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I know most people say not to BUT...

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OkSure
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I know most people say not to BUT... [#permalink] New post   22 Apr 2014, 23:49
I've heard it said pretty often that taking too many practice tests as the test nears is generally a bad idea - particularly if your test is <1week away. The rationale I think is that whatever time you spend taking a practice test is time you don't spend studying, improving, analyzing, etc.

But, what if your weakness is with timing/stamina? Here's my current situation:

I've been having timing issues on both sections - I generally finish on time but the middle 10-20 questions are usually pretty bad for me because I get behind and have to rush to catch up. I took a practice test today, and my actual test is in a week. Is it bad to take another practice test tomorrow? I feel like I really just need a lot of practice with the actual test. I have plenty of data on what my weaknesses are and such, which I've been using as best I can. But what I really am poor at is just getting through the test at a good pace.

Has anyone been in this situation and found that taking practice tests helped them out more than just studying?

Side note - All of my practice tests have been with MGMAT. Will timing be any easier on the actual GMAT Prep tests?
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KarishmaB
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Re: I know most people say not to BUT... [#permalink] New post   23 Apr 2014, 05:20
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OkSure wrote:
I've heard it said pretty often that taking too many practice tests as the test nears is generally a bad idea - particularly if your test is <1week away. The rationale I think is that whatever time you spend taking a practice test is time you don't spend studying, improving, analyzing, etc.

But, what if your weakness is with timing/stamina? Here's my current situation:

I've been having timing issues on both sections - I generally finish on time but the middle 10-20 questions are usually pretty bad for me because I get behind and have to rush to catch up. I took a practice test today, and my actual test is in a week. Is it bad to take another practice test tomorrow? I feel like I really just need a lot of practice with the actual test. I have plenty of data on what my weaknesses are and such, which I've been using as best I can. But what I really am poor at is just getting through the test at a good pace.

Has anyone been in this situation and found that taking practice tests helped them out more than just studying?

Side note - All of my practice tests have been with MGMAT. Will timing be any easier on the actual GMAT Prep tests?


What is bad for one may be good for another. If you have timing issues, I would suggest you to read this post: https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/2010/10 ... for-field/

It has some excellent strategies. If you are not a football fan, skip the first 3 paragraphs and start from "Sometimes you have to punt for field position."
After you read the post, take another practice test keeping the strategies given in the post in mind.
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ThomasHall
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Re: I know most people say not to BUT... [#permalink] New post   29 Apr 2014, 10:07
It is fine to take full Sections and CATs the week of your test, just don't do anything the day before your test. I recommend taking full Sections to work on your pacing: a Quant section and review one day and then a Verbal section and review the next. Full CATs are great, but can be really tiring and obviously that is a concern the final week of prep.
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blockman
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Re: I know most people say not to BUT... [#permalink] New post   02 Oct 2015, 12:35
I saved gmat prep 3 & 4 for the week prior to the exam for this specific reason. My exam was on wednesday, so i did gmat prep 3 on saturday, then reviewed it and my notes on sunday, then took prep 4 on monday reviewed it on tuesday did some more questions and glanced at my notes and left it at that. wanted to be in the zone for the exam so idk why would someone say not to take practice exam leading up to the test.
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EMPOWERgmatRichC
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Re: I know most people say not to BUT... [#permalink] New post   02 Oct 2015, 18:17
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Hi blockman,

If your GMAT was this past Wednesday, then how did you score?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
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KarishmaB
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Re: I know most people say not to BUT... [#permalink] New post   04 Oct 2015, 23:52
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blockman wrote:
I saved gmat prep 3 & 4 for the week prior to the exam for this specific reason. My exam was on wednesday, so i did gmat prep 3 on saturday, then reviewed it and my notes on sunday, then took prep 4 on monday reviewed it on tuesday did some more questions and glanced at my notes and left it at that. wanted to be in the zone for the exam so idk why would someone say not to take practice exam leading up to the test.


A four hour practice test takes a toll on one's energy levels. Physically, one can recover by sleeping off but mentally it takes more time to get back to "normal" state. Taking 2 tests back to back with the actual GMAT coming up means that one might feel burnt out during the actual test. Doing the same kind of thing over and over makes us lose interest.

Also, the main purpose of taking practice tests is this - one is able to identify one's weaknesses and put in extra effort in the identified areas. How does taking practice tests in the last few days help? There is no time left to work on weaknesses and a low score only discourages the test taker.

So I strongly advice my students to take the last practice test at least a week before the actual test and to not study in the last 2-3 days. If you go in the test with a fresh mind, you feel much more energetic. GMAT is not a test in which last minute cramming can be of any use. To get in the so called "zone", a quick review of formulas is sufficient.
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Re: I know most people say not to BUT... [#permalink]
04 Oct 2015, 23:52

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