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640 on Day 43 of 60-Day GMATPrep

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640 on Day 43 of 60-Day GMATPrep

by tommannanchery » Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:21 pm
Hi,

I am following the 60-day GMATPrep program with a target of 720. I have been following the Manhattan series and the Official Guide. Scores from my mocks are given below:
Day 03 - 660 (Q44, V37)
Day 22 - 640 (Q47, V30)
Day 43 - 640 (Q46, V32)

I am taking the GMAT on May 14th and rest of the 60-day program is practice. Is it practical to achieve a 720 in the given time frame? What more should I do in the time left?

Thanks,
Tom
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by [email protected] » Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:27 pm
Hi Tom,

Your overall CAT scores are remarkably consistent (although that first Verbal score seems like something of an outlier relative to the others). You've mentioned the materials that you've worked with, so I'd like to know a bit more about how you took these CATs:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE you took any of these CATs?

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores. If you're only been studying for 6 weeks, then you likely haven't put in enough time and effort yet to score higher. This is meant to say that you might need to push back your Test Date to give yourself a better chance at hitting your goal score. If you continue to score in the mid-600s, then you might also need to invest in some new resources.

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by tommannanchery » Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:49 pm
Thanks Rich. Answers to your queries are below:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
Yes

2) Did you take them at home?
Yes

3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
I have not taken the official GMAT yet. It is scheduled for May 14th. The last scores are from the CAT taken on day 43 of the Beat the GMAT 60-Day prep.

4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
No

5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE you took any of these CATs?
I have taken the CAT more than once. But I don't remember if I have seen the questions BEFORE.

I am not in a position where I can push the dates; if I do, I may have to push it to next year due to my current situation. Any suggestions regarding what best I can do in the next 18 days?

Tom
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by [email protected] » Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:01 pm
Hi Tom,

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your scores can become - and that's possible that that's what has happened here.

By retaking CATs that you've already taken, taking the CATs at home, etc., you weren't properly training for the FULL GMAT 'experience.' As such, it's possible that these scores are unrealistic and 'inflated'

As an aside, since you've already scheduled your Official GMAT, I asked if you were taking your CATs at the same time of day that you'll take the GMAT.

Thankfully, this is a relatively easy set of problems to fix. The big question now is "how long will it take you to properly get 'used to' taking the full GMAT in a way that properly simulates Test Day?" I suggest that you take a NEW CAT (one that you haven't taken before), away from your home, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, etc. and report back here with that score. Until we have that data, it's not perfectly clear what you should be focused on.

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by OptimusPrep » Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:04 pm
Hi Tom,
Since you cannot postpone your test, you need to maximize your efforts in these last few days.

1. Have you completed the OG and the Verbal review?

Take your latest mock test and analyse it thoroughly. You need to dig deep and understand your pain areas.

SC: The questions test various concepts such as S-V agreement, modifiers, parallelism etc. Find out what troubles you.
CR: There might be certain types of questions that are troubling you. May be Assumption, may be conclusion, inference etc. You need to find that out and then practice them
RC: This again can be drilled down into different types of questions and also different topics. See what questions and topics trouble you the most and then practice accordingly.

As an addition, start preparing an error log and keep a note of all the mistakes you made and the lessons you learnt from the problems. This will ensure you do not make the same mistake again.

Make sure you complete all of the OG and the Verbal review and if required, you can buy the Question pack1 from mba.com

Also, from now I would recommend you to not retake a test. You can buy the Exam Pack 1 and 2 from mba.com for additional new tests. And make sure you take it along with the AWA and the IR section. You need to train your body and mind for the full 4 hours.
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