BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Ten days out, 100 point drop...

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2013 4:10 pm
Location: San Diego

Ten days out, 100 point drop...

by kdn508 » Wed Jul 16, 2014 2:10 pm
I just bombed the last practice CAT and I'm feeling pretty defeated.

Here is all my CAT scores

Baseline (Veritas Practice Test 1) 480 Q28 V28
Veritas Practice Test 6 630 Q43 V30
Veritas Practice Test 2 650 Q40 V39
GMAT Prep 1 550 Q35 V31

My test date is 7/26 and my goal is to score a between 680-700. Should I just cancel/postpone this exam?

Reviewing the data I got a bunch of problems that really exposed my weaknesses in quant and in verbal my SC still sucks after this extra time I've devoted to it and my critical reasoning performance has drastically declined.
Top
Source: — GMAT Strategy |

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 16207
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Thanked: 5254 times
Followed by:1268 members
GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Jul 16, 2014 2:49 pm
Don't put too much stock in one practice test. Your previous test show some very solid improvement.
That said, I typically suggest that students achieve their target score on at least 2 practices tests before they take the official test.
You can reschedule your test up 1 week before the test day, so you might consider taking another practice test in the next day or so to see where you stand.

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
Image
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Elite Legendary Member
Posts: 10392
Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Thanked: 2867 times
Followed by:511 members
GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:06 pm
Hi kdn508,

You might find it worthwhile to push your Test Back a couple of weeks, just so you can settle yourself and do some review.

I'd like to know a bit more about your CATs:
1) Why did you go from Veritas CAT1 to Veritas CAT6, then back to Veritas CAT2?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT every time (including the Essay and IR sections) or did you ever skip sections?
3) Was there anything about this last CAT that didn't match what you were doing in the prior CATs (time of day, location, skipping sections, etc.)?
4) Did you have pacing problems on any of these CATs?

A full question-by-question review of this CAT is also warranted. Defining WHY you got questions wrong is essential (so you can fix the little mistakes).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
Image
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1035
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 474 times
Followed by:365 members

by VivianKerr » Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:58 pm
Hey there,

So let's be real: the GMATPrep 1 is the MOST accurate and you scored a 550 on it, so I think you'd be pretty unlikely to break a 600 at this point. If your plan is to take it in 10 days and you HAVE to get a 680, then I think it's pretty dangerous to take the test until you're scoring at least a 700 on the GMATPreps.

Veritas exams are great for strategy and pacing practice, but I would NOT equate their scores with the actual GMAT exam. That said, you DO seem to be improving, which is great! You've gone from 480--->630--->650 on the Veritas Preps, so you're heading in the right direction. You're just not quite there yet.

If you really want to make a 550 to 680 jump, we're talking 130 points. That's a big jump, and I'd give yourself at least six weeks minimum to do it.

If your SC still "sucks" and your CR is declining, you need to know WHY. How have you been reviewing these practice CATs? Do you have an error log you can share? What's your step-by-step approach for EACH Q-type? I'd suggest meeting with a tutor for a couple hours to set up a new study plan to really hone in on your weaknesses. If you'd like a free Error Log template, feel free to email me at [email protected]. You may also need to step up your practice materials as well.
Vivian Kerr
GMAT Rockstar, Tutor
https://www.GMATrockstar.com
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gmat-rockstar-los-angeles

Former Kaplan and Grockit instructor, freelance GMAT content creator, now offering affordable, effective, Skype-tutoring for the GMAT at $150/hr. Contact: [email protected]

Thank you for all the "thanks" and "follows"! :-)
Top
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2013 4:10 pm
Location: San Diego

by kdn508 » Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:33 pm
[email protected] wrote:Hi kdn508,

You might find it worthwhile to push your Test Back a couple of weeks, just so you can settle yourself and do some review.

I'd like to know a bit more about your CATs:
1) Why did you go from Veritas CAT1 to Veritas CAT6, then back to Veritas CAT2?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT every time (including the Essay and IR sections) or did you ever skip sections?
3) Was there anything about this last CAT that didn't match what you were doing in the prior CATs (time of day, location, skipping sections, etc.)?
4) Did you have pacing problems on any of these CATs?

A full question-by-question review of this CAT is also warranted. Defining WHY you got questions wrong is essential (so you can fix the little mistakes).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Veritas has two sets of CATs 1-5 & 6-10 so I wanted to try out both to verify progress, all practice full lenght CATs. The last one was at 2pm but same location. Pacing was an issue for Verbal this time. I
Top
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2013 4:10 pm
Location: San Diego

by kdn508 » Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:40 pm
VivianKerr wrote:Hey there,

So let's be real: the GMATPrep 1 is the MOST accurate and you scored a 550 on it, so I think you'd be pretty unlikely to break a 600 at this point. If your plan is to take it in 10 days and you HAVE to get a 680, then I think it's pretty dangerous to take the test until you're scoring at least a 700 on the GMATPreps.

Veritas exams are great for strategy and pacing practice, but I would NOT equate their scores with the actual GMAT exam. That said, you DO seem to be improving, which is great! You've gone from 480--->630--->650 on the Veritas Preps, so you're heading in the right direction. You're just not quite there yet.

If you really want to make a 550 to 680 jump, we're talking 130 points. That's a big jump, and I'd give yourself at least six weeks minimum to do it.

If your SC still "sucks" and your CR is declining, you need to know WHY. How have you been reviewing these practice CATs? Do you have an error log you can share? What's your step-by-step approach for EACH Q-type? I'd suggest meeting with a tutor for a couple hours to set up a new study plan to really hone in on your weaknesses. If you'd like a free Error Log template, feel free to email me at [email protected]. You may also need to step up your practice materials as well.


I don't have a actual error chart but I do review the questions afterwards and take some notes down. WIth SC I just feel extremely overwhelmed with all the information that is needed to break them down. When I started I couldn't tell you what a modifer was. I've made some improvements but, obviously I think I just need more time to really learn the material. I feel like my timeline for preparing for this test has been rushed and I tried to do too much with my schedule.
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1035
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 474 times
Followed by:365 members

by VivianKerr » Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:56 pm
An Error Log CANNOT be optional if you really want a top score. Here's a template. You should complete it and then USE it to learn about your own thinking immediately following EACH CAT. You can know ALL the content and still miss questions -- your Error Log will hold you accountable.
Attachments
Error Log Template.xlsx
(12.03 KiB) Downloaded 122 times
Vivian Kerr
GMAT Rockstar, Tutor
https://www.GMATrockstar.com
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gmat-rockstar-los-angeles

Former Kaplan and Grockit instructor, freelance GMAT content creator, now offering affordable, effective, Skype-tutoring for the GMAT at $150/hr. Contact: [email protected]

Thank you for all the "thanks" and "follows"! :-)
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Elite Legendary Member
Posts: 10392
Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Thanked: 2867 times
Followed by:511 members
GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:16 am
Hi kdn508,

Most Test Takers do their best work in the first 4-5 hours of the day, so starting a CAT later on in the day might help to explain the score drop that you experienced. To maximize your performance on Test Day, you might think about scheduling a morning exam.

The GMAT is really good at giving you the score that you EARN, so I think of a score in those terms. How many questions did you get wrong because you didn't do enough work to earn the points? Making silly mistakes essentially means that you're disorganized (and perhaps careless in your work)- THAT is not a message that you want to send to Business Schools. So a full review of this CAT is warranted. Find the silly mistakes, fix them and keep them from ever happening again. That's part of the process for earning that high score that everyone's after.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
Image
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1