Need Advice\suggestion...

[BeattheVerbal]

Hi,

I need suggestion.

Have already appeared for GMAT thrice and all the time ended up with bad scores. Though in hindsight I know that I should have not attempted my initial 2 attempts. Had few personal issues and thinking that I can tame the GMAT even with such a disturbed mind was wrong.In none of the mock score or GMATPrep I had such poor scores.

Anyway, after my last attempt, I studied from MGMAT SC and explanation videos from MGMAT on SC and CR. I have learned quite a lot in last few months.

Last attempt was 1 yr agon. Today, I attempted first GMATprep and got 690. Verbal was better than expectation with 37 but there were 3-4 SC\CR questions that I knew. Also, I did not manage my time well. I was left with around 25 questions in 35 mins. Trying hard to work on my time management. So, don't know whether I should rely on this score. Would be glad if people can share their views.

Now, I am contemplating appearing for the test in next 10 days. But, after 3 poor shows(all below 600), I am still doubting whether I should really attempt now or prepare for another 2-3 months and then think about it. Verbal is a pain area for me and since last attempt I have been reading alot\practicing from OG. I am in a hurry because November is deadline for a school of my choice.

I need expert advice. Please help me out how I can really figure out whether I should attempt it again or not. Confidence is really on toss!

[amirhakimi]

Hi my friend,
I am studying with MGMAT as well. It's a great source. To assess your performance, you can take some free mocks online. If that's not the case, you already did them all, you can give "GMAC Exam Pack 1" a try.

[BeattheVerbal]

Thanks. How good is Kaplan test?

Also, I am in a dilemma right now whether to go for test now or wait.

[amirhakimi]

Kaplan is a good one. About the decision on taking the test, you should let your score on practice test guide you.
Wish you luck buddy

[[email protected]]

Hi BeattheVerbal,

What were your Scaled Scores for the Quant and Verbal sections on each of your practice CATs and actual GMATs?

Also, on each practice CAT, did you take the ENTIRE test (Essay and IR included) or did you skip those sections?

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

[BeattheVerbal]

Thanks Rich for your response.

In actual GMAT Quant was around 48-49 in all the attempts. It was in correlation with the Mock CATs.

My verbal score in Mock CATs were between 30-35 but in actual it hovered around 20! All the mocks, I attempted with AWA and IR. In actual GMAT, in all the attempts, i completed only 20 questions in first 45 minutes.. Was under too much pressure to perform and ended up messing the test. This time have prepared well but still trying to control my timing. But, the past failure is creating a lot of stress and doubt. And I know, with doubt, only failure is achieved, so your all inputs will really be helpful.

Can someone tell me, whether Kaplan verbal is tougher than actual GMAT?

[[email protected]]

Hi BeattheVerbal,

Your pacing problem in the Verbal section is clearly having an effect on your overall score as well as your confidence. The cause of your pacing problem could be due to a number of factors, but here are some of the likely ones:

1) You're not taking enough notes on CR and RC prompts. Taking notes actually SAVES TIME and helps you to focus on the ideas that matter, which should help you to predict the correct answer BEFORE you look at the 5 options.

2) Rushing to the answers when you don't know what you're "looking for" also tends to waste time. If you're reading through all 5 answers and thinking about whether each answer makes sense or not, then you'll be wasting time AND you might convince yourself that one of the wrong answers is correct.

3) Reading all 5 answers to SC questions without thinking about the grammar. Eliminating answers because they "sound wrong" and picking the one that "sounds good" is an inconsistent and generally time-wasting approach to SCs. Know your grammar and eliminate answers in groups.

While the above are "mental"/strategic thinking issues, you might also be dealing with physical (fatigue, decreased blood/air flow, etc.) or psychological issues (fear, confusion) that could be affecting your performance. You'll have to do some self-assessments to determine if any of those issues currently affect you.

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

[BeattheVerbal]

Thanks Rich! What you are talking about absolutely makes sense when I think of all my previous attempts.

I believe when we start checking all the 5 answers its a waste of mental energy and time too. I never took notes on CR. SC, I used to read the same question maybe 2-3 times!!! This was majorly because of fear and now I am not sure whether SC is really my weak point.

I want to ask you few more questions:

How frequently notes be taken? In my last mock, when I realized that I am getting tired or can't understand the question, took notes. Also, what should be average time to read a passage and take notes?

[[email protected]]

Hi BeattheVerbal,

I take some type of notes on EVERY question, even on SCs. It's the only way to make sure that I'm focused on the "right things" and catching the specific information that I need to answer the questions.

For CR questions, you should expect to spend 2 minutes, on average, per question. Keep in mind that some questions take more time and some take less.

For RC questions, each company/instructor has its/his/her own philosophy/tactics, but we teach that you should expect to spend 4-5 minutes, on average, reading the prompt and taking notes. Obviously, a longer prompt takes more time and a shorter prompt takes less time, but the average of 4-5 minutes is the mathematical result of 4 passages of various lengths. This leaves you 1 to 1.5 minutes per question. About half the time, your notes will be enough to answer the question; the other half of the time, you'll need to go back and "hunt" through the original passage to find what you need.

This will take some time to practice. Focus on your accuracy first; speed and pacing only matter once you know how to properly handle the questions.

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

[BeattheVerbal]

Thanks Rich for your time. I took a practice Kaplan practice test yest and scored Q=50 V=33. Last one was Q=48 V= 30.
The pacing issue is still there as I had to rush through 5-6 questions to make up time for around 20 questions in 30 minutes.. Had to skip the whole passage and marked one ans correctly after a guess.

I still haven't booked the date. Planning to appear in next 7 days because have a deadline. Now, I am confused whether to feel confident or just to postpone

[[email protected]]

Hi BeattheVerbal,

With less than 7 days to go, as well as your deadline, it's tough to predict what's going to happen on Test Day. You should keep your appointment, but you're going to have to make some adjustments to how you approach the Verbal section. We probably can't do much to change your tactics with so little time remaining. What you CAN do is look for opportunities to "dump" questions. The best that I can advise is this: find a few questions in the Verbal section (3-5) that you think are hard and then dump them as quickly as possible. We need to improve your chances to get to ALL of the questions, including the questions at the end (some of which will be straight-forward and worth points). It won't necessarily "fix" your problem, but it might help you to pick up a few points in the Verbal section (and thus in your overall score).

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