Do I need to go for test prep prog...pls help

[monira.linda]

Hello everybody,

I am really in need of some good suggestion. I appeared for GMAT last year and scored 440 which was actually without any preparation. Than I realized its just not an CAT exam its something more...so than i joined this site and bought all MGMAT books and prepared myself for 4 months leaving my job. I was scoring about 620-650 in all MGMAT CAT so I appeared for exam and ended up 590 ( Q 48 V 24). But I never loosed hope because pursuing MBA in one of the top B School has always been my dream. Now I just have 2 months because 1st round application starts on OCT and I need to apply for scholarship too. As my math is not that bad like verbal, I bought LSAT RC and CR and trying to work on it. But I am still not confident.

Do u=you guys think I should join any of the test prep program in city???? BTW I just arrived NY and a non native English speaker. Pls help me in reaching my 700+ goal and in a 2 months time.... Thank u all in advance

[jnelson0612]

Hi Linda,
First of all, great work in getting the improvement that you have obtained. It sounds as if you have put in a lot of hard work.

I will be honest with you: it's going to be very, very tough to pull up your verbal enough in two months time to break 700, particularly since you are a non-native english speaker. You are competing with people who have written and spoken english all their lives, and that is tough.

You *may* want to consider doing private tutoring so you can work one on one with an instructor who will help you identify what you need to work on. Taking a prep class is another good idea, but many classes will not be finished by the time you need to take the test, which is why I think private tutoring may be more beneficial.

The best thing you can do right now is thoroughly learn all the grammar rules for sentence correction and practice applying them. The second best thing you can do is read as much as you can in english every day. Try to immerse yourself in the english language as much as possible. You will need this for reading comp and critical reasoning.

Good luck!

[monira.linda]

Thanks a LOT for your kind suggestion!

The fact is I already joined an in person course on 2nd of AUG because I was panicking like anything in getting 700+ . Now after joining the course all I am seeing is they are teaching the basic which I know already.

Can you pls suggest me how can I study so that I can get the best help from class and also prepare myself for exam which is on OCT 4th and break the 700+

My course will end on 09.27.11.


PLS PLS PLS provide me a guideline. Thanks in advance.

Linda

[StaceyKoprince]

First, are you still taking the class? Make the most out of class. Ask questions! When you're covering a particular problem, really dive into the details. Come to class a little early and see if your teacher is free to answer a question or two. (Note: this depends on the teacher; some prefer that you wait till after class to ask questions, but some get there early and are bored while waiting around for class to start.)

Also, I want to address something you said - that the course is teaching you things you already know. There are a number of things you can learn from a question even when you get the question right - so don't think that, just because you get a question right, you don't need to discuss anything or think about it any further than that. :)

Don't neglect quant. Your quant may already be quite good, but it's also easier for you to improve there (because it's your strength!). You might as well pick up a few more points that way, too.

Third, talk to your teacher about your specific situation. S/he should be starting to get to know your strengths and weaknesses from class and can provide very valuable advice.

Fourth, have you taken a full-length MGMAT CAT under official conditions lately? (Do the essays. Limit yourself to two 8-minute breaks. Just like the real test) If not, schedule yourself for one. Then use the below article to analyze your results:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

That will help you to know what to focus on while you're studying. Follow the syllabus in general, but also know what your weaknesses are very specifically - and know whether you have a timing problem. If you do have a timing problem, you won't get to 700 without fixing it, and timing problems typically take at least 4 to 6 weeks to fix (depending upon severity).

If you want to discuss anything that you discover from your test analysis, feel free to come back here and post and we'll help you try to figure out what to do.