Need advice..

[v-taseng]

Hi Stacey / Ron / or Insightful Homo Sapien

I took my date yday and scored a 660...this was my second attempt the first being 650.
The issue is again English,Last time my verbal score was 29 this was it was 33.
Now i know that i am not one of those brainy ones to be able to score a 700+ with just a flick of the hand but i think i deserve a 700.
Ok also that my test day did not quite start at a brilliant note.There were some issues happening here and there which caused a certain amount of concentration lapse from my side.To top all that i reached the exam center lil late,so was already tensed.

I have given 4 MGMATS in proper test simulated conditions..
MGMAT 1:590(WITHOUT PREP)
MGMAT 2:700
MGMAT 3:720
MGMAT 4:690

GMAT PREP1:650[which i took some years ago]
GMAT PREP2:550[I was just too bored so after Quants i just kept on marking random things:P]

Now,my distribution of the current GMAT stands as q-48 v-33.
I know i can do a 38-39 in verbal..or so i think.
Will it be advisable to take the test for the third time?Or is it just going to be an effort goin down the drains?Should i be concentrating more on my Profile developement or the score developement.The Round 1s will be starting by Oct so I need to plan accordingly so that i am ready with my GMAT and TOEFL before that.

Please let me know if it is a risk worth taking?

Thanks,
Tanushree

[StaceyKoprince]

I'll answer in the role of Insightful Homo Sapien. ;)

First, you did improve verbal from 29 to 33 - nice work. I know you want more, but that's a great start, so give yourself credit for that.

What did you get on quant last time? Your verbal went up 4 points but overall score only 10 points - did your quant score go down?

In terms of whether to take the test again vs. concentrate on other things, I can't answer that for you, but I can tell you want to think about in order to decide. First, do some research into the schools to which you plan to apply to find out what the average scores are at each school.

Next, talk to some admissions consultants (there's a folder here called Ask An Admissions Consultant; also ask over at Beat the GMAT). They're the best ones to tell you what you need to consider as you make this decision.

You mention needing the TOEFL - have you already taken it? If not, I'd be inclined to get that done first. After all, having a better GMAT score won't help if you bomb the other test, and you do already have a good score on the GMAT.

Finally, if you take the GMAT again, how much time is it going to take *away* from other application stuff? What's the actual trade-off here?

[v-taseng]

Hi Stacey,
Thanks for the Reply..

To answer the questions in parts:
1)Yes my maths score did falter a little bit..I am going to make sure that does not happen again,it was probably due to the adverse effects in which i gave it(you know, as i was almost 10 minutes late for the exam,and i had already hit the panic button by that time),But Maths has pretty much been fair to me.Its English what is killing me to bits.

2)No i have not given TOEFL yet,my TOEFL date is July 22nd.So by August second week i will be ready with my TOEFL score as well.

3)Finally,about taking the GMAT for the third time.If i take it i will be taking it by August mid or end,Now the only thing is i need to make sure is that i am ready with a 5 point increment in English,else the whole purpose of re-taking is Moot:)

What i want to ask is..Is it possible for a approx 5 point increment in English?And if so how should i be going about it?

And oh yeah one more very very important question,..If say i get a 680/690 in my third attempt..will it raise eyebrows among the panel members of the selection committee?As it is the third time and the improvement isn't enough?(You know,from 650-to just 690..even after 3 attempts).
I hope,i came across clear because in my mind everything is quite cluttered and hazy at the moment.


Thanks,
Tanushree

[StaceyKoprince]

Last question first: any improvement is a good improvement. They won't think "oh, he only improved by 30 points? forget it." They really do just look at your highest score, so it's just all about whatever that score is. :)

You're going for a roughly 20 percentile point improvement in verbal, which is doable but not an easy thing to accomplish. It will definitely take work and there's a very good chance it will take the whole 2 months you have (if not longer).

There really isn't a risk as far as the admissions situation is concerned - you either get a better score (in which case, that's the one they consider) or you don't (in which case, they'll use your 650). The only "risk" is whether you could be using that time to work on something else that would be more beneficial to your application. (And that's a question for an admissions consultant.)

[v-taseng]

Thanks Stacey!

I have decided to give it another try by the end of August.
I hope i cross the 700 barrier(crossing all the fingers i have)

Can you guide me how do i go about English?As in to increase the score what are the steps i need to take?

I still have a solid 2 months,i vouch to be as sincere as i have ever been.:D

Thanks in advance.
Tanushree

[StaceyKoprince]

What have you been doing in the past? Do you want to work on your own? Take a class? Work with a tutor?

What do you think allowed you to get from 29 to 33 before? What really helped?

What are your major strengths and weaknesses? Use this article to analyze a recent MGMAT CAT:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and share. (Note: don't just post the raw data. Tell me your analysis - what you think it means and what you should do. It's really important to be able to figure that out for yourself.)

Finally, read this, especially the "how to study" section:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

And this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... orrection/

And this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... g-problem/