got in all the test i could only get 2 right and Slow avg time right 2.06 and avg time wrong 2.55)

Streangths...
Ratios
Quadratic Equations
Circles and Cylinders
Lines and Angles
Exponents and Roots
Digits
Decimals (50% accuracy)
Percents
FDP Connections

Looking at all this data kinda leads me to question my strategy of giving my test by 2nd week of April. Therefore I am thinking of taking the test in the first week of May (i.e. by May 4th). This was I will atleast have 7 weeks and last two weeks I can take off from work. The last two weeks off will help me not to cram for the test but just to shore up whatever I have learned and keep me focused on one thing only. With this in mind could you please suggest a plan for the next 7 weeks.

Your help and perspective is highly appreciated. Please let me know if there is anything else i can do to analyze my results of the test.

Thank you & Regards,
Salesh.

[StaceyKoprince]

Ok, so the timing problems are good news, because that means your score is likely deflated just due to time. You MUST fix the timing problems. It is extraordinarily difficult to score 650+ if you have significant timing problems.

This article can help:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/12/ ... management

I think you would also benefit from a timing exercise: learning about how long one minute is without looking at a watch or stopwatch. If you don't have one already, buy yourself a stopwatch with lap timing capability. When you go to do a set of problems, start the stopwatch but turn it over so you can't see the time. Every time you think you're one minute into a new problem, push the lap button. When you're done with that problem, push the lap button again, then repeat the process for the next problem. When you're done with the set, see how good you were - and whether you tend to over or underestimate. Get yourself to the point where you're within 15 seconds either way on a regular basis (that is, you can generally predict between 45 sec and 1min 15 sec). Also check your timing for the entire question, of course.

Now, how do you use that when doing problems? If you're not on track by one minute*, make an educated guess** and move on. (The general idea is that if you're not on track by the halfway mark, you're unlikely to figure out what's holding you back AND have time to do the whole problem in the 1 min you have left.)

* Note if you use this for verbal. For SC, 1min is well beyond the half-way mark (we're supposed to average about 1m15s here), but you can almost always eliminate at least some choices on SC in that timeframe. Once you've got that "I'm around the 1min mark and I'm struggling" feeling, go through any remaining choices ONCE more. Pick one. Move on.

** This also requires you to know HOW to make an educated guess depending upon the type of problem and the content being tested. So that's something else to add to your study: how to make educated guesses on different kinds of problems.

Here are articles on educated guessing:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... s-on-quant
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/e ... verbal.cfm

I just want to note again that it often takes 4 to 6 weeks to fix significant timing problems.

Okay, of the content areas you listed, I'm going to pull out the ones that are more frequently tested - that's where you should start.

This list is not in order - you can do it in whatever order you want:
Statistics (timing problem)
translations (timing)
basic eqns (timing)
expontential eqns (accuracy)
inequalities (accuracy, but possibly due to careless mistakes / timing?)
polygons, triangles and diagonals (accuracy, timing)
divis and primes (accuracy and timing)
fractions (accuracy, timing)

Because we're also trying to deal with your timing problems, start with the ones above that have timing issues.

Remember that, sometimes, the answer to a timing problem is "I should just get these wrong faster." For example, sets, combinatorics, and probability are infrequent. You're slow on them. For the one or two that you'd likely see on the real test, give them a shot (and if they're lower level, maybe you can get them in the given time), and otherwise, know how to guess and move on before you've gone over! (I happily confess that this is exactly what I do on combinatorics problems. I hate them. I give it a shot, but I NEVER spend even a second extra - I'm already prepared to guess if needed.)

Okay, in terms of the above list, obviously the comprehensive lessons are in your books. But you can also browse through the archive of articles (from me) and lessons (from Ron) at this location:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/manhattan-gmat

Look for titles that address the specific areas that you're covering - there are a lot in there (more than 80 articles from me and I don't know how many of Ron's lessons), so it'll take some time, but there's a lot of good stuff that can help on specific types of problems or content areas.

