Break in middle of verbal section !! can this harm my score?

[BTG14]

Hi All,
I recently gave GMAT exam and was shocked by my score it was 500 where verbal was below 20. I was sure that my verbal went almost smoothly but i took a break(for ten seconds) in middle of verbal section. Does this slow down my score.

I gave all six MGMAT exams and i got above 650.

Inputs highly appreciated.

PS:I am sorry if the post is in wrong category

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

Given the computer-adaptive nature of the GMAT, it can be the case that a feeing that things are going smoothly is actually a bad sign. If you're getting a lot of questions that seem well within your grasp, then those questions are too easy for you. The only way that you'll see easy questions (for you) is by incorrectly answering the previous questions. Conversely, if you're correctly answering questions, then each subsequent question should push the boundaries of your abilities and make you struggle/sweat.

To answer your question, a 10-second break in the middle of a section should not hurt your score in anyway. It certainly won't cause a 150-point drop.

An official score of 500 after scores of 650+ on practice tests can suggest several things:
- you struggle in a formal testing environment (anxiety, time management, fatigue, etc)
- the MGMAT tests did not accurately measure your abilities (what were your scores on the official GMATPrep practice tests?)
- a few difficult questions at the beginning of each section through you off

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent

Aside: we have free videos on the topics of time management and test anxiety.
Time management: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244
Test anxiety: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1252

[David@VeritasPrep]

Brent is certainly correct in his thoughtful reply. Even a break of several minutes would not necessarily hurt your score so long as you completed the section (it is possible to finish the verbal in less than 75 minutes). I mean the computer would not know that you are resting rather than just working on a problem unless you actually log off for an emergency bathroom break or something. But even then the computer would just keep the clock running and would not penalize you on top of that.

I have to echo what Brent said about things feeling too easy as well. I have noticed with tutoring students that those who felt that something was going too easily are actually missing lots of questions, but here is what is interesting - they are missing questions that they understand and could get right! That is the reason that you might feel that you are doing well -- because you are confronting questions that you understand and are capable of getting but that you miss for some reason.

I have had students in your situation before and let me say that sometimes when things feel too easy on the VERBAL section, not on the Quant, is when a person allows herself or himself to get caught by assumptions and easy answers and does not dig as deeply as they should. This often happens when students finish the VERBAL section too quickly or feel like it was easy.

Remember, there are lots of traps on the GMAT. A difficult question does not necessarily feel difficult when you fall for these tricks. For example, on sentence correction at Veritas Prep we talk about the "decision points" that help you to quickly work through multiple answer choices. Things like "singular/ plural" or "past/ present tense" are great decision points.

But there are also "False Decision Points." Some people think that "being" is automatically elimination for an answer choice. Others think that you can eliminate choices because they change the meaning from answer choice A. Still others get caught up in picking answers that "sound better" without first considering grammar and logic.

The person who "relaxes" too much on sentence correction is likely to make a decision based on one of these traps - these false decision points. Now this person will think, "that was an easy question, I just had to eliminate all the choices that sounded weird to me." And of course, they will have missed the question.

The same is true for critical reasoning and reading comprehension as well. If you relax too much on critical reasoning you will likely end up making an assumption or going for an answer that plays on your prior knowledge or your preconceptions. Of course this will make the question seem easier as well.

So relaxing too much on the verbal, often because of being tired and unwilling to dig deeply into the questions can lead to an unexpectedly low score on the verbal section. On the Quant you would likely at least know that you did not understand the question. On verbal things can appear to be going easily, too easily in fact, and the score can be a surprise.

[brianlange77]

Hi All,
I recently gave GMAT exam and was shocked by my score it was 500 where verbal was below 20. I was sure that my verbal went almost smoothly but i took a break(for ten seconds) in middle of verbal section. Does this slow down my score.

I gave all six MGMAT exams and i got above 650.

Inputs highly appreciated.

PS:I am sorry if the post is in wrong category

BTG: It's a good question -- and I'll take a slightly different spin in my response to add onto what others have already said above. Basically, how well did you replicate actual test-day experiences in your practice exams? Essay/IR? Limited breaks? No pauses, etc? Many people want to take the marathon training approach to the GMAT (in which you never actually run the full distance until the race), but I firmly disagree with that mindset. You need to pressure test your brain -- can it handle the full 3+ hours? If not, how do you go about building up your muscle memory?

One suggestion -- do some ultra-long problem sets... maybe 85-90 minutes each. Push your brain past the mark, to see how far you can stretch. At a minimum, start to extend your work sessions (fewer, longer sessions.)

Hope this makes sense.

-Brian

[BTG14]

Thank you everybody, Really your answers gave some insights to me.

My test date has little pressure because of two conditions:
1. I was suffering from fever.
2. I was nervous because if i miss this exam i should wait for one more year.

But coming to brain exercise, I used to practice by sitting for 4 hours continuously especially for verbal section. I was confident on my preparation and in GMAT prep Practise Test i got 640.

And my IR section during real exam was too bad. But during break. I meditated in front of my screen for 5 mins to make myself cool. And i was cool and confident while solving. But during verbal section, i was stuck between 2 choices most of the time.