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Huge difference between the mock tests and real test

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Practicegmat
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Concentration: Finance, Entrepreneurship
Schools: LBS '16 (S) Sloan '16 (S) Booth '16 (S)
GMAT 1: 600 Q48 V25
GMAT 2: 660 Q50 V29
GMAT 3: 690 Q49 V34
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Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink] New post   31 Jul 2013, 06:21
Hi Experts,
Before giving the bad news, let me list my last 2 mock tests results , the tests which I took this week :

MGMAT full test : 710 ( Q50, V36) --- 28th Jul
Gmat Prep : 730 ( Q48, V42) --- 29th Jul

Also please note that my other mock test results were between 690 to 730 in the past 1.5 months

And my real GMAT score today : 640 ( Q48, V29) . This is lower than my past GMAT score : 660 ( Q50, V29).

I am not really not understanding what really went wrong.

Analyzing what really went wrong with verbal today :

1. 1-20 questions : I felt that I am going fine. But finished in 45 mins ....there was a disturbance in between when there was network issue and I was at the 12th question(2nd RC 1st question), but I was fine ( at least thats what I felt .. in fact I got extra time to think for sometime as the screen hanged in front of me and there was no time loss because the clock stopped ticking.. I could think about the question seeing the screen)
2. But as I was late by 5 mins when I started the 21st question , I had to randomly mark Q 21, 22, 23 , 24 as (c) in all cases , as these questions were from the 3rd RC. May be I did the blunder here. Not sure.
3. Other questions for CR , SC were fine... but I think I randomly marked the RC again ( 3 questions as C) when I was at the questions in early thirties. I think this might be another blunder ?
4. I skiped 38th and 40th question ( both were CR) as I was short of time

But whatever be the case, I think skipping 2 RCs cant bring my score down to 29!!!!! Can it ? But I did the same many times in the mock tests , randomly marking (C) for the 3rd and 4th RC, but still managed to get 35 in verbal.

My questions to you on my verbal disaster:

1. Please tell me what you feel about my performance today. Do you really think that I still need to work on the basics,or strategy was the issue for me. If you feel that I had a issue with the strategy, what were those issues

2. Have you come across any other students who had such a difference in scores between the mock tests and real tests. If yes, what were their issues? Can such issues be rectified in 1 month by an a student who is working( because I cant take leave next month)

3. Please advice me what next steps should I follow. If I want to re-take the exam on 1-sep, can I get 40 in verbal(I will take care of Quant and make it 50 at least in 1 month) Do you really doubt my preparation ? Do you advice me to retake after 2 months instead of 1 month?

4. If I re-take in 1 month, please help me with the steps as to how I will prepare this month.
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VeritasPrepBrian
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Re: Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink] New post   07 Aug 2013, 09:50
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Hey PracticeGMAT - regarding the pacing component on the Veritas tests, yes, we track your time on each question and also show you the average amount of time taken on that question so you can get a feel for how you're doing compared with others. Since pacing isn't "linear" (not all quant questions take exactly 2:04), it's helpful to get a feel for about how long each particular question should take.
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brianlange77
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Re: Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink] New post   31 Jul 2013, 06:35
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Sorry that you were disappointed with your score performance. In reading your narrative, I do think there are some opportunities for improvement of your approach to time management on the exam. I'd encourage you to read the following article -- https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/ -- which provides some thoughts/tips on how to best manage timing.

Am I reading your notes correct that you had to guess/skip 9 questions on verbal? That can absolutely explain the type of score drop that you experienced.

When you were getting those scores on the mock exams -- how many questions were you guessing/skipping?

Thanks.

-Brian
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KarishmaB
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Re: Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink] New post   31 Jul 2013, 22:24
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Practicegmat wrote:
Hi Experts,
Before giving the bad news, let me list my last 2 mock tests results , the tests which I took this week :

MGMAT full test : 710 ( Q50, V36) --- 28th Jul
Gmat Prep : 730 ( Q48, V42) --- 29th Jul

Also please note that my other mock test results were between 690 to 730 in the past 1.5 months

And my real GMAT score today : 640 ( Q48, V29) . This is lower than my past GMAT score : 660 ( Q50, V29).

