The GMAT is a predictable, standardized Test. As such, you can train to score at a high level. Full-length practice CAT exams are an essential part of the study process, but it never ceases to amaze me how often Test Takers use their CATs incorrectly. Choosing to do any of the following will likely lead to CAT scores that are unrealistic and an Official Score that is far lower than you want it to be.<\/p>\n
1) Not taking the FULL CAT \u2013 The GMAT is a specific \u2018event\u2019 that you can train for, but you have to train for the FULL event. Skipping the Essay and IR sections during practice means that you\u2019re turning a 4-hour exam into a 2.5 hour exam. With that shorter exam, you don\u2019t end up facing ANY of the endurance or fatigue issues that you WILL face on Test Day. If you\u2019ve ever heard a story about someone whose Verbal score dropped significantly on the Official GMAT, this is likely one of the big reasons for that drop.<\/p>\n
2) Inconsistency with the day\/time of your CATs \u2013 If your Official GMAT is scheduled for 9am on a Monday morning, then guess when you should be taking your practice CATs?..... At 9am on Monday mornings, if possible. The human brain can be trained to perform well under any number of circumstances, but if you\u2019re consistently taking your CATs at a day\/time that doesn\u2019t match up with Test Day (or if you\u2019re inconsistent with the day\/time overall), then there is a greater likelihood that your scores on Test Day will be \u201coff\u201d (and by \u201coff\u201d, I mean lower than you want them to be).<\/p>\n
3) Practicing in an unrealistic setting \u2013 Your GMAT will be administered at a Testing Center, where you will work on a desktop computer workstation in a roomful of other Test Takers. Thinking about taking your CATs at your kitchen table on a laptop computer? Take a moment to think about EVERYTHING in that scenario that is unrealistic. If you train yourself to score at a high level in your kitchen, then don\u2019t be surprised when you DON\u2019T score nearly that well on Test Day.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, all of these factors can be dealt with, but YOU have to choose to deal with them correctly. Scoring at a high level on the GMAT isn\u2019t supposed to be that easy. The 700+ score represents the 90th percentile \u2013 meaning that 90% of Test Takers either CAN\u2019T or WON\u2019T do what it takes to hit that score. If a 700+ score is your goal, then you have to decide what you are willing to do to make that score happen.<\/p>\n
Of course, there\u2019s something to be said for putting in the proper study time, using the proper materials, and learning all of the tactics and \u201csecrets\u201d to the GMAT, but those are subjects for another post.<\/p>\n
GMAT assassins aren\u2019t born, they\u2019re made,
\nRich<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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