Getting yourself ready
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- DavidG@VeritasPrep
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Virtually all of us do make mistakes. The goal is not to go mistake-free. The goal is to limit mistakes, particularly on questions you know how to do.neeti2711 wrote:Do people who score more than 750 never make any mistakes during the practice tests? How do I make myself sure that I am ready for the test (or ready to score above 750)?
So:
1) Always reread the question before you answer
2) Double-check your work, particularly early on
3) On verbal, never, ever shrug and pick something that simply feels reasonable. Always justify your answer. If it's an RC question, don't think "I'm pretty sure this was in paragraph 2." Find the detail in the paragraph, and only once you've proved it to yourself, do you select the answer. Similarly on a CR question, you always confirm the logic first: this answer choice definitely strengthens the conclusion because of x. Hold yourself accountable.
4) make adjustments after each practice test. The practice tests are there to help you refine your timing and strategy and to give a rough indication of what you need to spend more time on. After each test, jot down 3-4 things you can do better next time. Only after you've improved on those things should you take another practice test. Wash/rinse/repeat
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HI neeti2711,
The 750+ score is just about the 99th percentile, which means that 99% of Test Takers either can't or won't do what it takes to score at that level. Thankfully, you won't need a 750+ score to get into Business School, so it's important to remember the REAL goal in all of this.
If you're looking to increase your practice CAT scores, you really have to nitpick WHY you're getting questions wrong. What could you have done differently? Was the question 'gettable', but you made a little mistake? At higher and higher score levels, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes - in real simple terms, if you make too many, then the 750+ score becomes impossible to achieve.
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
The 750+ score is just about the 99th percentile, which means that 99% of Test Takers either can't or won't do what it takes to score at that level. Thankfully, you won't need a 750+ score to get into Business School, so it's important to remember the REAL goal in all of this.
If you're looking to increase your practice CAT scores, you really have to nitpick WHY you're getting questions wrong. What could you have done differently? Was the question 'gettable', but you made a little mistake? At higher and higher score levels, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes - in real simple terms, if you make too many, then the 750+ score becomes impossible to achieve.
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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- ceilidh.erickson
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I make mistakes all the time! I'm sure the other experts would agree, too. The thing I love about the GMAT is that it's very forgiving - you can make numerous mistakes (on the quant, at least) and still end up with a score of 49 or 50. That would be more than enough to get a 750 overall if your verbal is also high.neeti2711 wrote:Do people who score more than 750 never make any mistakes during the practice tests? How do I make myself sure that I am ready for the test (or ready to score above 750)?
The key is to review your practice tests in a lot of depth, and to ask yourself "what should I change about my process to ensure that I never make this particular mistake again?"
Ceilidh Erickson
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Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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- Scott@TargetTestPrep
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Over the last 10 years, I have tutored many students who have scored above a 750 on the GMAT, and all of those students have made mistakes on practice GMAT exams. The key in improving your GMAT knowledge is to analyze your mistakes and understand exactly why you got certain questions wrong. I would be happy to provide more advice, but I also would like some more information about your GMAT experience and goals.
Also,
I wrote a detailed article about how to avoid careless mistakes and improve your accuracy on your GMAT.
Also,
I wrote a detailed article about how to avoid careless mistakes and improve your accuracy on your GMAT.
- BestGMATEliza
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I agree with the previous posts. Everyone does makes mistakes, so don't try to aim for perfection otherwise you might make yourself more nervous which would cause you to make more mistakes (its a viscous cycle, I know) BUT there is a way to overcome it.
The first and most important way is to practice! Take a lot of full length practice tests (that means with AWA and IR--even though they're not part of your overall score, they come first, so you need to mentally prepare yourself for taking the quant and verbal after you have put in an hours worth of work).
Another key part is practicing with the hardest question types. If you are aiming for a 750, you are going to get A LOT harder questions than the average test taker, because the test is computer adaptive, so you need to be prepared for those.
The first and most important way is to practice! Take a lot of full length practice tests (that means with AWA and IR--even though they're not part of your overall score, they come first, so you need to mentally prepare yourself for taking the quant and verbal after you have put in an hours worth of work).
Another key part is practicing with the hardest question types. If you are aiming for a 750, you are going to get A LOT harder questions than the average test taker, because the test is computer adaptive, so you need to be prepared for those.
Eliza Chute
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Hi neeti2711,
I noticed that most of your posting history is back in 2012 and 2013. Have you taken the GMAT before? If you have, then how did you score? Some Test Takers become overly-obsessed by scoring at a particular level (whether that level is necessary to their 'big picture' goals or not). It's clear from the responses here that there are plenty of people who can offer advice, so it would make all of this easier if you provided a bit more information on your situation.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
I noticed that most of your posting history is back in 2012 and 2013. Have you taken the GMAT before? If you have, then how did you score? Some Test Takers become overly-obsessed by scoring at a particular level (whether that level is necessary to their 'big picture' goals or not). It's clear from the responses here that there are plenty of people who can offer advice, so it would make all of this easier if you provided a bit more information on your situation.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Thank you everyone for your replies!
Rich: Yes I have taken GMAT once in 2012 and I scored a 690. I was not satisfied with the score and decided to take again. I am planning to take GMAT in September. I have been preparing, but I always get around 10-15% questions wrong. When I review the tests, I always find that I make a lot of silly mistakes in my Quant section. I get nervous during the tests and hence make the mistakes.
However in verbal section, I get questions wrong because I was uncertain of the reasoning. For example in SC, initially I used to pay attention to only grammar. But after many reviews and mistakes, I have started getting logic and grammar in sync. In CR, I have poor speed and have to read the question slowly to understand the logic. This eats a lot of time. I have been practicing to improve this. In RC, if I focus on the passage and understand it well, I get the questions right, but if there is even the slight disturbance during the passage reading I make huge mistakes in RC.
Please provide your guidance regarding the preparation. Thanks in advance!
Rich: Yes I have taken GMAT once in 2012 and I scored a 690. I was not satisfied with the score and decided to take again. I am planning to take GMAT in September. I have been preparing, but I always get around 10-15% questions wrong. When I review the tests, I always find that I make a lot of silly mistakes in my Quant section. I get nervous during the tests and hence make the mistakes.
However in verbal section, I get questions wrong because I was uncertain of the reasoning. For example in SC, initially I used to pay attention to only grammar. But after many reviews and mistakes, I have started getting logic and grammar in sync. In CR, I have poor speed and have to read the question slowly to understand the logic. This eats a lot of time. I have been practicing to improve this. In RC, if I focus on the passage and understand it well, I get the questions right, but if there is even the slight disturbance during the passage reading I make huge mistakes in RC.
Please provide your guidance regarding the preparation. Thanks in advance!
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Hi neeti2711,
What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores when you scored 690?
Also, before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, it would help if you could answer my original questions (which I've reprinted below):
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
What were your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores when you scored 690?
Also, before I can offer you the specific advice that you're looking for, it would help if you could answer my original questions (which I've reprinted below):
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Q-49, V-35
1. I started preparing for GMAT again in January
2. I have used Manhattan for verbal concepts. I have been practicing from OGs.I rely greatly on OGs because I find the explanations helpful. I find Manhattan questions more difficult than OG questions. So, I have been practicing more on OGs and understand the logic so that I can solve the Manhattan questions later with higher accuracy.
3. As I told you, during my practice I always get questions wrong and so I haven't taken CATs (as I get too nervous that I might end up scoring so badly that I will lose all my confidence). That is why I asked when should one think that he/she is ready to take the test.
4. My score target is 750 or above
5. I am planning to take the GMAT in September.
6. I will apply to HBS in December
1. I started preparing for GMAT again in January
2. I have used Manhattan for verbal concepts. I have been practicing from OGs.I rely greatly on OGs because I find the explanations helpful. I find Manhattan questions more difficult than OG questions. So, I have been practicing more on OGs and understand the logic so that I can solve the Manhattan questions later with higher accuracy.
3. As I told you, during my practice I always get questions wrong and so I haven't taken CATs (as I get too nervous that I might end up scoring so badly that I will lose all my confidence). That is why I asked when should one think that he/she is ready to take the test.
4. My score target is 750 or above
5. I am planning to take the GMAT in September.
6. I will apply to HBS in December
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Hi neeti2711,
If you have not taken any CATs recently (and it's been about 4 years since you took the GMAT), then you MUST take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the Essay and IR sections) sometime soon. Without that score result, we'll have no way to determine what you actually need to work on. There are also a variety of Test Taking skills that can be developed only by taking FULL CATs at regular intervals. Once you have that score result, you should post back here and we can discuss how to adjust your studies.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
If you have not taken any CATs recently (and it's been about 4 years since you took the GMAT), then you MUST take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the Essay and IR sections) sometime soon. Without that score result, we'll have no way to determine what you actually need to work on. There are also a variety of Test Taking skills that can be developed only by taking FULL CATs at regular intervals. Once you have that score result, you should post back here and we can discuss how to adjust your studies.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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I took the following tests
22/07/16 - GMATPrep Exam 1 - 660 (Q47, V35)
10/08/16 - Manhattan CAT - 660 (Q45, V35)
I feel stuck!
I also took a single verbal test and scored 41. I felt good about reaching the 40+ score in verbal. But when I took the test today, I scored abysmal 35 again.
Please guide me!
22/07/16 - GMATPrep Exam 1 - 660 (Q47, V35)
10/08/16 - Manhattan CAT - 660 (Q45, V35)
I feel stuck!
I also took a single verbal test and scored 41. I felt good about reaching the 40+ score in verbal. But when I took the test today, I scored abysmal 35 again.
Please guide me!
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Hi neeti2711,
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. This is one of the many reasons why you must take your CATs in a way that 'matches up' with what you'll face on Test Day (so you must take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, away from your home, etc.). Taking just the Verbal section, without the prior 3 hours of Test 'activities' before it, will NOT end with a realistic score result. You likely do have most of the necessary knowledge and skills to score higher in the Verbal section, but you have not yet properly trained to do so in the context of the FULL Test.
These two CAT scores are remarkably similar (and they're rather close to your prior Official Score), which means that you're fairly consistent in how you're handling the Exam - you do certain things consistently well, but you also make the same consistent mistakes. To score 750+, you're going to have to make some fundamental changes to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. To that end, you would likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led).
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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. This is one of the many reasons why you must take your CATs in a way that 'matches up' with what you'll face on Test Day (so you must take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, at the same time of day as your Official GMAT, away from your home, etc.). Taking just the Verbal section, without the prior 3 hours of Test 'activities' before it, will NOT end with a realistic score result. You likely do have most of the necessary knowledge and skills to score higher in the Verbal section, but you have not yet properly trained to do so in the context of the FULL Test.
These two CAT scores are remarkably similar (and they're rather close to your prior Official Score), which means that you're fairly consistent in how you're handling the Exam - you do certain things consistently well, but you also make the same consistent mistakes. To score 750+, you're going to have to make some fundamental changes to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. To that end, you would likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led).
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich