Am I wrong for thinking I can bring my 580(32V 38Q) to around a 720?

Question

Been super paranoid lately thinking about my GMAT score. I started out super cold, with no understanding of the GMAT. On the first diagnostic, I got a 470, but on my most recent (4th diagnostic), I got a 580. I’m currently using Veritas and I honestly haven’t even hammered down all of the concepts yet. I went through all 12 of the course sections and was planning to review it all one more time, so I can really grind on what’s giving me trouble. Is this a good plan? I also just got a tutor, who’s helping sharpen some of the GMAT skills for me. I find myself messing up on stupid parts of the exam. For example, I could be in between A and D on a DS question, know that the answer is D, but second guess myself and get it wrong. I really think my tutor is going to be able to help me correct a majority of my mistakes. Apart from that, I’m just going to hang out a ton of practice problems. So, what do you guys think? I know a 240 point jump seems CRAZY, but I genuinely feel like it’s doable. After all, it’s only 130 more points, right? lol. Has anyone else been in my situation and pulled through? Any help is appreciated!

Answer 1

Not at all out of the question. Whether you obtain that score relies upon you and you alone. More specifically, in order to obtain the score that you want, you will need to do the following:

1 - Relentlessly focus on the "why" you are getting questions wrong. Do you not understand the concepts? Are you misinterpreting the question(s)? Are you making silly errors? Getting to the root cause is essential to preventing future errors and missed questions/points.

2 - Mentally and physically training yourself for the exam. The GMAT is a 4 hour exam and it requires both mental and physical stamina. Building in regular practice exams under test-like conditions is essential to preparing for the exam. Further, it will provide an accurate gauge on how you are progressing during the journey.

3 - If you are not seeing the score improvements, obtaining help from experts. Preparing for the GMAT can be a lonely and frustrating experience. Seek help from experienced tutors who have walked that journey before. Tutors can provide insights into where you need to tweak your approach and help you maximize preparation so that you are not wasting endless cycles with little improvement to show.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Hi Jermey,

In a few words, it ain't easy, but definitely doable. The GMAT is a learn-able exam, don't have to be a genius to get a high score. You've already made great improvement and should continue to learn the fundamental knowledge that's necessary to get to the 650-700 range (i.e. knowing the math, understanding the verbal section questions, basic test taking strategies on questions) but to improve past 700 is typically a hard barrier.

For most students this involves much more regimented hard core test taking strategies, and working on very specific questions they consistently get wrong. I help by providing tips, learning schedules/strategies and teaching the way you should THINK about questions, what they really want, what the person who wrote the question is trying to trip you up on, and have helped several students (including myself) get past the 700 mark to their desired score.

Let me know if you'd like to have a chat anytime.

-Michael