No improvement in scores

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No improvement in scores

by karthiknitt » Sun Oct 21, 2012 6:44 am
I've taken 3 MGMAT practice tests and my scores are as below:
CAT#1: Q(46),V(27), OA(590)IR 4.0
CAT#2: Q(45),V(29), OA(600) IR 4.1
CAT#3: Q(45),V(29), OA(600)IR 2.4

GMATPREP CAT#1: Q(46), V(30), OA(630) IR 5

My target score is 700-720.

I've found the MGMAT cats way too tough. esp. Quant.

I've tried refreshing my basics,etc but my weakest areas still are DS and SC. I don't seem to improve in these areas at all.

10 days to go for my test and I'm getting jitters.

What do I do to improve my scores?
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Oct 21, 2012 7:06 am
In some regards, you're comparing apples with oranges. The MGMAT tests aren't exactly the same as the GMATPrep tests, so it's hard to tell whether or not you're improving.

Having said that, I typically recommend that students achieve their target score at least twice before writing the test. If your target score is 700+ and your test is 10 days away, you might want to consider rescheduling your test.

If you're having problems with DS questions, we have free set of videos that cover all aspects of DS strategy: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat-data-sufficiency

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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by karthiknitt » Tue Oct 30, 2012 9:46 am
Thanks for your reply Mr. Brent.
I completely agree with you that the MGMAT tests and GMATPrep tests do not work the same way, though the latter still continues to give a more accurate prediction of your actual score. Rescheduling my test was never an option for me as I was working to meet a tight deadline. However, I do agree with your recommendation that one should strive to achieve their target score in practice tests.Scored a 650 (Q48,V31) on the actual GMAT today. Sort of disappointed with my score in the verbal section considering that I had actually scored a 36 in one of the lasts practice MGMAT CAT that I took. Had I managed to replicate the same performance in the actual test, I would have reached my target score of 700.However, as fate would have it, some people like me often realise things only after they have actually occurred in reality. Planning to apply with 650 anyways. Will think of retaking if needed later.
Regards,
Karthikeyan

P.S. The GMATPrepNow videos on data sufficiency were excellent. Loads of strategies discussed. They were critical to my decent performance in the Quant section and I would not hesitate to recommend them to any test taker who finds data sufficiency tough.