Going to appear for GMAT on 23 Jan 2016

Question

Hello Experts,

I have my GMAT exam scheduled on 23 Jan 2016. Please suggest what should I concentrate on this last week. I am going through SC MGMAT book to revise my SC concepts. Do I need to do any specific topics as a last hit?

Sumit

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sumit,

Since your Test Day is so close, you should NOT try to 'cram in' too much information or practice - if you did, then you would run the risk of 'burn out' before Test Day. That also means that you should NOT be taking any CATs during this time. Keep the practice light and try to get some rest (and a good night's sleep) before Test Day.

1) How have you been scoring on your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
2) What is your goal score?

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

Sumitbramhe · Answer

Thanks for your valuable suggestions.

To answer your question -

1) How have you been scoring on your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)? - I am scoring 700, 710 in my CAT's. I am pretty good at Maths and scoring Q47,48. However, less confident in Verbal. I hope to score at least V38 on the test day. 
2) What is your goal score? My goal is 720+

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hi Sumitbramhe,

With CAT scores of 700 and 710, you can surely attain your target score. It all depends on the day.
The last few days might not be useful to learn anything new and then apply it on the test however, the following points might help you maximise your score.

1. Do not take a CAT in these days.
2. Make sure you pay attention to the first 10 questions. This will help you in building your score
3. Make sure you take both the breaks and give your mind the much needed break
4. Complete both the sections. There is a huge penalty for not completing the sections. You can make a benchmarking chart to remind you of the approximate question number you should be at a point of time.
5. Belive in yourself and you will be smiling at the end of the 4 hours looking at your score in the screen

All the best!

Sumitbramhe · Answer

Thanks it would help me. I have one question-

What is the best strategy to score well in verbal. Should I concentrate more on first 25 questions for accuracy and then work on speed?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sumit,

Assuming that you took your CATs in a realistic, test-like fashion, then you could be scoring 720+ right now. While your concern seems to be focused on your Verbal performance, you're missing out on some potential Quant points too. Since you're scoring at such a high level on your CATs, you don't have any big 'weak spots' - so I would suggest that you do a light review of the questions that you got wrong on these last 2 CATs. Ask yourself WHY you got them wrong - how many were due to a silly/little mistake and how many were because the question was just too hard? With these last few days, you could probably work on your 'precision' a bit and try to eliminate the little mistakes from your work.

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

Sumitbramhe · Answer

Thanks for your guidance.

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hi Sumitbramhe,

Although it is important to focus on the first few questions, but do not just focus on them. If you devote too much time on those, you might run the risk of not completing the test or guessing the last few questions.

Sumitbramhe · Answer

I scored 540. Devastated. Q41,V23. I have ordered for the detailed solution for my exam. I really want to improve on my verbal skills.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sumitbramhe,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day.

If you can answer a few questions, then we should be able to figure this out:

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once?

It's possible that you just had a "bad day"; but if we can figure all of this out quickly, then you won't necessarily have to wait too long to retest.

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

Sumitbramhe · Answer

Hello,

Please find below my answers:

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)? - I was taking IR in my CATs not Essays
2) Did you take them at home? Yes
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT? No, I took them at nights.
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? Pause the CAT
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Yes

I was hoping to get a decent score in Quant. At least Q47. During my preparations, my lowest in Quant was Q45. I need to review the solutions of my exam to see what I missed to get a poor V41.

I need to improve on my verbal. V23 is not at all satisfactory. I want to improve my accuracy to more than 90% in verbal. Can you please help me on how to make that happen? I am planning to take the test again in May/June. Please guide.

I am hoping to try for Q48,V40 for my next test.

Thanks for all your help.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sumitbramhe,

The extra information you've provided is important as it points out some major issues with your studies. The GMAT is a specific 'event' which you CAN train for, but there were too many differences in how you took your CATs. Skipping sections, taking CATs at home (and at different times relative to your Official GMAT) and retaking CATs create unrealistic situations and usually lead to 'inflated' score results. In real basic terms, you were NOT properly training for the exact parameters of Test Day, so when you got to Test Day, you were not ready for it.

