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Improvements not reflected in mock scores

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Improvements not reflected in mock scores

by Joseph_Alexander » Wed May 14, 2014 12:12 pm
Hi All,

I am a GMAT student, from India, targeting a score of 730+ by mid-June. I have been using Knewton's online classes for my prep. I have been following the classes and have been solving all the questions (required + optional) and have been getting a fair number of questions correct while working with time bound constraints.

I took my third GMAT mock today and am totally disappointed with my progress. PFB my performance over my 3 mock tests:
Past exam reports Date completed Q V Total
Diagnostic GMAT 02/01/2014 36 24 500
Practice GMAT #1 03/29/2014 35 27 510
Practice GMAT #2 05/14/2014 32 30 520

I am not trying to push the blame on Knewton as the number of questions I have been getting correct and wrong are astonishingly consistent. PFB the number of questions I got correct and wrong in each test:

Particulars Correct Wrong Grand Total
Diagnostic 43 35 78
Q - Mock 23 14 37
V - Mock 20 21 41
Practice GMAT #1 144 34 78
Q - Mock 19 18 37
V - Mock 25 16 41
Practice GMAT #2 45 32 77
Q - Mock 20 16 36
V - Mock 25 16 41

I am unable to understand why my performance in the tests, at different points of time and with different levels of knowledge, has been consistently low, while I am able to feel the difference otherwise.

PFB some notes which I believe could help you in giving me some better insight:

DIAGNOSTIC: I took it with no preparation/revision of concepts.
PRACTICE GMAT#1: Due to a little work pressure, I had discontinued studies for a few weeks. I took this mock early in the morning (Indian time) in between a travel schedule with less preparation and so I expected a less score but not as less as 510.
PRACTICE GMAT#2: I have been studying for ~10 hours a day over the last 1.5 weeks and was well prepared to get a 600+ in this mock. However, while I was doing the quant session, my laptop was too slow and so I couldn't complete a question and the laptops slowness caused some frustration in me, which could have made me get some questions wrong.

Anticipate your inputs in helping me achieve my goal.[/list][/quote]
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by [email protected] » Wed May 14, 2014 1:16 pm
Hi Joseph_Alexander,

You've mentioned some aspects about your studies that could actually be hurting your progress. There are some likely factors that could be affecting your lack of improvement, which I'll go into also.

First, the things you've specifically mentioned/referenced:

1) Your score on the GMAT is not based on the number of Correct answers. There are a number of factors involved in how the GMAT generates your score, so gauging your progress by "number correct" is not the proper way to measure your progress.

2) You're not sure why you're "stuck" at this lower level. When reviewing a CAT, it's important to understand WHY you're getting questions wrong. Is it because of a silly mistake, a rule that you didn't know or because the question was too hard? Silly mistakes tend to KILL Test Takers, so I'd start there. In the Verbal section, how often are you "narrowing it down to 2 choices and then guessing?" Doing THAT too often will end up costing you points also (by sheer probability, you'll end up getting half of those questions wrong).

3) Studying 10 hours a day is TOO MUCH. Consistently studying that much could have led to "burn out."

4) If your laptop is too old/slow to be effective, then your studies (and your mentality) could very well be negatively affected.

There are also other factors to consider:

1) The time of day you take your CATs.
2) If you're well-rested and calm before you start a CAT.
3) Whether you take your CATs in a quiet, test-like environment or not.
4) If you're taking lots of notes and staying organized (or if you're doing work "in your head"
5) How often are you using a strategy to answer a question and how often are you just "trying to figure it out"

Considering your score goal, a mid-June Test Date might not be realistic. You'd need to improve over 200 points in 5 weeks and that's not something that most people can accomplish. If you can push your Test Date back a bit and make some adjustments to your study process, then you'll have a better chance to succeed. Some new GMAT resources might also be required.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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