gmatbd wrote:
Hi All,
I have taken some mock tests on the gmatclub and 1 on gmatprep. The results are following:
Gmatprep 1 on 9th Jan: 660 (q50, v30)
gmatclub Quant 1 on 22nd Dec: q42 (got 15 questions wrong)
gmatclub quant 2 on 24th Dec: q32 (got 17 questions wrong)
gmatclub quant 3 on 31st Dec: q39 (got 13 wrong)
gmatclub quant 4 on 3rd Jan: q39 (got 14 wrong)
gmatclub quant 5 on 8th Jan: q47 (got 9 wrong)
gmatclub quant 6 on 14th Jan: q42 (got 14 wrong)
gmatclub verbal 1 on 26th Dec: 33 (got 14 wrong)
gmatclub verbal 2 on 2nd Jan: 27 (got 17 wrong)
gmatclub verbal 3 on 9th Jan: 45 (got 8 wrong)
I don't understand why my scores are varying too much? The quant scores are ranging from 32 to 47; I thought the 47 score was a fluke. But on the next day, I scored 50 on gmatprep mock quant. Same issues in verbal - the range is too big. But on the next day of scoring a 45 on gmatclub verbal, I scored a 30 on the gmatprep test.
I don't know to how to interpret the results. Kindly help me out.
Also, I need to know whether I should continue to take tests or go back to studying the concepts. Need experts' opinion.
Hello,
gmatbd. You requested an Expert opinion, so I will provide mine. It is fine to take practice tests through GMAT Club, and I would encourage you to do so—you paid for access, after all. You should understand that just about everybody agrees that GMAT Club Quant problems are brutal compared to their official counterparts. I know at least two people who have earned a 50 on the actual exam but got a shock when they saw a 44 on the screen after completing such a practice set. Take these results with a grain of salt. One thing you should
not do, however, is pile on questions without adequately reviewing the ones you have already missed. It is tempting to chase correct answers, to look at a solution by
Bunuel and think,
Oh, that was so easy. I'll get that next time. Chances are, you will make the same mistakes, achieving little more than exhausting more questions. You want to get the most out of your practice sets, then start taking notes. Work out a problem on your own after seeing the solution. Disqualify incorrect answers on the Verbal side because there is something to disprove, not because you think some other answer is better. Until you get to the heart of the matter—what, exactly, is holding you back whenever you miss a question—you will see score fluctuations such as those you reported above. And often, when I see such fluctuations, things turn sour when it counts, on test day.
I would discourage you from taking back-to-back practice exams on the same day. That 45-to-30 drop is much easier to understand through such a lens. I would also advise you to stick to official Verbal questions for the majority of your preparation. This is not to knock questions from other sources, although there are plenty of poorly constructed questions floating around out there, but official questions are rigorously screened, and there is a consistency to their logic that is sometimes lacking elsewhere. Get used to official questions—their phrasing, topics—because that is what you will see on the screen the day of the exam.
Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew
_________________
I am no longer contributing to GMAT Club. Please request an active Expert or a peer review if you have questions.