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how to replicate mock test experience on the real test

by cd86 » Tue Sep 03, 2013 11:54 pm
I have given the real GMAT twice , and both the times i had put in a lot of effort.Before appearing for the test the second time i had given many mocks and scored around 700 , but i scored a 590 on my second attempt.

I have read on various threads that this is very common and that people score much lower on the real thing than in practice exams,after reading these posts i concluded that i have a big skill gap and that only real hard work for the next whatever time is going to ge tme my 700+ ,since then its been 9 months and i have been working really hard everyday to improve quant and verbal.

After all these months,I felt today that maybe something much more than quant and verbal ability is needed to crack the exam.

I do fairly good in mock tests and fantastic in practice sessions..which basically proves to me that i dont have a huge concept issue or that i dont have to learn anything new..but i have a problem perfomring on the test.Following are the things that affect my performance on the real thing :

-Being very anxious
-Silly mistakes
-Re-reading or re doing SC and CR problems just to be doubly sure
- Second guessing my answers in verbal,taking up more time than what it would take to do the probelm in practice
- Being very excited about nearing the end of the exam halfway towards the verbal session :S

I feel that if i can manage to eliminate even some of these probelms I will do much better on the exam. So,my question is : How to replicate a practice session performance on the real exam?

What should be my mental state when i give the exam? what is the technique behind performing my best?

Eagerly looking forward to your responses.

Thanks.
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by [email protected] » Wed Sep 04, 2013 12:24 am
Hi cd86,

You're asking about something that requires a remarkably detailed answer (because it depends so much on the individual).

There is something that you CAN do though, that will likely help you to solve most of your problems:

Write EVERYTHING down, on the pad, every time you solve a problem. It'll help to fix your organization, silly mistakes, pacing, nervousness, the "need" to double-check everything, etc.

Another thing to consider is how closely your CATs match your Test Day experience. Consider ALL the details: did you take every section or did you skip any sections, time of day you take the test, amount of sleep, breakfast, snacks, how you handle each section, etc. Usually, any type of change, however insignificant it may seem, can cause "ripples" throughout the test and keep you from performing at your best.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by cd86 » Wed Sep 04, 2013 1:08 am
Thank you so much for the help.

Thankfully I already have a habit of writitng things down,but my freinds suggested that i get rid of the practice of doing multiplications and other calculations by writing them down and rather should do them mentally to save time. I think i will just stick to my original method.

How important are these 'other' factors such as confidence,attitude,break fast,sleep,mood?

I would like to know what gives high scorers most confidence.

cd
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by [email protected] » Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:48 am
Hi cd86,

Most people think that the GMAT is some sort of IQ Test, and it's really not. In addition to the mental aspect, there's also a physical and psychological aspect that most people don't factor in to their studies, so they're not truly at their best on Test Day. You don't need to be a genius to score 700+, but you do have to take control of the all the various factors that go into taking the GMAT.

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by David@VeritasPrep » Wed Sep 04, 2013 1:54 pm
It is not true that most people score much lower on the real exam compared to the practice tests. In fact, the GMATPrep is usually a pretty accurate representation of what you would score on the real test on that day. Some people score higher some lower most score about the same. The new Veritas practice tests have also appear to be very strongly correlated to actual GMAT test scores. Here is a link to the free Veritas Prep CAT https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat/free-gm ... tice-test/

All of the other factors are just there to make sure you arrive at the test in a normal frame of mind. If you have practiced the full test in a realistic way and if you can avoid any bad things like not sleeping at all the night before or being late to the test or showing up really ill then you should be able to score near what you did on your practice tests. If not then you may need to work on either test anxiety or your overall timing strategy.

Here are some things that might help.

First, this is an article about practicing in a way that is true to the actual test:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/07/ ... tice-tests

Secondly, here are some articles about dealing with possible test anxiety since that might be part of the problem:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/06/ ... n-the-gmat

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/10/ ... n-the-gmat

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/04/ ... ay-anxiety

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/04/ ... ay-anxiety


Finally, if I may ask, how is your timing strategy on the actual test? Did you run out of time? How was your pacing?

David
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

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by cd86 » Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:17 am
To maintain time was certainly a problem in the real test.

Quant : I was so nervous of messing up timing in quant that i quit a few questions that i should have probably attempted and finished the exam with 5 m inutes to spare

verbal : I was on track untill the last RC passage , which was very convoluted and hence i had to rush up in the last 4-5 questions.

Q-44 v-28

so yes,timing is a problem. Since my last test I made it a habit to make a grid that keeps me in track of which question i should be in what time..that has helped me a lot,but i still struggle with finishing verbal comfortably.
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by SanjayGolf » Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:25 am
Getting my timing down, not going too fast or wasting too much time on a single problem, helped me immensely. Try to see if you have a mock available that will let you set the time per question instead of just a total time. This way you can train yourself to have an internal clock and will give you a good pace during the exam.
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by cd86 » Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:53 pm
Sanjay , I do have mgmat cats that allow me to set the time per question.I will try that out. thanks.

Right now I have been averaging 650 in almost all the mocks that i give , but still I soemtimes feel like I wouldnt even be able to get a 650 if i appear for the real gmat now.There are two main reasons for that.
- my previous exams's have brought down my confidence to such a level that i have nightmares about never being able to break even 600 no matter what i do
- I come across so many debriefs that say how people were scoring 750s in the mocks and got 550s etc..thats scary! How do i even estimate my real position?
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