Scored 460 but want to be in the mid 700's

Question

Hello! I took a cold version of the practice exam and make a 460. Partially that was, IMO, because I didn't finish 2 sections and 1 section, I couldn't find the calc icon until I was about 5 questions deep. I recently got laid off and decided that this would be a great moment for me to pursue my dream of MBA school and so I have decided to take the GMATs in order to see how it'd go for me. Like the title says, I made a 460 on the pGMAT and I want to do my best to get into the 700's. Now that I know what I scored at cold, any pointers on what materials I need to invest in in order to hopefully consistently get better? I'm wanting to take my first GMAT in May and my last GMAT in August because the schools I want to apply to will be doing their first rounds on Sept. 1st. Any advice/guidance/words of wisdom would be so extremely appreciated. Thank you so much for your time!

Answer 1

Most test takers who take the GMAT for the first time are often frustrated and/or concerned with their initial results. This is completely normal and should be a wake-up call about the GMAT. It is long. It is challenging. But it can be conquered!

Here are some ideas for improving your initial GMAT score:

1 - dedicate several hours to reviewing each question that you missed on the practice (or real) GMAT exam (if you download an exam report, you will typically only get a high-level readout of where you did well or poorly).

2 - following your review, identify your weak areas and focus on those areas when you train on your own.

3 - continue practicing problems of all types in order to ensure that your approach is balanced. Scour the internet forums for alternate solutions to problems that pose difficulty.

4 - seek help. As a Wyzant tutor, I seek to coach prospective Business School students on the strategies and tactics for achieving success on the GMAT. My students have seen 130+ point improvements by relentlessly focusing on their weak areas and adding structure and discipline to how they tackle this immensely conquerable test. A second set of eyes on HOW you approach the test can be off immensely -- both in your time and future frustration.

Hope this helps!