Requesting help on GMAT test taking strategy

[sudeep88u]

Myself Sudeep, an MBA aspirant from Bangalore. Request your help and guidance in sorting certain issues that am currently facing during my preparation

It has to do more from an exam perspective,I have certain concerns that have been hindering me .
But before that , i would like to give you a brief heads up on my preparation thus far.I have been preparing for the GMAT since 26th July and i have booked my slot for the 2nd of December. I still have close to 2 months time at my disposal.
Below is a quick synopsis of my progress:

Books Used:
"¢ Completed all the 800 questions in the GMAT Official Guide (2015)
"¢ Realized i was struggling with the finer nuances of English grammar. Hence purchased the Manhattan Foundation Verbal Guide. I've completed the same.
"¢ Wanted to fine tune my Quant skills. Hence purchased the Manhattan Advanced Quant Guide. I am halfway through it as of now.
"¢ Wanted a set of Mock tests to practice. Hence, ordered the sentence correction guide which has a set of 6 mocks that come along with it.
"¢ Purchased the GMAT Verbal Review guide (2015). Yet to start working on this. Planning to start with this in a couple of days

Practice results:

Problem solving:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the GMAT official guide - 72%

Data Interpretation:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the official guide - 49.2% (Struggling)

Reading comprehension:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the GMAT official guide - 61%

Sentence correction:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the GMAT official guide - 56%

Critical Reasoning:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the GMAT official guide - 50%(Struggling)


Mock Tests Results:
GMAT Prep Mock Test 1 - 470 ( took this on September 5th)
MGMAT Mock Test 1 - 510 ( took this on September 21st 9AM - Scores are Quant 15/37 , Verbal - 21/41)
MGMAT Mock Test 2 - 530 ( took this on September 28th 9AM - Scores are Quant 18/37 , Verbal - 24/41)

Note : Both these MGMAT tests were taken without the IR section

Major Concern:

Though i have been working hard over the past 2 months or so, i still find that my scores haven't improved dramatically. From what i have observed of myself, i findit very difficult to keep my focus throughout the entire duration of 3.30 hrs Sad Infact, by the time i am done with Quant itself, i feel itchy ,restless and tend to run out of steam.I literally feel like there is gorilla on my back sapping all of my energy. From thereon, i just feel like finishing off the test in a hurry and relaxing Sad Though i am aware of this limitation, there seems to be nothing that i can do to ward this problem off.
Time and again, i am confronted with issues related to mental fatigue and its the same deja vu feeling (finishing pff the test in a hurry without bothering to analyze any further)

Can you please suggest ways that would come in handy to overcome this limitation? I have another 4 Mocks left and i am aiming for a score of 700+ in my actual GMAT exam. I do believe deep down that i can do it, but it's this mental aspect that would need some conditioning and strengthening.


Awaiting your valuable inputs on the same.Also please let me know whether my study plan as of now looks solid or if i would have to beef it up further.

PS: Any suggestions related to my GMAT approach as a whole is also welcome Smile I would be more than happy to incorporate them in my studies going forward.


Thanks,
Sudeep

[[email protected]]

Hi sudeep88u

I read your original post in the Ask The Testmaker Forum, so what follows is based on the information that you provided:

First, you didn't actually list out the Scaled Scores for your Quant and Verbal sections (I didn't ask for the number of correct answers in each section). The CATs that you took should have provided a "result page" that included Scaled Scores and Percentiles for both the Quant and Verbal sections. THOSE are the scores that I am interested in knowing.

Second, by skipping the IR sections, you took a shorter/easier Test, which means your score results are likely "inflated." CATs are an important resource - they're the only tools that you can use to measure your OVERALL performance, so you should take each CAT in its ENTIRETY. Do NOT skip sections or do anything else that would be considered unrealistic. With those score results, we have no idea how you handle overall pacing or endurance, which are a couple of BIG issues for most Test Takers on the Official GMAT.

With the work that you've done so far, the "book-heavy" approach that you're using is probably not enough to help you to hit your goals. You will likely need to invest in some new computer-based resources to see the big improvement that you're looking for.

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

[sudeep88u]

Thanks once again for all your valuable inputs Rich ! I shall keep your inputs in mind going forward.
Just FYI , as you had asked for, please find the attachment that has a snapshot of the SCALED scores
of the MOCK Manhattan GMAT Tests that i had taken thus far.





Thanks,
Sudeep

[[email protected]]

Hi Sudeep,

The Scaled Scores from your last CAT are helpful, since they give me an idea of your strengths and weaknesses. Your 3 CAT scores are close enough that it's clear that you "see" and respond to the GMAT in the same general way every time you take it. You have taught yourself up to this level, but it's unlikely that you'll be able to score 700+ if you continue to work in this way. You've already realized some of your limitations (not knowing how to deal with fatigue, losing your focus, etc.), so you can't expect to magically fix these problems without some help.

The 700+ score is the 90th percentile, meaning that 90% of Test Takers either CAN'T or WON'T do what is necessary to succeed.

With 2 months of study time remaining, you DO have an opportunity to make some big improvements and hit your goals, but you're going to need consistent, professional guidance to do so. You should consider enrolling in a GMAT Course of some kind (either Guided Self-Study or Instructor-led). You're going to have to do a lot of work over the next 2 months, so you really need that structure to help you maximize your remaining time. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free resources (practice questions, Trial Accounts, etc.), so that you can "test out" a product before you buy it. We offer a Free Trial (at www.empowergmat.com) and each of the other major GMAT companies have their own freebies (Veritas, Kaplan, MGMAT, etc.). You should take a look at all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

Remember that the GMAT is a predictable, standardized Exam, so you CAN train to CRUSH it. Keep working hard, make smart choices and you can succeed.

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