Need suggestions for timing strategy :stumped in 2nd attempt

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him1985: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 63; Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:47 am; Location: India

Need suggestions for timing strategy :stumped in 2nd attempt

by him1985 » Wed Oct 15, 2014 5:55 am

Hello Expert,
I wrote GMAT exam on 13th Oct and got a devastating 620 (Q-47, V-28).
I got 700+ in my last 3 Mocks (GMATPREP). In the Exam,that i gave 2 days before GMAT i got 750 (Q-50, V-42).
I have imbibed the e-gmat process and it helped me a lot. I was feeling confident .
On D-day, I made a good start of verbal section and i know that i was doing good because i was getting hard questions.
I managed to complete 20 questions with 29 minutes remaining and when 2nd time i saw the clock i say 15 ques left in 15 min.
At this point, i came on backup strategy. I skip one SC, attempted two SC and then got a Passage again. i tried to complete RC passage carefully cause at least that could give me 3 correct answers but then in hurry, while trying to catch-up time i skipped few questions and attempted few and finally left one. In the end i got 28 in verbal.

I want to give GMAT again because i know that this score is not the true representative of my ability. I know the concept, i know that adherence to process is the key to solve any question but i need to work on time management and need to work on reducing time i take to solve RC and CR. I took few hours for recovery, but now i have decided that i will attempt GMAT next month.

I need your valuable guidance to proceed further. I don't know where to start and how to approach now. I have wasted all GMAT PREP test (i will get at least 5-6 repeated question on every attempt). I found 800 score and MGMAT verbal test easier than GMAT level (Though Quant is harder) . I have solved OG-13 and Verbal twice , i can explain problem in each and every choice for every question in official guide (For SC).I want to give my 3rd attempt next month. Kindly guide me to make strategy and suggest a way for my next attempt

Thanks in advance

Himanshu Chauhan

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Wed Oct 15, 2014 5:55 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; Followed by:1268 members; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:38 am

Regarding time management: 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

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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him1985: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 63; Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:47 am; Location: India

by him1985 » Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:20 am

Thanks Brent for your suggestion.This is very nice video. I will try to follow it now
I have few more questions :

1. I think i took more time in RC and few CRs - However my accuracy for both of them was high during practice but i mismanages time in exam. How to tackle them so that next time i do not face same issue.

2. What resources to use. I wasted GMATPREP test- given 3 times. For other tests i did not find verbal (specially SC) upto GMAT level.

3. Should i focus mainly on question practice and timing or should i again look at all concepts

Thanks

Himanshu Chauhan

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GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; Followed by:511 members; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:45 am

Hi him1985,

Pacing problems are usually not "isolated" problems; they're due to some OTHER problem that leads to the pacing problem. So, to fix your pacing problem, we have to figure out what else is problematic in how you've been approaching the GMAT.

You mentioned a couple of things about the GMATPrep CATs that I'm hoping that you can clarify:
1) You said that you took each of those CATs multiple times (3 times each?); is that correct?
2) You said that your last few CATs before Test Day were all in the 700s; were those CATs the same GMATPrep CATs that you mentioned earlier?

The immediate problem I can see is that your most recent CAT scores did NOT offer a realistic measure of your ability. It could very well be that you're scoring in the low 600s because that's your current skill level. The inflated CAT scores from taking those CATs repeatedly gave you an inaccurate assessment of your abilities. Since you were answering questions that you had already seen, you also didn't realize that you have some tactical problems and pacing problems.

What scores did you get on the last CAT that you took for the "first time"? When did you take that CAT?

There are probably a few areas that you need to work on, but thankfully there are some specific things that you can do to improve. If your goal is to score 700+, then 1 month might be enough time for you to get to that level, but you might need more time than that.

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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him1985: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 63; Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:47 am; Location: India

by him1985 » Thu Oct 16, 2014 5:39 am

[email protected] wrote:Hi him1985,

Pacing problems are usually not "isolated" problems; they're due to some OTHER problem that leads to the pacing problem. So, to fix your pacing problem, we have to figure out what else is problematic in how you've been approaching the GMAT.

You mentioned a couple of things about the GMATPrep CATs that I'm hoping that you can clarify:
1) You said that you took each of those CATs multiple times (3 times each?); is that correct?
2) You said that your last few CATs before Test Day were all in the 700s; were those CATs the same GMATPrep CATs that you mentioned earlier?