I am not really not understanding what really went wrong.

Analyzing what really went wrong with verbal today :

1. 1-20 questions : I felt that I am going fine. But finished in 45 mins ....there was a disturbance in between when there was network issue and I was at the 12th question(2nd RC 1st question), but I was fine ( at least thats what I felt .. in fact I got extra time to think for sometime as the screen hanged in front of me and there was no time loss because the clock stopped ticking.. I could think about the question seeing the screen)
2. But as I was late by 5 mins when I started the 21st question , I had to randomly mark Q 21, 22, 23 , 24 as (c) in all cases , as these questions were from the 3rd RC. May be I did the blunder here. Not sure.
3. Other questions for CR , SC were fine... but I think I randomly marked the RC again ( 3 questions as C) when I was at the questions in early thirties. I think this might be another blunder ?
4. I skiped 38th and 40th question ( both were CR) as I was short of time

But whatever be the case, I think skipping 2 RCs cant bring my score down to 29!!!!! Can it ? But I did the same many times in the mock tests , randomly marking (C) for the 3rd and 4th RC, but still managed to get 35 in verbal.

My questions to you on my verbal disaster:

1. Please tell me what you feel about my performance today. Do you really think that I still need to work on the basics,or strategy was the issue for me. If you feel that I had a issue with the strategy, what were those issues

2. Have you come across any other students who had such a difference in scores between the mock tests and real tests. If yes, what were their issues? Can such issues be rectified in 1 month by an a student who is working( because I cant take leave next month)

3. Please advice me what next steps should I follow. If I want to re-take the exam on 1-sep, can I get 40 in verbal(I will take care of Quant and make it 50 at least in 1 month) Do you really doubt my preparation ? Do you advice me to retake after 2 months instead of 1 month?

4. If I re-take in 1 month, please help me with the steps as to how I will prepare this month.


Lately, there have been quite a few people on the forum who have got lower than expected Verbal scores. Here are some of our thoughts on this phenomena:
possible-reasons-for-unexpected-verbal-scores-156586.html

In your case, I would like to add another thing - you cannot build a strategy based on prep test algorithms. No algorithm (including official GMAT prep test) that you have access to is as sophisticated as the actual GMAT algorithm. GMAC has been tweaking that algorithm for years now and of course, it doesn't feel the need to update the official GMAT prep test algorithm as often (if at all). After all, the prep tests are supposed to give you a feel of the actual GMAT - they don't have to prepare you for it. We at Veritas (and other test prep companies too, I am sure) have tried to replicate the algorithm using the directions given by GMAC but would I suggest you to develop strategies based on any algorithm (e.g. skip 3rd and 4th RC or skip 4 questions in a row and your score wont get affected)? No. We have talked about what to do if you are short on time here: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/2010/10 ... for-field/

Basically, if you have to guess, you must spread them around. Guessing 3 or 4 in a row is worse than guessing 1 after every 5 questions. Say, you are at question 24 and averaging around a score of 650. Say, the software gives you a 680 level question. If you feel it is very time consuming and would rather guess on it, well, at worst, the software will give you another 650 level question (perhaps 660 actually). If you guess on that and 3 more questions, the software may actually take you down to 600. You may or may not have enough time to recover. The point is, if you must guess, a question here and a question there is better than 4 together.
For more discussion on this topic, check this: need-advice-scored-680-700-in-mocks-but-560-in-actual-test-149232.html#p1197971
User avatar
Practicegmat
Manager
Manager
Joined: 24 Aug 2011
Status:Time to apply!
Posts: 95
Own Kudos [?]: 440 [0]
Given Kudos: 166
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Entrepreneurship
Schools: LBS '16 (S) Sloan '16 (S) Booth '16 (S)
GMAT 1: 600 Q48 V25
GMAT 2: 660 Q50 V29
GMAT 3: 690 Q49 V34
GPA: 3.2
WE:Engineering (Computer Software)
Send PM
Re: Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink] New post   04 Aug 2013, 08:09
brianlange77 wrote:
Sorry that you were disappointed with your score performance. In reading your narrative, I do think there are some opportunities for improvement of your approach to time management on the exam. I'd encourage you to read the following article -- https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/ -- which provides some thoughts/tips on how to best manage timing.

