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Something wrong with the GMAT Prep or it is just me?

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Something wrong with the GMAT Prep or it is just me?

by henry12345 » Sun Nov 01, 2015 8:14 pm
Hi all,

It might sound ridiculous but before I study any GMAT, I test on the GMAT Prep simulation and got 580 (Q45,V25)
As I target > 700 score, I know what I want to focus on, the verbal.

I took the 60 days study guide here, trying to brush up all the Quant material and practices in 10 days instead of 21 days. Then after 10 days, I feel my Quant should be better, I expected somewhere around 50

But the sad thing is, the result comes out 560 (Q45, V22) my quant is not improving (though i study a lot, almost 6-8 hours practicing, reviewing each day)

Then I see the review on the GMAT Prep, in the first test, I got 15 questions wrong at the quant, but I only got 11 at the second test. My question is why my quant score is not improving?


I hope the story there makes any sense, any comment are welcomed

thank you

Henry
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:07 am
henry12345 wrote:Hi all,

It might sound ridiculous but before I study any GMAT, I test on the GMAT Prep simulation and got 580 (Q45,V25)
As I target > 700 score, I know what I want to focus on, the verbal.

I took the 60 days study guide here, trying to brush up all the Quant material and practices in 10 days instead of 21 days. Then after 10 days, I feel my Quant should be better, I expected somewhere around 50

But the sad thing is, the result comes out 560 (Q45, V22) my quant is not improving (though i study a lot, almost 6-8 hours practicing, reviewing each day)

Then I see the review on the GMAT Prep, in the first test, I got 15 questions wrong at the quant, but I only got 11 at the second test. My question is why my quant score is not improving?


I hope the story there makes any sense, any comment are welcomed

thank you

Henry
The GMAT algorithm takes into account both the number of questions you answer correctly and the difficulty level of those questions. Because the questions do not all have equal weight, scenarios like the one you encountered - missing fewer questions but not seeing a rise in your score - are not uncommon. See here for some insight into how the algorithm works: https://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2015/07 ... mat-score/
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by [email protected] » Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:32 am
Hi henry12345,

The scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. It takes into account a number of different factors - not just the number of correct answers. As such, you shouldn't be spending time trying to figure it all out. You'd be better served working on building up your skills.

A far more useful gauge would be to review each CAT and determine how many questions you SHOULD have gotten correct, but didn't (due to a silly/little mistake). Those mistakes are the things that you have to fix to score at a higher level. A Q45 means that you're really strong at the 'math' questions that you face in the Quant section, but you're likely missing out on lots of the 'strategy-based' points (likely in DS) and you're likely making a few mistakes on 'gettable' questions throughout the section.

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What resources have you been using?

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by ReasonGMAT » Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:56 pm
45Q is already pretty high and it gets increasingly difficult to capture those last few points. 50Q is very, very difficult to achieve so I think you were probably expecting too much to think that your score would jump to that on the next test. 47-49Q would be more reasonable (there just happens to be a pretty big jump that needs to be made to get from 49 to 50), but as the other posters have indicated, the number of questions right is really not a big factor (except at the very highest levels of the scoring scale). So getting less wrong but having the same score or even lower is very common. You may just have had a bad day and not performed that well, so it doesn't necessarily mean that you didn't improve. And although I doubt this was the case in your situation, the GMATPrep tests do sometimes spit out seemingly anomalous scores, so that is a possibility too (though I would say it is not likely because it doesn't seem to happen that often in my experience).
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by henry12345 » Mon Nov 09, 2015 10:12 am
Hi Rich,

I go with the 60 days study guide, but I go in much faster pace than it should be on the Quant part (22 days to only 10 days). I am a non native guy, and I have been struggling for this whole week studying verbal.

SC is killing me literally.. Just finish the OG exercises and got 64% accuracy (90 out of 140 questions)
I dont even do them under time constraints.
The problem is that the more I study the more I struggle to choose which one is the correct one.
Ex: lets say I do one exercise and I think the problem is on the S-V agreement, but then the modifier sounds weird as well, then the pronoun is wrong as well, then..... It goes on and on causing my mental strength depleted.

Do you have any recommendation on how to proceed forward because I really need to boost my verbal score


And thank you for all your support.. it enlightened me up a bit


henry
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by [email protected] » Mon Nov 09, 2015 10:38 am
Hi henry12345,

From your posts, it's not clear how long you've been studying. Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it's likely that you just have not put in enough time yet.

It also sounds like you're using a 'book-heavy' study approach; Many Test Takers get 'stuck' at a particular score level when studying in this way, so you might need to invest in some new non-book resources. The OG is a great book for practice problems, but it's not designed to teach you the Tactics, patterns or 'secrets' to the GMAT. To score 700+, you'll certainly have to improve your Verbal Scaled Score, but you'll also have to improve your Quant Scaled Score.

1) How long have you been studying?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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by henry12345 » Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:06 pm
Hi Rich,

to answer your question
1) I start at the end of October until now, so it is about 2-3 weeks now
2) I plan to do GMAT on middle of December, but It might moved back to January, depend on my study improvement
3) I plan to apply to Business School next year, so no rush

and Yes as you analyze, I am weaker at DS than PS, it might be because I am still getting used to do the DS type (not finishing the question completely).
Moreover, you are also correct that I am using "book heavy" study approach

I hope my answers are clear enough

thx
Henry
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by Jim@StratusPrep » Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:04 am
Henry-

This is a very short time frame for you to expect to see any results. My inclination is that if you are aiming toward a 700+ score, you should not think about timing yet. At an upper 500 level, you have quite a bit of work that you need to do. In fact, I would stay away from the GMAT prep exams for now and focus on getting a deep understanding of the areas you are struggling with. You have almost a year until you are submitting you applications, so take your time and do it right.
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by [email protected] » Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:01 am
Hi Henry,

You should not expect to have mastered anything after the first 2-3 weeks of study. I mentioned in a prior post that many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies before they hit their 'peak' scores - so you clearly need more study time overall.

A Test Date in the middle of December might be too soon, considering your overall score goals. However, you don't have to decide on whether to change it or not just yet.

Since you have put in some study time already, are you comfortable with how you've been studying (and do you feel that you're learning/improving) or do you think that you want to invest in a more 'formal' study plan/approach?

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by henry12345 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:13 pm
Yeah I think I dont need to rush anything and just focus on the study
I ve been quite satisfied with my study and I believe I will be improving in the future...
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