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Study method- OG Practice Q's vs. Manhattan Practice Tests??

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Study method- OG Practice Q's vs. Manhattan Practice Tests??

by andrewkuhn11 » Mon Jul 13, 2015 2:59 pm
Hi all--

I am taking the gmat in 2 weeks and am starting to feel the pressure! My question is if I only have that amount of time, should I focus on completing every single practice question in the OG, or intersperse that study time with manhattan practice tests??? I have take the 2 practice exams already. I feel like the OG Q's will give me the most accurate representation of content, but it is hard to replicate the CAT exam conditions.

would love everyone's opinions! thank you!!
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by [email protected] » Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:18 am
Hi andrewkuhn11,

You haven't defined your work thus far, your goals or your 'weak' areas, so it's tough to say what you should specifically be working on during these last couple of weeks.

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What resources have you been using?
3) How have you scored on your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) What is your goal score?

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by andrewkuhn11 » Tue Jul 14, 2015 10:31 am
Hi Rich, thank you for the reply. Please see my responses below.

1) How long have you been studying? 6 weeks. I finished undergrad in May and have been using my summer to study.
2) What resources have you been using? I have reviewed all of the Manhattan strategy guides (except for reading comprehension and critical reasoning), as well as the main OG. I have just begun practicing with the OG questions.
3) How have you scored on your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)? I scored at 620 (35Q,40V)on my first OG CAT three weeks into studying, and 630 (37Q,38V) on my 1st Manhattan CAT.
4) What is your goal score? 720

I have done well on Verbal with very little prep, so I plan to use my last two weeks to really focus on practice questions for Problem Solving, Data Sufficiency, and Sentence Correction. Time has not been a huge issue for me, if anything I have been trying to focus to slow myself down to make sure make fewer easy mistakes.
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by [email protected] » Tue Jul 14, 2015 4:32 pm
Hi andrewkuhn11,

With just 6 weeks of practice, you would probably benefit a great deal from MORE than an additional 2 weeks of study. Increasing your scores 90+ points in 2 weeks will be difficult. Do you have the flexibility to push your Test Date back?

When you took these CATs, did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?

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by andrewkuhn11 » Tue Jul 14, 2015 4:48 pm
Hi Rich,

Due to time constraints, I am unfortunately unable to move the exam back. I am aware that my study time is compressed and not the ideal spacing, but that it the only option I have. I am not currently working, so I have been able to devote more time to studying than someone who does it after work.

When I took the CATs, I did take the entire CAT (including writing and IR).

Any advice with these points in mind would be great.

Thanks,

A
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by manyaabroadtpr » Wed Jul 15, 2015 5:04 am
Hi, The answer to the question depends on the kind of scores you are getting now vis-à-vis your target score as also how much of the OG you have completed so far, how much time you can spend prepping for the test etc. GMAT OG questions are retired GMAT questions and, therefore, very authentic. Also, take full length tests - you can take it on www.princetonreview.com, these test will help you to understand your strengths & weaknesses, and you can then, practice accordingly. Wish you all the best.
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by Rich@EconomistGMAT » Wed Jul 15, 2015 1:25 pm
Hi andrewkuhn11,

I'm curious if you can shed more light as to why you're unable to move your test date back. As Rich pointed out, a 90+ jump in two weeks will be a challenge, so I'm wondering if you're trying to beat application deadlines and if so, what your motivation for applying *right* now is. In any case, looking forward to hearing more about your situation.

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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Wed Jul 15, 2015 1:41 pm
Assuming your foundations are strong, you'll want to focus on official practice tests. (If your foundations aren't strong, it isn't likely that two weeks would be adequate to address this issue, and the most reasonable option is to push back your test date.) If you haven't done the free mba.com tests yet, do those now. If you've already done them, review them, post questions you have here, and then consider purchasing the two additional mba.com tests here: https://www.mba.com/us/store/store-catal ... ack-1.aspx
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by [email protected] » Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:11 pm
Hi andrewkuhn11,

You've defined your 'weak' areas, so some extra emphasis on those areas is obviously warranted.

I have one more practical question though - if you scored 650 (for example), then what would you end up doing? Stick with the 650 or retake the GMAT?

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by andrewkuhn11 » Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:43 pm
Hi all,

Thank you very much for the replies.

To answer the questions from Rich@EconomistGMAT and [email protected], the reason I have imposed this time constraint on myself is not because of application deadlines, but rather because I will begin full time work the 1st week of August. I want to take the exam before I begin work, but will I not use the score for a few years. Rich, if I receive a sub-700 score, yes, I will take the exam again. That said, I believe I can do well even with the shortened time frame. I want to take the exam under live conditions with the 2 months of prep and give it the best shot I can.

DavidG@VeritasPrep - I have done one of the free MBA tests, but was saving the second one to do a few days before the exam. Do you think I would benefit from doing it sooner, instead of one of the Manhattan tests?

-Andrew
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Wed Jul 15, 2015 6:18 pm
DavidG@VeritasPrep - I have done one of the free MBA tests, but was saving the second one to do a few days before the exam. Do you think I would benefit from doing it sooner, instead of one of the Manhattan tests?
Ultimately, it's a matter of taste, but I see no reason to wait. If you take it, and you're happy with your score, you can feel confident that you're probably ready for the exam. If it doesn't go as well as you'd like, you'll have time to review it thoroughly, post some questions here, and then make some appropriate adjustments.
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