Demoralized...

Question

I cannot seem to translate my improvements in my studies to CAT scores. I've been studying for months now and have noticed big improvements in my understanding of the question types, solutions and tricks of the GMAT yet when I take the practice CATs my scores have not improved. My hit rate while studying is anywhere between 80-95% depending on the topic, but when I take the practice CATs my scores hardly break 550.

Here are my CATs:

PowerPrep 1 560 Q32 V34
PR 1 550 Q35 V31
GMATPrep 1 650 Q45 V34
PR 2 570 Q36 V33
PowerPrep 2 540 Q39 V25 

General CAT trends:
* I never finish either section on time. When I first started, I randomly guessed on about 15-20 of each section. My timing has improved since then, but not by enough to complete either section (I have to guess on anywhere from 5 to 10 questions in each section now).
* On questions that I randomly guess at the end, I get a large majority wrong.
* Errors are fairly well distributed up until the point where I have to randomly guess; in other words, I get several correct in a row then get one or two wrong then get several correct in a row.
* On quant, my focus is good and steady; however, when I get to verbal, I have much harder time focusing.
* On SC types, the CAT nature of the test makes it very difficult for me to focus on the answer choices and reading each answer choices seems to take an extra large amount of focus. I have no problems on verbal problems when I study in paper format, but when I read on the computer it's just painful.

Here are the details of my study plan:
*Problem sets - each day of the week is assigned one type of problem (CR, RC, etc); I do 35 problems for that particular type from OG11 and then go over the solutions regardless of whether I get the question right or wrong. I do not time myself on practice problems.
*CATs - one CAT every Sunday.

Possible changes to study plan:
*Start doing all practice problems timed.
* Start doing Verbal sections of extra (i.e. junk) CATs for practice in a computerized format. I have 5 Veritas, 5 Arco, 5 800score.com CATs and according to this forum they are all junk. Why not use them for extra Verbal CAT practice?

I need help badly - these CAT scores are so demoralizing.

jp888 · Answer

Before focusing on timing of questions, I would suggest you identify your specific weak areas (e.g. PS - Combinations, SC - Idioms, etc), and work on strengthening your fundamental knowledge. I found that it wasn't sufficient for me to judge my strengths/weaknesses on an overall basis (e.g. PS/DS/CR/RC/SC) and I had to drill down to the core topic areas instead.

For quants and verbal-SC, most people swear by the MGMAT books.

For CR, you could try the LSAT CR bible

Even though I've been studying for over 1 month, I found problems completing the quant on a timely basis. I'm still trying to improve on this, and it will require me to take a disciplined approach to the CAT's and cut my losses on certain PS problems. Sometimes you'll need to sacrifice a few soldiers to win the battle.

Good luck!

emoryhopeful · Answer

If you are getting an 80-90 percent hit rate on your quants without worrying about timing, its time to start working on them timed. Not only that, but work in groups of 37 just like the actual test. You will start getting a feel for when 2 minutes is, and when you need to just move on. I found through my studies that there were some quant questions I just really struggled with. For me, they were difficult combination/permutation questions. When I saw that question type on the the real GMAT, I just randomly guessed and moved on. Saved myself some time. Also, remember on DS, you don't need to solve the problem, you just need to know if you CAN solve the problem. That is a time saver itself.

As far as Verbal, I recommend practicing on computer format, so you can get used to reading from a computer screen and staying focused. Also, with SC's, try and see the possible trends that are given as possible answers, i.e. 3/2 splits. This will help you eliminate choices at a glance, then focus on the two or three you've narrowed it down to.

mayonnai5e · Answer

Thanks for both posters for their tips. I will take both suggestions and use them to update my studies accordingly. We'll see how I do!

mayonnai5e · Answer

Did this tactic of skipping problems you know are hard for you work well? I mean did you notice improvements in your CAT scores?

kidderek · Answer

You should have been timing everything from day one. If you don't already have one, get a stopwatch and figure out which type of questions you spend the most time on. Go from there.

The GMAT is a test of ability but also how you can process that ability within a time constraint. Most of us can hit a high/near perfect percentage if given all the time in the world.

emoryhopeful · Answer

I noticed that I wasn't as pressed for time when completing the test. Also, I wasn't as stressed. I didn't worry about those problems, so it kept my outlook positive. I would say it worked well considering the highest quant I scored was on the actual GMAT, a 49, compared to 48's on my practice CAT's.

empty_spaces · Answer

just a little advice, if you cant solve any question in quants in 3 mins then make an intelligent guess and move on , remember that for a greater gain at times you have to let little things go.

mayonnai5e · Answer

thanks empty. i've been getting that same response and i've been thinking about it - there were some problems where i knew it would have taken a very long time just to come up with a guess. i really should have guessed on those an moved on.