Am I reading your notes correct that you had to guess/skip 9 questions on verbal? That can absolutely explain the type of score drop that you experienced.

When you were getting those scores on the mock exams -- how many questions were you guessing/skipping?

Thanks.

-Brian

Thanks for the Reply Brian,
Yeah .. you are correct.. I have skipped more question in the actual test .. a total of 9!!!
But in practice tests I used to skip 4-6 questions ..
Any tips how do I manage my time better?

Thanks !
User avatar
Practicegmat
Manager
Manager
Joined: 24 Aug 2011
Status:Time to apply!
Posts: 95
Own Kudos [?]: 440 [0]
Given Kudos: 166
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Entrepreneurship
Schools: LBS '16 (S) Sloan '16 (S) Booth '16 (S)
GMAT 1: 600 Q48 V25
GMAT 2: 660 Q50 V29
GMAT 3: 690 Q49 V34
GPA: 3.2
WE:Engineering (Computer Software)
Send PM
Re: Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink] New post   04 Aug 2013, 08:11
VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:
Practicegmat wrote:
Hi Experts,
Before giving the bad news, let me list my last 2 mock tests results , the tests which I took this week :

MGMAT full test : 710 ( Q50, V36) --- 28th Jul
Gmat Prep : 730 ( Q48, V42) --- 29th Jul

Also please note that my other mock test results were between 690 to 730 in the past 1.5 months

And my real GMAT score today : 640 ( Q48, V29) . This is lower than my past GMAT score : 660 ( Q50, V29).

I am not really not understanding what really went wrong.

Analyzing what really went wrong with verbal today :

1. 1-20 questions : I felt that I am going fine. But finished in 45 mins ....there was a disturbance in between when there was network issue and I was at the 12th question(2nd RC 1st question), but I was fine ( at least thats what I felt .. in fact I got extra time to think for sometime as the screen hanged in front of me and there was no time loss because the clock stopped ticking.. I could think about the question seeing the screen)
2. But as I was late by 5 mins when I started the 21st question , I had to randomly mark Q 21, 22, 23 , 24 as (c) in all cases , as these questions were from the 3rd RC. May be I did the blunder here. Not sure.
3. Other questions for CR , SC were fine... but I think I randomly marked the RC again ( 3 questions as C) when I was at the questions in early thirties. I think this might be another blunder ?
4. I skiped 38th and 40th question ( both were CR) as I was short of time

But whatever be the case, I think skipping 2 RCs cant bring my score down to 29!!!!! Can it ? But I did the same many times in the mock tests , randomly marking (C) for the 3rd and 4th RC, but still managed to get 35 in verbal.

My questions to you on my verbal disaster:

1. Please tell me what you feel about my performance today. Do you really think that I still need to work on the basics,or strategy was the issue for me. If you feel that I had a issue with the strategy, what were those issues

2. Have you come across any other students who had such a difference in scores between the mock tests and real tests. If yes, what were their issues? Can such issues be rectified in 1 month by an a student who is working( because I cant take leave next month)

3. Please advice me what next steps should I follow. If I want to re-take the exam on 1-sep, can I get 40 in verbal(I will take care of Quant and make it 50 at least in 1 month) Do you really doubt my preparation ? Do you advice me to retake after 2 months instead of 1 month?

