Scored 670 in GMATprep test .Q49 V33

-Haven't booked the test yet but planning sometime July end
-Target score 720
-Basics done from Manhattan books
-This was my first mock cat (Q49 ,V33-670 score)
-Have been going through basics from Manhattan books for a month now .
-I skipped the IR and AWA
-Planning to apply in cycle 1 September

Thanking you in anticipation,
Ishan

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Hi IshanBhardwaj,

A 670 is a really great initial CAT Score (the average score on the Official GMAT hovers around 540-550 most years). That having been said, there's some question as to how realistically you took this CAT. You admit to not taking the Essay and IR sections; if you did anything else that was unrealistic, such as taking the CAT at home, taking it at a different time of day (from when you'll take the Official GMAT), pausing the CAT, seeing any 'repeat' questions, etc., then this score could be a bit 'inflated.' Going forward, you should do everything in your power to make sure that you're taking your CATs in a realistic fashion.

After taking each CAT, it's important to do a full review of your performance (with the goal of defining WHY you got questions wrong). While a full Mistake Tracker or CAT Analyzer would provide more detail, there are some basic questions that you should look to answer after you take each CAT (and the more specific you can be with your answers, the better).

After reviewing each section of this CAT, how many questions did you get wrong....
1) Because of a silly/little mistake?
2) Because there was some math/verbal that you just could not remember how to do?
3) Because the question was too hard?
4) Because you were low on time and had to guess?
5) In the Verbal section, how many questions did you "narrow down to 2 choices" but still get wrong?

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

Hi Rich ,
This was the first GMAT prep mock test I appeared for .I need an advice on which Mock test series would help me with the above questions.
The tests should have explanations of the answers and detailed assessment of my mock exam.At the same time it should be as relevant as possible to the real GMAT exam and not terrifying for the sake of marketing.
Ishan

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Hi IshanBhardwaj,

It's important to remember that taking lots of CATs will NOT make you a better Test Taker. A CAT is really a 'measuring device' - when used correctly, it will give you a realistic score and help define your strengths and weaknesses, but it will NOT help you to fix any of those weaknesses. To raise your scores, you have to put in the necessary practice and repetitions. The CAT will show you whether your studies are helping you to improve or not. