GMATNinja wrote:
I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but… well, I don't think that your scores are actually going down much. If we strip out the "unofficial" GMAT tests from your post, here's what we're left with:
Quote:
23-Sep: Actual GMAT: 640 (47Q/can't remember verbal)
5-Oct: GMAT Prep 1: 690 (47Q/37V)
8-Nov: GMAT Prep 2: 660 (47Q/34V) - was a little tired, but it still felt okay during the exam - but seemed to just be a disaster here!!
Sure, it looks like you underperformed a little bit on the verbal section of your actual GMAT, but these scores are otherwise pretty consistent. The GMATPrep and actual GMAT are telling us that you're headed for something like a 47 in quant and mid-30s in verbal, depending on your execution on any given day.
Sorry to be blunt, but those Kaplan test scores can be misleading: it's unbelievably difficult for Kaplan or any other test-prep company to perfectly copy the actual GMAT, and your scores are very likely to bounce around on those tests. Just as importantly, you'll see some inflation in your Kaplan scores if you've used their materials heavily, since you're accustomed to Kaplan's particular question-writing style and you'll probably perform better on their questions than on "real" ones.
If you're trying to crack 700, then it sounds like you need to 1) spend your remaining time with official materials, especially the GMATPrep Exam Pack and possibly the GMATPrep Question Pack, 2) focus on building your consistency on verbal, because that seems to be the biggest source of unwanted fluctuations in your GMAT score, and 3) completely eliminate careless errors, even if it means guessing on some of the tougher questions. If you let yourself make even a small number of careless errors on an adaptive test, you can absolutely ruin any chance you have of getting a 700 or above.
But you're right: you're not all that far away! Kaplan can be wonderful for helping build your skills, but stay focused on real, retired questions with your remaining time, and you'll be fine. Let us know how it goes!
Thanks GMATNinja, that's really helpful advice - I actually just did another round of the GMAT Prep test again and much better result:
GMAT Prep 2: 750 (49Q/42V) - obviously slightly inflated as I saw about 5-6 repeats in total
There's a few changes I made since I last took the test:
1) Got a good night sleep - a full 8 hours (last week I was very fatigued when I did the practise exam)
2) Ate a quick snack and drank some juice between each section - I found myself getting very fatigued by the Verbal section (even though I knew a lot of the answers)
3) Changed my approach for time management, I realised trying to keep to time early on meant I made a lot of silly mistakes, I've rejigged my strategy to:
First 10) Take as much time as I need - within reason (switch off timer completely), this is where I needed to warm up and previously made careless errors
Middle Q) Try to catch up if I'm behind and strategic guess any here (only check the time every 5 questions)
Last 10) Hopefully I'm not too behind by this time, focus on keeping to time / strategic guessing if need be
With 1 week left, my plan is to just take it slow and steady now (given I don't want to risk burn out again!), my only question is - should I invest time:
1) Doing the GMAT Club Quant/Verbal Quizes?
2) Spending more time on
OG questions, so far I've done about:
- 15% of the Quant questions (DS/PS)
- 20% of the Reading Comp Questions
- 60% of the Logical Reasoning
- 80% of the Sentence Correction
Realistically I won't be able to complete
all the
OG questions in 1 week, but should I focus on doing these ones - or the GMAT Club Quant/Verbal (I probably won't waste time on the Kaplan800 quizes now).