You may also benefit from this article:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/09/ ... t-problems

And this one:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/error-log.cfm

[salesh.aswani]

Dear Stacey,

Thank you for your feedback I really appreciate it. I have been going through the Divisibility and Primes topics as it is one of my weak areas. I also tried the method of using the stop watch to see if I have an understanding of how long one minute is. I seem to have a fair understanding of this, but will still continue with this practice.

One of the main reasons for my timing issue is this need to try and get every question right. Thereby getting lost in trying to find the solution by solving it rather than getting through with the problem in 2 min. I will work on changing this perspective.

But I wanted to know how can I see keep tab on my progress on whether I am improving my timing or not. For instance currently I am going through the OG problems 2nd time round specifically for Divisibility and Primes topic and giving a cursory look at other topics in the Number Properties. If the questions I got wrong the first time and had trouble with them the 2nd time round I try to understand the concepts on which the problem is based and then do problems from OG in that topic area. All the while keeping in mind the time I spend on the figuring out the answer. I will repeat the same sequence for all the other weak and slow areas.

But to know the progress I will have to give the test, which will be bi weekly thing. Is there another way I can keep tab on my progress or doing test is the best way?


Regards,
Salesh.

[StaceyKoprince]

At this point, you should be doing two things when doing OG practice questions:

(1) Do the problems in sets, not individually. Do a minimum of 5 at a time and give yourself an appropriate time limit; that way you're also practicing balancing your time across the problems in a set.

(2) Do randomly mixed sets of questions. Don't do all divisibility problems together. Don't even do only Number Properties questions together. The real test isn't going to "clump" the topics together. You will need to figure out "What is this?" every time a new question comes up. If you do questions in "known" sets, you're giving yourself an advantage you won't have on the real test.

The above two tactics will make your daily practice closer to the real thing, though obviously you'll also want to take tests periodically.

[salesh.aswani]

Hi Stacey,

I have been working on my timing problem since the last time I had posted on this forum. I gave MGMT Test 6 on 1st April 2011. Scored a 470 (Q. 35 and V. 21). Here I was concious of time and tried to maitain a good pace through the Test. I gave all the sections including the Essay sections.

Positives with this test was that topics which I was getting wrong regularly (like Triangles and Diagonals, Inequalities, etc.) I improved on all those but tring to maintain the pace I got some of the very basic problems that I usually get right, Wrong. After this I continued my practise as suggested in the last reply.

Yesterday I gave a GMAT Prep and ended up scoring 620 (Q. 46 and V. 30). My test is on 4th of May. During this time I am planning to still work on my timing and simultaneously try to increase my verbal score. I will be taking off from work from 22nd April to concentrate only on the test.

I would like to know few things,
1) How do I analyze the GMAT prep. As there is no analysis report given for test given on GMAT prep. One thing I would like to note on this test is that I got a string of questions wrong from 31 to 35. What could this mean? This string of questions were mostly words problems which required faster comprehention of the same, but I am kinda slow in understanding such problems. How can I improve this (i.e. comprehention of word problems faster) before the test?
2) In the verbal section when I am doing sentence correction I am unable to recall the rules of the same at will. How can I improve this?
3) I know you had suggested earlier not to cramp for the test, but due to busy schedule I am left with little choice. What can I do in these last few weeks before the test to probably get a jump of atleast 50 to 60 points more.

Thank you for your advice in the earlier post. Just helped me get through a time when I was going no where with this test.


Thank you & Regards,
Salesh Aswani.

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm glad you were able to make some progress on the timing issue and see a score jump - nice work!

It's very tough to see a 50-60 point score jump in only 2 weeks. You should certainly go for it, but I just want to warn you that most people would find that very challenging.

GMATprep is annoying b/c it doesn't give any data. It's important to time yourself on each question so that you have timing data at least. Did you do that? If not, make sure to do that next time.

Other than that, it's just a matter of looking through the questions and trying to classify them yourself. You won't have any difficulty level data, but you can notice, for example, if you got more geometry questions wrong than usual or something like that.

