CAT analysis

[nazdardizeyee]

Hi,

I took CAT 1 about 6 weeks ago and scored 510 (quant 36
verbal 24) and CAT 2 yesterday with a score of 550 (quant 38
verbal 28).

I am planning on taking the test in about a month and my target score is over 600. I was wondering if my improvement is at the right rate? I am in week 7 for this course. How much should I have been improving from CAT 1. I study (on average) about 2 hours a day. But I feel like I am doing reading more than solving problems and trying to follow the syllabus. I haven't used the OG Archer yet. As mentioned, I've been following the syllabos and do all the HW problems that are recommended and try to do some more if time allows.
Please advise.
One more quesiton. I noticed someone posted that they received a score of 570 with (33 in quant and 29 in verbal). English is my second language and I have been struggling with the verbal. I don't know if I can improve that much, so how much more would I need to work on my quant to get my score above 600?

[StaceyKoprince]

There isn't a standard rate for improvement - it varies pretty widely from person to person. A lot of people don't see much of an improvement from test 1 to test 2, though, so it's good news that you did.

At this stage, you are mostly learning / re-learning the content and overall strategies - there's just a lot to learn. The next stage (which you should be starting right about now, week 7-ish) is to start doing a bit more by way of practice problems and review (as we do during class). Do try to do 1-2 OG problems after each chapter, just to see how to apply the material you just learned to real problems. Once or twice a week, do a set of 5 to 10 mixed questions, chosen randomly from among all of the math chapters you've covered so far - that sort of thing.

Expect to need several weeks at least to continue working after the class is over. Most people need at least 3 weeks for practice and review, if not longer (and many people don't give themselves enough time for this stage).

Take a look at the How To Learn section of this article:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

It talks about how to really analyze problems and learn from them (again, as we do during class).

If verbal stays right around 28, then quant would need to be in 46-or-so range. That's a pretty significant increase, so you should still be trying to push verbal up a bit more.

If you'd like, you can 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!)