The immediate problem I can see is that your most recent CAT scores did NOT offer a realistic measure of your ability. It could very well be that you're scoring in the low 600s because that's your current skill level. The inflated CAT scores from taking those CATs repeatedly gave you an inaccurate assessment of your abilities. Since you were answering questions that you had already seen, you also didn't realize that you have some tactical problems and pacing problems.

What scores did you get on the last CAT that you took for the "first time"? When did you take that CAT?

There are probably a few areas that you need to work on, but thankfully there are some specific things that you can do to improve. If your goal is to score 700+, then 1 month might be enough time for you to get to that level, but you might need more time than that.

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

Hi Rich,

Thanks for you reply.
This was the 1st thing that came to my mind. I accept that i got at least 5 repeated questions in my last 2 GMATPREP exams.

In the last 15-20 days, before my GMAT i gave around 8 Tests -
3 GMAT Prep, (2 exam -second time and one- 3rd time, 1st attempt was around 40 days back)
2 GMATCLUB Verbal only
2 MGMAT Tests
1 Economist GMAT

In any of the test i did not got less than 35 marks. So i was confident to get at least 35-36 in Verbal.
Sometimes i take more time for RC and big CR reading.

What do you suggest for one month preparation

Himanshu Chauhan

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BestGMATEliza: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 103; Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2014 11:31 pm; Thanked: 25 times; Followed by:12 members; GMAT Score:770

by BestGMATEliza » Mon Oct 20, 2014 11:05 am

Te best way to work on timing is practice, practice practice. I recommend that you purchase another set of GMAT practice tests, perhaps Kaplan since they tend to be harder, and take one every other day. Try to actively keep pacing in mind and perhaps experiment with skipping questions here and there and see how you score. I also think it is important to practice with more difficult questions, so they don't hang you up on test day. Kaplan 800 is a good source for those.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Eliza Chute
Best GMAT Prep Courses
GMAT course comparison and reviews
Your one stop for all your GMAT studying needs!

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GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; Followed by:511 members; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Mon Oct 20, 2014 12:47 pm

Hi Him1985,

I've sent you a private message with some suggestions.

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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arun@crackverbal: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 234; Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:50 am; Location: Bangalore; Thanked: 47 times; Followed by:60 members

by arun@crackverbal » Thu Oct 23, 2014 8:37 pm

Hi Himanshu,

I see many experts have answered your queries but still wanted to give you my $0.02

him1985 wrote: On D-day, I made a good start of verbal section and i know that i was doing good because i was getting hard questions.

It is impossible for you to know how well you were doing on the test. Even after years of teaching the GMAT I find it hard to predict the difficulty level of an official question. There are just too many variables involved - and honestly it is not worth your time. The finite capacity your brain has should be fully used to solve questions and not predict difficulty level. Another common misperception is that if you get Boldface questions then you are doing well. I did not see a single Boldface question when I scored a V46 on the test.

him1985 wrote: I managed to complete 20 questions with 29 minutes remaining and when 2nd time i saw the clock i say 15 ques left in 15 min.

Problems:

1. When you thought you were doing well you actually had 21 questions with 29minutes remaining. This meant you had just 82 seconds per question. You had already dug your grave. On an average you get 109seconds per question. Apart from SC I cannot imagine solving any other question type in under 80seconds.

2. Despite being in this situation, you were lulled into a sense of complacency and you did not speed up things. You spent 2minutes per question on the next 7 questions. No matter how easy or tough they were - the fact is you did not GUESS. I have written on how you can analyze your mistakes: https://gmat.crackverbal.com/nailed-it-m ... crewed-it/

Timing is a big problem. And when I say "timing" I don't mean timing PER QUESTION. It is impossible for you to aim for 109seconds per question. This is the GMAT. Not an archery competion. I mean timing PER A SET OF QUESTIONS. The rule I advice is this:

Don't consider GMAT as a 75minute test. Consider it as 5 15-minute tests. This way it is easier to wrap your brain around the timing part. In each 15minute chunk try to solve 8questions in Quant and 7questions in Verbal. Simple. Read more here: https://gmat.crackverbal.com/time-manage ... -the-gmat/

him1985 wrote: At this point, i came on backup strategy. I skip one SC, attempted two SC and then got a Passage again. i tried to complete RC passage carefully cause at least that could give me 3 correct answers but then in hurry, while trying to catch-up time i skipped few questions and attempted few and finally left one. In the end i got 28 in verbal.

