Last 3 days before the big test

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mriiidula: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 83; Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 4:16 amFollowed by: 1 member; Location: England; Thanked: 3 times; GMAT Score:700

by mriiidula » Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:24 pm

My scores so far are as follows:

GMATPrep 1 (before prep): 600 (Q42,V27)
Veritas Prep Practice Test: 620 (Q44, V30)
MGMAT CAT 1: 690 (Q47, V37)
MGMAT CAT 2: 690 (Q43, V40)
GMATPrep 1 (retake): 740 (Q48, V42)

I took the GMATPrep 1 for the second time on Sunday and was thrilled when I scored a 740. I don't know if it is just a fluke though. Another thing I was quite annoyed about was that previously while I was making 15 mistakes in verbal, I made just 6 during this one, and still only scored a 42.

Quant is alright for me, except most of my mistakes are in DS. I have analyzed my mistakes and have narrowed down my weakness - probability/combinatorics, rates, compound interest.

What else can I do before Friday? I haven't had the opportunity to take GMATPrep 2. Should I take the test even though I only have three days left before my test?

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:24 pm

smackmartine: Legendary Member; Posts: 516; Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 3:22 pmFollowed by: 13 members; Thanked: 112 times

by smackmartine » Mon Oct 10, 2011 8:15 pm

How long ago did you take GMAT Prep 1 (1st time) ? If you still have 3 days , Its better to take GMAT Prep 2 today, because most probably you gonna get new questions. This test will give you a better picture. If you have fewer than 3 days, it's advisable not to take any tests. Better revise and go through your error log,if you have maintained any.

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FutureWorks: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 311; Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2011 4:42 amFollowed by: 18 members; Thanked: 45 times

by FutureWorks » Tue Oct 11, 2011 4:45 am

Hi Mriiidula,
To begin with, we would say that stay positive as such anxieties are common during exam preparation time. If you have sufficient time within these 3 days, do give GMAT Prep2 a shot. It will help you in identifying your weak areas and you can focus on them accordingly. Also what might work is to set aside 4-5 hours at night to study and prepare for GMAT. In these last few days you might need to change your practice style so that it doesn't get monotonous. Keep your concentration on your DS section so that you can cut down your most common mistakes.
Cheers and good luck for exam. Do let us know once you're done with the exam ï�Š

Thanks!
Kavita Singh
FutureWorks Consulting

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Oct 11, 2011 6:32 am

mriiidula wrote: I haven't had the opportunity to take GMATPrep 2. Should I take the test even though I only have three days left before my test?

I'm a big proponent of staying confident. I think it plays a large role in testing situations. In fact, one of my math professors once told me that math is 80% confidence. I don't agree with the 80% part, but I do feel that it's very important. So, I think your last practice test before the big day should be a score that generates the greatest confidence. It sounds like the 740 has done just that.

Personally, I would take GMATPrep Test #2, only under 2 circumstances:
1) I had enough time (and was willing) to take another practice test if the results of the first test were not satisfactory
2) I wasn't happy, in general, with my scores to date

My 2 cents.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

mriiidula: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 83; Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 4:16 amFollowed by: 1 member; Location: England; Thanked: 3 times; GMAT Score:700

by mriiidula » Wed Oct 12, 2011 4:00 am

smackmartine wrote:How long ago did you take GMAT Prep 1 (1st time) ?

About 2 months ago, before I started any sort of prep.

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mriiidula: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 83; Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 4:16 amFollowed by: 1 member; Location: England; Thanked: 3 times; GMAT Score:700

by mriiidula » Wed Oct 12, 2011 4:03 am

FutureWorks, thanks for the encouragement. But 4-5 hours a night? I was told the last few days should be quite light, in order to sort of 'rest' your brain before the big day. Now I'm confused.

Brent, I wish I'd seen your post earlier - I ended up taking GMATPrep 2 and scored a 690, and now I'm sort of frustrated again. I should've stopped when I was on a high.

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smackmartine: Legendary Member; Posts: 516; Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 3:22 pmFollowed by: 13 members; Thanked: 112 times

by smackmartine » Wed Oct 12, 2011 2:26 pm

690 is not a bad score. You were just warming up.Keep in mind , this was not your Actual score, so stop doubting yourself. Rather concentrate on the Big Day.GMAT is all about attitude, sub-knowledge is just a part of it!

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Toph@GMAT_REBOOT: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 154; Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:58 am; Thanked: 29 times; GMAT Score:790

by Toph@GMAT_REBOOT » Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:50 am

mriiidula wrote:FutureWorks, thanks for the encouragement. But 4-5 hours a night? I was told the last few days should be quite light, in order to sort of 'rest' your brain before the big day. Now I'm confused.

Brent, I wish I'd seen your post earlier - I ended up taking GMATPrep 2 and scored a 690, and now I'm sort of frustrated again. I should've stopped when I was on a high.

That exam you took was just an opportunity to be exposed to more problems. Don't think about the score. Think about what you learned from taking that exam.

Relax tonight. Dark chocolate + almonds + a banana for your break snacks (clearly it's a matter of preference, but I love that combination) tomorrow. Take the exam problem by problem. Don't think about the exam as a whole while your taking the test (except from a timing perspective). Stay focused on each individual question.

Good luck!

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mriiidula: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 83; Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 4:16 amFollowed by: 1 member; Location: England; Thanked: 3 times; GMAT Score:700

by mriiidula » Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:20 am

Riprop, thanks for the encouragement. I scored a 700. It's not my target, but I'm glad there's a '7' there. Definitely have mixed feelings, I might retake.

Riprop wrote: Relax tonight. Dark chocolate + almonds + a banana for your break snacks (clearly it's a matter of preference, but I love that combination) tomorrow.

ME TOO. Without the almonds bit though

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mriiidula: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 83; Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 4:16 amFollowed by: 1 member; Location: England; Thanked: 3 times; GMAT Score:700

by mriiidula » Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:21 am

smackmartine wrote:690 is not a bad score. You were just warming up.Keep in mind , this was not your Actual score, so stop doubting yourself. Rather concentrate on the Big Day.GMAT is all about attitude, sub-knowledge is just a part of it!

Thanks for the encouragement

My actual score was just 10 points more! Scored a 700 this morning.

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Oct 14, 2011 7:35 am

mriiidula wrote:Riprop, thanks for the encouragement. I scored a 700. It's not my target, but I'm glad there's a '7' there. Definitely have mixed feelings, I might retake.

Hi Mriiidula,

First, congrats on the 700. That's better than 92% of test-takers.
When deciding whether to retake, you should remember that 700 is your second best test score (second only to your retake of GMATPrep 1).

In my opinion, I think that students should beat their target score at least twice before taking the GMAT.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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