Appropriate study material - test anxiety - improvement

Question

Hey there,

I am studying for the GMAT for quite a while now, but its quite hard to improve my current score result (610 MCAT).

I figured out two main problems:
1) Test anxiety is a big issue. As soon as I start a timer my brain stops working and I forget almost everything I have studied.
2)I am using 3-4 resources for preparation and I am unsure which is the best fit for me.
I started preparation with Manhattan Prep to get the basic skills (In my point of view this was an excellent source). Then I started to solve OG problems, which I could master more or less well. 
Afterwards it got a bit messy, because I registered for Manhattan Prep, Veritas Prep, e-GMAT and G-MAT Club. All sources show different test results and I have the impression that some sources provide questions, which seem unlike all kind of GMAT Problems I have seen so far.

Do you have any recommendations for the challenges mentioned above?

Happy to discuss and thank you in advance!

DisciplinedPrep · Answer

Exam anxiety can throw even the most prepared test takers off balance. Therefore, the GMAT experts always recommend that practice tests be taken in ideal testing conditions so that the test day experience can be somehow replicated. That said, you should always mentally prepare your self for any kind of surprise. I personally recommend that you practice meditation or some kind of breathing exercises in the weeks following up to the test day. During the test, you should be calm & composed and not let your nerves get to you. Also, practice light exercises, anything that you are comfortable with, in the weeks following up to the test day. 
Most importantly, please practice 3 questions from each of the 5 sections: PS, DS, SC, CR, and RC on the test day, before leaving for the test center. A total of 15 questions would oy take more than 30 mins. Doing so is highly recommended and you should develop that habit in your practice tests as well. All the best.

cfc198 · Answer

Keep it simple. Stick to one resource to understand the concepts but use the official guides and gmatclub tests(mainly for quants) to practice.

Do not worry about finishing the questions because the motive is to do limited quality questions instead of an abundance of non offical questions.

Best wishes!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Echterlini,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) How have you used each of the study materials you described?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Echterlini · Answer

Hey,

Many thanks for your replies!

rich

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
I started my preparations in October 2018 and I am studying on weekends and in the morning before I leave to work.
My preparations can be divided into 3 phases: 
a) October - December: Basic concepts with MGMAT Prep books. Honestly, I started from zero, because I wasn't able to calculate the area of a circle.
b)January - March: I solved all OG15 problems and all Verbal & Quantitative Review 2nd edition problems. I created an error look to keep track of common mistakes.
c)March - until now: Using GMAT Club Forum 700+ questions to get used to the most complex problems. MGMAT CAT to evaluate my current capabilities, my time and stress management. Moreover, I registered for veritas prep and e-gmat to use their timed problem sets (no CAT).

2) How have you used each of the study materials you described?
MGMAT: Books to learn the basics; website for CATs and Integrated Reasoning
GMAT-Club: 700+ problems
Veritas Prep: Timed problem sets and sentence correction explanations (video)
e-GMAT: Timed problem sets

3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
1st CAT: 580(Q39, V31, IR 2.4)
2nd CAT: 610(Q40, V34, IR 1.7)
3rd CAT: 610(Q45, V30, IR 5.2)

Note that I guessed a lot of quant questions on the last CAT, so the score may not reflect my real capabilities. It seems that I have more problems with the verbal section, but I am quite sure that it is lower, due to my test anxiety. It happens quite often that I read a passage or a sentence, but I don't know what I am reading. Therefore, I need to reread many parts of the verbal section which has a negative impact on my timing.
During the quant section I am going crazy as soon as I am not able to solve a problem, which result in a skyrocketing stress level.

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
720

5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
I would like to take the GMAT in June, but I don't have a fixed deadline. I am planning to apply for an MBA this year, but if I cannot handle the GMAT, probably next year.

6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

Round 1 or Round 2 this year, or Round 1 next year.

7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

I am planning to apply to:
1) Michigan Ross
2) Yale
3) Berkely

If I my profile is not good enough, I would also apply to schools in Europe (I am from Germany):
1)IESE
2) INSEAD
3) London Business School

Many thanks for your help !!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Echterlini,

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 your CATs function - and that you took your CATs in a realistic fashion - your 3 CAT score results show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 600 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also make certain consistent mistakes. Raising a 600 to the point that you can consistently score 720+ will likely require at least another 2-3 months of consistent, guided study - and you'll have to make significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. Thankfully, the GMAT is a consistent, predictable Exam, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

The scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. If all 3 of these CATs were 3rd-party Exams, then you might want to take one of the Official GMAC CATs next.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

Echterlini · Answer

Hey Rich!

