MGMAT forgottent content - revision breakthrough?

Question

Please HELP! It's only 7 weeks until my GMAT and for 80% of the last 4 months have been going through all the MGMAT books, doing the practice questions, then doing the OG questions at the end of each chapter... Then I had a 3 week break (which is the other 20% approximately

due to changing jobs, moving back to the UK (I was in Malta for a while) )... AND NOW I FEEL I HAVE FORGOTTEN EVERYTHING... It seems I have poor retention for the subject matter in these books... I am going back through the OG questions given in the Number Properties book this week and am ok with the easier ones but the harder ones I'm screwing up completely... I remember doing the harder ones quite well originally. I basically can't afford to waste anymore time with these damn MGMAT books - I wish there were more posts on study methods and studying effectively, because it's clear I haven't studied effectively. I know I can ace this exam if I have the right study strategies for the next 2 mths and can remember all the minute details of the MGMAT books. So... how do I pull myself out of this hole!? I really need to get 700+ so I can get into LBS... I haven't done any diagnostic CAT's yet because I'm scared of the result I'm going to get... I just don't konw if it is going to be a good result at all... and I'm scared that could really deflate my motivation if I screw it up. Does anyone have any advice for my situation... Should I maybe go through all the OG questions now with an error log, then do GMATClub and Jeff Sackman challenge sets, regardless of doing any MGMAT revision (and revising as I go along - i.e. the questions I get wrong, referring to MGMAT to find out the rule/method etc. I should have used), or should I put in a big effort to try and remember everything from the books again BEFORE doing the OG questions again... I'm thoroughly, thoroughly confused and really feel I've wasted the last 4 months.

BKimball · Answer

n2739178,

First, let me tell you that you absolutely have not wasted the last four months. If you've worked your way through all of the Manhattan strategy guides, in-practice problems, and relevant OG problems, then you are off to a great start. That is a ton of material! Even if you forgot how to do the advanced problems in these books, if you can work your way through all of the general sections then you should feel pretty good. (Those advanced sections are really targeted at people looking to score above 700, and even then I'd argue you can score 700 without doing particularly well on those.)

Second, I am going to recommend that you take a diagnostic CAT very soon. You have 7 weeks left until the exam, and that is plenty of time to take the test, diagnose your weaknesses, and improve in your weak areas. If you don't take the test, however, you'll have no idea how you're actually doing. This reality is aggravated by the fact that the GMAT is an adaptive test, so no set of pen-and-paper problems will give you an accurate picture of how well you're really doing. Going through and drilling yourself will just stress you out more, since you'll never get 100% of questions right on this test. Even if you score above 700, you will still miss a ton of questions on the GMAT.

Think of it this way: You're going to take the test in 7 weeks no matter what. Better to know today that you're scoring around 600, need work on geometry, are an expert in Sentence Correction, etc. than to find out at the end of the real test. Your fear is totally understandable, but your studying will be far more effective if you are targeting specific areas.

After you take the sample test you should go through and analyze your strengths and weaknesses in two areas:

1. Content - SC, CR, RC, DS, Problem Solving, etc. - then get more specific - are you missing the parallelism problems? The exponents? Etc.

2. Timing - Leaving questions blank is one of the worst things you can do on this test. You need to be able to manage your time so you get through every single question in the time allotted. If you're spending too long on the early questions and then rushing at the end, that's a huge problem.

Finally, take this newfound knowledge and lay out a plan. Fit in as much studying as you can until two weeks before the test, then do another practice test and spend the two weeks before the test practicing your timing, brushing up on any small misunderstandings, and analyzing your work for patterns and trends. If you find that you tend to get tired halfway through the quant, for example, make yourself a note to take a 30-second relaxation break after question 18.

Let me know what you think of all this. I'm here to answer any questions.

Brett

n2739178 · Answer

ok great thanks! i will do quite a few CATS i think just to get a feel for everything. I'm aiming (have to get) above 700 for my business school of choice.

I found from doing OG problems then checking the MGMAT OG guidebook that I'm doing quite well with 700+ questions but screwing up the easier ones e.g. 300-500 --> I guess an error log will helop to ID why!

n2739178 · Answer

i just did the mgmat diag. test...

Topic Accuracy Right Wrong Blank Time per question
Overall 75% 15 5 0 01:14
Algebra 75% 3 1 0 01:04
FDP's 75% 3 1 0 01:11
Geometry 75% 3 1 0 00:57
Number Properties 50% 2 2 0 01:14
Word Translations 100% 4 0 0 01:41

I guess that's not too bad, 75%, but it shows I've forgotten stuff because I definitely have done all of those types of questions on the diag. test when working through the books...

I'll look at the detailed breakdown to see exaclty what mistakes I made.

I think I'll do a CAT exam today, perhaps the GMATPrep one, just to see how i'm doing overall for the gmat.

PadawanOfTheGMAT · Answer

You should rather do an MGMAT CAT. The GMATPrep does not break down where you failed, and such.

