Curled up into fetal position

So after two months of intensive studying I took GMAT Prep 1 and got a 690 (44Q 40V), which I was a little bit happy to see since the first diagnostic test I did in the OG I couldn't do 75 percent of the math problems . I was surprised to see I scored so low on the quant section since I took the free GMAT Club Quant and got a 47 which I personally thought was much harder. Reviewing what I've gotten wrong on the GMAT Prep, of the 14 questions I got wrong in quant, more than half was due to stupid mistakes, is there any advice anyone can give that would help reduce those.

If you are able to do justice to OG quant and GMATClub tests then your knowledge/understanding level is not a problem. What seems to be the cause of silly mistakes is jitters.
Are you able to do all the problems in allotted time?

These are what usually cause silly mistakes:
i> nervousness (an easy question midway into the test?)
ii> dividing attention between the problem and the ticking clock/lapse of concentration
iii>rushing to wrap up the problem

One thing that I can tell you from my experience is that if you are at a certain level, you will usually reach that score if you realize that you are actually at that level. Confused ?

What I mean is that you are probably at 46-48 in Quant, but not aware of it. Unless you miss a few questions at the end, you will not fall below 46, that is because GMAT is good at including your errors when calculating your score.
In one prep test I tanked the first 7 Quant questions and still got a 48, and in the next one I got first 10 correct and still ended up at 48. I was really pissed, but also realized that my true level is around 48. No matter how good or how bad I do initially the test gauges my correct level.
Problem arises when you try to gauge your performance on the basis of difficulty of questions thrown at you.

Also realize that you are far ahead of other test takers at your prep stage in terms of your verbal score. Gaining 4 points in verbal can compensate for losing 4 points in quant (though I am not recommending losing any points in any section).

Hope this helps.

I have not gone through many of Buneul's questions, but I scored 700 last week on the test after about one year of studying. I can tell you that relaxing on test day will go a long way to helping you hit your target score. And, the GMATPrep tests are the best indicator of test day performance. My test day performance was almost identical to my last GMATPrep test that I took three days previous. I think you will want to do well in quant because in my opinion schools are mostly interested in you doing well in quant.

I recommend that you read this post:
my-gmat-battle-136538.html

It was very helpful to me to relax for my test day.

I would recommend that if your GMATPrep test scores indicate that you are at or above your target score, then you have a good chance of hitting your target on test day. But, to be on the safe side you probably will want to be scoring 10 or 20 or even 30 points above your target score to have a very good chance of hitting your target on test day. If you are not confident in your practice test scores, then you should probably wait until you are scoring better. I know it is tempting to take the test sooner rather than later, but you are better off to wait if you are not sure.

For me, reducing errors on math involved practice, practice, practice. After that the careless mistakes should disappear.

The GMATClub math tests are very good for practice, though the questions you see will be a bit more difficult than what you will actually get.

I've been doing tons of practice, so that's not something I'm lacking. What I do want to know is if anyone out there knows if there is a source that lists all the common GMAT traps, I think that could definitely help me cut down on the stupid errors.

I see. If you are practicing and still making mistakes, then I would say identify the specific errors you are making (you should know from the problems you are getting wrong) and work specifically on those errors. IE: perhaps it is number properties and you forget to test fractions in data sufficiency problems or forget which numbers are prime and which aren't. These sort of things can be memorized. Keep a list of these errors and review them daily.

Since posting, I have gotten up to a 620 with two weeks left to study. The more practice questions you do, the easier the traps in questions are to spot. So hang in there!

I found a good blog of common traps in quant.

https://pulyanithinks.blogspot.no/2007/07/gmat-quant-7-top-traps-to-avoid.html

Be also aware of the:

"ZIP trap:

GMAT likes to act in the zone -1<=x<=1. So I always ask myself:

Did I assumed, with no ground for it, that variable can not be Zero? Check 0!
Did I assumed, with no ground for it, that variable is an Integer? Check fractions!
Did I assumed, with no ground for it, that variable is Positive? Check negative values!" - Bunuel

So after another month I'm prepared to take the exam in 5 days. Took the GMAT prep 2 and scored a 750 (51Q, 40V), BUT, prior to taking prep2 I have done almost every GMATprep quant question I could find and saw many repeats, I mean I knew how to solve them but is it because I truly know the topic, or because I saw the question once before? The verbal I didn't study much verbal the last two months and gotten 40 on both so I'm confident in that, its only the quant I'm unsure about, doing almost every GMATprep question, manhattan books and GMATClub questions what else is out there? Well since I only have 5 days it probably wouldn't really make a difference, I'm just preparing for the 550 that my mother believe I'm destined for.

Keep on plugging away at it. The good news about the GMAT exam is that you can take it over again and most schools only evaluate the highest score. Also, getting all nervous about the exam before you even take it is just wasting energy and diverting your focus. You need to re-group and realize that it is just a test and the material is not that difficult. However, it is difficult if you are so nervous that nothing will make sense. I know that this sounds easier than it actually is -- but put things in perspective and focus on what is important -- answering the questions correctly and getting the score that you desire. in case you do not achieve the score you desire, reflect upon what areas you did not do well in, get some help (tutor) and then re-take the exam when you feel prepared.

Good luck.

Kimberly Plaga
Senior Admissions Consultant
Manhattan Review