Last 8 days of prep - any advice?

[Sadowski]

Hi all,

As test day fast approaches (Jul 27), I'm finding myself in a situation I didn't expect to be in - I'm not going to be able to get through every OG11 problem. Things have been hectic lately and I haven't been able to crank through as many problems as I had hoped to! Nor have I been able to take as many tests as I had hoped to. Here's the breakdown over ~8 weeks of prep:

GMATPrep 1 (very little prep) - 680 (Q44, V38)
Kaplan 1 - 550
Kaplan 2 - 580
GMATPrep 1 #2 - 710 (Q47, V40) (didn't have the MGMAT access yet, didn't want to take another Kaplan, and wanted to save GMATPrep #2 for this coming weekend)
MGMAT 1 - 720 (Q45, V42)

I've noticed a considerable improvement in CR. I just recently did the last 25 OG11 CR questions with an 80% hit rate at 1.5-1.75 minutes per question. Everything else, however, has seemed to stagnate a little. Would you consider it good that my scores are, at least, fairly consistent?

Here's my plan for the next 8 days:

1) Finish Kap 800 this week/weekend (about halfway done)
2) Take GMATPrep2 on Saturday morning
3) Do the last 20 OG11 problems in every category (I've already done all PS/DS problems once through, and of course last 25 in CR)

Like everyone else, I'm really hoping for a 700. Does this seem like a good plan? Would you take another MGMAT test early next week, or just relax a little? Any other comments?

Thanks so much for any feedback!
Sadowski

[beatthegmat]

Sounds like a good plan--if you haven't done so already, I would think about putting together some flashcards of concepts that you are still struggling with and review those daily.

Otherwise, just relax--you've done some good prep and made great progress. You're within striking distance of your target score!

[Krazie85]

your scores are very similar to mine and i just got a 750. My advice: stay fresh on all sections up till three hours before the test. do a full practice test two days before the test. night before the test go see a baseball game or a movie to make time pass. Day of the test, get up, eat, read, do some problems, you need to be fully awake when you get there. Stay confident. You will do well.

[Stacey Koprince]

I strongly do not recommend taking a test within three days of the real thing (and, ideally, the last one should be about a week before). You'll just tire yourself out. In addition, the main point of taking a test is to learn a lot from the experience, and you don't have enough time to learn everything you could if you take it within a few days of the real thing. Finally, you risk having a bad test experience right before the real thing and totally killing your confidence.

Your plan generally looks good. On the day of, do some VERY easy practice questions about 30-60 minutes before the test. Just a couple, some math, some verbal, and DON'T check the answers. You're just warming your brain up - you don't want to psych yourself out right before the test starts.

Day before, do high level review but not for more than a couple of hours. As Krazie said, do something else low-key to take your mind off of the test. Make sure you get good sleep both the night before AND two nights before.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

[Sadowski]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Eric - Good call, I actually created a couple hundred SC, PS, and DS flashcards throughout my prep and I've been reviewing those daily.

Stacey - Along with doing some very easy problems, I'd like to get out for a 10-15 bike ride or walk before the test to get fresh air to the brain and to get the blood flowing. My test is at 8am, so even though I normally get up at 5:30am every morning, I don't want to feel sleepy or groggy.

I took GMATPrep #2 today and was pleased with the results - 720 (Q49,V40). I thought I was absolutely bombing the quant section because the questions seemed so much easier than my MGMAT practice test last week. They seemed like child's play!

Just wanted to give you guys an update - final results to come in less than a week!

[beatthegmat]

Looking forward to hearing your update! Keep up the good work in this final week!