Moreover you only took some time off, it will quickly come back as soon as you'll do a little of each execises.

n2739178 · Answer

Hi all, As I've noted in some previous posts I've forgotten a fair bit of MGMAT material I covered a few months back

However all is not lost as I'm revising the books again and going over the tough MGMAT end of chapter questions which tripped me up the first time around - also I'm reading over the question list at the end of each chapter and saying to myself 'yep I can do that one easy' or 'no- how the hell do I do that one!?!' and taking a note of those that I can't do in an Excel log, to use them to formulate part of my revision set of problems (the other part comes from failed OG questions). I'm also working through the OG questions one by one, starting from Q1 and now am on Q.117 so 113 to go

. I've noticed I got quite a few questions wrong purely from not remembering the rule or MGMAT trick covered in the book relating to the question topic. So that is reassuring as it means I just have to revise that stuff again, take notes and stick to the flash cards

. Some were wrong because they were tricky, or really hard - but that's to be expected. So my plan now is to keep doing this, keep revising and use the OG, MGMAT tough questions and start to do some CAT exams to ID my strengths and weaknesses to tailor my study plan until D-Day (6 1/2 weeks away). Can someone please advise me if this is a good strategy or not? Am I at the stage now that I should be doing a ton of questions and CAT exams to pinpoint my weaknesses and focus on those areas? Some questions come naturally to me now, others are challenging, others require guesswork and others are a complete nightmare. My study plan for the next few weeks is looking like this (I really need advice about whether I am on the right track so I don't waste precious time): Weekdays: Gym after work: Revise GMAT material on my Android phone (downlaoded a GREAT app for that today -> GMAT Review by Watermelon Express) Dinner around 7pm. 3 hrs study a night after dinner: 30 mins: do OG problems, MGMAT problems etc. 45 mins: go over the answers to the problems I just did, record in error log 1 hour: Study new material ... still have focused on quant way too much as it is my weak area, gotta study verbal now. 45 mins: Revise MGMAT material, taking notes, making flashcards etc., reviewing flashcards. Saturdays: CAT (4 hrs) Sundays: Go over CAT answers... practice verbal questions... I guess by doing this 'revision' plan I will fill in any holes in my knowledge (slowly but surely) over time... SO, GOOD PLAN GUYS? Thanks! p.s. attached are my error logs, and other study aids to organise myself... please give me feedback if they are on the right track or not!

n2739178 · Answer

one more file attached

n2739178 · Answer

thanks for all the replies! BKimball - I just made a post about where I'm at today... can you please read it and advise if this plan looks good to you? thanks!

mgmat-forgottent-content-revision-breakthrough-103350.html

n2739178 · Answer

ok I sat my first GMAT Prep exam to ID my strengths and weaknesses...

I got 560: 31Q, 37V

Verbal I was pretty happy with because I haven't done any study hardly for Verbal at all.

Quant was to be expected because I've forgotten a lot of rules and formulas (hence why I've been doing my flash cards recently).

So I guess the question now is, how do I improve my quant - lots of practice questions, analysis of the answers, and working on weak points right?

n2739178 · Answer

1 thing I noticed in the Verbal section which is why I didn't get a higher score was I got the 'glazed eye' concentration problem towards the last 2/3 of it... Where I just couldn't concentrate very well and was feeling very tired.

Any tips on how to get over that? thanks

Any tips on how to get over that? thanks

fronds · Answer

For glazed eye...I am going to treat the GMAT like a rugby game. I'll be well hydrated, have eaten well and will eat/drink something healthy during my break. A proper diet and rest will give you the energy you need to stay focused. Oh, and afterward I'm going to get belligerently drunk.

PadawanOfTheGMAT · Answer

I think the glazed eye problem comes from the computer screen. When I work with OG12 I have no problem. When I work with MGMAT CAT or GMATPrep sometimes near the end of Verbal, the words seem to blur out.

afyl128 · Answer

Watching this space, Im in a similar spot, did all the MGMAT quant books over a 3 month period and feel like I've forgotten EVERYTHING. 
Obviously don't have the time to redo everything. Got a v. similar score to you on my first MGMAT CAT done yesterday, also based in London =) good luck getting into LBS

BKimball · Answer

n2739178,

I like everything that you're doing and I love your dedication. I would make one change to your study habits:

Instead of going through the OG and doing problems for 30 minutes, reviewing them for 45 minutes, writing down where you made mistakes, and then studying new topics with flashcards and such, I would:

-Test yourself on a topic: Do 1 problem (with a two-minute time limit) in an area in which you are week (looks from your Excel documents like you already have a pretty good sense of your strengths and weaknesses, so that's great.
-Understand your weakness: Review that problem (take as long as it takes). Figure out where and why you made the mistake. Decide whether you should have used the strategy you did (i.e. algebra) or whether you should have chosen al alternate strategy (i.e. choosing numbers). Decide also whether your solution parallels the OG's solution. If not, decide which solution is easier / faster. If neither of the solutions seem logical to you, check the forums for other solutions. Decide whether there are any shortcuts or guessing techniques you could have used. Decide whether you need to make a flashcard to learn the material. In short: MASTER THE PROBLEM before moving on. Know it inside and out and be able to explain it to somebody else.
-Reinforce your learning: Do a problem that uses a similar technique or concept. If you skip this step and move on to a different problem, you're much less likely to internalize the learning from the previous step.
-Repeat these three steps until you a) feel like you have really mastered the topic or b) have done 6 problems, whichever comes first. I don't want you to spend all night on one topic because the brain learns better if you jump around a little bit, but I do want you to spend long enough to actually learn the topics.

