Advice regarding last 25 days for prep and gc club tests

Hi tia2112,

While your drop-off between your 2nd and 3rd CAT is not ideal, keep in mind that many students enrolled in Economist GMAT Tutor regularly see their scores fluctuate an average of +/-30 points on any given test. That being said, I understand you're disappointed, but there's surely no reason to be completely dismayed by your scores.

I also have to second Rich - it might be time to supplement your materials with online resources that will help with test taking strategies. Here's a link to try Economist GMAT Tutor for 7 days, which uses adaptive technology to customize a study plan to your specific needs: https://bit.ly/1BMoyvJ

Best,
Rich

Hey tia2112,

The fact that you have studied for so long, and have seen fluctuations in your scores might indicate a problem with your study habits. As you study, we recommend that you focus on quality over quantity. Try going back to previous questions and seeing if you can answer them with ease. The more you can answer correctly, the more likely it is that you understand the material.

Doing hundreds of hundreds of more questions without really understanding the concepts or the booby traps that you’re falling into will not necessarily get you where you want to be.

As you study, we recommend that you focus on one particular subsection for multiple consecutive days before moving onto the next. You can see this in our study plan where we recommend 5 days on nothing but SC -- before moving onto CR and then RC.

Here is a customized one month study plan that can help boost your score: https://www.gmatpill.com/gmat-practice-t ... study-plan

For CR, we recommend a visual framework approach to help you understand the complex short passages and how each item relates to each other.

Here is a sample video you can watch: https://www.gmatpill.com/criticalreasoni ... Estate.mp4

To improve RC - you really need visual guidance. Don't read articles about how to improve reading. You improve by actually doing or watching someone else do.

That's why you might find these video walkthroughs helpful: https://www.gmatpill.com/practicequestio ... tions.html

Hi tia2112,

These three practice scores are not as far apart as they might appear. GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +-30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how practice CATs function, these scores all point to a general ability right around 700 (+ or - a few points). This means that you are fairly consistent with how you 'see' (and respond to) the GMAT.

At this level, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes, so you have to nitpick what you're getting wrong on your CATs and define WHY you're getting those questions wrong. How many of them are 'gettable' questions, but you make a little mistake and get them wrong? Those questions are so important at this level and those little mistakes are what you should be focusing on.

With those Verbal Scaled Scores, you don't a big 'weak spot.' You might need to work on adjusting the work that you do on the pad (more note-taking, better labeling and organization, etc.) or you might need to try some new tactics.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich