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Help Please: losing GMAT game in last 10-11 questions

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Help Please: losing GMAT game in last 10-11 questions

by him1985 » Mon Jul 14, 2014 5:24 am
I gave the simulation test today. I was getting harder questions and i was sure that i would cross 700 mark . But to my surprise my score was merely 600 (q-48 and v-26).
I became hopeless after seeing the result after months of hard work on verbal. 
On analysis i saw that i made mistake in last 4 questions of quant and last 11 questions on verbal section.
Verbal: I made only 9 mistakes till 30 questions and after that i lost the game. My concentration was poor. I started feeling something bad at back of my head. i was not able to find the solution of the solution.
I am worried about it.I know problem is with time management and lack of concentration at the end of test. Please suggest some ways to get away with this problem. i really need a help
Himanshu Chauhan
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by GMATinsight » Mon Jul 14, 2014 6:08 am
him1985 wrote:I gave the simulation test today. I was getting harder questions and i was sure that i would cross 700 mark . But to my surprise my score was merely 600 (q-48 and v-26).
I became hopeless after seeing the result after months of hard work on verbal. 
On analysis i saw that i made mistake in last 4 questions of quant and last 11 questions on verbal section.
Verbal: I made only 9 mistakes till 30 questions and after that i lost the game. My concentration was poor. I started feeling something bad at back of my head. i was not able to find the solution of the solution.
I am worried about it.I know problem is with time management and lack of concentration at the end of test. Please suggest some ways to get away with this problem. i really need a help
Hi Himanshu,

Lack of concentration is too local problem that you have to work on your own as the surrounding matters the most for better concentration

For better time management you can try one of the very successful methods which is Spare some time for the last question so that you don't have too much pressure to solve them without thinking appropriately.

The reasoning for this suggestion is
It's known that the questions at the beginning and towards the end have the most importance for scaling your score higher so with this method you could give appropriate time to solve the questions at the end. In the beginning you take your time comfortably anyways. Another implication is, if you spare time for last question (e.g. 15 mins for last 7 questions) then you will have to hurry in a couple of questions which will again encourage you to make mistakes but it will be better than the previous situation because in this case the mistakes will be sandwiched in the mid of the section instead of getting concentrated at the end.

My Students usually make it a point to finish 30 Question of Quant in 60 mins to make sure that last 7 questions get 15 mins and similarly they spare time in Verbal as per their own speed..

I hope it help you get a direction as to how can the time be better managed.
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by [email protected] » Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:16 am
Hi him1985,

Many Test Takers face fatigue/endurance issues, so you're not alone. Before we talk about potential solutions to this issue, I'm hoping that you can answer a few questions:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) Is this your first practice CAT? If not, then what were your other scores?
3) What resources have you been using to study?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
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by him1985 » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:45 am
[email protected] wrote:Hi him1985,

Many Test Takers face fatigue/endurance issues, so you're not alone. Before we talk about potential solutions to this issue, I'm hoping that you can answer a few questions:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) Is this your first practice CAT? If not, then what were your other scores?
3) What resources have you been using to study?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Hi Rich,
1. i have been studying since 4 months.
2. Its my 3rd practice cat. Following are all results
1st GMATPrep Test : No Essay & IR - 680, Q-49,V-34
2nd 800Score.com : Essay & IR - 650, Q-49, V-30
3rd GMAT Prep 2nd Test : Full test with strict time & break condition : 600, Q-48, V-26
3. For Quant : I have studied from MGMAT Guide, Kaplan and practicing GMAT Club tests
For Verbal : I have gone through MGMAT Guide and also taken e-Gmat SC course.

I have not yet scheduled the exam. I am a re-taker. Last GMAT Score- 610, Q-46, V-29.

My weakness in verbal : Long RC passage (normally last passage) and SC under pressure.
Efficiency is good when i am attempting individual section without time pressure. For CR i am taking more time.