Thankfully, almost all of these issues can be dealt with if you just take your CATs in a more realistic way. You have to PLAN to make your CATs match the Official GMAT in as many ways as possible though.

Using this Official score as a baseline, you'll have to make some significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections to hit your score goals. Thankfully, the GMAT is still the same predictable Test that it's always been, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. You've also given yourself plenty of time to study for this next attempt, which is good.

1) How long have you been studying so far?
2) What materials have you been using?

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

Sumitbramhe · Answer

Hello,

Thanks for your detailed suggestions.

1) How long have you been studying so far? - I had been studying for 2 months.
2) What materials have you been using? - I used (MGMAT - SC, PowerScoreGMAT - CR) - these 2 books I read in last 7 days so not so throughly, and OG-2016 for Maths and Verbal both.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sumitbramhe,

You've taken a 'book-heavy' study approach so far; many Test Takers who study in that way end up getting 'stuck' at a particular scoring level. That approach, combined with how you took your practice CATs, helps to explain your Official Score. To hit your goal score, you'll likely need another 1-2 months of consistent study and a more rigorous overall approach. You might also find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led), which should help you to avoid some of the mistakes that you made during your initial studies.

1) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Sorry for the disappointing show on the GMAT. You have a huge gap in the mock scores and the actual one. This happens mainly for the following reasons:

1. You ha da bad day
2. You were not prepared with the test taking strategies.

In your case, it seems the case 2. As you said that you did not take CATs realistically, it would have had a big impact on the score.
GMAT is just like a marathon, where you need to train your body for the 4 hour ordeal.

I see that you have used books extensively yo study in this round. I would recommend you to opt for either an in-person course or an online course.
Enrolling for a course will make sure that you are thorough with the concepts and can clarify any doubts that you have either with the videos or with the tutor.

Most of the preparatory companies including ours offer a free trial along with a score improvement guarantee. You can use the trial period and see if the course suits your needs.

1. Did you solve all the OG questions?
2. Did you solve the Verbal Review questions?
3. What material did you use for Quants?

Sumitbramhe · Answer

Hello,

Please find my answers below.

1. Did you solve all the OG questions? - 80% of them 
2. Did you solve the Verbal Review questions? 80% of them but no RC questions.
3. What material did you use for Quants? I solved OG for quants.I was confident in quants so did not refer any other book.

I would really like to try the trial classroom. Will it be online or classroom?

Sumitbramhe · Answer

I am thinking of starting my applications by july 2016. And my dream is to join one of the below colleges -

Harvard
Stanford
Wharton
Booth

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sumitbramhe,

You've named some remarkably competitive Schools, so beyond having a high GMAT score, you're going to need to have a strong OVERALL profile AND you'll have to make sure that you 'market yourself' properly to each of those Schools.

Once you have received the ESR, you should plan to post it (or you can forward it to me) and I'll be happy to help you evaluate the data.

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

Sumitbramhe · Answer

Hello,

Please find my answers below.

1. Did you solve all the OG questions? - 80% of them
2. Did you solve the Verbal Review questions? 80% of them but no RC questions.
3. What material did you use for Quants? I solved OG for quants.I was confident in quants so did not refer any other book.

I would really like to try the trial classroom. Will it be online or classroom?

Sumit Bramhe

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

You have listed the schools which are the most competitive. How have you arrived at the list?Have you mapped the schools to your long term and short term goals? You would need a very strong profile overall to crack any of these. GMAT score is just a check mark at these schools and obviously the higher the better. Regarding the GMAT preparation, as you said that you did not solve RC questions, this is visible from your score. Also, going by the Quants score, your initial assessment was incorrect and you need additional practise there too. We offer online courses. You can find more details on our website: https://optimus-prep.com/

Going to appear for GMAT on 23 Jan 2016

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards