GMAT Strategy

Kristinaw14 wrote: My huge issue is timing. I am usually pretty solid and in the middle when the questions get harder I lose time and end up having 7-8 minutes for the last 8-10 problems. How do I correct this issue? I usually do sets of 10 from OG in 20 minute increments. Should I be taking practice every week to help me pace? Are these the strategies I should be using? Any other (better) strategies? Thank you!

It's going to take a while to increase your score from 440 to 550/600. So, when you practice questions from the OG, don't obsess about timing just yet. CONTENT first - speed second.

That said, I think it's a good idea to use a stopwatch to help get an idea of what 2 minutes feels like. This tip and others can be found in my BTG articles on "making friends with time on the GMAT"
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/06/ ... mat-part-i
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/07/ ... at-part-ii

Regarding time management on full-length practice tests: I suggest that you use the following Milestone Charts to keep you on track:

We (at GMAT Prep Now) feel that these times are easily remembered so you can quickly jot them on your noteboard on test day.

This (and more) is covered in our free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

Cheers,
Brent

Hi Kristinaw14,

Many Test Takers experience pacing problems during their studies, so you're not alone. Unfortunately, your pacing problem is the result of some other mistakes that you're making - to fix it AND raise your GMAT score, we have to take a more detailed look at how you've been studying. If you can answer a few questions, then I'll be happy to advise.

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What materials have you been using to study?
3) What were your Scaled Scores for the Quant and Verbal sections on each of your practice CATs (and on the Official GMAT)?

Using your 440 Official GMAT score as a baseline, your goal is to improve 110 - 160 points. That is an attainable goal, but it's going to take some time. Most Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies, putting in 10-15 hours (or more) per week.

Are you facing any deadlines?
When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Hi Kristinaw14,

When a Test Taker sees a significant score drop on Test Day, the likely causes are based on either unrealistic practice or some Test Day factors (including the 48 hours before Test Day) that may have affected his/her performance.

I want to start with something that affects a lot of Test Takers. When you took these practice CATs, did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)? If not, then you took a shorter Test that did not properly test your pacing and endurance. In these cases, the likely result is an "inflated" score. The Official GMAT takes the better part of 4 hours to complete, so you need to train for THAT experience.

It might also be that you just had a "bad day", but the data doesn't quite support that.

Have you scheduled your next GMAT appointment yet?
What is the latest that you can push it back?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich