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08 Nov 2014, 17:14
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi all,
So I'm going for my re-sit of the GMAT and looking for some advice on how to use the last 2 weeks given my GMAT CAT Tests seem to be going downhill!
Here's a summary of what happened so far
First Round
Preparation: Spent about 6 weeks going through:
- Kaplan Premier 6
- Kaplan800
- Manhattan Sentence Correction / Reading Comprehension
Wasn't too smart and did all my CATs in 1 week!
Kaplan 2015 Tests:
16-Sep: Kaplan CAT1 (Diagnostic): 650 (49Q/33V)
21-Sep: Kaplan CAT2: 730 (51Q/40V) - didn't do AWA/Integrated reasoning
22-Sep: Kaplan CAT3: 700 (50Q/37V)
22-Sep: Kaplan CAT4: 640 (48Q/33V)...don't do 2x CATs in 1 day!
23-Sep: Actual GMAT: 640 (47Q/can't remember verbal)
Was absolutely shattered...I suspect it was due to over-studying the last few days before the exam. I decided to re-sit in 2 months time, took a 2 weeks break, and had another crack at it. I've also started an error log, and spend a full day reviewing incorrect answers from my practise exam. Started with the actual GMAT Prep 1 exam again, and then spent a lot more time focusing on areas I was getting wrong, problem is, but now my scores seem to be getting progressively worse now.
I've been trying to do a practise test every Saturday since then though it's been pretty tiring given my travel schedule due to the work I'm doing:
5-Oct: GMAT Prep 1: 690 (47Q/37V)
11-Oct: Kaplan CAT5: 700 (50Q/35V)
18-Oct: Kaplan 2013 - CAT2: 730 - saw maybe 1-2 repeats
25-Oct: Kaplan 2013 - CAT3: 720 - saw maybe 1-2 repeats
1-Nov: MGMAT: 660 (44Q/36V)
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!!
Exam is on the 24-November
The last 2 is when it goes downhill, I'm not sure whether I'm just getting burnt out or I'm just too tired when I sit my practise exams on Saturday morning. I'm generally pretty comfortable with the Quant (and even able to generally solve the 700+ questions on GMAT Club), but seem to be making careless errors as I try to keep to time.
I'd like to get any advice on how to spend the last 2 weeks, and where I could be going wrong - I'm aiming for just 700-720, so I'm close...but still not getting it consistently.
Any help is appreciated!
So I'm going for my re-sit of the GMAT and looking for some advice on how to use the last 2 weeks given my GMAT CAT Tests seem to be going downhill!
Here's a summary of what happened so far
First Round
Preparation: Spent about 6 weeks going through:
- Kaplan Premier 6
- Kaplan800
- Manhattan Sentence Correction / Reading Comprehension
Wasn't too smart and did all my CATs in 1 week!
Kaplan 2015 Tests:
16-Sep: Kaplan CAT1 (Diagnostic): 650 (49Q/33V)
21-Sep: Kaplan CAT2: 730 (51Q/40V) - didn't do AWA/Integrated reasoning
22-Sep: Kaplan CAT3: 700 (50Q/37V)
22-Sep: Kaplan CAT4: 640 (48Q/33V)...don't do 2x CATs in 1 day!
23-Sep: Actual GMAT: 640 (47Q/can't remember verbal)
Was absolutely shattered...I suspect it was due to over-studying the last few days before the exam. I decided to re-sit in 2 months time, took a 2 weeks break, and had another crack at it. I've also started an error log, and spend a full day reviewing incorrect answers from my practise exam. Started with the actual GMAT Prep 1 exam again, and then spent a lot more time focusing on areas I was getting wrong, problem is, but now my scores seem to be getting progressively worse now.
I've been trying to do a practise test every Saturday since then though it's been pretty tiring given my travel schedule due to the work I'm doing:
5-Oct: GMAT Prep 1: 690 (47Q/37V)
11-Oct: Kaplan CAT5: 700 (50Q/35V)
18-Oct: Kaplan 2013 - CAT2: 730 - saw maybe 1-2 repeats
25-Oct: Kaplan 2013 - CAT3: 720 - saw maybe 1-2 repeats
1-Nov: MGMAT: 660 (44Q/36V)
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!!
Exam is on the 24-November
The last 2 is when it goes downhill, I'm not sure whether I'm just getting burnt out or I'm just too tired when I sit my practise exams on Saturday morning. I'm generally pretty comfortable with the Quant (and even able to generally solve the 700+ questions on GMAT Club), but seem to be making careless errors as I try to keep to time.
I'd like to get any advice on how to spend the last 2 weeks, and where I could be going wrong - I'm aiming for just 700-720, so I'm close...but still not getting it consistently.
Any help is appreciated!
15 Nov 2014, 14:48
Kudos
Bookmarks
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:
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!
Quote:
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!
15 Nov 2014, 20:36
Kudos
Bookmarks
GMATNinja
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).