Even when i review wrong questions then i am able to solve 60-70 % of them easily.
But in the last my brain becomes careless and hope to end exam soon.
Himanshu Chauhan
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by VivianKerr » Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:58 pm
It's tough to stay focused, so since RC is tiring you out, you may want to step up your RC strategy when dealing with those tough long-passages.

Here's the questions you should be asking yourself and notating as you read:

1. What's the Topic? The topic should be obvious within the first 1-2 sentences of the passage. Look for the noun that appears to be the focus of the sentence. Is the topic a historical figure, a scientific phenomenon, a business plan, a social theory, etc?

2. What's the Scope? The scope is a little more specific than the topic. What about the topic interests the author? Think of the topic as the top of an umbrella. The scope shows the parabola of the umbrella and describes what would and would not fit under it. For example if our topic is "radiocarbons" maybe our scope is "theories about how carbon dating works."

3. How does the author feel about the topic? Look for the adjectives he/she uses to describe the topic, and the main topics of the individual paragraphs. What does he/she like or dislike? Look for descriptive phrases, and write down a "happy face" or "sad face" symbols to track the opinions and how they change or develop. Does the author introduce other people's opinions? Track them as well. Make sure to keep in mind that the author will often have a complex attitude about the topic. He/she may feel positively towards some things and negatively towards others. Remember that correct answers about the author's tone must reflect this ambivalence.

4. What's the function of each paragraph? Write down the function of each paragraph as an infinitive verb as you read. Don't move on to the next paragraph without one written down! Common functions include:

to introduce to refute to detail to discuss to present

to describe to show to support to propose to raise

to tell to prove to analyze to offer to acknowledge

to explain to contradict to illustrate to resolve to trace

to assess to point out to criticize to overview to undermine

Consider how each paragraph functions as a part of the larger argument. These notes are essential to answer Function questions later on!

5. What's the overall Purpose? Write down the Purpose after you finish the entire passage, and, like the functions of the individual paragraphs, express it as an infinitive verb. Often the purpose will have two parts. The author may be discussing a topic and then ultimately advocate for a change or offer a solution. If you are stuck, re-read your functions for each paragraph. It might be as simple as linking the function of the 1st paragraph to the final paragraph! A possible purpose for our radiocarbon example passage might be "to compare/contrast views on carbon dating accuracy."
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Thu Jul 17, 2014 8:10 am
him1985 wrote:know problem is with time management and lack of concentration at the end of test. Please suggest some ways to get away with this problem. i really need a help
Regarding time management: I suggest that you use the following Milestone Charts to keep you on track:
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We (at GMAT Prep Now) feel that these times are easily remembered so you can quickly jot them on your noteboard on test day. This (and more) is covered in our free GMAT time management video at https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244


Regarding lack of concentration: A long and difficult RC passage (especially near the end of the section) can really knock you off your game (both in timing and in confidence). In these instances, it's crucial that you ENGAGE 100% in the passage. Rather than approach a new passage with dread ("yeesh, this is going to be a killer"), try to FEIGN INTEREST ("Excellent! This passage is about protozoa!!"). The greater your engagement, the better your results. You'll find additional tips to help you better engage with the passage in this free video: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... on?id=1123

If you're interested, we have a free set of videos that cover all sorts of Reading Comprehension strategies: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... prehension

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent
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by [email protected] » Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:10 pm
Hi him1985,

I have a few more questions about what happened at the end of the Quant and Verbal sections during this CAT:

1) When you mention that you "made mistakes" on the last 4 Quant questions and the last 11 Verbal questions, does that mean that you got ALL of those questions wrong?
2) Did you have to guess on all of those questions because you were low on time? Or were you just tired and unable to concentrate? Were you actually able to answer them all, or did you leave some of the questions unanswered?

As you continue to study, I suggest that you take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT every 1-2 weeks. We need those score results on a more frequent basis (3 CATs in 4 months is too few). Clearly, your focus needs to be on the Verbal section. If the resources that you're using aren't helping you to pick up those Verbal points, then you might need to invest in some new resources.

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