how to analyse the practice test

Analyzing you mock CAT is one of the most important part of your preparation. The tests tell you about various problems such as:

1. Problems with Sections: Verbal Quants
2. Problems with subsections: PS, DS, SC, RC, SC
3. Problems with the type of questions, chapters and the topics.

Basically you need to drill down as deep as you can.

Allot close to 2 hours for analyzing the test.
Go through each wrong problem and try to solve it without looking at the solution.
If you still cannot, mark the question in your error log and make a note of what you have learnt.

For the questions that you got correct, see the solutions and see if there is a better way to solve.
If you have timing issues, from the next mock make sure to make a timing grid on your scratch pad.

The main aim of analysis is to not make the mistakes again.
Hope this helps!

I really don't get it. How can we analyse all 80 questions in two hours? For an indepth analysis I have found myself taking about 3 hrs for quant and about 5hrs for verbal. More because each option in verbal has to be evaluated.
I inevitably spend two days for analysis. What am I doing wrong? I would really like to know how I can wrap up my analysis in two hours or even 4hrs? That can really make the process efficient. Tx.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi sinhap07,

Thorough review of each CAT you take is an essential part of the study process. However, there's some question as to whether you really need to analyze ALL 78 questions or not after taking each CAT. If you answered a question correctly, and you did so in an efficient fashion, then you might not need to do much review of that type of prompt. As another example, if you're dealing with a Geometry question that you find difficult, but you have not studied Geometry yet, then there might not be much of a reason to review that question at all (until LATER, once you've learned the necessary Geometry).

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What materials have you been using?
3) What is your score goal?
4) When are you planning to take the GMAT?

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