When stumped do not let your ego take over.

This topic has expert replies
User avatar
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 8:47 am

When stumped do not let your ego take over.

by shingik » Thu Sep 08, 2011 4:42 pm
Took test and scored a measly 600 :( . The lesson I learned was: LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR. I dug my heels in on question #10 in quant (an obvious 700 level type question---I felt I had killed the test up to that point) and ended guessing on the last 20 questions---17 min left at #15.

I still mustered a 36 in quant which led me to believe the score was more a reflection of poor time management and strategy rather than real ability. I was so mad at myself that it affected my concentration in the verbal---scored the lowest score I had ever scored in verbal (scored 44 and above in practice tests)--- 36. Together my scores added up to a measly 600.

I scored 640 in GMAT Prep with NO studying whatsoever---I literally just downloaded the practice test and took it just to see where I was and then began studying after that. Took the GMAT prep a week before the exam and scored 760 High 49 Q and 44 V ---or something like that. So needless to say I was very disappointed with my performance after two months of study. I feel my 600 is like a badge of shame and my sense of self worth is shattered. I am not a head case by any means but that six hundred really really bothers me. I will retake at the end of October---humbled and wiser.

The moral of the story is---even if you think you will eventually get the right answer, if you find yourself over the one and a half min mark and you are still trying to come to grips with what is required by a problem, just throw in the towel and guess intelligently---you will do better overall!

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 398
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:39 pm
Location: India
Thanked: 41 times
Followed by:6 members

by prateek_guy2004 » Fri Sep 09, 2011 2:23 am
Its disheartening to hear that....I understand your situation but the best part is that you have a brighter chance next time...

Also allotment of time to group ques's can be useful, for example 1st 10 ques 20 mins next 10 20 mins next 10 15 mins and last 7 also 15 mins, this is what i try to follow in quant even if i see a alien ques and if i am running out of time i guess it.....

I can see that your basics are fine...Just little more time management as you also mentioned will take you above your target score..
Don't look for the incorrect things that you have done rather look for remedies....

https://www.beatthegmat.com/motivation-t90253.html

User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 11:47 am
Thanked: 1 times
Followed by:1 members

by AVbyT » Fri Sep 09, 2011 2:40 am
Well put prateek_guy2004. Ego is one of my problems. Hate giving up on a simple looking GMAT problem and that almost always causes me to hurry up in the last 10 questions. It's time to learn the science of guessing.

Any suggestion on good posts or techniques to guess?

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1239
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:25 am
Thanked: 233 times
Followed by:26 members
GMAT Score:680

by sam2304 » Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:13 am
I second that. It seems we can solve it easily but often gets messed up. When i stumble upon such a problem i don spend more than 3 mins on such problem. If you are very close in getting an answer go ahead - after 2 mins - till 3 mins but definitely not more than that no matter what. Shift your ego here rather on solving the pblm. Educated guess or wild guess choose one and move on. Stick to it, apply it on practice tests and we can go ahead smoothly. Better to Lose one and gain on others.

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 398
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:39 pm
Location: India
Thanked: 41 times
Followed by:6 members

by prateek_guy2004 » Fri Sep 09, 2011 6:39 am
Just to add up....Normally we get stuck in difficult ques's......so even if you guess it wrong it wont affect your scores much...

Reason hard problems contains less points......
Don't look for the incorrect things that you have done rather look for remedies....

https://www.beatthegmat.com/motivation-t90253.html

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 351
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:25 pm
Thanked: 57 times
Followed by:4 members

by akhilsuhag » Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:08 am
Now prateek is right their in parts. Getting a hard question wrong means: it won't affect your score all that much in the negative direction.
Getting it right however will make a huge difference. So it is not that the question doesn't carry too many points, it doesn't carry too many negative points.

GMAT is a management exam, and time and resource management is core to what they test. If in the real world as a manager when you have a deadline and get stuck at one point you need to make tough decisions and that is what they are testing. That is why the test is timed to put you under pressure and see if you survive that pressure.

The other important thing is, the question that you are solving might just be an EXPERIMENTAL question. You waste 10 mins on a question that doesn't count and in the process screw up 3 that do. Here again the manager in you should come and tell you what to do.

You will not know everything, at any level on quant you will get 12-15 questions wrong (even if you score 50-51) due to the adaptive nature of the test. I scored a 49 in quant with 15 incorrect on GMATprep, but they were all difficult problems. I am saying this to tell you that it is OK to get questions wrongs and move on.

I hope I made some sense!!
Please press "thanks" if you think my post has helped you.. Cheers!!

User avatar
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 8:47 am

by shingik » Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:06 pm
Thank you all for the encouragement. I will follow the 20/20/15/15 pattern as suggested. It just seems to make sense.

Btw on a side note I love studying for the GMAT for some odd reason. I love the sense of acomplishment and I feel more and more like I spent the night at a Holiday Inn with each passing day(commercial states that you are smarter if you stay at a Holiday Inn for my non-US counterparts).

The exam itself was not that hard I dont think. I just spent way too much time on a weird problem that as suggested mught have been experimental anyway.

Thanks again