Diagnostic Test from OG

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reylo11: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 9; Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:50 pm

by reylo11 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:53 am

Hello guys.! I want to start again with my GMAT preparation studies since a couple of months of not reading / studying anything.
Last year I took some MGMAT practice tests and was scoring 550 on average.
I want to start again with my studies and was thinking to start my preparation taking the diagnostic test found on the OG. Was wondering if this would be a good start and also if I should time myself while doing so. If this is a good start, how long should I take for every question on average?

Thanks for your inputs!

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:53 am

DavidG@VeritasPrep: Legendary Member; Posts: 2663; Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 amFollowed by: 128 members; Location: Boston, MA; Thanked: 1153 times; GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Sat Feb 11, 2017 8:52 am

reylo11 wrote:Hello guys.! I want to start again with my GMAT preparation studies since a couple of months of not reading / studying anything.
Last year I took some MGMAT practice tests and was scoring 550 on average.
I want to start again with my studies and was thinking to start my preparation taking the diagnostic test found on the OG. Was wondering if this would be a good start and also if I should time myself while doing so. If this is a good start, how long should I take for every question on average?

Thanks for your inputs!

The diagnostic in the OG has some interesting questions, but isn't very good for getting a benchmark, as they don't do that little helpful thing where they give you an actual score. You can find the official CATs here: https://www.mba.com/us/store/download-fr ... tware.aspx

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sat Feb 11, 2017 9:48 am

I'll echo David's comment.
The diagnostic test in the Official Guide is a killer. I believe that it's meant to familiarize you with the types of questions found on the GMAT and give you a very approximate idea of your current skills.
If you decide to take it, don't dwell too much on the results of this test.

Taking an official GMATPrep practice test is a better route to get a baseline score.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sat Feb 11, 2017 11:27 am

Hi reylo11,

Your last post is from almost 3 years ago, so I'm going to assume that you're essentially restarting your studies from scratch. As such, it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can refamiliarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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ceilidh.erickson: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2095; Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members; Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:45 am

reylo11 wrote:Hello guys.! I want to start again with my GMAT preparation studies since a couple of months of not reading / studying anything.
Last year I took some MGMAT practice tests and was scoring 550 on average.
I want to start again with my studies and was thinking to start my preparation taking the diagnostic test found on the OG. Was wondering if this would be a good start and also if I should time myself while doing so. If this is a good start, how long should I take for every question on average?

Thanks for your inputs!

Short answer: no! Don't start with the diagnostic in the OG. It's not really "diagnostic" of much of anything, because it's not adaptive. You should start by taking a timed, fully adaptive online practice test from one of the major prep companies. That will allow you to track metrics (how you did on PS v. DS, for example).

You should give yourself the same amount of time that you'd have on the real thing: 75 min per section. It will be more difficult that way, but that will train you to develop guessing strategies as well as content skills.

Good luck!

Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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reylo11: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 9; Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:50 pm

by reylo11 » Sun Feb 19, 2017 3:49 pm

Thank you very much to all of you!
I must start by taking a full CAT directly from mba.com. Based on your inputs I believe this is the best thing to do..

I appreciate your support!

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