Practice test score No improvement observed-Time for GMAT?

[mathophilic]

Dear Sirs
Please guide , I am in a stalemate condition..For verbal- No issues in Quant, have been successfully getting in the range of 49-51
Practiced through almost all the books you would suggest viz. Manhattan CR,Power score bible for CR, Kaplan Premier, Kaplan 800, OG 11-12-13, Verbal OG 2nd edition. And at the 80-90% of actual examination condition , including timing restrictions, did achieve an accuracy rate of 75-80% in CR, SC, RC which was satisfactory in comparison to the rate I used to achieve before I started preparing for the GMAT.
But After analyzing app 6 test I find myself at a stalemate position, where it is hard to find a way as I could not even in a single test reached to an accuracy level (60-65% ) as per the practice books resulting in a performance as follows.
GMAT Prep 1- Score 640-started CR completed From OG-Confidence boosted- Laptop crashed- re installed software-retaken-Score 700
Manhattan 1- Score 680
Manhattan 2-Score 680
Manhattan 3-Score 650(I attended a call without pausing the test, while doing Quant- wasted 3-4 Min, had to rush through in the end)
Kaplan 1- Score 680
Kaplan 2-Score 690

Sir, What do you suggest as I don't find any use of practicing the materials rather the performance is a matter of my lack of concentration or some strategies. I am confident that Whatever I did wrong in the test or the practice materials I could have done if I could have hold my nerves and done that with 100% Focus(Which is not possible as such...)..
So Is this the right time to Take the Date and appear for the GMAT... As My Target score is somewhere around 720-730...
Or would you suggest some strategy so as to improve score at least upto the Target score..(Am I very Far away from Target score?? )

[StaceyKoprince]

Assuming that you took the practice tests under 100% official conditions (including essay and IR), then you are not very far from your goal, no. You don't want to take the test now, though - your scores are still consistently lower than your goal, so you should expect to score somewhere in the high 600s on the real test. (Again, this is assuming that you did take the practice tests under official conditions. If you skipped essay or IR, used the pause button, etc, then your practice scores might be artificially inflated.

I notice that you listed a couple of sources for CR (the MGMAT guide and the PowerScore bible) but nothing for RC and SC. I'm not familiar with the Kaplan materials, but I believe that the ones you cited mostly provide practice questions, as opposed to actual lessons on how to get better. The OG materials you listed are all practice problems, not actual lessons.

So it seems that you have been doing lots and lots of practice problems. The problem is: this is not actually how you improve. You improve by learning how to get better in between doing practice tests / problem sets. You then use the practice tests / problem sets to test your new skills.

Read this:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/10/ ... diers-make

Pay particular attention to the first of the two mistakes, and read the follow-up article linked there. I'll link it here too, but read the above articles first.
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... an-part-1/

The section on how to study will help you learn HOW to learn. :)

[mathophilic]

Thanks ,
Got your point. I have also bought Manhattan SC and working through that. and For R.Cs are there any strategy involved or its just your comprehension which increases with lot of reading.
That is why I haven't taken any guide for the same and thus only practicing through the material I already possess.

One more Query sir,
I am not planning for MBA from US/CANADA/EUROPE, but from some Asian country. I have sort listed one university viz International university of Japan, as it suits my profile- having app 1 year training attended in a good technical college in Nagoya Japan , knowing Japanese language to a good intermediate level, and having a good managerial work exp of app 7 years in an automobile company , which was collaborated with a Japanese Auto giant - So would it be a good decision for me with a GMAT score of app 700 (Last entering Class GMAT range was 540-690 )in view of handful scholarships it provides. Can I get a critical analysis for me to join the same or not..Thanks a lot.

[StaceyKoprince]

There are, in fact, strategies for RC - in terms of both how to read and how to answer questions. Here are some strategies for reading:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... p-passage/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -passages/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... c-passage/

And some for answering questions:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... estion.cfm
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/09/ ... prehension
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/11/ ... il-problem

Re: your admissions question, I'm not the best person to ask - my area of expertise is the test, not the admissions process. There's another folder here called Ask An Admissions Consultant - post your question there. You may also want to ask the same question on other sites; this is the kind of advice where it's good to have 2 or 3 opinions.

p.s. thank you for being so respectful, but just FYI, I'm not a "sir" :)
Good luck!

[mathophilic]

Hope You did't mind Mam. I could not figure it out from your name.
And Giving respect to the one who is your teacher /Guide, is the least thing I can do....
Got 700 in 4th test Manhattan GMAT, 690 in Kaplan, and GMAT Prep 2 740. Thanks for your guidance...MAM..

Will take GMAT in 2nd week of November.. Still App 1 more month to Go..

[StaceyKoprince]

No, I don't mind - I know my name is not a common one for non-North-American ears. :)

Great job on your recent practice tests! (And you did take them under 100% official conditions, right? Including essay and IR?) Let us know if you want to discuss anything else and good luck!