String of wrong answers

Question

Hi Guys,

I am looking for some help. The attached verbal results are from a Manhattan CAT I took this past Sunday. Towards the middle of the section, I am not exactly sure what happened, but I bombed it and missed 9 in a row. The resulting score was a mediocre 31.

I know 'if' scenarios are almost impossible due to the adaptive nature of the test, but if I had missed four, got one correct, and then missed the other four and with all other questions being the same, would my score have changed significantly? Does missing a string of questions really damage your score that drastically? I know I answered 20 incorrectly out of 41, but I also answered quite a few difficult 700-800 correctly so I was expecting a slightly better score.

Also, any tips to help with this in the future? With the verbal, I sometimes get into a mode where all the answers start looking the acceptable and there is, in my opinion, some gray area around which choices can be correct. Thanks in advance!

k1414 · Answer

I don't think I would be qualified to go in-depth into the specifics of the what if, but I do have some advice. Generally speaking, it's easy to mess yourself up when you leave a question that you know you got wrong. One way to mess it up is by spending way more time than you normally would on the next question - another way is doubting yourself moving on. You need to put yourself in a mindset where, after everytime you submit your answer, you say to yourself "that was the best answer I could have given". It's all about confidence, and being able to move on to the next question. All the best on your GMAT journey!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi haxxx043,

The Verbal section of the GMAT is as consistent and predictable as the Quant section is, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. Based on what you describe, it sounds as though you're not necessarily using Tactics and taking the necessary notes. For most RC and CR questions, you should have a pretty good idea of what the correct answer will 'look like' before you go to the 5 answers. If you think that multiple answers could be correct, then it's also likely that you don't know how to spot the common patterns that the wrong answers are often based around.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, 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?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
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

haxxx043 · Answer

Thank you for the reply. This is novel advice that I have not yet run across.

haxxx043 · Answer

Do you have suggestions or a source to learn common error spotting? I should clarify. When I went through the the difficult questions after the test, not ALL of the answer choices were the same to me; after the elimination, there would be two choices remaining that both seem plausible.

Thanks for the reply!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi haxxx043,

Based on what you describe, your studies so far have been 'book heavy.' Unfortunately, many Test Takers who use a 'book heavy' study approach end up getting 'stuck' at a particular score level. Since all 3 of your practice CAT scores are 'clustered' in the high-500s, it's possible that this has happened to you as well. To raise your score 100+ points, you will need to make some significant improvements to how you handle BOTH the Quant and Verbal sections. By extension, you will likely need to invest in some new, non-book study materials. Since it will likely take at least 2 months of consistent, guided study to get to that level - and you want to apply to Business School by the end of this year - you will have to be really efficient with the next phase of your studies.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?
2) What are the exact application deadlines for each of the Schools that you plan to apply to?

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

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