GMAT Strategy

Do you think it is very logical that the gmat compares you to other people? Especially considering things, which apparently they didn't regulate, such as this happen:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/first-time-6 ... t8416.html

Sounds like a pretty large competitive disadvantage, especially since I had a professor who was getting paid 6 figures and did that exact same shi*. I am pretty frustrated at this point as well. I have literally gone over every single book multiple times that all the prep company's give, back solved the OG multiple times, and gone over questions on this forum. I just scored a 590 on Manhattan's prep test (My quant dropped by 11 points?) and that was after 2 perfect 800 scores from the old tests that GMAT sells! There are still questions I had no prior knowledge of that are on the test. For example, I got an Ellipsis SC question? Please do point me to anywhere in any of the prep books that that type of SC question is covered. I mean, it is to the point where I am going to start believing this test is boarderline fradulent (in fact it wouldn't be that difficult to prove), which wouldn't really shock me. I mean, correct me if I am wrong, but you should literally be able to go over every single question in gmatprep and manhattan gmatprep and be able to point back to some RULE or some EXAMPLE that it is covering that you should be held accountable for knowing? I don't care if it takes the next 7 years, if I am going to be held 100% accountable for my score, I expect GMAT to be held 100% accountable for the prep materials THEY provide.

-BP

Tommy,

I feel the love, I really do. But, in internet/blunt lingo, WTH is with that elipssis sh*t? I don't really know what more work I can do as far as being able to answer questions over material I don't have. I mean, if I miss a question, such as a Work Rate question or a set question that I can study, I am perfectly fine with it and can easily go over it and beat myself up over it. However, if I go into the test center and I get loads of questions that I have no way of knowing how to solve I am going to take off my shirt and run around the test center like a crazy person.

-BP

David@VeritasPrep wrote:The practice problems may be easier at times, and the official test may be harder but please remember that the test is comparing you to others -- so harder for you also means harder for them, so that tougher problems would not lead to a lower score unless other people dealt with those problems more effectively than you did.

What really happens when people get a much lower score than they expect is that they make a few "silly" mistakes and think that they are getting problems right on the actual test but are actually missing them based on a something subtle, such as answering the wrong question (you should have answered for the amount left over, not the amount used, for example), making an assumption (particularly on data sufficiency), a small calculation error, etc.

You say that you were confident in your answers and then the score was lower. This is how such a thing can happen:

1) You make some subtle mistakes and are confident that you got the problem right (the official GMAT test is REALLY good at this -- the person who misses the question is often more confident than is the one who got it right!)

2) Since you missed some of those problems based on the subtle errors you are actually at a lower level than you might think, so subsequent problems might feel easier because they are actually of lower difficulty.

3) You make enough errors throughout the rest of the test so that you never do quite get up to the level of questions that would give you the score that you expected.

Now the question is, "What can you do about this going forward?"

Well you know that you have to wait 31 days to take the test again. I hope that this does not pose to big of a problem.

When you go back in a month to take the test you need to be even more conscious of the little tricks that the questions play and you need to be even more prepared to get the questions right that you can get right.

..............

Do you find that Data Sufficiency is a strength for you or a weakness?

Thanks so much for your prompt and thorough response! I'll look through the links and make some notes. I'm sure you're right about my looking over the nuances in the way the questions were worded. I wrote my first entry an hour after finishing.... when I was incensed!

I would probably name Data Sufficiency as my weaker subject. I can do algebra, geometry, simplification, functions, etc all day! Doing DS, I could probably see myself drawing unreasonable conclusions based on assumptions that are not given, and going with the answer that first appears to be correct.

I'll post a follow-up in another month or two with the results from my next sitting.

One specific question: I don't quite understand how detrimental it is to omit the answer to a question. Can you explain how scoring works? If you don't answer one question, is it the equivalent of being incorrect, or is there an added penalty for not providing an answer?

Here is an answer to your specific question.

This article is on what to do when you are out of time. (You will see that failing to answer a question is not the same as missing it..depending on how you are doing it can be better to miss it or better to not answer - generally better to miss it).

This article is from the Veritas Prep blog
https://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2012/12 ... -the-test/

karan_s -

Something is happening when you take the official test that is not happening with the GMATPrep. That is a pretty steep drop from your practice tests.

Are you overly nervous during the test? Is something different? When you practice do you do the AWA and the IR section?

David@VeritasPrep wrote:karan_s -

Something is happening when you take the official test that is not happening with the GMATPrep. That is a pretty steep drop from your practice tests.

Are you overly nervous during the test? Is something different? When you practice do you do the AWA and the IR section?

David,

I have practiced every mock ( whether GMATPrep or MGMAT) under strict exam conditions.

AWA+IR+ 8min break+ Quant+ 8 min break+Verbal.

Even i gave 2 MGMAT mocks in a cyber cafe, where people were coming in and out, full of distractions. The reason for that is during my first attempt i faced distractions for e.g: People coming in and out of test room, noise of keyboard etc. And yes they do provide ear plugs but they still not good enough.

Even during the test day my AWA was pretty straightforward (FYI i scored 5.5 in AWA in my first attempt). So AWA was fine. Even the IR section was easy as well ( 6 in first attempt). I guessed on 1 question and i finished this section in time as well.

I can assure you if i give a mock again (any mock), i know i can still score above 700. Not being overconfident ,but i know i can score that well. Past 2 days i have been contemplating as to what went wrong. Something is definitely not right in my approach when i give my real GMAT.

Tom,

Alright, I will keep plugging away. One more month.