RycherX · Answer

If your accuracy is high when you're practicing questions untimed, I'd recommend you relentlessly do CAT exams. 
Some people's low scores can be due to poor content knowledge, but other can be due to poor test stamina or endurance.

I'm sure just like me, you already have a firm grip on the content. You just need to apply them fast and accurately. 

For me on the quant section, I miss no more than 4 questions within the first 20. After question number 28, I lose steam and start guessing. I am naturally a 48/49 level person, but only can express a 43 to 45 because of timing. On the verbal section, I start guessing at number 36, which drops my score considerably.

I am retaking my exam September 25th. I am going to take a CAT exam everyday each week up until the day before the exam. This will help you practice staying engaged and focused on each question. Hopefully, this will make me faster reach my full potential. 

If you're anything like me, you have issues with focus and endurance. 
Similar to people who train in swimming, you may have the form and technique down, but lack the endurance.

If all else fails, snorting a line before the test may not be a bad idea.

j/k

gluon · Answer

Dude your story sounds exactly like mine. I had posted a similar topic a week back. Long story short I too get about 85 - 90% accuracy while practicing without timing. But my first attempt at giving a MGMAT CAT has left me shaken. 

Even accounting for the extra hard problems in the MGMAT quantitative part I did pretty badly. I was at problem number 20 when the clock ran out. I had similar issues in the verbal section also. The wiring in my brain seems to be made of plastic... no conductivity there.

Anyways, I have decided to practice with some GMAT Club challenges just to give my brain some simulation. I am hoping the practice with hard problems will make the normal the OG/GMATPrep problems seem easy.

RycherX · Answer

I think if each of us took a shot of adrenaline in our buttocks at question number 20 on either section, we'd do very well. Any suggestions to combat this issue, let me know.

RycherX · Answer

I actually do a 1 hour workout to get my blood circulating before my practice CAT. I also drink a full cup of coffee also. 
I just took GMAT prep today and got a q49v36 700 though I've seen many of the questions already. I figure if I can boost my GMAT prep scores to a high 700, I can get a 650+ on the real exam.

kryzak · Answer

yeah, I did a light workout before my real GMAT, 2-3 hours before. Gets my blood flowing... then listen to some Mozart.

ywilfred · Answer

Here're some tips. 

-> Those question which are in the easy pool (okay, no fixed pool of questions, but anything that looks like a piece of cake to you), you should be clearing them within 10-20 seconds most. 

-> For the intermediate ones, maybe about 1-2 minutes.

-> The ones you should really be spending 2-3 minutes are those difficult questions. Or those draggy ones where so much information is given you need a little time to digest.

In any case, you should be looking at those questions that are making you sweat out timing 4 minutes and up. 

-> When you're working on the OG (or whatever book you're holding onto), time yourselves and if you're not clearing 40 questions in an hour, then you need to keep trying harder. (Why 40 in an hour when the GMAT only makes you do 37 in an hour 15 minutes? Because on the actual test, I figure you'll suffer some anxiety at the front. By forcing yourself to do more in less time during your practice, you get tuned to working problems quickly. So on the actual test, hopefully when you get your anxiety out of your system, you can make up for the lost time earlier on by working through the rest at a good pace)

-> For timed test, here's a piece of advice. If you find yourself getting stuck and 3 minutes has already ticked away, just click and something and go. You can make up for this mistake by getting the next few questions right. That's how the adaptive test works.

loom · Answer

I agree. If you're scoring in the 500s it's probably due to a lack of fundamental knowledge, timing being a secondary factor. You want to get to the point where even if you're guessing, you at least have some understanding of the subject, maybe even being able to eliminate 1 or 2 obviously incorrect answers, and then making an educated guess. C'mon don't feel demoralized...right now I'm averaging around FIVE to TWENTY minutes on a MGMAT / OG problem

. Does that make you feel better? :-D

I read the question, go back and read my notes, try the question, think about it, change my answer, and still get it wrong. haha. Compared to the standards on this forum, that's absolutely pathetic. I'm not even going to worry about timing myself until I've developed a solid base of knowledge on both the Quant and Verbal sections. Good luck.

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