Study plan - retaking GMAT to get to 720+

[linh.lam88]

I took the GMAT this past weekend and scored 700 (Q46 - 73%, V40 - 89%), which is great (!) but a tad shy of where I want to be for the schools I am aiming for. I am planning on re-taking the test again in ~5 weeks, and would appreciate any advice on how I can push myself to get those extra 20-30 points.

My goal is to hit 720+

BACKGROUND
I work full-time and have been dedicating ~2 hours every night to studying in some form over the past 3 months. I've been using the Manhattan GMAT strategy guides, the MGMAT CAT Exams, and the OG12 + Supplements to study.

I've taken 5 of the 6 MGMAT CAT Exams and 1 GMATPrep test; the scores that I've recorded are as follows:

MGMAT CAT 1 on 3/12 - 700 (Q47, V38)
MGMAT CAT 2 on 3/17 - 640 (Q44, V34)
MGMAT CAT 3 on 3/21 - 700 (Q46, Q40)
MGMAT CAT 4 on 3/24 - 670 (Q42, V39)
MGMAT CAT 5 on 3/28 - 690 (Q45, V39)
REAL GMAT EXAM on 3/31 - 700 (Q46, V40)

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES
Quant is a significantly weaker subject for me - with my performance getting slower and less accurate as the difficulty of the problem increases.

Timing + stress also seems to be a HUGE problem for me. The slightest stumble can throw me off, and I end up spending more time on problems than I should. This problem doesn't manifest itself when I do practice problems/am studying (I time every question I do) - it shows up when I do practice tests and on the real test itself.

Verbal is a strength I'm comfortable with - I'm confident that as long as I do a few problems every other day and review, I can consistently score upper 80%-th percentile if not higher.

THE STUDY PLAN
This is where I'm not sure what to do. Tentatively, I've mapped out:
* Week 1-2 - Review all CAT/GMATPrep problems I missed or where I spent a lot of time + analyze why I got them wrong / how to solve them
* Week 2-3 - Split each night between reviewing missed OG quant problems + doing additional medium-hard level questions in the supplemental Quant guide. Do one practice test at end of Week 3.
* Week 4-5 - Continue review of Quant; refresh Verbal by up-ing # of practice problems done.

I believe based on my Verbal strength, that if I do ~5 SC, 5 CR, 1 RC question every other night and review them, I will be able to keep Verbal fresh in my mind.

Is there anything I'm missing? Am I approaching this the wrong way? I've been doing this so long, at such a hard pace, that my level of burn-out is really high.

[jnelson0612]

I took the GMAT this past weekend and scored 700 (Q46 - 73%, V40 - 89%), which is great (!) but a tad shy of where I want to be for the schools I am aiming for. I am planning on re-taking the test again in ~5 weeks, and would appreciate any advice on how I can push myself to get those extra 20-30 points.

My goal is to hit 720+

BACKGROUND
I work full-time and have been dedicating ~2 hours every night to studying in some form over the past 3 months. I've been using the Manhattan GMAT strategy guides, the MGMAT CAT Exams, and the OG12 + Supplements to study.

I've taken 5 of the 6 MGMAT CAT Exams and 1 GMATPrep test; the scores that I've recorded are as follows:

MGMAT CAT 1 on 3/12 - 700 (Q47, V38)
MGMAT CAT 2 on 3/17 - 640 (Q44, V34)
MGMAT CAT 3 on 3/21 - 700 (Q46, Q40)
MGMAT CAT 4 on 3/24 - 670 (Q42, V39)
MGMAT CAT 5 on 3/28 - 690 (Q45, V39)
REAL GMAT EXAM on 3/31 - 700 (Q46, V40)

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES
Quant is a significantly weaker subject for me - with my performance getting slower and less accurate as the difficulty of the problem increases.

Timing + stress also seems to be a HUGE problem for me. The slightest stumble can throw me off, and I end up spending more time on problems than I should. This problem doesn't manifest itself when I do practice problems/am studying (I time every question I do) - it shows up when I do practice tests and on the real test itself.

Verbal is a strength I'm comfortable with - I'm confident that as long as I do a few problems every other day and review, I can consistently score upper 80%-th percentile if not higher.

THE STUDY PLAN
This is where I'm not sure what to do. Tentatively, I've mapped out:
* Week 1-2 - Review all CAT/GMATPrep problems I missed or where I spent a lot of time + analyze why I got them wrong / how to solve them
* Week 2-3 - Split each night between reviewing missed OG quant problems + doing additional medium-hard level questions in the supplemental Quant guide. Do one practice test at end of Week 3.
* Week 4-5 - Continue review of Quant; refresh Verbal by up-ing # of practice problems done.

I believe based on my Verbal strength, that if I do ~5 SC, 5 CR, 1 RC question every other night and review them, I will be able to keep Verbal fresh in my mind.

Is there anything I'm missing? Am I approaching this the wrong way? I've been doing this so long, at such a hard pace, that my level of burn-out is really high.

First, congratulations!!!! A 700 is a wonderful score and it must feel good to have that already in the books. I admire your determination to raise your score.

I really, really like your study plan. I think the one tweak I would make is to be sure to work both on math AND verbal regularly during all three weeks. Yes, your math is weaker, but a high verbal percentile will help your overall score more than a high math percentile will. For example, I have seen students obtain a 99th overall percentile on the test with a 99th percentile verbal and an 85th percentile math. A high verbal has a tremendous positive pull upward on your score. Thus, I'd like to see you split your time between math and verbal. It would be a horrible shame to lose any of your verbal improvement and maybe you can boost it even more.

The quality of your review of missed problems will be critical in helping you meet your goals. When you review your CAT problems and those from timed sets, I recommend that you review your verbal problems by stating in your own words why each wrong answer choice is wrong. For math, do a multi-step process:

1) Identify the question type (i.e. quadratics special products)
2) Identify the elements of the question that would help you recognize the problem and know what to do (i.e., I see a square minus a square)
3) Determine the best strategy to solve (i.e., factor)
4) Mark the problem, and work it again cold, timed, in 5 days.
5) If still struggling, flashcard the problem and teach it to someone else.

I've used this review process with numerous tutoring and class students and it is particularly good for helping improve performance enough to vault into the 700s.

Wishing you much luck! I hope you will report back and tell us how things go!

[linh.lam88]

Hi Jamie,

Just wanted to reply back with a thank you for the feedback! Given the short time frame, I implemented a relatively similar version of what you outlined with an "Error Log" notebook. Due to some unforeseen life circumstances (mostly, a pick-up in work), I was somewhat spotty with the studying, but was pretty faithful to the steps outlined.

I ultimately was able to get a 10 point improvement. It's not as much as I'd like, but I figure it's time to move on to other elements within the MBA application process.

Thanks again for your help!

[StaceyKoprince]

That's great! Thanks for letting us know. I'll be sure to let Jamie know.

Good luck with apps - let us know how it goes! :)