Many thanks for your reply! Probably I need to reorganise my study approach a bit.

I think that I can study 15-20 hours a week. (2 hours in the morning on weekdays and 10 hours on weekends) 
But I will be in Guatemala from 1st July to 3rd August in order to support a social project. That could be a bit challenging.

Best Regards
Tim

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Echterlini,

You could potentially hit your Goal Score by the end of June - but you'll have to be really 'efficient' with how you study during that time. If you're currently "stuck" around 600, then you can't expect a bit increase in your scores if you continue to study in the same ways as before.

From what you describe, it's not clear whether you currently have access to any full GMAT Courses or not. As such, you would likely benefit from investing in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led), so you should plan to look into the available options. Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at out site (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional question, then just let me know (you can also feel free to contact me directly).

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Echterlini,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. Based on what you’ve written, I’d be willing to bet that your anxiety issues stem from having numerous quant and verbal weaknesses. Because these weaknesses exist, you probably have very little confidence when taking your practice exams, and that lack of confidence causes anxiety, right? So, I think before doing anything else, you need to analyze how you have been studying and potentially make some changes. Ideally, you want to follow a thorough and linear study plan that allows you to individually learn each GMAT quant and verbal topic, and then practice each topic until you've gained mastery. Let me expand on this idea further.

If you are learning about Number Properties, you should develop as much conceptual knowledge about Number Properties as possible. In other words, your goal will be to completely understand properties of factorials, perfect squares, quadratic patterns, LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, and remainders, to name a few concepts. After carefully reviewing the conceptual underpinnings of how to answer Number Properties questions, practice by answering 50 or more questions just from Number Properties. When you do dozens of questions of the same type one after the other, you learn just what it takes to get questions of that type correct consistently. If you aren't getting close to 90 percent of questions of a certain type correct, go back and seek to better understand how that type of question works, and then do more questions of that type until you get to around at least 90 percent accuracy in your training. If you get 100 percent of some sets correct, even better. Number Properties is just one example; follow this process for all quant topics.

When you are working on learning to answer questions of a particular type, start off taking your time, and then seek to speed up as you get more comfortable answering questions of that type. As you do such practice, do a thorough analysis of each question that you don't get right. If you got a remainder question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not properly apply the remainder formula? Was there a concept you did not understand in the question? By carefully analyzing your mistakes, you will be able to efficiently fix your weaknesses and in turn improve your GMAT quant skills.

Each time you strengthen your understanding of a topic and your skill in answering questions of a particular type, you increase your odds of hitting your score goal. You know that there are types of questions that you are happy to see, types that you would rather not see, and types that you take a long time to answer correctly. Learn to more effectively answer the types of questions that you would rather not see, and make them into your favorite types. Learn to correctly answer in two minutes or less questions that you currently take five minutes to answer. By finding, say, a dozen weaker quant areas and turning them into strong areas, you will make great progress toward hitting your quant score goal. If a dozen areas turn out not to be enough, strengthen some more areas.

Follow a similar routine for verbal. For example, let’s say you start by learning about Critical Reasoning. Your first goal is to fully master the individual topics: Strengthen the Argument, Weaken The Argument, Resolve the Paradox, etc. As you learn about each question type, do focused practice, so that you can track your skill in answering each type. If, for example, you get a weakening question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize the specific question type? Were you doing too much analysis in your head? Did you skip over a keyword in an answer choice? You must thoroughly analyze your mistakes and seek to turn weaknesses into strengths by focusing on the question types you dread seeing and the questions you take a long time to answer correctly.

When practicing Reading Comprehension, you need to develop a reading strategy that is both efficient and thorough. Reading too fast and not understanding what you have read are equally as harmful as reading too slow and using up too much time. When attacking Reading Comprehension passages, you must have one clear goal in mind: to understand the context of what you are reading. However, you must do so efficiently, so you need to avoid getting bogged down in the details of each paragraph and instead focus on understanding the main point of each paragraph. That being said, do not fall into the trap of thinking that you can just read the intro and the conclusion and thereby comprehend the main idea of a paragraph. As you read a paragraph, consider how the context of the paragraph relates to previous paragraphs, so you can continue developing your overall understanding of the passage. Furthermore, as you practice Reading Comprehension, focus on the exact types of questions with which you struggle: Find the Main Idea, Inference, Author’s Tone, etc. As with Critical Reasoning, analyze your incorrect Reading Comprehension answers to better determine why you tend to get a particular question type wrong, and then improve upon your weaknesses. Keep in mind that GMAT Reading Comprehension passages are not meant to be easy to read. So, to better prepare yourself to analyze such passages, read magazines with similar content and style, such as The Economist, Scientific American, and Smithsonian. 
 
