Help choosing the section order for Exam Day

Hi monishi15,

Welcome to GMATCLUB! I guess it totally depends on whichever order is more comfortable for you. A lot of people normally prefer Verbal first followed my Quant and then IR/AWA since they can approach RCs and CRs with a fresh mind. However, some people may prefer Quant first specifically if the are confident in Quant and want to begin the test with their strongest section. Looking at your test scores, I think you may perform well with V-Q-IR/AWA. However, as you have 11 more experts' global test remaining, I recommend that you give all 3 orders one more try before you settle on one.

Hope this helps. All the best!

Hi monishi15,

When it comes to choosing the 'section order' for your Exams, choosing the Quant and Verbal sections (in one order or the other) to begin your Exam makes a lot of sense - since you will likely be at your most alert and energetic (and that's exactly when you want to face those two sections). Before ascribing too much importance to the small sample of data from these CATs, you should also consider all of the OTHER factors that can impact your performance, including the time of day and day of the week that you took the CAT, how well-rested you were, the testing 'environment' that you were in and the number of little mistakes that you made in each section.

As an aside, have you taken any of the Official GMAC CATs yet? If you have, then how did you score on those CATs?

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) If you took additional CATs, then on what dates did you take those CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When is your exact Test Date?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

Hi,

No I haven't given the official GMAT CAT yet. Plan to do it this Saturday.

I have been following Magoosh's 3 month study plan. So I study around 2-3 hours each weekday, give a CAT on Saturday and analyse it on sunday. As far as study material is concerned, I have been using Magoosh's premium plan and OG2020 only.

Overall Goal score: 700-720
Test Date: 16th November

I am mostly planning to apply after 2-3 years as I am fresh out of college now and need to gain some work experience. Also during this period I will be working extensively on profile building.

I am planning to apply to AGSM( Australia) and the top BSchools in Canada like Rotman, Sauders, deGroote etc.

For deGroote I will probably apply next year for their co-op MBA program which does not require much work experience.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi monishi15,

Studying for the GMAT now - far in advance of when you will actually "need" your Score - is a smart choice. Based on your CAT Scores so far, and assuming the they are an accurate assessment of your current abilities, you certainly appear to have the necessary knowledge and skills to hit your Score Goal. The Official GMAC CATs are the most realistic ones on the market, so having one of those Scores as reference should help to confirm all of this other data. You should make sure to take that next CAT in a realistic fashion (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.) and once you have that score, you should report back here and we can discuss the results and how best to proceed.

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

Hi monishi15,

Based on the results from your practice exams, it seems that verbal-quant-IR-AWA is the way to go. Out of curiosity, have you taken any official MBA.com practice exams?

Hi,
I just took the first official GMATPrep CAT. Following are the details-
1. Order- Verbal -> Quants -> IR/AWA
2. SCORE: 700 (Q49,V35) IR-7

I found the verbal questions a lot tougher than what I was practicing and also compared to the Experts Global test. Hence, I had to rush a little towards the end to complete the section.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi monishi15,

Assuming that you took this CAT in a realistic fashion, then you certainly appear to have the necessary skills to hit your Score Goal on the Official GMAT. Based on this Score, you have a much greater opportunity to pick up points in the Verbal section - so spending a bit more time on RC, SC and CR over the next 4 weeks would make sense.

1) Have you completed working through your current Verbal study materials?
2) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

I am still following the Magoosh Prep material so there is 3 more weeks worth of content left. From the OG I am done with SC. Just need to redo the ones I got wrong.

Also I plan to stick to the same study plan as before.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi monishi15,

Since your current study routine has gotten you to this 'score level' - and it's right in line with your Score Goal - there does not appear to be any reason to change your plans at this point. At this level, you might need to 'nitpick' the questions that you got wrong in a bit more detail (since you will likely be dealing with rarer and subtler issues).

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