Gave my first practice GMAT Test ! (13-03-2016)

Question

I recently gave my first practice test (Paper test code 14 provided by GMAC) for GMAT.

Results
Quant : I got 4 questions wrong out of 52 (I reviewed and found my mistakes)
Verbal:
I got 12 out of 22 in SC wrong.
I got 4 out of 16 in CR wrong.
I got 6 out of 23 in RC wrong.

I know that I need to improve my verbal a lot. Any tips for this ?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi RaghavSingla,

It sounds like you're just starting out. Is that true? Have you done any studying so far?

Unfortunately, pencil-and-paper tests really can't provide the same level of accuracy that a FULL-LENGTH CAT (taken under realistic conditions) can. As such, it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hi RaghavSingla,

Unfortunately paper based tests will not be able to help you much in preparing for the GMAT. You should sit for a GMAT prep mock CAT and make sure you give it along with the AWA and the IR sections.

If we go by the sheer number of mistakes that you have committed, it is obvious that you need to focus on the SC section.
This section tests certain concepts and fundamentals such as SV agreement, modifiers, parallelism etc. And these can be learnt by following a course.

1. How long have you been studying?
2. Are you following any preparatory course?
3. Have you started solving the questions from the Official Guide?

RaghavSingla · Answer

Hi Rich,

Yes I've started my GMAT prep and I'm preparing using Kaplan GMAT premier book. I've completed most of the topics apart from SC. And I believe that SC is right now my weakest point.

Regarding my timeline and goals, I plan to give GMAT somewhere near August end or mid September. I aim to achieve ~770.

RaghavSingla · Answer

OptimusPrepJanielle

- I've been studying for few weeks now but since I do a job in parallel, I am not able to maintain my regular studies. I usually do ~1 hour of prep each day and few hours on weekends.
- I am not following any preparatory course. I am preparing on my own.
- As of now, I've not started official guide(s). I'm right now preparing from Kaplan GMAT premier book.

Thanks
RaghavSingla

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi RaghavSingla,

Since you claim to have worked through most of the material in that first book, you really should take a FULL-LENGTH CAT (with the Essay and IR sections) sometime soon. As a reminder, you can download 2 for free from www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). A FULL CAT takes about 4 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

A score goal of 770 will require a high level of precision and attention-to-detail, and all of that will require a thorough knowledge of the content tested and the Tactics/Patterns needed to answer questions in the most efficient ways possible. Based on what you describe about you current studies, you're probably not putting in enough study time during the week, so you might want to increase your study time a bit.

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

RaghavSingla · Answer

Hi Rich,

I'll give the test soon but wouldn't it be better if I complete the kaplan book first before giving the test?

Thanks
Raghav Singla

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi RaghavSingla,

It's important to take an initial Diagnostic CAT early on in your studies (whether you're really familiar with the GMAT content or not). That score serves as a 'baseline' and defines your 'starting' skills, strengths and weaknesses. Many Test Takers are unhappy with their initial practice CAT scores, but that's not a big deal - you'll end up taking lots of CATs over the Course of your studies (and by taking those CATs on a regular basis, you can track your progress and 'zero on' on the specific areas that cause you trouble). Until we have some score results to work with, we won't have any idea whether you're spending your study time on the proper subjects or not.

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

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

You have set some high goals for yourself and those goals will be very difficult to achieve if you do not maintain your regular schedule.
You need to form a study plan and stick to it. Since you are planning to take the test in August/September, you have ample time to work towards your goal.

But the first thing you need to do is to give a mock CAT, preferably a GMAT Prep CAT and then analyse it thoroughly. Always remember "you cannot improvement something if you cannot measure it" So you need to identify your current standing first.

Once you have given the mock CAT, drill down deep on each section and sub-section.
SC: The questions test various concepts such as S-V agreement, modifiers, parallelism etc. Find out what troubles you.

