How to Improve Your GMAT Focus Score: Tips That Work

Getting ready for the GMAT Focus and want a clear path to higher scores? This guide shows you what to study, how to think during the test, and how to review your work so you see real gains without letting prep take over your life. Today’s focus is the skills and mindset that drive strong results. Follow this approach and you will also set yourself up for success in business school.

Many top coaches built their own 99th-percentile scores using the same ideas you will read here. The goal is not perfection. The goal is smart decisions, steady progress, and consistent execution.

Level 1: Learn the Tested Content

Start by building your foundation:

Facts, rules, and formulas the GMAT tests
Core math skills and data analysis
Reading comprehension and critical reasoning habits
How each GMAT problem type works

Use high-quality resources. Free starter materials can give you a strong base:

GMAC’s Official Starter Kit: https://start.mba.com/free-gmat-official-starter-kit-8-week-study-planner-2

The Official Starter Kit includes practice exams and retired questions. Manhattan Prep’s kit offers lessons, strategy, and time management tools.

Once you cover the basics, take a practice test. Treat it like a fact-finding mission. Your goal is to learn where you are strong, where you struggle, and what to fix next.

Level 2: Build the Mindset That Moves Scores

Content alone only takes you so far. To get beyond average, you need three mindset shifts:

Think like an executive, not a student.
Treat reading comprehension as a whole-exam skill.
Train your brain to solve new problems, not just repeat old ones.

Give yourself time to practice and review. Deep analysis after each session is where most score growth happens.

Principle 1: Develop an Executive Mindset

The GMAT is not a school math test. It rewards decision-making, prioritization, time control, and resilience. Business schools want to see how you think, what you skip, and how you manage pressure.

The exam is computer adaptive. As you answer more questions correctly, you see harder ones. You can still miss a meaningful share of questions and earn a high score because you are working on a tougher mix. That means you must manage risk and choose your battles.

Do not try to get everything right.
Make quick, strategic guesses on low-ROI questions.
Reinvest saved time in questions that you are more likely to solve.

Know your personal bail list in advance. If combinatorics drains your time, plan to guess. You cannot skip all of algebra, but you can skip narrow topics that cost more time than they return.

When anxiety spikes, remind yourself the test allows mistakes. If you do not see a path, pick an answer, flag it if allowed, and move on. Treat each question like a business choice. If the expected return is low, cut it and protect your time.

Principle 2: Read With Precision Across the Entire Test

Many misses come from reading problems too fast or interpreting a phrase the wrong way. Improve your reading habits in Verbal, Quant, and Data Insights.

When you review, ask four questions:

Why is the wrong answer wrong?
Why did the wrong answer feel tempting?
Why is the right answer right?
Why did the right answer look wrong at first?

Most people ask 1 and 3. The breakthrough comes from 2 and 4. Learn how the test writers misdirect you, then train yourself to spot those patterns next time.

A quick example of careful reading: Suppose a question asks which item’s spending differed from budget by more than 12 percent of budget. Differed means it could be over or under budget. Many test takers only check for overspending and miss items that were more than 12 percent under. Words matter. Slow down for key phrases, qualifiers, and scope.

Spend at least twice as long reviewing a problem as you spent solving it. This habit compounds fast.

Principle 3: Know the Code, Think Your Way Through New Problems

You will not see clones of your practice questions on test day. You need flexible thinking and a repeatable approach that works on fresh problems.

Avoid the trap of blasting through thousands of questions. Most gains come from deep analysis, not volume. After you attempt a problem, break it down and document what you would do next time.

Use this review framework:

Got it right, on time
- Did I truly understand it, or did I get lucky? If lucky, study it again.
Got it right, but too slow
- Is there a faster, cleaner method? If not, mark it for quick guessing in the future.
Careless error or trap
- What was the exact mistake or trap?
- Why did it happen?
- What new habit fixes it? For example, organize scratch work, label variables, write the question stem at the top.
- What clues in the question would help me avoid it next time?
Did not know it before, now I get it
- High priority. Identify what to study, plan short drills, and schedule a revisit.
Still do not get it after review
- Deprioritize for now. Define the quick-recognition signs so you can guess and move on. Reassess after your next practice test.

Turn your takeaways into simple rules:

When I see X, I will do Y.

Examples:

When I see language like differs by more than X percent of Y, check both directions, over and under.
When I see scope words in Critical Reasoning like some, many, most, check whether the conclusion matches the scope. If the prompt says some, you cannot conclude most.
When I see extreme words in answers, like always, never, all, none, look for firm proof. If it is not in the prompt, cross it off.
When I see four variables mixed with tough algebraic operations, or a topic I know is low ROI, guess quickly and move on.

You can even set a default guess letter to save time, such as the second option, so you do not waste extra seconds choosing.

Put It All Together

To raise your GMAT Focus score, apply these three habits:

Think like an executive. Spend time where you get the best return.
Read carefully across the entire test. Fix interpretation errors.
Know the code. Convert patterns into rules you can follow under time pressure.

These skills help on test day and carry into business school.

Next Steps

Use any materials you already own and layer in the strategies above. Helpful free tools:

GMAC’s Official Starter Kit with two full-length practice tests: https://mba.com/exam-prep/gmat-official-starter-kit-practice-exams-1-and-2-free

If you want guided support, check out expert-led prep and tutoring options: https://testprepistanbul.com/en/gmat-prep-course-gmat-tutoring/.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my GMAT Focus score not improving?

Check three areas:

Content gaps. Are any rules, formulas, or concepts still weak? Patch holes before you push speed or difficulty.
Process. Do you write clean, organized work? Do you follow a consistent method for each question type?
Time and decisions. Do you track pace as you go, know when you are ahead or behind, and have a plan to recover? Keep a short guess-fast list and use it.

Any one of these can stall progress. Fix them one by one.

How can I raise my score to 655 or higher?

Assuming your basics are in place:

Use an executive mindset. Make decisions based on expected value. Guess fast on time sinks and use that time on questions you can win.
Improve reading across the whole test. When you miss a question, ask why the wrong answer tempted you and why the right one looked wrong. Then train that pattern.
Know the code. Write simple rules in the form When I see X, I will do Y. Use them under pressure to move faster and avoid traps.

Practice with high-quality sources like Manhattan Prep’s Starter Kit and the GMAC Official Starter Kit to apply these steps.

Is a 655 GMAT Focus score good?

Yes. It is above the global average and puts you in a strong position for many programs. Admissions teams review your full profile, but a 655 is competitive at a wide range of schools. If you want more, keep refining timing, decision-making, and review habits, then retest with a clear plan.

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