Sentence Correction is a bit of a different animal compared to Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. There are three aspects to getting correct answers to GMAT Sentence Correction questions: what you know, such as grammar rules, what you see, such as violations of grammar rules and the logic of sentence structure, and what you do, such as carefully considering each answer choice in the context of the non-underlined portion of the sentence. To drive up your Sentence Correction score, you likely will have to work on all three of those aspects.

Regarding what you know, first and foremost, you MUST know your grammar rules. Let's be clear, though: GMAT Sentence Correction is not really a test of knowledge of grammar rules. The reason for learning the grammar rules is so that you can determine what sentences convey and whether sentences are well-constructed. In fact, in many cases, incorrect answers to Sentence Correction questions are grammatically flawless. Thus, often your task is to use your knowledge of grammar rules to determine which answer choice creates the most logical sentence meaning and structure.
 
This determination of whether sentences are well-constructed and logical is the second aspect of finding correct answers to Sentence Correction questions, what you see. To develop this skill, you probably have to slow way down. You won't develop this skill by spending less than two minutes per question. For a while, anyway, you have to spend time with each question, maybe even ten or fifteen minutes on one question sometimes, analyzing every answer choice until you see the details that you have to see in order to choose the correct answer. As you go through the answer choices, consider the meaning conveyed by each version of the sentence. Does the meaning make sense? Even if you can tell what the version is SUPPOSED to convey, does the version really convey that meaning? Is there a verb to go with the subject? Do all pronouns clearly refer to nouns? By slowing way down and looking for these details, you learn to see what you have to see in order to clearly understand which answer to a Sentence Correction question is correct.
 
There is only one correct answer to any Sentence Correction question, there are clear reasons why that choice is correct and the others are not, and none of those reasons are that the correct version simply "sounds right." In fact, the correct version often sounds a little off at first. That correct answers may sound a little off is not surprising. If the correct answers were always the ones that sounded right, then most people most of the time would get Sentence Correction questions correct, without really knowing why the wrong answers were wrong and the correct answers were correct. So, you have to go beyond choosing what "sounds right" and learn to clearly see the logical reasons why one choice is better than all of the others.
 
As for the third aspect of getting Sentence Correction questions correct, what you do, the main thing you have to do is be very careful. You have to make sure that you are truly considering the structures of sentences and the meanings conveyed rather than allowing yourself to be tricked into choosing trap answers that sound right but don't convey logical meanings. You also have to make sure that you put some real energy into finding the correct answers. Finding the correct answer to a Sentence Correction question may take bouncing from choice to choice until you start to see the differences that make all choices wrong except for one. Often, when you first look at the choices, only one or two seem obviously incorrect. Getting the right answers takes a certain work ethic. You have to take the time to see the differences between answers and to figure out the precise reasons that one choice is correct.
 
To improve what you do when you answer Sentence Correction questions, seek to become aware of how you are going about answering them. Are you being careful and looking for logic and details, or are you quickly eliminating choices that sound a little off, and then choosing the best of the rest? If you choose an incorrect answer, consider what you did to arrive at that answer and what you could do differently to arrive at correct answers more consistently. Furthermore, see how many questions you can get correct in a row as you practice. If you break your streak by missing one, consider what you could do differently to extend your streak.

As with your Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension regimens, after learning a particular Sentence Correction topic, engage in focused practice with 30 questions or more that involve that topic. As your skills improve, you will want to practice with questions that test you on skills from multiple Sentence Correction topics.

In order to follow the path described above, you may need some new quant and verbal materials, so take a look at the GMAT Club reviews for the  best quant  and  verbal courses . You also may find it helpful to read the following article about  How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT .

Feel free to reach out with any further questions. Good luck!

Echterlini · Answer

Hey Scott and Rich,

Thank you so much for your help! Looks like there is still a lot of work to do, even though I have already invested this extensive amount of time. But changing my approach seems the only way to accomplish my objective. I really appreciate that you invested so much time to write such a long and detailed answer! It is very helpful.

Best regards

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