timing and panicking - help - The Beat The GMAT Forum - Expert GMAT Help & MBA Admissions Advice

timing and panicking - help

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p3po: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 11; Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:41 am

by p3po » Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:01 am

Hi,

After 10 hours of study, I made my first mock test 1 month ago and got a miserable score 360 (Quant:23 and Verbal:17).
I though this score was due to my absolute deficiency in both sections, in fact, after having studied a while the verbal part (3 weeks), I made another mock test and I got 410 (Quant: 22 and Verbal 25).
During this month, and the last one, I have been studying a lot of math in order to get the basis of the subject and improve my score.
My study was accompained by both theory and exercises.
Once finished math theory, I concentrated only on quant exercises and I planned to do a new mock test this sunday.
My score was even worst the others, and the funny thing is that when I was doing my exercise (PS and DS), my percentage of right answers was pretty good (70% or more).
I think this horrible score has been due to my panicking and my problem to sort questions in few time.
So, what I would like to know, is there somebody who had the same problem as me? How did u overcome the problem?

Thanks in advance!!!

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:01 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:58 pm

Hi p3po,

It sounds like you've been studying for 1-2 months and made some improvement. What was your score on this most recent practice CAT?

Reviewing past performance(s) is a rather important part of the GMAT training process. When you review your past CATs, have you been able to determine WHY you're getting certain questions wrong? How often is it due to silly mistakes, how often is it due to content/knowledge and how often are the questions too hard?

You shouldn't get too down on yourself. The GMAT is standardized and predictable, so you can train to beat it. Most Test Takers need 3+ months to hit their goals. Some need a lot more time than that. Keep your eye on the prize and keep working. If you find that your study plan isn't getting you the results that you're looking for, then that just means that you should come up with a new plan.

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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p3po: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 11; Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:41 am

by p3po » Mon Mar 17, 2014 3:44 am

[email protected] wrote:Hi p3po,

It sounds like you've been studying for 1-2 months and made some improvement. What was your score on this most recent practice CAT?

Reviewing past performance(s) is a rather important part of the GMAT training process. When you review your past CATs, have you been able to determine WHY you're getting certain questions wrong? How often is it due to silly mistakes, how often is it due to content/knowledge and how often are the questions too hard?

You shouldn't get too down on yourself. The GMAT is standardized and predictable, so you can train to beat it. Most Test Takers need 3+ months to hit their goals. Some need a lot more time than that. Keep your eye on the prize and keep working. If you find that your study plan isn't getting you the results that you're looking for, then that just means that you should come up with a new plan.

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

Dear Rich,

Thanks for your reply.
My last score was 370!!!
I have been studying math for the last 2 months and I confirm you I made some improvement.
When I study I get, generally, 70% of right answers, but to sort them, I need from 2 to 5 + minutes, so when I do CAT, I am not able to manage the time. SO, what I definitely need is improving on time management (and of course on quant knowledge)...
Of course I keep going through it, but I guess I'll need more time (9 months +).
Do you have some good strategy in order oto better manage time?

Thanks

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TNguyen1212: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 11:57 am

by TNguyen1212 » Mon Mar 17, 2014 5:25 pm

Hi p3po,

I was in the the same boat with you a couple of weeks ago. I'm not done with studying yet but I feel like the following steps help me to control the panic monster:

+ I don't cramp before a CAT
+ Take the CAT under the same settings (for me, Monday morning 8AM since that will be my real GMAT test time, at the library, at the same chair/cubicle, even same clothes...that's a little extreme..I know)
+ Take the CAT where you feel most comfortable (I took the CAT twice at home...for some reason I got really freak out and couldn't finish them)
+ Use Grockit along with study plan. Grockit is $30 a month. It will cue up questions, give you a timer of ~2 min and you need to answer. I guess it gets me used to answer questions after questions...and train mentally to see a question prompt, think quickly and answer.

Good luck!

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p3po: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 11; Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:41 am

by p3po » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:57 am

TNguyen1212 wrote:Hi p3po,

I was in the the same boat with you a couple of weeks ago. I'm not done with studying yet but I feel like the following steps help me to control the panic monster:

+ I don't cramp before a CAT
+ Take the CAT under the same settings (for me, Monday morning 8AM since that will be my real GMAT test time, at the library, at the same chair/cubicle, even same clothes...that's a little extreme..I know)
+ Take the CAT where you feel most comfortable (I took the CAT twice at home...for some reason I got really freak out and couldn't finish them)
+ Use Grockit along with study plan. Grockit is $30 a month. It will cue up questions, give you a timer of ~2 min and you need to answer. I guess it gets me used to answer questions after questions...and train mentally to see a question prompt, think quickly and answer.

Good luck!

I took a look on it and it sounds very helpful.
Thanks a lot man!!!!

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GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:19 pm

Hi p3po,

Your 3 scores are all within range of one another, so you've performed at the same general ability level when dealing with the entire test. When you don't have to worry about the clock and when you can focus on one subject at a time, you tend to perform better. There are a couple of things that you need to work on BEFORE you work on your pace/speed:

1) Know the content/material
2) Know the varies ways to answer each question (there's usually 2-4 approaches to answer every question, if you know just one of the approaches, then you're probably using the "long" approach instead of a faster one).
3) Build up your memory by doing review of past work. If you've done enough practice, almost everything that you'll see on a CAT should remind you of something you did during your studies. If you don't have that level of familiarity, then you need to study more.

Pacing tends to improve with time. Forcing yourself into a 2-minute time limit per question is NOT a good idea at this point in your studies, since some questions are designed to take you 3 minutes to solve (and that's if you know all of the shortcuts). You might also want to consider investing in a GMAT Prep Course that includes a study plan, so that you can be sure that you're learning the material in a logical order.

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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