Firstly, with a minute per question you perhaps want to solve ONLY SC question. You don't skip SC questions

Secondly, in such a scenario you should have (a) quickly read the passage without trying to remember or analyze anything (b) picked only questions that you want to solve & guessed the rest (c) quickly scan the passage for questions that require details & try answering those.

Point (a) above sounds counter-intuitive but there is a logic to it. Assume you are running low on fuel while driving your geared car. Would you drive on a lower gear or a higher gear? If you understand how it works you will drive at the highest gear because that is when you are most fuel efficient. Similarly when you are taking a test and run into a dense RC passage, reading it carefully is like driving on 1st gear. You will end up spending all your energy (fuel)!

him1985 wrote: I want to give GMAT again because i know that this score is not the true representative of my ability. I know the concept, i know that adherence to process is the key to solve any question but i need to work on time management and need to work on reducing time i take to solve RC and CR. I took few hours for recovery, but now i have decided that i will attempt GMAT next month.

You are correct - you know the concepts. The problem is in application. I am not sure what you mean by "adherence to process" because this is the GMAT. Not a security drill

Each question requires you to think differently but ofcourse you need to have a technique to apply. In my opinion I think your techniques are a bit flawed. Having said that let me tell you that RC and CR work differently. In RC I want to quickly scan before I hit the questions, only to return to the passage multiple times over the course of solving the 3-4 questions. In CR I want to read the stimulus carefully before I get to the answer options.

Time-management is an overall strategy. If you are very good solving individual questions then you would do well overall. So first fix your individual issues (esp in your case RC) before you worry about the overall timing issue. As you are an Indian let me give you a desi analogy. No matter how good a player Suresh Raina is if he keeps getting out on the short ball then he will never be able to score runs

him1985 wrote: I need your valuable guidance to proceed further. I don't know where to start and how to approach now. I have wasted all GMAT PREP test (i will get at least 5-6 repeated question on every attempt). I found 800 score and MGMAT verbal test easier than GMAT level (Though Quant is harder) . I have solved OG-13 and Verbal twice , i can explain problem in each and every choice for every question in official guide (For SC).I want to give my 3rd attempt next month. Kindly guide me to make strategy and suggest a way for my next attempt

In terms of tests there are hardly any that come close to the GMATPrep. As you see several repeats my advice is to still solve them but with a goal to score 800 (trust me - it is a lot harder than you think). Don't worry about full-length tests. If your ability increases then GMATPrep then the test will throw some tough questions at you. See if you are able to solve those.

For practice solve *only* GMATPrep questions - you will find those elsewhere on this forum. There is an additional GMAT Pack that you can buy which gives you about 400 new questions. Try those. You can find them here: https://www.mba.com/india/store/store-ca ... ack-1.aspx

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him1985 wrote: In the last 15-20 days, before my GMAT i gave around 8 Tests -
3 GMAT Prep, (2 exam -second time and one- 3rd time, 1st attempt was around 40 days back)
2 GMATCLUB Verbal only
2 MGMAT Tests
1 Economist GMAT

In any of the test i did not got less than 35 marks. So i was confident to get at least 35-36 in Verbal.

Way too many tests! I really think perhaps towards the end you were desperate to see a higher score. So instead of focussing on your pain-points (net practice in cricketing parlance) you started playing too many actual games.

What was your analysis of these test? What are your top 3 problem areas? What are your strengths? When should you guess? When should you persevere even if it takes a bit more time? What is your timing strategy in each chunk of 15minutes? What concepts did you not understand at all?

him1985 wrote: Sometimes i take more time for RC and big CR reading.

Taking more time for CR is actually okay. There are some questions where you might need 2-3minutes (OG question on television assemblers in Verland) while on RC you should certainly change your strategy.

I hope you found the above analysis useful. Let me know how it goes on the 2nd attempt.

Arun

Founder of CrackVerbal - India's fastest growing GMAT Prepration and MBA Admissions Consulting Company. https://gmat.crackverbal.com

Free Ebook on GMAT | GMAT Scoring, Study plan, top study mistakes etc
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