GMAT Strategy

lunarpower wrote:this is especially the case on the verbal section, which is much less adaptive than the math section -- i.e., your score on the verbal section is much more closely correlated to the number of questions that you get correct, and much less dependent on "difficulty levels", than is your math score.
therefore, your best bet on the verbal section (probably also on the math section, but DEFINITELY, without question, on the verbal section) is to follow a constant timing pattern throughout the section. do not spend extra time on the early verbal questions.

in my practice experience of 1.5 years, I've observed that a relatively higher number of incorrect answers can keep you in the 40s on the Q section than it does on the V section. in fact, i once scored a 50 on Q with 9 errors. the V section is possibly less adaptive and reprimands you for incorrect answers at any point in the test.

again, i believe it's very important to understand that the GMAT is judging you not purely on the 1st few questions but on various concepts in mathematics and english, and probably scores you according to the breadth of your knowledge along with the difficulty level. for instance, scoring a 50 on Q but a 25 on V indicates a poor balance. similarly, you could be good at arithmetic/algebra but poor in geometry and that could impact your Q score even though you got all else but geometry questions right. however, V scoring seems relatively uniform and several errors concentrated anywhere throughout the section can bring your score down.

lunarpower wrote:in general, the adult human brain isn't made to absorb new information for more than about five hours a day; above that level, you're going to get a lot more negative results and burnout than actual learning.

also, importantly, connections between concepts are not made during active studying; instead, they are made during a process called “latent learning�, which only happens when you are not studying. in general, this sort of learning isn't going to happen unless you give yourself enough time OFF -- at a minimum, 1-2 days OFF per week, and 1-2 hours of dead-brain time per day.

i've personally experienced this twice now and in my recent GMAT administration, my score on Verbal dropped to 19 from ~36 on practice tests though my AWA was 6.0! i spent a lot of time studying constantly, more here:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/700-practice ... 72060.html

besides the non-native speaking barrier, many people on this community i believe are suffering from this psychological problem like me. the majority of learning i feel happens after i have taken a break from studying, e.g. watching tv, sleeping, playing, or chatting with people or being in some place where you can try out what you've learned. last week, i gave a test w/o preparing and got a 34 on the V section. cramming is not a solution, some things take time to soak in and marinate.