MGMAT Free test

[kartyc]

Hi, took the free test available online for diagnostic purpose. needless to say, its a dissapointing score for me, considering the target i have!

its 600 ( 43Q, 31V). ( 70th Percentile in that test)
I intend to buy the 6 tests package online and take them regularly after focussing on my weak areas.

I had some serious issues with my time management, to an extent of guessing almost the 5 questions of each section, without even reading them, and sadly got all of them wrong!,

Need some good advice on my prep strategy.
How often should i test on a full length one?
and when i am not, how can i do some exercises similar, but not as long as the full length ones to improve my accuracy and speed.
I only have the OG's as my prep guide.
Is there something that i can consciously do to improve my timing even when i am not testing?
Have you guys seen scores improving from the first test in a month's time?

Have begun to read the posts here, but some threads mentioned here are difficult to hunt, someone mentioned stacey's time management tips, could find them , any tips to find them?

will keep posting constant updates on my learnings and scores. Thanks.

[michael.dinerstein]

Hi kartyc,

Getting a 600 on your first practice test without knowing how to properly pace yourself and without any content review is actually not that bad. The big reason why you did not fare as well as you had hoped is because you randomly guessed on 5 questions at the end of two separate sections. Doing this absolutely trashes your score and could have easily been the difference between a 700 and a 600. With that said, though, you need to work on time management skills, reinforcing these mechanics with learning content.

What you need to do is invest in a stopwatch and use it all the time to answer questions out of the OG, if that's the only study guide you are going to use. Make sure you can answer all questions in 2 minutes (except for Sentence Correction questions, which should be answered in 1 minute, 20 seconds to 1 minute, 30 seconds). While I'm not sure where Stacey's famous time management thread is on these forums, I do know she discusses this topic quite frequently at the ManhattanGMAT Forums, and more specifically in this thread. Keep in mind that while we have seen scores improve in a month, you need to be able to put in the hard work and effort required to achieve this goal. Specifically, I feel that you would indeed benefit from a content review in a subject area that corresponds with a ManhattanGMAT Strategy Guide. Not only will you receive all 6 CATs for free with your purchase of a guide, but you'll receive a thorough content review that will help improve your score once your pacing problem is straightened out.

Finally, I would strongly caution against taking too many practice tests. What will be more useful is taking timed OG problems - these problems are more like the ones you'll actually find on the GMAT (as opposed to any created by a test prep company), and the timing practice will only help you keep pace better, thereby allowing you to achieve a higher score.

I hope this helps!

Best,

[kartyc]

Thanks Mike for the tips..will work on it...and post an update. Do you reckon i get those guides from Amazon? since i have ordered it but they seem to telling me that they will only ship when they have the stock, which might be way too late for me.

[michael.dinerstein]

Hi kartyc,

Not a problem! As for the guides, you can certainly purchase them from Amazon. Just be careful to find the Third Edition Guides, which have different covers. Here's an example of a Third Edition Guide you can find on Amazon: Sentence Correction Third Edition Prep Guide. Most likely, the reason why you are finding our books out of stock is because you found the 2007 Edition guides, which are old. Just purchase the Third Editions that are in stock and you'll be set!

Best,