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by estanton » Sat Jun 13, 2015 1:44 pm
Hi all! I'm new to the GMAT and thought I would touch base for a little advice before diving in.

Some quick background--I am a recently graduated science major taking the GMAT in a little over a month. I've been studying a little over the last week or so (probably less than 3 hours total) and took my first diagnostic test today and scored a 710 (44 Quant, 42 Verbal and 8IR). Obviously this is a good place to start and I honestly would be more than happy with an official score like that but need to keep moral up and keep going to ensure I get a 700+ on the real thing.

I'm going through sections in the official guide and am trying to do some targeted studying in some of the Manhattan Prep books (I have a few of them) but am definitely struggling the most with Data Sufficiency. Am I doing all that I can be doing or is there some sort of assessment test I can take to break down my deficiencies (it seems like most people just track them themselves?)?

I'm a strong test taker but not one of those savants that just walks in and kills it--I'm looking for some advice and motivation!
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by [email protected] » Sun Jun 14, 2015 11:03 am
Hi estanton,

A 710 is an abnormally high initial 'baseline' score, so I have a few questions about that Test:

1) What 'brand' of test was it? Was it a computer-based or pencil-and-paper based Test?
2) Did you write the Essay too (or did you skip it)?
3) Did you do anything while taking this Test that would be considered unrealistic on Test Day (pausing the Test, listening to music, eating food while taking it, etc.)?

Data Sufficiency is the question type that is unique to the GMAT; many Test Takers need time to learn the nuances of DS questions (and the tactics that you can use to beat them), so you're not alone. You might be able to learn what you need from the books that you have; you can also work through the DS Forum here to get some extra practice and see how the Experts tackle these questions.

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Jun 14, 2015 11:53 am
Congrats on an outstanding baseline score of 710!
estanton wrote: I'm going through sections in the official guide and am trying to do some targeted studying in some of the Manhattan Prep books (I have a few of them) but am definitely struggling the most with Data Sufficiency.
EVERYONE struggles with Data Sufficiency (DS) questions at first. Keep in mind that this question type is unique to the GMAT, so it's totally foreign territory.

It just takes time for the concepts and strategies to become secondary, at which point you may come to find that DS questions are actually easier than Problem Solving questions.

I could start listing dozens of DS strategies and common mistakes (like confusing the answer to sufficiency question to the answer to the target question), but it's easier to just direct you to our free set of videos that cover everything you need to know to tackle DS questions: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat-data-sufficiency

estanton wrote: Am I doing all that I can be doing or is there some sort of assessment test I can take to break down my deficiencies (it seems like most people just track them themselves?)?
You should also use an Error Log (aka Improvement Chart) while completing questions from the Official Guide (OG). You can find a free downloadable Improvement Chart here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-error-log. This will help you identify and strengthen your weak areas.

Cheers,
Brent
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by estanton » Sun Jun 14, 2015 12:05 pm
Thanks for the responses!

To answer Rich's question:
1) it was one of the free GMAT Prep ones so on the computer
2) I did write the essay but I assume we don't get a score back for that
3) I took the MCAT last year so knew exactly what to do to simulate testing environment. The only thing I did differently was skipped the breaks and was using pencil and paper for my scratch an not a marker and board.

Again it was only sort of a "baseline" because I had put in a few hours of work this past week.

Thanks Brent! I will definitely do those videos and keep a log. I only have about a month so I'm trying to do really targeting work instead of broad and I think a log will let me know what deficiencies I need to focus on.

It seems like I have some good materials. How many practice tests should I plan on taking? There's one more free one and after that should I buy additional official practice tests?
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Jun 14, 2015 12:12 pm
estanton wrote:How many practice tests should I plan on taking?
I typically suggest that students achieve their target score on at least 2 practice tests before they take the official test.
estanton wrote:There's one more free one and after that should I buy additional official practice tests?
You can actually take the GMATPrep practice tests more than once each. When students see that the GMATPrep software contains two practice tests, they often assume that they can take each test only once, and if they do take them a second time, the questions will be the same.

