ajain27 wrote:
Hello All,
I am an Engineer and recently I gave the GMAT exam and scored Q44, while during the practice and mocks I was able to score Q49 consistently. My aim is not score Q51, but anything in range of Q49 is good for me.
Can anyone let me know where I did the mistake because in all the mocks, I consistently scored Q49 even when I was not in very good mental state(For ex at night, when I am totally exhausted).
I am taking the next attempt in 2 weeks, quick replies and responses are appreciated.
Thanks and Regards
ajain27 i am sorry your official quant score did not meet your expectations
The GMAT experts on this forum should be able to help you in identifying your shortcomings in a more structured manner.
However, in my experience, I feel that the quality of the material you use for your preparation and the quality of the mocks does play into your performance on the official exam. For example, the mocks where you scored Q49 consistently, were those official mocks or some other very high-quality mocks? Did you often take breaks between sections during your mock tests?
I can share some general tips I used to train my brain for the GMAT exam back in 2018 (hoping some of these could still be relevant).
1. I visualized the exam environment as closely as possible during my mocks. My first unsuccessful attempt at GMAT made me familiar with what I would face the next time around, including the infrastructure, the small dingy test cubicles in New Delhi, old-style bulky desktops, hard-keyed keyboards, and a tiny notepad for calculations. Visualizing the exam day every time I sat for a mock helped me to prepare better, and my brain was not taken aback when I got to the same (horrible) test center the second (and last) time.
2. I followed a fixed study routine and scheduled my mocks ahead of time, just as I would schedule the actual exam. I took mocks at the same time slot as when I planned to take the actual exam. Following a steady schedule during the preparation phase tricked my brain into believing that the exam day was no different than my routine weekly mock.
3. I did not take a break between sections during mocks to build up my stamina. Since it was my first time preparing for an exam after almost five years of finishing school, I realized my focus and physical stamina were up to no good for such a lengthy and intense psychometric exam (this was in 2018). Therefore, for my mocks, I decided to always attempt the verbal and quant section in one go, which was a struggle in the beginning. But gradually, my endurance increased, as did my ability to stay focused on the questions.
4. I aced my prep. Since Quant was always my weak area, I picked up the GMATClub mocks, which were considered the most brutal quant mocks out there at the time. I attempted and deep-dived into each of the 26 mock exams for the next two months. I maintained logs of my mistakes topic-wise and went over the logs again and again. I did the same for Verbal preparation.
For the AWA, I practiced and memorized a format that I knew would work for most questions and would not yield anything less than a 6. In this manner, I only had to deal with two sections realistically speaking. IR was not a real thing back then.
5. To reinforce thinking power and for recreational reading, I recommend a great book that I would not have read if it were not for my GMAT exam - "Thinking fast and slow" by Daniel Kahneman. Preparing for a psychometric exam and reading a book on psychology in parallel got my nerd mode on, and I started enjoying seeing how GMAT pattern questions could or could not trick me into picking the wrong answers.
Overall, I did a very structured prep, maintained a log of my mistakes, and was able to categorize SC, RC, and CR into question types. Once I reached this stage, I knew I would be able to see and solve similar patterns on the actual exam.
My preparation method was probably too stringent and harsh on me, but I knew I needed the confidence. For this reason, I tried to control every variable out there.
Best wishes