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

Redeem

Getting frustrated, pacing problem, working sloppy

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:29 am
Thanked: 8 times
Followed by:2 members

Getting frustrated, pacing problem, working sloppy

by confused13 » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:56 am
Hi Community,

I started my prep 2 months ago with

GMAT CAT 1
Q38, V26

MGMAT1
Q39, V26 || 540

MGMAT2
Q43, V 27 || 580

MGMAT3
Q48, V 37 || 700

MGMAT4
Q44, V38

So I am quite happy, with my improvements on the Verbal part. They seem to become quite consistent - and the score itsself is good enough (for me).

However, my Quant score fluctuates a bit too much - 43, 48, 44 - comparing 43 and 44 is too low overall and again at the same level as on the second cat ( I don't emphasize the first one too much). Getting consistently above 45

My main problems are:
- I have a huuuge pacing problem. Time ran out on the last question. Within 30sec or so I tried to eliminate at least some answer choices (was a roman question), but I couldn't click on one solution because no time was left
- For some reasons (probably connected to the first one) I work very sloppy.

Less of a problem in my opinion:
- Question that I guessed because I knew I can't how to solve them were in the 700-800 Range. Furthermore, even if I have an idea how it might work, I sometimes think, solving the problem will take too much time (which I don't have) so guess.

It is a bit frustrating and I don't know what to do?
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 » Fri Jun 27, 2014 7:32 am
confused13 wrote: - I have a huuuge pacing problem. Time ran out on the last question. Within 30sec or so I tried to eliminate at least some answer choices (was a roman question), but I couldn't click on one solution because no time was left
- For some reasons (probably connected to the first one) I work very sloppy.
Regarding time management: I suggest that you use a Milestone Chart to keep you on track. This is covered in our free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

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] » Fri Jun 27, 2014 10:54 am
Hi confused13,

You're describing 2 different problems (that may or may not actually be linked).

Score inconsistencies are usually based on silly mistakes (but can sometimes be based on pacing problems). Running out of time and not answering the last question is NOT why your Quant Scaled Scores have fluctuated.

You've made fantastic progress so far, but at this higher level, the effect of silly errors tends to be "magnified." On this last CAT, I'd suggest that you look specifically at 2 things:

1) The questions that you got wrong due to a silly mistake.
2) The questions that took 3 (or more) minutes to solve (whether you got them correct or incorrect is irrelevant). Anything over 3 minutes is too much time.

Redo all of the those questions with an emphasis on what you could have done DIFFERENTLY. How should you take the notes? What kind of "mechanics" could you use to move faster? How often are you re-reading text because you didn't "process" it correctly the first time?

The Q48 can be your "norm", but you still have to EARN IT every time.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Last edited by [email protected] on Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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 » Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:32 am
Hi there,

So a few thoughts:

1) You've only been taking MGAT CATs lately, and while they make some great challenging questions, they scores they churn out aren't going to be quite as on-par with your actual GMAT score as the GMAT Prep's. I'd suggest taking the GMATPrep 2 next so you can get a more realistic idea of where you're at.

2) Pacing matters a LOT. Here's how you rock it: pacing drills and benchmarks.

At least every day you should carve a few minutes to do some pacing drills. How long are you taking on average to read and notate an RC passage? How long does CR take you? SC? It might be worth it to re-eval your strategies and making sure they're getting you to the correct answer in the fastest, most decisive way. You really should vary up the pacing drills in terms of content and length. For example, try 10 easy CR in 20 minutes. If that's no prob, try 10 harder questions. Or 5 tough DS in 10 min. Since Quant's an issue, you can even create a mini Quant section of mixed-difficulty and see how it goes.

The idea is to know exactly what types of questions, both format (DS, PS, SC, etc.) and concept (inequalities, word problems, assumption, inference, etc.), that bog you down.

For benchmarks, these are the ones I'd recommend you use. Have them in front of you for EVERY practice CAT. Check it a LOT. In the beginning, it's better to be way too anal about it than ignore them. If you're 1-2 questions ahead or behind, no need to worry. If you're suddenly 3+ questions behind, it's time to do the "guess/attempt/guess/attempt" strategy until you catch back up. Never let yourself fall behind, or as you saw, you'll never get caught up since the questions only get harder.

3) Identify your 5 Weakest Quant Concepts. What if you ONLY studied 5 Quant concepts in the next 2 weeks? If you narrow down the scope of your focus to only your weakest areas (and nothing else!) you can seriously improve. Are you keeping an Error Log for these CATs? Document exactly what you're missing and you can systematically address it.

Good luck!
Attachments
PacingBenchmarks.png
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
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2193
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 6:30 pm
Location: Vermont and Boston, MA
Thanked: 1186 times
Followed by:512 members
GMAT Score:770

by David@VeritasPrep » Sat Jun 28, 2014 4:33 am
I agree with much of what the others have said - but I humbly disagree with the emphasis on keeping a close track on the clock.

You are not suffering from "huge pacing problems" just because you had to guess at the last question. I had to guess at the last question on a test where I got a 770.

I agree with Rich that your biggest problem is likely that you "work very sloppy"

This is a much bigger problem then having to guess at 1, 2, or even 5 or more questions.

Your job on this exam is to get the questions right that you can get right. Before you turn your attention to pacing, you need to make sure that you can eliminate those "silly mistakes" that are no doubt killing your score.

ANYTHING that takes your attention away from the question in front of you is a problem - and that includes the timer. You can get a 48 on the Quant section even if you are only able to get to 30 questions and have to guess at the last 7.

Your problem is most likely those silly mistakes and if you are thinking to yourself "I need to go faster" you will just keeping making more of those errors. And by the way, how does thinking "I need to go faster" help you to go faster? Have you been intentionally going slowly?

Pacing drills are one thing and I definitely advocate those. You need to know what 1 minute feels like and what two minutes feels like. It should be a sort of internal clock that tells you that it is time to guess and move on.

Please read the following quote from a student who earn a verified 800 on the exam. This was not one of my students (I am not even sure he took a course at all) but this is the zone that any test-taker should try to reach:

"It was at this point that I realized I hadn't looked at the timer throughout the entire verbal section. Thinking back, I only glanced at the timer two or three times during the quantitative section. I realized that over the course of the test, I had become a kind of question-answering zombie--I had no awareness of anything besides the present question. I didn't even recall the question immediately prior to the current one. As the exam had worn on, I came to be entirely focused on the current prompt, what it was really asking, and which answer choices were viable and which were nonsense. I took my time and ended my exam with about 3-4 minutes remaining.

To those expecting scores of 700+, I would say do not pay too much attention to the clock. You have the ability to identify the correct answer, you just need to do it without second-guessing yourself or getting distracted. It might seem counter-intuitive, but I really believe my time management was better because I wasn't paying attention to the time. Don't calculate how much time per question you have remaining. Don't determine whether you are ahead or behind schedule. Focus instead on identifying what the question is asking and which answer choices are decoys or traps. It's important to avoid diverting your attention from the question at hand and losing your train of thought (on the current question) and your momentum (on the test section)."

Confirmed 800 perfect score from "nonyankee" debrief posted on GMAT Club website. https://gmatclub.com/forum/long-debrief- ... 35-40.html


Others have different opinions, but in my opinion this is the state you are trying to reach!
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1