Study strategy - very unbalanced score? Please help!

[Peiyilin09]

Hi there! I am just starting a course but plan on applying to B-school right after taking the test in 8 weeks for round 3 of applications. I took a practice CAT on the website and got 620. Even though I plan on getting 750ish, this seems actually something feasible. The only thing that worries me is that my quant score is in the 44%, and verbal is 81%, so I certainly need to work on my math. I am frustrated since I am an engineer and can't even figure math out! I realized when I reviewed the problems, as I tried them again I could solve more than half of them correctly - so I conclude I have issues with time and also I am rustic on computations. What would you recommend as a study strategy given my situation? Is this something do-able in an 8 week time frame? I also work full time and find studying 2 hrs per day difficult. Thank you!

[StaceyKoprince]

620 to 750 in an 8-week timeframe is going to be pretty tough. Most people would need more time. Most people study for 3-4 months even when not going for a crazy-high score like 750 (by definition, only 2% of test takers get to that level!).

So, overall, I guess I'd say: go for it, but think now about what you want to do if you can't get that high in that timeframe. Would you rather lower your goal score but still apply this year? Or would you rather go for the score even if that means postponing until next year. (Think especially about the fact that you've already noticed that it's hard to get enough study time in... and you'll also need to be doing applications on top of that.)

Also, did you take that practice test under 100% official conditions, including essay and IR? If not, then your initial score may be artificially inflated. (Doing the initial two sections tires out your brain, which can affect your performance on the later sections.)

You say that you're "just starting a course" - do you mean an actual class? If so, do whatever the teacher / syllabus tells you to do. If you meant you were just starting out on a course of self study, then take a look here for how to develop your own study plan:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... an-part-1/

Once you've figured out a plan for yourself, feel free to tell us about it and we'll tell you what we think. (Or, again, if you are in an actual course, then they should be telling you what to do! And you should be asking your teacher for advice about things like how to get the most out of your study time etc.)

[Peiyilin09]

Hi Stacey,

Thanks for the reply! I am taking an actual in-class course at the moment, and I have gotten feed-back from my instructor. I definitely realize now that 3 weeks into the course it is tons of work and I think for my it is more important to get a good score, than lower my goal - since I plan on getting into a good school, haha. I think it will be wise for me to postpone my application for round 1 of 2014. In the mean time I will spent 3 months studying instead of 2 month.

One question tho, would the online sources - like practice CATs etc be available to me once my course is over in 6 weeks?

Thanks much!

[StaceyKoprince]

Yes, all the online resources continue to be available to you after the course is over - don't fear! Most people continue to study for several weeks at least (and often longer) after the course ends. You'll be fine. :)