Expert advice for trend in practice tests

U can subscribe to Grockit.com for Quizzes.

1. Why the heck are you taking practice tests if you just started preparing? You are wasting them.

Think of it this way - you started learning how to play the piano, so you schedule your first concert a week later; then you schedule the next one a few weeks later and so on. You keep wondering why people walk out on you a few tunes into it. You cannot use CAT's for measure of your performance on such short intervals. They just won't capture your progress. You have to use the exercises that come from the mystery practice materials you are using.

2. What have you been using as your prep material - you are asking for advice but i have no idea what you have been doing those 3-4 weeks. So what advice can we give you?

3. You started off with 690 - that's a great score. You should consider yourself lucky to have that level already. However, it will be much harder to improve on it than if you had started with 590 or 490. Expect to put a bunch more work and do a lot of analysis of your tests, which leads me to my final point

4. Use the CATs that you took to figure out where you make mistakes and why your score is not going up. The answer is there. However, if you have made a bunch of mistake on a subject you have not studied in the week 1, then you did the same in the week 2, and the same in the weeks 3 and 4 - that should be an answer to pretty much all of your questions. You really want to only measure your progress in are you studied.

Good Luck.

Good Luck!

Thanks for your reply bb.. some points that you mentioned...


Actually I've 15 more practice tests from veritas prep. I planned to keep 5 for last week before actual exam, and take others.


Sorry, should have been more precise. I've used new Veritas prep books and MGMAT SC book for preparation till now. also have been checking out practice questions on gmat club regularly (Including daily practice question mailer everyday)



I've used tests reports to improve on quants...combinatorics for one, from none correct in first to all correct in recent test, but have not been able to imrove my verbal, as there is no definite area I can find out to focus.. As i mentioned, usually all questions in 600-700 are correct and only 50% in 700-800 level. This is what I'm not able to figure out, how to move forward..

Thanks for your advice; it makes sense. Would go ahead with option 1. Kudos.

thanks for the comment. Kudos. can u suggest some source/materials for quizzes?

As far as I know:

For Quant: GMATClub gives most tricky problems. Don't be disheartened with your accuracy. But try to understand why you went wrong.
Grockit also seems to be a good source for both Quant and Verbal.

Keep a error log as bb always recommends.

Since your score is quite high. You can easily start with most difficult problems right away and track your progress.

Target the weak areas of your tests till now. Attempt another mock after that.

Good Luck!!!

What bb said makes sense. Try to follow that.

Also, keep in mind that the practice tests serve only two purposes: a. to point out our weaknesses and areas where we are missing out and b. to help us realize our pacing in the tests. The practice tests are more about width than they are about depth. Go slow on them no matter how many you have stacked up. Realize that without covering everything first, you are also spending several hours in analyzing the test; the time which could be better utilized in grasping important stuff first.
Hope that helps

Point taken.. thanks for your inputs