The string of 5 wrong towards the end of the section can mean a few things. You may have had a stamina lapse - your brain started getting tired. You may have still had some timing pressure (how much time did you get to spend on those?) and that might have affected your ability to solve. You also might have gotten a bit unlucky in getting several in a row that were in a weaker area for you - that happens sometimes and there's not much we can do about it. Or it might have been all of those things.

When you say you're kind of slow in understanding word problems, are you slow to understand the words themselves? Or are you slow to translate from words to math? Are you slow to figure out what kind of problem this really is? If we can figure out what's slowing you down there, then we can figure out what to do about it!

For SC, are you able to recognize "oh, I should be thinking about this rule right now?" but you can't remember the rule? Or do you not recognize in the first place what rule you should be thinking about right now?

I'd guess it's more the latter - you need to make a 2-column cheat sheet. Label one column "When I see this"; underneath, list actual clues from actual problems (eg, list one set of differences in the answers). Label the other column "I should think this"; then list what the clue should make you think about.

Eg:
has/have split --> subject/verb agreement; find the subject
big chunks of sentence moving around ---> modifiers; noun or adverbial? what's modifying what?
an underlined pronoun --> find the antecedent

Make it a series of clues that you can recognize.

Finally, I understand that you're working with a deadline and your schedule isn't very flexible. Please just be careful not to burn yourself out over the last couple of weeks. I've talked to so many students who cram for the last week or two and are completely exhausted by the time they take the actual test - that's not good for your score. The closer you get, the less you do, okay? :)

[salesh.aswani]

Hi Stacey,

Without your guidance I would not have been able to make that jump. But it seems I have somewhat cleared the plateau of "timing issue" that gave me that jump. But now I have hit another road block. But before I delve into this more, clarification for your queries raised by you in the last post is below,

GMATprep is annoying b/c it doesn't give any data. It's important to time yourself on each question so that you have timing data at least. Did you do that?

The last test (GMATPrep 3rd time after re-installing the software) I gave on 28/04/2011 I did time myself and it still seems there are remnants of timing issue when I give the test. In the last test I gave I scored 590 (Q. 42 and V.28). Checked all the quantitative questions and I am still making some mistakes on questions that I get it right when I do not time myself. So still some work is required on this side.

When you say you're kind of slow in understanding word problems, are you slow to understand the words themselves? Or are you slow to translate from words to math? Are you slow to figure out what kind of problem this really is? If we can figure out what's slowing you down there, then we can figure out what to do about it!

When I say slow in understanding word problem I mean I am slow to translate from words to math. And in one of the questions on the GMATPrep test I could not see that they had given a ratio which was suppose to be used to find the distribution concentrate in mixture of liquid. How do I become better at this besides practising such question what else can I do to improve on this aspect.

For SC, are you able to recognize "oh, I should be thinking about this rule right now?" but you can't remember the rule? Or do you not recognize in the first place what rule you should be thinking about right now?

I rarely recognize what rule I should be thinking about as and when I see the SC problem. It still seem to be depending on my ear a lot more than the rules itself. Need a lot of work in this area as my hit rate with SC is only 60%. I guess I will start using the cheat sheet method as you mentioned in your earlier reply.

Ok now lets get back to the issue of schedule and where I think I stand less than a week from the test. After the last test I gave three more test for which the results are given below:

MGMAT Test 1A: 630 (Q.42, V.34)
GMATPrep 2: 500 (Q.31, V.27) (Here I had the same timing issue crop up. I say this cause I missed some of the most basic math questions)
GMATPrep 3: 590 (Q.42, V.28)

Looking at the above results I think I will score somewhere around 600 +/- 20 in the real exam. If this happens which is likely I will give it one more shot in 6 to 7 weeks after the real test on May 4th 2011. Yes you are right I am working on a schedule because I plan to give myself at least a month’s time to prepare my applications for the schools I am aiming for. Most of these schools require 680+ in the GMAT's.