If you use this method, you'll probably spend around 10 minutes on each problem and thus you'll only be able to get through 15-20 problems per night. That'll be fewer than you're used to, but you'll make up the time because you'll only be studying your weak areas. Quality over quantity is absolutely the way to go here.

Finally: Recognize that NOBODY scores 100% on the GMAT. You will absolutely miss problems, so decide today which questions or topics just aren't worth your time to learn. If you don't decide ahead of time where you're going to guess on the GMAT, you'll waste valuable time during the test.

Good luck!

Brett

PS Sorry for the delayed response here; I'm having some technical difficulties getting notified when people reply to my messages.

BKimball · Answer

I responded to your post on the other thread and think that advice applies 100 percent to your question below.

About the glazed eye, three suggestions:

1. Practice. I know it's tough to stare at a computer screen all day. The more you can practice and get comfortable with it, the better.

2.Take your breaks! You'll get two 8-minute breaks during the test, and you absolutely should take every second on both of them. Make sure you get back to the room in time, but don't start the test until the break timer ends. During those precious eight minutes, go out in the hall and sing a song, do some jumping jacks, do yoga...whatever it takes to keep the blood flowing.

3. If you still get tired on verbal (the GMAT is a long test, so don't feel bad about this), take a very short break during the section. Choose a problem that you think is just way too hard or not worth your time (you'll only know this is you decide before the test that you're weak on a certain topic), guess quickly, and then take a 30-second break. Better to sacrifice one question in the middle of the test than to get tired and miss 6 straight at the end!

Brett

n2739178 · Answer

Hi BKimball

Thanks heaps for that - that'sjust clarified something I was thinking about recently regarding how to approach OG questions...

I only have 5 weeks left until D-day now, i scored 560 in a practice test 2 weekends ago (31 quant, 37 verbal)
but I know the 31 in Quant was largely a result of forgotten concepts etc. from the MGMAT books and not having done enough OG practice questiosn yet.

In short - do you feel I should be studying the OG questions in the way you've mentioned, day in, day out and not focus on trying to go through all the MGMAT books again , only referencing them when I don't understand a problem's concept or method ?, or spend time trying to 'rote learn' eveything in the books again for half of each day's study sessions and then do the questions for the other half..

thanks!

BKimball · Answer

Yes! I would suggest you use the MGMAT books only to reinforce your weak areas. Although the Manhattan GMAT books are a really great way to learn GMAT content, there is absolutely no reason to review books or chapters that you have already mastered. If you do a problem and can't get it right, flip open your Manhattan GMAT guides and read the relevant sections as part of the "review" and "mastery" exercise I mentioned earlier.

And don't despair. Five weeks is plenty of time. If I were you, I would take one practice test at 3-4 weeks out (make sure you take a test that will give you statistics on how you do.) Hopefully, hammering three to four concepts per day between now and the date of your practice test will allow you to see results in those specific areas. Then, use the analytical data from your next CAT to decide which other areas to target next.

I would then take an additional CAT (essays and all) one week before your test date. As hard as this might be, force yourself to use the results of that test not to cram additional topics, but to decide where you're simply going to have to guess, make sure your timing is good, and make any necessary adjustments to your overall strategy.

n2739178 · Answer

ok great thanks heaps again! I'm aiming for the high 600's / low 700's (above 670 ideally) as my target school's average score is 700. I feel doing the OG problems the way you've mentioned will be a great way of making the leap from a 560 score (I've covered the content but just forgot a bit of it over time).

I haven't covered the SC book yet... at all... Verbal is definitely my strong point so I'm not sure how much time I should be spending going through and trying to learn everything in that book... what do you think?

Also I'm thinking of spending 45 mintues each morning 'rote learning' content from my flash cards etc. until I know it cold... then doing the OG question prep at nght - good idea?

Thanks for this advice - I'm sure this will be hugely beneficial for other MGMAT users too

vwjetty · Answer

good advice for sure. i have the older edition manhattan books and they're still killer. i'd say they're worth every penny.

PadawanOfTheGMAT · Answer

Unfortunately that doesn't work. As soon as we enter the test room, the proctor will resume the test even if there are a few minutes left on the timer. I guess they do that since it would be too complicated to handle who has minutes left, who wants to start straight away, etc. They would constantly enter and exit the room, hence disturbing test takers.

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