Nine days to go!

This topic has expert replies
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Nov 05, 2007 2:21 am

Nine days to go!

by Hebbuli » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:59 am
Hi everyone,

I'm a non-native English speaker taking the GMAT for the first time in nine days.

I started studying OG11 in December and have now completed all math questions and almost all of the verbal questions - I did these in sets of 37 and 41 and got between 5 to 13 incorrect in each set. I only timed myself on the first set of each section.

After doing the diagnostic test and going through the math theory in OG11 I took GMATPrep #1 and scored 600 (Q35 with 17 incorrect, V37 with 11 incorrect) - this was before I did a single question from OG11. Today I took GMATPrep #2 and scored 610 (Q40 with 13 incorrect, V33 with 16 incorrect). I know I have improved in quant since I started studying but seeing only a 10-point increase in my score is not very rewarding!

In the verbal section of the second GMATPrep test in all of the questions I got wrong I had narrowed it down to two options and miraculously managed to choose the wrong one each time! :roll:

However, I'm not really worried about the verbal - I know quant is my weakness. In the quant sections of both of the GMATPrep tests I haven't really gotten any questions that were similar to the questions in OG11, is this normal?

The first time I took GMATPrep I had about 10 minutes to spare in quant and about 15 in verbal. The second time I ran out of time in quant so that I had to guess the last three questions (which was a shame because I know if I had had time I would have gotten them correct) and in verbal I had about 5 minutes to spare. I'm going to do the PowerPrep tests in order to help me with the timing.

Do you have any suggestions on what to do on these last nine days before the test - I have the Kaplan 800 book which I've so far found very helpful because it has some really useful tips for quant which are exactly what I need! I'm aiming for a 600-640 score.

Any tips would be much appreciated :)
Source: — GMAT Strategy |

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Site Admin
Posts: 6778
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:30 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 1249 times
Followed by:994 members

by beatthegmat » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:29 pm
It sounds like your biggest issue is with pacing--you should ideally complete each section of the GMAT with no time to spare; this would mean you used your time to its fullest opportunity.

In the next few days I would think about doing some practice sets with a timer and get used to pacing yourself at 90-120 seconds per question. As you get closer to your test however, start easing up on your prep. You need to get a little bit of relaxation before your actual exam.

Good luck!
Beat The GMAT | The MBA Social Network
Community Management Team

Research Top GMAT Prep Courses:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-prep-courses

Research The World's Top MBA Programs:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/school