I would like to know how much time I would require in your estimate to get the next jump of 100 + points from 600 +/-20 points. Do you think a period 6 to 7 weeks shall be enough.

Where I stand today I need a lot of improvement on the verbal side (i.e. to get my score from 27's and 28's to 40+) and around 5 point (to get to 45 + in my quantitative from 42) improvement in my quantitative section. I plan to take a week’s break from GMAT after the 4th of May test. Please let me know the next steps and an overall time period you foresee that I will need to get the desired 100+ point jump. Seems like I have hit my second road block here.

Thank you for your guidance, it is really appreciated.


Regards,
Salesh Aswani.

[StaceyKoprince]

Most people need 8 to 16 weeks to see a 100-point score jump, especially to get into the highest scoring ranges (680+). I'm sure there are some people who do it faster than that, but most people need more time.

When anyone is still 80+ points from his / her goal, my best advice is that you can't plan the exact test date right now, because you're too far from the goal right now. You can have a goal date in mind, but you also need to be flexible.

For the issues with translating from words to math - you can do something similar to what I described for the SC cheat sheet. Go back over problems you have already done and make flashcards out of them - the words on one side, and on the other, the math PLUS a description of how you know that certain words should trigger certain translations.

My guess is that, once you learn how to recognize certain words or combinations of words - to say, oh, this language means a ratio! - then it will be much easier for you, because it sounds like you already know the math itself, but don't always know how to recognize when they talk about the math in a weird / disguised way.

You may find this article useful:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/09/ ... t-problems

The above is something that is going to take lots of work - the ability to recognize and translate from "GMAT-speak" to math is one of the big differences between a 600-level scorer and a 700-level scorer. Again, most people need a minimum of 2 or 3 months to get better at this.

I also want to talk about the score goals you mention for quant and verbal. You say you want to get to 40 on verbal and around 47 on quant. That will actually make your verbal significantly better than your quant (the scoring ranges use the same numbers but do not mean the same things).

Possibly you're just not aware of this - a 40 on verbal is the 89th percentile and a 47 on quant is only the 77th percentile because the scales are not the same.

A better goal would be to try to lift your strength, quant, even higher and to expect your verbal to remain lower than quant. If you do actually want to raise verbal to the 90th percentile, then you definitely need more than 6 to 7 weeks - you're currently around the 50th percentile, so you'd be looking at several months minimum.

[salesh.aswani]

Hi Stacey,

Well I gave my real GMAT test on May 4th and had the most terrible experience with it. Got a 510 with Q. 35 and V.25.

Going into the test in the last week I had given three test for which the results are below:
GMATPrep 2: 500 (Q.31, V.27)
GMATPrep 3: 590 (Q.42, V.28)
MGMAT 2A: 510 (Q.42, V.18)

Looking at the above and the previous test I was consistently scoring 42 in quant except the GMATPrep 2. Which I thought was for the timing reasons. And now I am really not sure what was wrong with that either.

I am completely at loss and after 4 months of studying for this test seems like all has gone down the drain. Well one thing is I do not think self studies is helping me much. I have asked around for a class based instruction in my city (i.e. Dubai) have a demo class for which I will go and check it our as to how they approach the GMATs and the quality of their instructors. I need class based instructions not for the decipline purpose but to develop the approach to various problems that are on the test. Going into the test I was atleast hoping to score 600+ on the back of quant as I knew my verbal was very weak. But I failed in scoring in my quant too.

I have tried to look for a Manhattan GMAT based classes but there seems to none in my city.

I have no clue as to where head to from here. But I think I will need a more interactive form of instruction for this test. Anyways thank you for all the help you could provide.


Regards,
Salesh Aswani.

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry you had a tough time with the test. Your verbal score was about what you were scoring on the practice tests - it's really your quant score that dropped. How was your timing? Can you provide more detail? (But don't tell the details of any specific problems!)

