3 days to go

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3 days to go

by sunilrawat » Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:31 am
Hi,

I started my prep 3 months ago.
In my first mock, (GMATprep1) I scored 500. I knew I had a long way to go, so I started my prep and till last month my max mock score was 610(Q40, V35) (veritas prep).
Then I reviewed the mocks again and found that I was doing worst in DS in quant and CR and RC in verbal. I practiced under timed conditions on each type of question and the whole sets as well. Then I started my MGMAT series. Here's what I got:
MGMAT1: 640 (Q43, V35)
MGMAT2: 670 (Q48, V33)
MGMAT3: 690 (Q45, V38)
MGMAT4: 700 (Q47, V38)
MGMAT5: 690 (Q45, V39)
Till this stage I was all boosted up that I am gonna break the 700 barrier, but then,
MGMAT6: 640 (Q44, V33)
I realised after the test that I was a little more inclined on solving the questions within time than solving them carefully. So my accuracy went down. Then I tried GMATprep2 with my usual pace and tried everything as carefully as I could. But I scored 630 (Q45, V31)

I noted, however, that in my MGMAT4, where I scored 700 (Q47, V38), I had got 14 wrong in quant and 14 wrong in verbal, though initial streak was better; in GMAT prep 2, I got 12 wrong in each section and yet got 630.
I am confused. Am I really improving, or am a victim of an illusion that perhaps MGMAT has created (no offence intended)?
I will be writing GMAT on Oct 10. And I still don't know where I stand !
Please help.
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by Geva@EconomistGMAT » Thu Oct 06, 2011 3:39 am
sunilrawat wrote:Hi,

I started my prep 3 months ago.
In my first mock, (GMATprep1) I scored 500. I knew I had a long way to go, so I started my prep and till last month my max mock score was 610(Q40, V35) (veritas prep).
Then I reviewed the mocks again and found that I was doing worst in DS in quant and CR and RC in verbal. I practiced under timed conditions on each type of question and the whole sets as well. Then I started my MGMAT series. Here's what I got:
MGMAT1: 640 (Q43, V35)
MGMAT2: 670 (Q48, V33)
MGMAT3: 690 (Q45, V38)
MGMAT4: 700 (Q47, V38)
MGMAT5: 690 (Q45, V39)
Till this stage I was all boosted up that I am gonna break the 700 barrier, but then,
MGMAT6: 640 (Q44, V33)
I realised after the test that I was a little more inclined on solving the questions within time than solving them carefully. So my accuracy went down. Then I tried GMATprep2 with my usual pace and tried everything as carefully as I could. But I scored 630 (Q45, V31)

I noted, however, that in my MGMAT4, where I scored 700 (Q47, V38), I had got 14 wrong in quant and 14 wrong in verbal, though initial streak was better; in GMAT prep 2, I got 12 wrong in each section and yet got 630.
I am confused. Am I really improving, or am a victim of an illusion that perhaps MGMAT has created (no offence intended)?
I will be writing GMAT on Oct 10. And I still don't know where I stand !
Please help.
With all respect to Manhattan, the only tests that can truly be trusted in terms of score prediction are the GMATPREPs, and even they have a 30 point deviation due to a good or a bad day on test date. My best estimate and prediction for your test date is therefore a 640 +/- 30 points: 600-610 on a bad day, 670-680 on a good day.

You have put your finger on the speed / accuracy trade off. Work methodically on each question, without rushing or panicking. Don't let any single question drag you for too long, though - if it's not going anywhere, guess and move on. Your goal is to reach the final question with 1.5-2 minutes on the clock - no more, no less.
Geva
Senior Instructor
Master GMAT
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https://www.mastergmat.com