CR: There might be certain types of questions that are troubling you. May be Assumption, may be conclusion, inference etc.
You need to find that out and then practice them

RC: This again can be drilled down into different types of questions and also different topics. See what questions and topics trouble you the most and then practice accordingly.

As an addition, start preparing an error log and keep a note of all the mistakes you made and the lessons you learnt from the problems. This will ensure you do not make the same mistake again.

Make sure you complete all of the OG and the Verbal review and if required, you can buy the Question pack1 from mba.com

Also, I would recommend you to opt for a preparatory course too, You need to build the concepts/fundamentals before you jump in solving the problems. You can do so by choosing one of the following ways:

1. In person classes/private tutoring
2. Online classes
3. Self paced online preparatory course
4. Book heavy approach (The one which you are doing right now, but you would need additional books for sure.)

Some general tips:

You need close to 3 months to prepare well for the GMAT.

1. Understand the concepts and fundamentals before jumping into problem solving
2. Solve full length CATs including AWA and IR. You can get two free GMAT Prep mock CATs and can purchase two more from mba.com
3. Make sure you solve the official questions from the Official Guide

RaghavSingla · Answer

Hi  OptimusPrepJanielle ,  EMPOWERgmatRichC  and all other GMAT experts:

I gave my first GMAT CAT over the last weekend (26th March, 2016-GMAT Prep-test 1). I had some bitter experience. I managed to score only 640. On analyzing the reasons behind this, I found 2 main group of reasons.

Group 1:
1: I didn't realize before giving the test that I was going to have a problem in sitting for ~4 hours on a chair.
2: I got a little drowsy, esp after midway through quant section which significantly affected my ability to concentrate.

Group 2:
1: The test was quite difficult compared to the level of questions I've been solving till now.
2: My time management skills were put to a test and they were a disaster. I barely had time to complete quant and verbal sections and I had to just guess for the last few questions in each section.

However, after I finished the test, I went through all those questions that I did wrong. I could solve all of them except 2-3 in each section. I realize that I need to focus in the right direction if I have to achieve my aim.

Kindly pen-down your thoughts on this.

Thanks
Raghav Singla

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi RaghavSingla,

Considering that this was your first practice CAT, you did quite well (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). If you took the FULL CAT (including the Essay and IR sections), and did so under realistic conditions, then I would say that you have a good chance to score 700+ on the Official GMAT. Whether you score 770+ or not will come down to the same factors that I discussed in an earlier post. Now that you've experienced a full CAT, you should be able to better prepare for some of the issues you faced (fatigue, having to sit for 4 hours, etc.). These are issues that impact ALL Test Takers, so you should continue to take FULL CATs at regular intervals (1 CAT every 1-2 weeks), so that you can build up your endurance and figure out how to use the two 8-minute breaks to your advantage. With a Test Date in August/September, you have plenty of time to continue studying and improving. To that end, you should continue to study as you see fit for the next month or so and report back with your next couple of CAT results. Those scores will help to define whether you're improving by studying 'your way' or not and likely provide information on the some of the adjustments that you'll have to make going forwards.

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

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

The problems associated with group 1 are fairly common amongst the test takers and can be resolved by sitting for enough number of mock CATs.

Treat the GMAT like a marathon, you cannot train for it until you have run the full 26 miles. if you do not run the distance in your practise, you WILL face severe problems in completing the run. Similarly you WILL have to prepare your body and mind for the marathon test by sitting for enough mock CATs and make sure you take then along with the AWA and the IR section. Ideally you should sit for a mock CAT after every 1 - 2 weeks in your preparation. You have 6 official tests and can opt fro tests from other prep companies too if you feel the need.

The problems associated with group 2 are also fairly common and fortunately they can also be easily resolved.
The time constraint puts you under additional pressure and that affects your performance on the test.
A good way to prepare yourself would be to practise under timed constraints. You can chose a set of problems and assign yourself time under which you need to solve.
This will help you improve your timing issues.

Always make sure that you complete the sections even if you have to guess the last few questions. There is a severe penalty for not completing the test.

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