Hi
I gave my first ever GMAT today and scored a measly 620.I want to retake the gmat again but before that I want expert's opinion on how to make a study plan for a 720+ score. Please help
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First GMAT today. Scored 620. Disappointed
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WinnieThePanda
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GMAT/MBA Expert
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Hi WinnieThePanda,
A 620 is a solid score (it's right around the 75th percentile overall) - the average on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years. Depending on which Schools you plan to apply to though, it's understandable that you might want to retest though.
Before I can offer the specific advice that you're looking for, I'd like to know a bit more about how you've studied so far:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How were you scoring on your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on your Official GMAT?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
A 620 is a solid score (it's right around the 75th percentile overall) - the average on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years. Depending on which Schools you plan to apply to though, it's understandable that you might want to retest though.
Before I can offer the specific advice that you're looking for, I'd like to know a bit more about how you've studied so far:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How were you scoring on your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on your Official GMAT?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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WinnieThePanda
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2016 2:00 am
Hi Rich
1. I studied for one and half months before the exams. I gave about 3 mocks.
My quant performance in mocks was bad wrt time and in verbal I was bad with CR.
2. I used OG'15 and MGMAT guide for SC. Powerscore for CR.
I did not study for IR and my performance in IR is bad, like way bad.
3. My CAT scores were in the range 640 (GMAT Prep) - 730(MGMAT Free mock).
4. Scaled score Q - 41, Verbal - 36. Can you help me in understanding this a bit better?
Thank you
1. I studied for one and half months before the exams. I gave about 3 mocks.
My quant performance in mocks was bad wrt time and in verbal I was bad with CR.
2. I used OG'15 and MGMAT guide for SC. Powerscore for CR.
I did not study for IR and my performance in IR is bad, like way bad.
3. My CAT scores were in the range 640 (GMAT Prep) - 730(MGMAT Free mock).
4. Scaled score Q - 41, Verbal - 36. Can you help me in understanding this a bit better?
Thank you
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
[email protected]
- Elite Legendary Member
- Posts: 10392
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Thanked: 2867 times
- Followed by:511 members
- GMAT Score:800
Hi WinnieThePanda,
Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it's likely that you just have not put in enough time and effort yet to score higher. Since there's a considerable 'range' in your CAT scores, I'd like to know a bit more about how you took those Tests:
When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once?
Many Business Schools have publicly stated that they do NOT use an applicant's IR Score when reviewing an application, so you likely have nothing to worry about in that regard. IR performance combines a lot of the same CR skills with some math skills (on certain questions), so improving on CR will likely improve your IR too.
The Q41 means that you were pretty good at most of the 'math' questions that you faced in the Quant section, but you made a bunch of little mistakes on 'gettable' questions and you missed out on a lot of 'strategy-based' points. The V36 means that you were likely solid in all three major Verbal categories, so your missing points there will likely be found in some of the rarer question types, understanding the common wrong answers (so you can spot them and avoid them), etc.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it's likely that you just have not put in enough time and effort yet to score higher. Since there's a considerable 'range' in your CAT scores, I'd like to know a bit more about how you took those Tests:
When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once?
Many Business Schools have publicly stated that they do NOT use an applicant's IR Score when reviewing an application, so you likely have nothing to worry about in that regard. IR performance combines a lot of the same CR skills with some math skills (on certain questions), so improving on CR will likely improve your IR too.
The Q41 means that you were pretty good at most of the 'math' questions that you faced in the Quant section, but you made a bunch of little mistakes on 'gettable' questions and you missed out on a lot of 'strategy-based' points. The V36 means that you were likely solid in all three major Verbal categories, so your missing points there will likely be found in some of the rarer question types, understanding the common wrong answers (so you can spot them and avoid them), etc.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
