GMAT Strategy

brianlange77 wrote:

sfufootba11 wrote:Thanks... Any reviews on the guides listed above or do you know of any other ones I should try.

I generally pick things up, but I also like reading things from different perspectives and hope that studying from a different "teacher" may give me an additional perspective.. It is what I did for the CPA in terms of using multiple guides from different companies.

SFU:

I'll try to give you a bit more than what you might get from opening a fortune cookie. First off, kudos for the improvement you've made so far -- that's really positive and reflects the hard work you've put in to-date.

But now comes the tougher part -- you've obviously made widescale improvement in many areas. Now, to get to that 700+ level, you need to figure out (and focus on) the places in which you haven't made as much improvement as you need to.

Two links for you to peek at -- the first gives some great tips on how to use all the information you already have to figure out where the gaps exist and the second gives some good brain candy about what it takes to get to that 700+ level.

https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/
https://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/7 ... erence.cfm

Thoughts?

-Brian

brianlange77 wrote:

sfufootba11 wrote:I mean as a broad issue for both Quant and Verbal I can say that for a lot of it I don't feel 100% confident on each answer, even the ones I get right. I feel this stems from not having 100% mastery over the integer/number properties.

After doing the entire GMAT Error Log for the OG 13th edition I can say I feel comfortable with nearly all of the algebra based problems as they are more "straight forward" in their process. At least in how my mind works. The exponent problems are also hit or miss for me

In Verbal I have problems retaining all of the individual rules. I went through the entire MGMAT SC book twice and the MGMAT CATs following the study sessions I would nail 95% of the SC questions... So I think going into the retake i just need to devote some time each day drilling SC to keep it fresh. I find that I am hit or miss on the CR sometimes. I didn't really like the approach in the MGMAT book.. just didn't click for me. I in general do "okay" with the reading comprehension, but to get to the 700+ level I need to get better than okay.

I'm a bit confused as to how to respond here -- if you don't like approaches, that's fine. I happen to be a big believer in the MGMAT approach, but that's neither here nor there. The thing that confuses me is that if you hope to go into the 700+ range, you need to find at least ONE approach you are comfortable with.

700+ requires MASTERY of the test -- not just an ability to get some problems correct without being 100% sure.

I'm a bit tired, so I am sure this is coming across as cranky, but I think you need to take a step back and figure out how you go from a nice score to test mastery.

Thoughts?

ceilidh.erickson wrote:As Brian said, your review process is key here. I also want to add - I find that when students get lower on the real test than on practice tests (by more than a margin of error of +/- 20), it's often due to one of two factors: anxiety or un-test-like practice tests.

If it's the former, it can be a bit harder to fix. The good news is that you've now been through the test once, so the next go-round should be less anxiety-ridden, because you'll know what to expect. Here are a few articles about test anxiety:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

There's a chance, though, that the difference in scores might be due to the way you take practice tests. Did you take every practice test timed? (Without hitting pause, taking extra breaks, etc). Many students cut themselves more slack on practice tests than they get on the real test; this will artificially inflates scores. Make sure every practice test is as GMAT-like as possible!

I don't feel 100% confident on each answer, even the ones I get right. I feel this stems from not having 100% mastery over the integer/number properties

It's perfectly ok not to feel 100% confident on every answer! As long as you're getting answers right, the GMAT will keep throwing harder and harder questions at you, so it would be hard to feel 100% confident on all of them. One thing that's hard to learn (if you were a high-achiever in high school and college) is to feel ok with 80% or 90% confidence, rather than spending several extra minutes getting to 100% confidence. Learn to trust the "pretty sure, but not totally sure" feeling.

That said, you certainly want to have mastery of the content if you're aiming for a 700+. That doesn't mean you should memorize every iteration of every rule. It means that you should understand the principles well enough to adapt them to any new situation.

ceilidh.erickson wrote:As Brian said, your review process is key here. I also want to add - I find that when students get lower on the real test than on practice tests (by more than a margin of error of +/- 20), it's often due to one of two factors: anxiety or un-test-like practice tests.

If it's the former, it can be a bit harder to fix. The good news is that you've now been through the test once, so the next go-round should be less anxiety-ridden, because you'll know what to expect. Here are a few articles about test anxiety:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

There's a chance, though, that the difference in scores might be due to the way you take practice tests. Did you take every practice test timed? (Without hitting pause, taking extra breaks, etc). Many students cut themselves more slack on practice tests than they get on the real test; this will artificially inflates scores. Make sure every practice test is as GMAT-like as possible!

I don't feel 100% confident on each answer, even the ones I get right. I feel this stems from not having 100% mastery over the integer/number properties

It's perfectly ok not to feel 100% confident on every answer! As long as you're getting answers right, the GMAT will keep throwing harder and harder questions at you, so it would be hard to feel 100% confident on all of them. One thing that's hard to learn (if you were a high-achiever in high school and college) is to feel ok with 80% or 90% confidence, rather than spending several extra minutes getting to 100% confidence. Learn to trust the "pretty sure, but not totally sure" feeling.

That said, you certainly want to have mastery of the content if you're aiming for a 700+. That doesn't mean you should memorize every iteration of every rule. It means that you should understand the principles well enough to adapt them to any new situation.

ceilidh.erickson wrote:

sfufootba11 wrote:I was very strict on my GMAT Prep Software tests for that reason. I didn't take longer than allowable breaks, I actually took shorter than 8 minute breaks. I really like the last part, though based on how I learn I think I need to drill myself with more of the 700+ questions so that I can see more of the iterations of rules, which may be why the MGMAT guides helped me to the point where I am with the "basic" understanding of the rules, though I still haven't mastered them.

It may have been some test anxiety, though I wouldn't really attribute it to that, I have never had an issue before with any other tests (CPA, SAT, etc)

Glad to hear that you're treating the practice tests like the real thing! That makes a big difference. As for anxiety... sometimes it creeps up on us subtly, without us realizing. If that's the case, hopefully you'll feel less subconscious pressure on the real thing.

In my experience, mastery of the rules means this: could you write your own GMAT-like problems if you wanted to? If so, you probably know what's tested, and how. If not, you might still be treating each problem as a case-by-case issue, without connecting the dots. The way to connect those dots is to study topic-by-topic. For example, find all of the divisibility OG questions you can find. Do or redo a dozen of those in a row, then stop and ask - what are the big themes, and how can I recognize them? What traps/tricks should I be looking out for here?