This is not true. The GMAT is computer adaptive, and questions are drawn from a large pool of questions. So, while you will see duplicate questions (about 6 or 7 per section), the majority of questions will be new to you. When/if you see a duplicate question, you can minimize score inflation by waiting 2 minutes before you enter your response (otherwise, you'll gain undeserved time that you wouldn't normally have had.)

If anyone is interested, I wrote an article on this topic: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/tak ... iple-times

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by MartyMurray » Sun Jun 14, 2015 3:27 pm
Basically you can use every practice question and every practice test to figure out what you need to work on. If you don't know how to do something, and it keeps showing up, that's something to work on. If you feel a little sick just from seeing a type of question, that's also something to work on.

Generally I like to look at GMAT preparation as a process of locking in scores and putting more points on the board. To lock in that 710, you can make sure you are pretty clear about and skilled in a broad variety of GMAT question types, in both quant and verbal. To put points on the board, you can focus on getting better at certain things so that next time you take a test you will likely get more questions right and score higher.

As far as data sufficiency questions go, they can seem a little daunting at first, but after you do them for a week or two the whole data sufficiency thing will likely be mostly second nature to you. After a month, you should be pretty much set.

Critical reasoning questions can also take some getting used to. Reading comprehension may seem straightforward, but to get the more difficult RC questions right you have to be preeeeettttty careful.

Much of what it takes to score high on verbal is comprised by getting good at eliminating answers and noticing details. Details make all the difference. I have seen people who know all about SC, CR and RC not get right answers because they didn't pay attention to a word or two when working on questions.

The online aspect of the OG can be pretty useful for getting used to working from a screen. So you might want to use that.

A key part of maximizing one's GMAT score can be optimally handling the test as a whole. So, yes, you may want to take a few more practice tests along the way, by reusing the first two GMAT Prep tests, by buying the other two GMAT Prep tests or by using tests made by test prep companies. Veritas and Manhattan Prep have pretty good practice tests, and each offer a first test free. So there's another way to go if you want to take a bunch of practice tests.

Just maybe don't take a practice test in the days right before the actual test, because you could leave yourself a little spent.
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by Ian Stewart » Sun Jun 14, 2015 8:12 pm
estanton wrote:
It seems like I have some good materials. How many practice tests should I plan on taking? There's one more free one and after that should I buy additional official practice tests?
If you have only one month to test day, I'd not recommend using any tests besides the official ones. Some company tests are decent, but none come all that close to simulating the real thing. The official tests and question pack aren't expensive, so I'd definitely invest in those if you'll have time to use them.

That said, I don't think you'll want to take very many tests. If you're comfortable with test-taking, and you don't need to assess your level, the main reason to take tests is to practice pacing strategy. Taking tests is not a good way to learn content, or to assess your weaknesses in individual topics - to do that, you really need to work on much larger sets of questions than a test will provide. You can't easily judge how successful your pacing strategy is until you've learned all the methods and concepts you'll be using, so for now, I'd suggest working through Quant one topic at a time. First learn any concepts or methods that are unfamiliar, then solve a variety of questions (many sites offer a breakdown of the OG by topic). Be sure your understanding is deep enough that you can answer novel questions in each area, and be sure you recognize, when seeing a question, what specifically is being tested and what you need to do. Once you've covered the content, then you'd want to take a diagnostic to determine if you'll raise your score most by improving your pacing (which you'd work on by taking additional tests) or by improving your ability (which you'd do through review and practice).

You're in a great situation now, with naturally outstanding Verbal ability, and room to improve in Quant. It can be hard to raise Verbal scores already near the top end of the scale, but you should definitely be able to raise your Quant if you prepare effectively. Good luck!
For online GMAT math tutoring, or to buy my higher-level Quant books and problem sets, contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

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by Rich@EconomistGMAT » Thu Jun 18, 2015 10:51 am
Hi estanton,

As everyone here has already said, I wouldn't worry too much about taking too many practice exams from this point forward. Instead, go through your practice exams and really try identifying small details about your test-taking habits/patterns that will help you focus your study plan, whether that means reviewing concepts again or practicing your overall timing on some sections.

Best of luck!
Rich
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