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Section Order Question

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Section Order Question

by melissagetsanmba » Fri Jul 21, 2017 10:27 am
Since the GMAT now allows you to choose to start with either quant or verbal, what's the most strategic order?

Should you start with your strongest section and take that confidence into the next section? What if you're not warmed up at the start? If you are, wouldn't you want to be most alert on the section your weaker at?

It seems many are saying to start with your strongest, but I could make a case either way. I think it also might be a factor of how strong you are in each section. If you're at the 80th percentile in verbal and 70th in quant, I think it makes more sense to start with quant. Correct me if I'm wrong.
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by [email protected] » Fri Jul 21, 2017 5:38 pm
Hi melissagetsanmba,

When you consider the full length of the GMAT, it's logical to assume that you'll be more awake and alert earlier on in the Exam - so taking the Quant and Verbal sections (in some order) at the beginning of the Test makes a certain amount of sense. That having been said, there probably is not a 'one size fits all' piece of advice regarding the order that YOU should take the sections in. As such, you should complete a certain number of FULL-LENGTH CATs (taken in a realistic fashion) with the goal of determining which option is best for you.

1) How long have you studied?
2) How have you scored on each of your CATs so far (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
3) What is your goal score?
4) When are you planning to take the GMAT?

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Rich
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by melissagetsanmba » Fri Jul 21, 2017 10:03 pm
Thank you, Rich. I replied to your questions in a private message.
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by Bara » Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:28 pm
Hi melissagetsanmba,

There are two ways to look at this and by taking diagnostics you'll determine what's best for you, consider the following.

1) You feel the longer you go, the more tired you get
2) You feel the longer you go, the more in your groove you become

Determining where you need to be the most alert or focused, and which time chunk you feel that way, is how to proceed. Keep track of your performance and switch off. You might even find you get superstious/habitual about which you want to do first: that's ok too.

Good Luck!
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Select Section Order

by ceilidh.erickson » Thu Aug 31, 2017 5:38 am
Here's what I tell my students: for most people, it will be better to start with your stronger section. That way you can maximize your score on the section that already doing the most to boost your overall score. It will also boost your confidence going into the next section, and possibly increase your score there. Starting with your weaker section might shake your confidence / cause anxiety for the next section.

However, to your point - for some people, the desire to get the weaker section "out of the way" might be a compelling reason to start with it. If you think that you'll be worrying about quant the whole time you're doing verbal, for example, you might want to start with quant, even if it's weaker.

So how do you decide? Take one practice test with Quant first, take the next with Verbal first, and see which one felt better / gave you better results (knowing that each exam is hopefully an improvement on the previous, regardless of order).

I know it's not very satisfying to hear an expert say "yeah, there are arguments to be made either way, so just choose whatever you think is best"... but there's no right answer to this one! As with questions like "should I backsolve or use algebra?" the answer is "it's a matter of personal preference." But you can't really know which works better for you until you've practiced both ways!

Here's more from the Mprep blog: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... most-here/
Last edited by ceilidh.erickson on Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Thu Aug 31, 2017 5:49 am
There's a major flaw in your logic here that I need to point out:
melissagetsanmba wrote:If you're at the 80th percentile in verbal and 70th in quant, I think it makes more sense to start with quant. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Strengths and weaknesses should not be assessed by percentile! In fact, you should ignore your percentiles completely.

Percentiles change over time. In recent years, as the test has become more international, quant scores have been going up, causing percentiles to drop. The opposite is happening on the verbal. The skill level required to achieve a certain score doesn't change over time, though.
More here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... mat-score/

If you were getting a 70th percentile on quant, that would be a 48 out of a possible 51. Any business school would consider that a VERY high score - only 3 pts away from perfect! An 80th percentile verbal would only be a 36/51 - not a very high verbal score if you're a native / very proficient English speaker. In the case that you described, Quant would be the strength by far!
https://www.mba.com/us/the-gmat-exam/gma ... .aspx#tab4

Assess your strengths based on 2 things:

1. Numerical score (out of 51). Generally, top b-schools are looking for >45 on quant, >38 on verbal. A combined score of ~86pts is what you need for a 700+
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/gmat ... alculator/

2. Personal preference - which section feels comfortable / less stressful?
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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