[email protected] wrote:Hey guys,

I am new entrant. Found this forum exciting, hence posting. Question - I am scoring on an average of 80% in Verbal and close to 90% on quant while solving section tests in OG 11. Yet to m horror, I scored only a 610 in my first GMAT prep test. I am shocked yet positive that I can improve.

Anyone who can help relate my horrifying performance in Prep Test and somewhat average performance in OG section tests.

Thanks,
Avinash

Depends on a bunch of things... Regarding your accuracy rate in OG problems, have you attempted ALL the problems or only the first half or second half of each section? The reason I ask is because OG problems for each section are in the increasing level of difficulty, starting from the easiest to the most difficult ones.
Were you timing yourself when you attempted the OG?

Hey thanks beatthegmatinsept. Well timing wise, I am good in both verbal and quant, averaging <= 2 mins per question. My next question would be - has anyone in history scored 610 and ended up with an actual GMAt score > 720 within 1.5 months from prep test and actual GMAT.

Avinash -

I have had several students make that sort of jump and it is possible to do in less time that 1.5 months. You seem to have a good accuracy rate when taking the questions from the book, but you had difficulty on the first prep test on the computer.

Here are several things for you to think about:

1) Are you having a problem working between the computer screen and your scratch paper? This is common, especially on a students first Computer Adaptive Test. Things like reading comp, sentence correction and geometry are especially different on the computer compared to paper.

2) Are you doing something different with your timing or your focus? Students tend to feel the time pressure more on a test than they do in practicing - even if it is timed practice. Make sure that you are still using the proper techniques when you are taking it on the computer.

3) When practicing did you mix the question types around, or did you do an entire set of Critical Reasoning and then a set of Reading Comp and then sentence correction, etc.? It is easier to get in a groove if you are doing 20 sentence corrections in a row.

4) How many questions did you miss on the GMATPrep? How many were for "silly errors" that you can learn to control with some proper techniques?

If you were having problems with adjusting to the computer, with the timing aspect, with the mix of questions, and/or with making more "silly errors" than you do on paper then you can easily increase your score by 100 + points in 1.5 months because these areas will improve with practice. Even if your problems were from a lack of knowledge you could address those in the time you have remaining.

Good Luck!