Franklin wrote:
Okay so I take the GMAT on Friday. I'm a reformed lawyer and the verbal section has been my strength until recently. On GMAT prep I've been scoring in the 45 to 47 range for Verbal and 42 to 45 range for Quant. My daily regimen consists of 10-15 hard SC from OG10 or Sondenso's compilation, 10 CR (some from LSAT tests or from OG10), a couple of difficult RCs (OG10) and the rest of time is spent on DS and PS. After the diagnostic score of 650 in June my scores have gradually increased. The biggest improvement I've seen is in Quant since my Verbal scores have always been 40+.
So today I took my last GMATprep test prior to the real thing with the primary focus on quant section timing. I scored a 700 (48Q, 38V). On the last two GMATprep exams I have seen my quant score increase from 45 to 49 and 48. I don't understand why my verbal is regressing. It's mainly in CR ... just really dumb mistakes. I usually miss one hard question in RC. SC was my weakest section but has, over the last month, become a strength. I miss maybe one or two (usually unfamiliar idioms).
So what should I do? Should I spend my last day (Thursday) focusing primarily on verbal? Should I stick to my current regimen which is focused more on quant? I can't even tell you guys how pissed I am at the 38V. I have never scored below a 40 in all of my practice tests.
Any advice is appreciated! Thanks in advance!
With 1 or 2 days left - just spend a few hours reviewing the strategies, rules, etc that you may have had issues with. This is time to review and to let it go.
You know all there is to know and if something is missing that you have not found in the last 2 months, you probably won't find it the day before the test.
Do your best on the test regardless of how you feel about it. Whether you feel it is going easy or if you feel you are failing every question - there is just no way to know until the end. (looking forward to reading your debrief after the test).
For the math section, make sure you allocate 5 extra seconds per question just to review your answer and make sure it is not completely off charts. Re-read the question again and make sure you answered that specific question. So if it is asking how much more would the hiker have to walk, make sure you give the incremental number rather than the total trip. If the DS question is a YES/NO question - make sure you answer it rather than pick A/B/E because it is a "NO". All the little things that add up to a big score. I had 2 things like these that I caught on my test day - made me feel really paranoid.
Don't get stuck on any question longer than 3 mins - try to keep them down to 2. If you are done with the question sooner, re-read the question, make sure your solution/approach makes sense to you, and move on.
Finally - good luck on your test!
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12 Aug 2009, 15:54