We don't have in-person classes in Dubai, no - but FYI we do have online classes (they're live, not taped - they're the exact same classes except you aren't physically in the same room as the instructors). If you want to try it out to see whether you might like it, you can sign up to sit in on the first class for free (look on our web site).

A lot of companies do something similar - offer some kind of free session or let you sit in on the first class for free - so check out what you can and see what you think will work the best for you.

[salesh.aswani]

Well in terms of timing I kind off rushed in the beginning questions. Which kept me 2 min ahead of the time.

the first question I got was exponential equation. Which I thought was my strength, but still could not find the answer in 2 min and therefore just guessed it as choice (C) and moved on (this is what i usually do when I am not confident of finding an answer and if I have crossed beyond 2 min for the question). At one point I felt behind by 30 sec to 1 min. So to catch up to that I would have some what guessed on the question which I was not sure of how to solve.

But the in the start of the test it though me off when I could not answer the question. Also like you had said earlier taking two weeks off to study was not a good idea cause when after taking 4 to 5 practice test when I saw that I was hardly making it to 600 score I made up my mind that I will take the test again. I had basically given up by the last week of the test. Last test I took on 30/04/2011 where I got a 510. So I knew that my verbal was gone and in the last few days just barely reviewed quant by going over problems that I had gotten wrong and some formulas.

I went for a demo class and it seems this institute has had 16% of students score 700+, about 25% scored 650+ and 45% scored 600+. Don't know if these statistics is good. But looks like the math instructor has not taken GMAT but had prepared for CATs (these are the exams that are taken in India which are more difficult than GMATs). Also main reason I want to join classes is to have an interaction with other students and teachers to keep me motivated cause preparing alone I do not think I have that energy. I asked the instructor the difficulty level of there test he said it was close to Kaplan. Which means they are more difficult than GMAT Prep test and he also said that two things one needs to really understand how GMAT makes problem difficult is by testing multiple concepts in one question and by playing with words (here he gave an example of factors of 10 which is 8 including negative and positive factors but I thought it was 4). The instructor also indicated that the classes will go on for 2 months after which we should at least give few weeks before we give the real test. As in the few weeks we will be going through there practice test. During the course itself he said we will at least give three test.

I have checked the online classes of Manhattan. But I am looking for more classroom based interactive sessions. I will still use this forum and beat the GMAT forum in parallel with the classes. You guys have been great help and a source of motivation.


Regards,
Salesh Aswani.

[StaceyKoprince]

It's good to know that you think you'd do better in a live classroom. Be a little bit careful when choosing a program that you're working with an instructor who really knows the GMAT. For instance, the GMAT does not test us on negative factors. That doesn't mean that you can't learn that kind of info, but it may not be the most efficient use of your time to learn things that are really for other tests rather than the GMAT.

Good luck with everything - keep us posted!

[salesh.aswani]

Hi Stacey,

It's been a while.

Hope all is well at your end. Just thought would update you with regards to my GMAT "Project". Last when I posted up here I was looking to join a GMAT Class, which I did. Going to these classes made me realize that I had and still have to 2 issues,
1) Approach
2) Timing (the reason is the way I approach GMAT problems)

Whenever I look at the GMAT problem I tend to get into the mode of solving it or translating words into equations, rather than using tricks such as looking at the answers and then zero in on an answer, then conversion of fractions to %, etc. But through classes and spending time in one on one sessions with the instuctor at the GMAT institute I have been able to improve on how I approach GMAT problems but still need some more work.

I have been through GMAT OG 12 and GMAT Quant Review 3 times thus far and do plan to go through both these once more but wll time my self the 4th time round. I also have OG 11 and will go through the same once both OG 12 and Quant Review are done.

So far the planned date for my test s November 2nd week but have still not booked for the test as yet as I still do not feel ready to take on the test.

Last few months the progress has been extreamly slow but the good thing is I have not had a break from GMAT for more than two days in sucession in a week.

Can you please suggest ways for me to gage how have I improved besides giving the GMAT Prep which I have already given 3 times before my first real GMAT test.


Thank you & Regards,
Salesh Aswani