Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 22 Mar 2011
Posts: 2642
Given Kudos: 55
GMAT 2: 780 Q50 V50
Re: .
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27 May 2014, 23:31
It looks like you're finally starting to see some progress on your latest CAT. However, your quant timing held you back. At one point, you were 10 minutes behind! Get in the habit of checking the time in 5-question, 10-minute blocks. So after question 5 you should have 65:00 remaining, after question 10 55:00 remaining, etc. If you find yourself behind at one of these checkpoints, commit to dropping at least one question soon to get back on track. Don't let yourself spend 3 minutes on a problem! While you get those long problems right about 50% of the time, it isn't worth it, because it forces your score to slide down later. Also remember that on the real test, that tough problem you spend all that time on might actually be experimental and do nothing for your score.
Other major points:
*Your Data Sufficiency is lagging behind your Problem Solving, especially at the 600-700 level (where you should be spending most of your practice time). This is definitely limiting your quant performance. Take some time to review your DS Strategy--you can use our Strategy chapters, the GMAT Roadmap, the Advanced GMAT Quant book, and our online labs for strategy tips. Make sure you're trying to rephrase on every problem, and that you're not too quick to pick C when one of the statements might be sufficient on its own. Use the GMAT Navigator to check your rephrases.
*Let go sooner on the toughest problems. Those 700-800 level problems are hitting you so hard that you'd actually be much better off guessing randomly than answering them! I know 700-800 level problems will not be labeled on the exam, but get in the habit of letting go when a problem isn't looking solvable after the first minute.
*Quant focus areas: percents, ratios, inequalities, algebraic translations, overlapping sets (work for speed), consecutive integers
*Work for consistency on verbal. You don't have a consistent weaker area--it seems to vary from test to test. Make sure that you have a solid, repeatable strategy for each question type.
*You are missing a lot of questions in the CR Assumption family, especially Assumption and Strengthen.
*You are missing almost all of the RC Inference questions. This is a huge opportunity for improvement. First, read up on inferences to make sure you're looking for the right thing. (I have an article on the subject on page 69 of the GMAT Roadmap, but you must have the general idea, because you are getting almost all of the CR Conclusion questions correct, and those are also inference questions.) Then, run through your previously completed questions and look for patterns. How can you establish that each answer choice is right or wrong? What kinds of traps are you falling for? Once you've got a better feel for these, try your hand at some fresh RC passages with inference questions.
*You are also only getting 50% of the main point questions. Aim for higher on that--the main point should be something you can clearly articulate before hitting the questions. Even if your particular passage doesn't have a main point question, having a strong grasp of the author's purpose will make your job easier throughout the process.
*Make sure you aren't missing easier SC issues, such as Subject-Verb. Start each problem by identifying the basic core of the sentence (What is the subject? What is the subject doing; i.e. what is its verb? Is the subject acting on some object?) For instance, look at the sentence below:
The number of participants in campus psychological studies have increased every year.
The core is just subject-verb here: The number . . . have increased. These don't match, so we'd change the sentence to "The number of participants in campus psychological studies has increased every year." On a real SC, there would probably be other, more complicated issues to deal with, but we'd still want to start by getting this split right and making our job easier.
I hope these notes help. Good luck!