This student has made some solid gains, moving from 595 to 615 and then jumping to 675. That’s fantastic progress! But the GMAT score ceiling is high, and getting from 675 to a 700+ score requires a different kind of focus than the earlier stages. Many students stall out here, and it’s usually because they’re not targeting their weaknesses effectively.
So, what’s the next step? It’s all about precision. At this point, you can’t afford to just keep drilling questions you’re already good at. We need to identify the few, specific areas that are holding you back and hammer them until they’re no longer weak spots.
Here’s how I’d approach this:
1. Deep Dive into Your Error Log: Don’t just look at *what* you got wrong; look at *why*. Was it a careless mistake? A conceptual gap? Did you run out of time? Were you tripped up by a specific question type or a tricky wording? The OG explanations are great, but often you need to dig deeper. If you’re consistently missing medium-difficulty questions in a specific area (say, number properties or pronoun errors), that’s your gold mine. Don’t ignore those “easier” misses; they’re often the key to breaking through a plateau.
2. Targeted Practice, Not Volume: Forget doing hundreds of random questions. Instead, find sets of 10-15 questions that focus *only* on your identified weak areas. Do them under timed conditions, review them thoroughly, and repeat. The goal isn’t just to see more questions, but to build mastery in those specific skills. If you’re missing parallel structure questions, do 15 parallel structure questions. Review them. Do another 15. Rinse and repeat until you’re getting them consistently right.
3. Simulate Test Conditions Realistically: Your practice tests need to feel like the real deal. Take them in the morning, stick to the break schedule, and minimize distractions. More importantly, analyze the results like you would an error log. What patterns emerge? Are you consistently losing points in the last 15 questions of a section? That’s a stamina and pacing issue, not just a content issue.
4. Leverage Advanced Resources: At the 675 level, you’ve likely mastered the basics. Now it’s time to look at more challenging material. This could mean tackling official GMATPrep practice tests if you haven’t already, or exploring question banks known for their difficulty and accuracy. Resources that explain *why* the wrong answers are wrong, not just why the right answer is right, are invaluable here.
5. Mindset and Strategy: Sometimes, the biggest hurdle isn’t knowledge but confidence and strategy. Are you second-guessing yourself? Are you falling for common traps? Refine your approach to each question type. For example, know exactly how you’ll tackle a Data Sufficiency question before you even read the prompt. Small strategic adjustments can save you precious minutes and prevent silly errors.
Getting from 675 to 700+ is a marathon, not a sprint, and it demands a laser-like focus on your specific weaknesses. Don’t get discouraged; this is where the real GMAT mastery happens.
