Problems with Quant, only DURING the test

[jsl]

Hi Stacy Blackman team,

Please can I get your advice on the following issue. For the past few practise CATs, which I take every 2 weeks, I have been scoring roughly 620. The good news is that Verbal continues to rise. However, my Quant score consistently remains low (average scaled score of 38).

When I work on Quant with the OG guide and other resources, I get a high proportion of the questions correct whilst doing the questions under timed conditions. I am doing Kaplan CATs and will shortly start on MGMAT CATs.

I can't figure out where my problem in Quant lies... I think it's related to the actual taking of the test or the computer adaptive nature of the test. When I take a CAT, I usually finish the Quant section in very good time indicating I am skipping questions at the right stage. However, I have found that I usually do a lot better on Quant when I run out of time at the end!!! Should I spend more time on questions and relax a bit?

Please can you advise me on how I can track down the root issue? I think that some of the root causes of my low score could be due to:

• - panicking on the Quant section
  - not spending enough time on the hard questions (simply skipping them when I know that I can do them in roughly 3 mins)
  - getting stuck on easy questions as they seem "too good to be true"
  - compared to Verbal, it seems harder to get a good percentile on Quant
  - Kaplan Quant questions are different to OG Quant questions

I hope someone can help me out - any advice you give would be hugely appreciated.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear jsl,

You seem to have done quite a thorough analysis of potential issues on the quant section. It is hard to know exactly what might be causing you problems. If I had to guess, I would say skipping difficult questions because you don't want to take the time and going through others too quickly are probably the biggest issues. You don't have to put a time limit on each question as some you'll answer in less than a minute and others will take you 3-5 minutes. Your score is a function of how many questions you answer and the respective difficulty of the questions you get right. If you are answering 50 questions, but only getting the easiest ones right, then your score will still be low. Perhaps slow down and spend a little more time on the difficult questions and see if it makes a difference?

Other GMAT experts, please offer jsl your advice as well!
Lisa

[jsl]

You seem to have done quite a thorough analysis of potential issues on the quant section. It is hard to know exactly what might be causing you problems. If I had to guess, I would say skipping difficult questions because you don't want to take the time and going through others too quickly are probably the biggest issues. You don't have to put a time limit on each question as some you'll answer in less than a minute and others will take you 3-5 minutes. Your score is a function of how many questions you answer and the respective difficulty of the questions you get right. If you are answering 50 questions, but only getting the easiest ones right, then your score will still be low. Perhaps slow down and spend a little more time on the difficult questions and see if it makes a difference?

Other GMAT experts, please offer jsl your advice as well!
Lisa

Hi Lisa,

It's been a while since I tested your theory above and I'd like to provide feedback... You were right!! I am very thankful for your advice. I found that I was trying to stick to 2 minutes per question and thus I ended up rushing through difficult questions. I have discovered that I do far better at the test if I don't look at the clock - somehow, I have a "feeling" of how much time I have left and this works better for me than sticking to a 2 minute rule.

Since I have been spending more time on questions, my quant score has averaged between the 80th and 95th percentile. I ran out of Kaplan CATs and am now working my way through MGMAT CATs. The wording of several Word Translation questions are significantly longer than that of the real CAT but I still try to do these instead of simply skipping the questions. As a side note, I find incorrect verbal answer choices a lot easier to deduce than those of Kaplan. I think the GMAC GMAT answer choices are harder to deduce and am preparing as such.

Thanks again! Hopefully my GMAT journey will end (with a great score) soon. I have been studying for 5 months now and scores are straddling the 700 level. Since I would struggle to settle with anything below 700, do you have any advice on how I can "know" I'm ready for the test?

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear jsl,

Great news on your GMAT preparation! I'm so glad you have made the improvements you are looking for and wish you the best on your actual test. As for knowing when you are ready, I would guess no one ever feels truly ready. I think you just need to register for a test date and have that as your deadline to work towards. Test dates are going fast, so you better get yours soon!

Good luck,
Lisa