400 (mock) to 690 (actual)(88%)-49Q & 35V w/ Debrief

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by crackgmat007 » Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:39 pm
prepforgmat wrote:Hi crackgmat,
your debrief is very useful for ppl like me. I started with a low score and trying to improve. my mgmat scores are :

mgmat 1 Q39:v20-500---10/13/2009
mgmat 2 Q35:V23-490---11/06/2009
mgmat 3 Q42:V27-570---11/29/2009
mgmat 4 Q33:V28-520---12/07/2009
mgmat 5 Q38:V30-570---12/12/2007
mgmat 6 Q43:V27-580---12/18/2009

gave gmatprep1 today-dec 20th.
Q45, V33 - 640.

I dont know if I was just lucky or mgmat's are difficult. I felt verbal was easier than earlier.and to some extent quant too.
My actual gmat is scheduled for the 28th dec - 1 week to go., planning to give 2-3 more mocks in this time.

I have questions for you...
1. u were talking about a verbal grid that u drew before taking a break btw Q and V section. can u pls share what kind of grid.
2 .are the mgmat's really tougher than the actual exam?

thank u again for the excellent debrief. I have also noted down your time management tables for both V and Q. I am not able to finish Q on time though my timing on Verbal is just right. I guessed last 5 questions in quant.on my last two mocks.
Thanks prepforgmat.

1. The verbal grid I was talking about was jotting down A B C D E grid and timing for verbal.

2. MGMAT quant is definitely harder than actual GMAT. I have mixed opinion about verbal. Sometimes I found them too hard, but other times, it was easy. The real GMAT verbal is tricky. I was able to eliminate 3 choices easily. The other 2 were a tough call.

As you planned, give few more mock tests. Make sure your time management is good. Check Stacy's Ron's posts on time management. Most important thing to remember is to relax your mind. Dont put pressure. The more relaxed you are the better your performance in the main exam. Just check how I handled pressure in my post. One of the things were I just told myself that it is my career and that nobody other than me can control my career. Dont ever let the exam control you.

Good luck for your exam. Let me know if you have any other questions.

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by sheena_2510 » Tue Dec 22, 2009 7:17 am
Hi crackgmat,

Congrats on you score! Your debrief was very encouraging.

I have a few questions, hope you could answer. I am preparing for GMAT since last 4 months. I worked on my basic concepts in the first few months. Later, I worked on OG 11 problems. My accuracy was about 75% in each section. However, I gave my OG diagnostic last week and realized that my pacing is pathetic. This week I gave mgmat1(scored 460) and gmatprep1(scored 510). I have my GMAT in 1 week - 30th Dec 09. I guess my weakness is pacing and need to work on tough questions. Do you think I should reschedule my exam ? I am not sure what I need to do. Please advice.

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by crackgmat007 » Tue Dec 22, 2009 11:38 am
sheena_2510 wrote:Hi crackgmat,

Congrats on you score! Your debrief was very encouraging.

I have a few questions, hope you could answer. I am preparing for GMAT since last 4 months. I worked on my basic concepts in the first few months. Later, I worked on OG 11 problems. My accuracy was about 75% in each section. However, I gave my OG diagnostic last week and realized that my pacing is pathetic. This week I gave mgmat1(scored 460) and gmatprep1(scored 510). I have my GMAT in 1 week - 30th Dec 09. I guess my weakness is pacing and need to work on tough questions. Do you think I should reschedule my exam ? I am not sure what I need to do. Please advice.
One important thing to remember while solving official problems is to time yourselves. That way you would know which areas you are weak and which ones are your strengths. Also, there is no need to solve all problems correctly since some of the questions take way too long time to solve. The best bet here is to make an educated guess and move on. Nothing wrong in making an educated guess. But you must not guess blindly.

GMAT is all about accuracy and speed. Accuracy can be attained by having strong conceptual knowledge. Speed can be attained by practicing. Pace is extremely important. Use excel grid to monitor your pace. I used to time myself while solving problems posted in this forum. Timing is a critical aspect for your success in this exam.

Given your situation, I would reschedule the exam. I am guessing that you are looking for a decent score. Keep in mind your other constraints such as application deadlines etc.

Hope I answered your questions. Let me know.

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by crackgmat007 » Tue Dec 22, 2009 12:25 pm
sheena_2510 wrote:Hi crackgmat,

Congrats on you score! Your debrief was very encouraging.

I have a few questions, hope you could answer. I am preparing for GMAT since last 4 months. I worked on my basic concepts in the first few months. Later, I worked on OG 11 problems. My accuracy was about 75% in each section. However, I gave my OG diagnostic last week and realized that my pacing is pathetic. This week I gave mgmat1(scored 460) and gmatprep1(scored 510). I have my GMAT in 1 week - 30th Dec 09. I guess my weakness is pacing and need to work on tough questions. Do you think I should reschedule my exam ? I am not sure what I need to do. Please advice.
Further, if you are rescheduling, do spend time to go through Stacey's and Ron's posts about strategies. Make a plan to reinforce your strenghts and address your weaknesses. Finalize your strategies for each section and each topic. After you do this, practice as many questions as you can to make sure your strategies are decent to get your dream score. Follow the link I provided. There are many valuable insights by GMAT gurus.

Hope this helps.

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by amir_hatef » Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:04 am
Hi dude,

So amazing and insightful. I hope can implement your hints in order to increase my score. All the very best with your admission and application.