Frustrated

[jacobkirkham]

I have really enjoyed my MGMAT prep up to this point, however, after several months of studying i'm still hovering around the 600 level on practice tests. I've scored as high as 640 and as low as 530. I'm planning to take the test April 17th, and would love some advice from anyone to help me get over the hump and closer to 700. I've scored average on quant and below average on verbal. My last practice test was 590: 41 quant and 30 Verbal. I know both scores are low, but would it be beneficial to me to focus more on Verbal leading up to testing day?

How should I spend my final 2 weeks of prep? Should I move my GMAT testing date back a couple months? Is realistic to improve 50 points over 2 weeks? Any advice would be much appreciated. I really want to get 700, but need to get above 630.

Thanks in advance.

[caitlin.clay]

Hi!

I feel your question would be best answered by an instructor, so I have moved your post. Feel free to ask more questions, though!

Best,
Caitlin Clay
Student Services Associate
Manhattan GMAT

[jacobkirkham]

Thanks. Look forward to some advice.

[jeremy.hansen]

Jacob,

Is postponing out of the question?

Do you know what areas are dragging your score down? I think an instructor is going to tell you that the final 2 weeks are a time for fine tuning and reviewing not cramming and dramatic score improvement.

[StaceyKoprince]

Jeremy's right - the final 1-2 week timeframe is mostly about review and solidifying the skills you already have so that you make sure you "peak" on test day. If you're currently hovering around 600 and you want to hit 700, it's probably going to take more than the 8 days that you (now) have left. Ideally, your practice test score from a week or two before the test should be in the same range as your goal score for the real test.

If you're currently around 600 and want to get at least 630, then it's possible that you can hit that, but it's also possible that you won't.

Either way, I'd say it's in your best interest to postpone right now, unless you're willing to take the risk that you might not cross 630 in 8 days. Then, ask yourself: is your goal 650? Or is your goal 700? 700 is going to take longer and require more work, so you have to decide what you really want to do here.

Were you taking a course? Is that course over now? If so, then you're going to need to start developing your own study plan (and adapting it as you make progress). Use this article to help:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/02/09/developing-a-study-plan

One of the things that article tells you to do is analyze a recent MGMAT practice test to determine your strengths and weaknesses. If you'd like, after you do that analysis, come back and post your findings here. Then we can help you figure out what to do and how to prioritize your time. (We need a lot of detailed data in order to help you figure out how to spend your time!)

Also, you may benefit from some additional knowledge about how to get the most out of your study. Try this article for some ideas:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/03/22/the-best-of-beat-the-gmat-mgmat-how-to-study-list