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Multiple Questions on GMAT Strategy

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Multiple Questions on GMAT Strategy

by fermar84 » Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:06 am
Hi again, sorry to keep posting about different topics in this forum but many questions arise and most of my free time is on weekends.

1) Among the different CAT sets, which would you say has the most helpful statistics of what went wrong? Or what would you say is the most important KPI which can led you to optimize your efforts?

2) Although it is not realistic, I would like to take the individual part of each CAT, something like "Take the Quant part only", or "Take the Verbal part only", I think that Veritas CATs have such ability but I am not sure.

3) Finally, I would like to take something like quizzes in the GMATPrep Tool (where you can take the CATs), these quizzes allow you to select the topic, measure your time and present the difficulty of the question. . Do you have any other suggestion different to the GMATPrep tool?

4) I am planning to take a week of vacations from work to finalize my preparation, during that week I plan to take a CAT every other day and rest a couple of days before the exam. Is it really good?

Thanks in advance,
Fernando
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by [email protected] » Sun Sep 28, 2014 4:32 pm
Hi Fernando,

To determine if what you're asking about might be useful, you have to clearly define your Official Test Date, Score goal and practice CAT scores. That information is not here.

FULL-LENGTH practice CATs are the only GMAT tool that provide the utility/information that they provide, so using one for anything but a full assessment of your skills is a WASTE of a CAT. Taking a Quant or Verbal section out of context is not realistic (since you won't be doing that on Test Day). If you want to practice on certain types of questions, then there are plenty of other practice materials that you can use.

Taking more than 1 CAT per week will likely not benefit your overall performance on Test Day. A full CAT is a tough experience; it takes time to recover from taking one, to review all the aspects of the CAT, to properly practice your weak areas, etc. If you take a CAT every other day, then you're likely to score the same (give or take a few points) and make no real improvements. You might also burn yourself out to such a degree that you crash on Test Day.

You should plan to take 1 CAT about a week before your Official GMAT, then spend the rest of the week on light review.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by BestGMATEliza » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:34 am
Hi Fernando,

Obviously the GMAC tests are the best score indicator, because the questions and scoring algorithms are from the actual test makers. The downside is that they don't come with answer explanations which I find to be a key aspect in improving your score. AS far as the most helpful statistics:
  • Veritas practice tests show you your score balance between quant and verbal, which can help you determine where you need help. It also shows you your pacing and how long it takes you to answer each type of question (RC, SC, CR, etc) compared to other test takers, in addition to how long you spend on questions you get right vs. those you get wrong.
  • MGMAT provides you you with a breakdown of each question, whether you got it right or wrong, the specific topic (ie SC:idioms or PS: geometry) and how long you spent on that question
As far as quant only or verbal only, I would have to agree with Rich that it isn't in your best interest to waste your CATs by taking them in parts. You should really be taking full length practice tests to get the best use out of your studying.

Veritas Prep has a free quiz bank that you can use to create your own quizzes. You can't select difficulty, but you can select which type of questions you want included and how many.

That sounds like a good plan! I might even say that you could take a practice test every day as you rest the final 2 days before the actual test.

Hope this helps!!
Eliza Chute
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