Need help to push quant score up from 48/49 to 51.

Question

Hi, 
I am planning on giving my GMAT around 1st week of September. Have given 5 mock cats (Kaplan, Veritas, MGmat, GMATPrep) so far and had a stable Quant score of 48/49 (except the one bad day when it dropped to 44: was sick and jittery).
Now my problem is my score isn't moving up. I have done the following:
a. I had figured out my weak areas and am working on them (can solve most of the practice problems from those areas). I know all the concepts, I can solve  most  of the difficult question in this club (not the crazy difficult ones).
b. I make careless mistakes (out of all wrong answers atleast 2-3 are careless mistakes). I am working on minimizing the same., atleast trying.

Though i am progressing in my weaker areas, why isn't my score going up? what am i doing wrong?

My bigger problem is that i panic in the first 10-12 questions. I keep seeing easy questions and thinking " this can't be so easy, i am missing something" or 'i got the previous one wrong, hence easy questions keep coming". I know that the first few questions are supposed to be easy, but It really stresses me out. Me telling myself before the CAT that its okay, isn't helping.

I could use some strategy/suggestion to help me increase my score, I really need to up my quant score to make up for my weak verbal (38ish score).

Bunuel · Answer

Check below:

ALL YOU NEED FOR QUANT ! ! ! 
 Ultimate GMAT Quantitative Megathread

Also:

5. Strategies and Tactics To Increase Your Score 
  3 Tips for Handling a Low GMAT Quant Score 
 Improving from 30-35 to 40-44 
 Improving from 44 to 50 
 Improving from 48 to 51  (7 chapters)
 The Final Climb: Quest for Q 50+ from Q47/48 
 3 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR GMAT SCORE TO A 760 
 GMAT TIP OF THE WEEK: YOUR 3 STEP PACING PLAN 
 How to Understand Your GMAT Practice Test Results and Score Higher Next Time

6. Strategies and Tactics To Speedd-Up 
 Want to speed up? Check this:  Timing Strategies on the GMAT 
 Follow This Strategy to Save Time on the GMAT 
 How to Improve Your Timing on the GMAT 
 HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME ON THE GMAT 
 Pacing - No one question matters unless you let it 
 The Importance of Timing on the GMAT 
 The Difference Between a 1-Minute Solution and a 4-Minute Solution 
 Determining How Much Time to Spend on GMAT Quant Questions 
 Timing is Everything on the GMAT: One Strategy to Help You Succeed 
 3 Ways to Improve Your Timing on the GMAT

Hope it helps.

shreyadgupta2017 · Answer

Thank you so much. With so many posts available, it is difficult to zero down on the ones relevant to individual problems. Your reply was really helpful. Will work on Pacing and on faster techniques.
I am still struggling to have an idea of approximately how many of the initial questions are supposed to be easy (500-600 level). Is it possible to get a rough break-up (like 5-7 questions easy, then the algorithm kicks in..) or is it completely random?

IanStewart · Answer

I'd say you're thinking far too much about the algorithm. The algorithm is not nearly as predictable as some prep materials claim. A test can start with easy questions, or with hard questions, and when you're doing well, you can still get easy questions that count. You can also see experimental questions which could be of any difficulty level, and which don't count. You can't tell how well you're doing in the middle of a test, so it's not worth even thinking about it. Instead, just focus on the question on the screen, and if you can answer it, be careful to do so correctly, and if you can't, it almost certainly is a hard question, so it won't hurt you much to take your best guess and move on.

What will make the difference, at least between a Q48-Q49 and a Q50, is eliminating careless errors. If you sometimes make careless errors on easier questions, that can make it very difficult to reach the Q50 level.

What will make the difference, at least between a Q48-Q49 and a Q50, is eliminating careless errors. If you sometimes make careless errors on easier questions, that can make it very difficult to reach the Q50 level.

shreyadgupta2017 · Answer

Thank you so much. I am going to keep your suggestions in mind and also focus on my careless mistakes.

bumpbot · Answer

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Need help to push quant score up from 48/49 to 51.

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