4. If I re-take in 1 month, please help me with the steps as to how I will prepare this month.


Lately, there have been quite a few people on the forum who have got lower than expected Verbal scores. Here are some of our thoughts on this phenomena:
possible-reasons-for-unexpected-verbal-scores-156586.html

In your case, I would like to add another thing - you cannot build a strategy based on prep test algorithms. No algorithm (including official GMAT prep test) that you have access to is as sophisticated as the actual GMAT algorithm. GMAC has been tweaking that algorithm for years now and of course, it doesn't feel the need to update the official GMAT prep test algorithm as often (if at all). After all, the prep tests are supposed to give you a feel of the actual GMAT - they don't have to prepare you for it. We at Veritas (and other test prep companies too, I am sure) have tried to replicate the algorithm using the directions given by GMAC but would I suggest you to develop strategies based on any algorithm (e.g. skip 3rd and 4th RC or skip 4 questions in a row and your score wont get affected)? No. We have talked about what to do if you are short on time here: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/2010/10 ... for-field/

Basically, if you have to guess, you must spread them around. Guessing 3 or 4 in a row is worse than guessing 1 after every 5 questions. Say, you are at question 24 and averaging around a score of 650. Say, the software gives you a 680 level question. If you feel it is very time consuming and would rather guess on it, well, at worst, the software will give you another 650 level question (perhaps 660 actually). If you guess on that and 3 more questions, the software may actually take you down to 600. You may or may not have enough time to recover. The point is, if you must guess, a question here and a question there is better than 4 together.
For more discussion on this topic, check this: need-advice-scored-680-700-in-mocks-but-560-in-actual-test-149232.html#p1197971



Thanks for the reply Karishma!

I have a question on the Veritas mock tests - do I get to see the time how much I took per question?
Is there any tool which will help me to get my time managemet better and predictable ?
User avatar
Practicegmat
Manager
Manager
Joined: 24 Aug 2011
Status:Time to apply!
Posts: 95
Own Kudos [?]: 440 [0]
Given Kudos: 166
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Entrepreneurship
Schools: LBS '16 (S) Sloan '16 (S) Booth '16 (S)
GMAT 1: 600 Q48 V25
GMAT 2: 660 Q50 V29
GMAT 3: 690 Q49 V34
GPA: 3.2
WE:Engineering (Computer Software)
Send PM
Re: Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink] New post   08 Aug 2013, 08:09
VeritasPrepBrian wrote:
Hey PracticeGMAT - regarding the pacing component on the Veritas tests, yes, we track your time on each question and also show you the average amount of time taken on that question so you can get a feel for how you're doing compared with others. Since pacing isn't "linear" (not all quant questions take exactly 2:04), it's helpful to get a feel for about how long each particular question should take.


Thanks Brian for the reply.. I will check that
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brianlange77
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 187
Own Kudos [?]: 41 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink] New post   29 Aug 2013, 19:20
Expert Reply
Practicegmat wrote:
brianlange77 wrote:
Sorry that you were disappointed with your score performance. In reading your narrative, I do think there are some opportunities for improvement of your approach to time management on the exam. I'd encourage you to read the following article -- https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/ -- which provides some thoughts/tips on how to best manage timing.

Am I reading your notes correct that you had to guess/skip 9 questions on verbal? That can absolutely explain the type of score drop that you experienced.

When you were getting those scores on the mock exams -- how many questions were you guessing/skipping?

Thanks.

-Brian

Thanks for the Reply Brian,
Yeah .. you are correct.. I have skipped more question in the actual test .. a total of 9!!!
But in practice tests I used to skip 4-6 questions ..
Any tips how do I manage my time better?

Thanks !


The best way to improve timing is to get comfortable with giving up on questions. Seriously -- would you rather spend 5 minutes on a hard question you are going to get wrong? Or realize you are going to get it wrong in 90 seconds and then have freed up 3.5 minutes to hopefully work on easier questions.

Do you time yourself when working on practice problems, etc.?

You might find this link helpful -- https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/

Good luck!

-Brian
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: Huge difference between the mock tests and real test [#permalink]
29 Aug 2013, 19:20

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