Seeking and advice on preparation

[amurg09]

I have taken diagnostic test of Kaplan and received score: 610.
I have never prepared for GMAT I am thinking to apply for masters programs in 1 year 1.5 so I just took the diagnostic test to understand my strengths and weaknesses.
Percentile per Kaplan diagnostic test:
Quantitive percentage below: 85%
Verbal percentage below: 32%

As I understood I did okay with math but verbal is a huge problem for me. As I am not a native speaker I have problems with grammer too.

Could you please advice me on how to improve by verbla score and also give suggestions on how to improve essay writing skills. ( taking into account the fact that I am not a native speaker and need 100% more effort to advance in verbal and writing skills).

My goal is to achieve about 750.

Thank you beforehand.

[StaceyKoprince]

Have you checked whether you will be required to take the TOEFL or a similar test of English as a foreign language? (If you did not do your university education in English, then there's a good chance the schools will require you to take the TOEFL, IELTS, or a similar test.)

If so, then your best plan is to study for and take that test first, and then take the GMAT after that. The preparation for the first test will help you to build a good foundation; the GMAT will require an even more sophisticated level of language skills.

If you are not required to take the TOEFL (or equivalent), then you'll be looking at a longer-than-usual period of time to study for the GMAT.

I would start with something like MGMAT's Foundations of Verbal Strategy Guide. Once you have mastered that material, you can move on to the main Strategy Guides for SC, CR, and RC (or something equivalent from another company) as well as the Official Guide materials. (Alternatively, you can also look into taking a class or working with a tutor.)

Can I ask why your goal is a 750? No school requires a score that high, and no school will reject you for a 700+ score (though they could reject you for other reasons! :). It's quite a challenge for anyone to score at that level (by definition, only 2% of all testers score at that level or higher).

Here are some free resources to help get you started:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... an-part-1/

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

If you eventually take an MGMAT CAT, you can use the below to analyze your results:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then you can 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!)

[amurg09]

Dear Stacey,

Thank you for suggestions. I have taken TOEFL 2 years ago and scored 110 out of 120, I have to retake it again ( scores are valid only for two years). Hopefuly I will do better.

I will definitaly take MGMAT cat and will post the results of analysis.

I would like to get as high score as possible. Due to my financial situation I think I will have better chances to receive scholarships with high GMAT score.

My overall GPA is 3.77 ( Major GPA 3.84), employement: Established Associate at PwC; Age: 22; many extracurricular activities, lived and studied in the US during a senior year at high school. I think high GMAT score would strengthen my application a lot. I also worry regarding my GPA, although it is not low but overal GPA 3.77 is not considered outstanding.

Once again thank you very much for sharing useful links and giving suggestions on preparation.

[StaceyKoprince]

okay, good - so go ahead and take the TOEFL again, which will help you kick-start your prep for the verbal portion of the GMAT. Then you can dive into GMAT prep.

You may also want to start researching some specific scholarships. I know there are some that do ask for your GMAT score as part of the process, but they also ask for other things. I'm not aware of any that are based only on GMAT. So you just want to see what they want and how heavily they weight the GMAT. You might discover that it's better to go for a lower GMAT score but spend that time doing something else that the scholarship committees will view favorably.

I'll wait to hear from you on your CAT analysis.

[amurg09]

Dear Stacey,

I have finally took MGMAT and here are the results:
quant 63%
Verbal 64%
total score: 630

I was positively surprised to see 64% for verbal section but disappointed with quant score. I have further analyzed the results and want to share some conclusions with you.

In Integrated Reasoning sections I answered all 3 hard questions correctly while did horribly with medium and easy questions. I have difficulties with problems containing graphs and tables.

In quant section my main problems are: combinatorics, divisibility & primes, Digits & decimals, overlapping sets. My strongest area is geometry/stereometry.

In verbal section I have problem with sentence correction. I answered mostly all questions regarding the analysis of the text correctly. But had many mistakes in other types of questions.

Timing: I finished quant section in 75 minutes but lost 5-6 minutes on some questions and felt I was running out of time.

I finished verbal sections in 50 minutes.

I am very surprised with the results of verbal section.

[StaceyKoprince]

Did you do the analysis using the article I posted for you?

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

You don't list the different categories that I discuss in that article. For example, there's a difference between getting something wrong fast vs. on time vs. slow. There's also a difference between getting something right fast vs. slow.

Your list of problem areas doesn't tell me whether the problem is getting them wrong, or going too quickly or too slowly, or some combination... which makes me think you didn't actually use that article to do your analysis. :)

Go take a look and come back with the complete analysis and what you think it means.

Also, nice job, especially on the verbal! I know you were worried about that section. If you finished verbal in only 50 minutes, then you were rushing. You have some opportunities there to pick up points by learning what you need to know and slowing down a little.

For the timing problems on quant, start here:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -to-do-it/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/

You may also want to read this, particular for math:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

That article might explain why you didn't do as well as you were hoping on math - you might have been focusing on it more as a "school math" test rather than doing what the GMAT really wants (and that would also lead to your timing problems).

Let me know what you think!