Come to terms w/ my GMAT score

Question

Ive come to reality on some terms today. Looking at scores consistently over the last few weeks and above, I think I can see why I got a 640 on the real thing.

If I miss 3-5 SC's, 3-4 CR's, 3-4+ RC's (if I were to do 3-4 passages). Thats a lot of missed problems. 9-13 problems wrong! 

These are usually my ranges for verbal. Maybe a bit worse if I had a really bad day or something. I dont remember who said it, but the GMATPrep should not be taken so heavily as an accuracte indicator.

Especially for verbal! While on my very first GMATPrep, I saw maybe a couple SC's and 2-3 CR's. Im 100% positive I got all of these correct. On verbal a few wrong/right answers can make a HUGE difference in the score. Also seeing a question, u may not remember the answer or even the logic, but ur more comfortable with it. May gain u more time. On the real GMAT if I were to see just 2 questions that I have seen before, thats 2 correct answers and 4 min more I can spend elsewhere. + anxiety has subsided a bit. 

Math: 44 on the second im still kinda ticked about b/c i was SO much better @ math than my first test. Guess it could have just been the luck of the draw. A few mistakes. just a few more wrong answers brought my score down. 

For anyone aiming to score 700+ we have to be so careful. Just a few mistakes can send our score down 60points! 

Ive realised that I really need to get my accuracy better b/c while I may beable to score a 700+ now, there are just so many factors that play into this test. Luck of the draw, anxiety, timing, etc...

Like I said, a few minor mistakes and ur done. We are aiming for such a high score that we cannot afford to make very many mistakes.

Ive come to terms with this and I think this may answer questions to many people who are in the same boat as me. 

Please let me know how u feel about this.

Ravshonbek · Answer

i have noticed it in my practice tests earlier and tryin to avoid from having silly mistakes which pulls the scores down by as much as 50 points.

Darden2010 · Answer

I have silly mistakes!!!
They are killing me also
My scores on the GmatPrep are 690 and 700.
I had about 10 math and 10 verbal questions wrong both times. When I look at the questions that I got wrong after and I re-do them without looking at the right answer I get the questions correct this time. So it is not that I don't know the stuff, I just make silly mistakes. Out of both tests there were like 2 math questions that I don't know how to solve. Therefore I agree with you guys who say that GMAT is a game of concentration and nerves! it is so frustrating !

Calamity Jane · Answer

GMATBLACKBELT...I know we've written back and forth before in a few threads, but I can't remember the details. Have you considered a prep course or a tutor? I think it could make a huge difference for you, make things click.

JingChan · Answer

I think you have great attitude and determination towards the GMAT.

I think you need to change your strategy until you find that the questions start to "click."

When you get to that point, you're only going to make mistakes when you make careless errors. If you are not yet at that point, I suggest really taking your time for each question and eliminating answers one by one.

I believe there are a couple stages that people go through, and that these stages are primarily based on %correct for a type of question (sc/rc/cr/ps/ds) and not difficulty of questions or anything else.

When I say type, I mean either SC, RC, CR, PS, DS.

When I say sub-type, I mean, for example, verb-agreement in SC, or weaken the argument in CR, or purpose of the passage in RC.


  6 Stages of Question Mastery  
(These stages are independent with type of question.)

 Stage 1: 0%-40% correct 
You do not understand the fundamentals. Your strategy is not correct for this type of question. You are doing not doing much better than guessing at the answer and doing problems is not going to help you. 

What to do: You need to just read GMAT guides on this type of question and change your approach before you even think about touching any questions.

 Stage 2: 40%-70% correct 
You are consistently missing the point of the question. The question is asking for something very specific and clear, but you are often misunderstanding it and looking in the wrong direction. Perhaps in CR you're consistently thinking outside of score or inferring too much information from the passage. Perhaps in SC you're looking for parallel structures when there is no need for them. Perhaps in Quant you need to find the prime factorization but you're trying some brute force approach. 

What to do: You still need to focus on reading GMAT guides and but do a few questions every now and then to see how well you're doing. When doing questions at this phase, you need to spend a lot of time per question (5-10 minutes) knowing  exactly why each of the 5 answers is right or wrong .

 Stage 3: 70%-80% correct 
You've got a good understanding of some of the fundamentals, but you are not applying a complete strategy. Perhaps in SC you're consistently spotting verb agreement errors but missing improper modifiers. Or in RC you consistently confusing a supporting point with the main point. In Quant, maybe you don't understand some subjects very well (perm/comb, prime factorization, divisibility, powers, etc.).

What to do: Here is where we can start focusing on our flaws, figure out which sub-type of the type of question you're getting wrong and read GMAT guides on that sub-type. When doing questions, you should still be spending 3-5 minutes on each question, now easily eliminating 1-3 of the answers and, for the rest, being able to explain  exactly why each of the answers is right or wrong . If you get a question wrong, go back and do a thorough 5-answer analysis.

 Stage 4: 80%-90% correct 
Now we're starting to show consistency, we understand most of the fundamentals. Our strategy is near complete, but we have not been applying it perfectly. Most of our incorrect answers can be attributable to carelessness and result in "oh duh!" moments.  NOW AND ONLY NOW are you ready to start doing sets of questions. 

What to do: If you're consistently missing certain sub-types, go re-read some GMAT guides on it. But your study should involve mostly questions. You should still be spending 2-3 minutes on each one, easily eliminating all but 2 of the answers. For the 2, you must be able to explain  exactly why one answer is right and one answer is wrong . If you get a question wrong, go back and do a thorough 5-answer analysis.

 Stage 5: 90%-95% correct 
We understand almost all of the fundamentals and are able to apply them with a consistent strategy. We are able to eliminate down to the correct 2 answers almost all of the time, and if we spend enough time on any question, we know we can get it right 100% of the time. Some sub-types are giving us more trouble than others.

What to do: Practice questions to fine-tune your strategy; iron out flaws in those sub-types you're getting wrong. Spend 1-2 minutes on each question. If you get a question wrong, go back and do a thorough 5-answer analysis.

 Stage 6: 95%-100% correct 
We understand all of the fundamentals and are able to apply them with a consistent strategy. All of the questions we get wrong are just do to really stupid mistakes that we are in complete control over.

What to do: Work on mental stamina and timing by doing a test's worth of questions each day. Aim for a question per minute. Ease up on studying, we just want to maintain and fine tune our spectacular skills.

-J

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Come to terms w/ my GMAT score

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards