Received 570, Need 700+ :(

[SarikaW321]

Hi there

I commenced my studies in August 2017. I went through the basics of Quant section and completed the 300 questions of the OG review guide 2017. I also went through the OG Verbal guide review 2017 but there was no specific strategy I applied. After my first diagnostic test, I was disappointed with a score of 530(V25, Q39). I focused more on sentence correction and some 700-800 level questions and took the Manhattan Prep(free test) again in October. I managed to get my score up to 570(V30, Q39). My final GMAT exam is scheduled for 9th December 2017.

I can spare 2 hours on weekdays and 5 hrs on weekends to study but not sure how to go about it. I believe most of the questions I got wrong was due to falling short of time in Quants. While for Verbal I need to focus more on sentence correction. Should I keep doing practise tests or focus on topics individually to perfect them out. Without time constraint I used to get atleast 60-70% accuracy in the 700-800 questions when tested individually.


Is it realistic to be aiming so high with a low score on both diagnostic tests? Or should I give it a try next year?
Please advise

[StaceyKoprince]

Welcome to the forums!

You mention working from the OG books and taking CATs, but you don't mention using any materials that teach you how to take the exam. (You also mention not knowing any strategies for how to answer the different kinds of verbal questions.)

This is the piece missing from your studies right now, and it will be very difficult to get up into the 700 range without learning the underlying skills and strategies that you need in order to be able to answer much harder questions in a limited timeframe.

The people who make the exam sell lots of good test questions, but they don't have much in the way of materials that teach you how to improve your skills—that comes from test prep companies like mine.

Take a look at this article (one section talks about the kinds of materials you'll need to study):
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... our-score/

Dec 9th is about 6 weeks away. Most people would need more time to go from ~570 to ~700, even if they did already have the full materials that they would need to study. For example, our courses run for 9 weeks and we recommend a minimum of 2-3 weeks of additional study afterwards (many students take longer than that).

Some people do take less time, but I would say that it's more likely that you will need to give yourself more time.

In addition to the article above, please also take a look at this:
http://tinyurl.com/executivereasoning
And this:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -the-gmat/

Then, reply to tell me what you think about all of that material.