GMATPrep Tests vs GMATPrep Question bank repetition

Hi Coochie93,

If you've taken 4 of the Official GMAC CATs already, then I assume that you have put in some notable study time. Going forward, it's worth noting that a CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to learn the necessary Tactics and put in the proper practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. In addition, the process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day. Going forward, you really shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Hi Rich,

To your specific questions:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week? I studied for c.3 months for my first GMAT which I took on 27th August. The hours I put in - hard to give a weekly hours estimate given this varied quite substantially depending upon work commitments - I would say 120+ hours in total. For my next attempt at the end of October, targeting 20 or so hours per week
2) What study materials have you used so far? For Practice questions: Official Guide and its separate verbal and quantitative supplements but cross checking answer explanations on this forum, for theory: Mostly, Manhattan's All the GMAT books, supplemented with GMATClub videos / forum posts
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)? 27th June: 690 (Q44, V40), 26th July: 710 (Q47, V40), 7th August: 720 (Q48, V41), 24th August: 710 (Q47, V40). Actual GMAT 27th August: 680 (Q43, V40).

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score? 750 (but I probably wouldn't resit if 700+)
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT? End of October
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to? Round 1 2022 - exact schools TBC

Completely agree with you on the predictive value of the CATs - hence trying to make sure that the GMATPrep practice questions that I have not yet done don't overlap with the test question bank so that I retain the predictive power of these CATs when I do them.

Hi Cooshei93,

As has been said, you will not see overlap between the MBA.com “problem sets: and the MBA.com “practice exams”. Also, I see that you are 70 points from your score goal, so if you need any advice regarding your study plan, feel free to reach out. Also, you may find it helpful to read the following article:

How to Score a 700+ on the GMAT — A Mini Guide for Success

Hi Coochie93,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, your CAT score results - along with your Official Score - show that you essentially performed the same each time (about 700 +/- a few points). You handle certain aspects of the GMAT consistently well, but you also leave yourself open to making certain types of mistakes.

A 680/Q43 is a solid Score though, so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. There's certainly no harm in retesting - and since you're not facing any immediate application deadlines, then honing your Quant Tactical skills to pick up points in that section makes sense.

Even though you're not applying soon, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

In addition, if you took your Official GMAT at a Test Center, you might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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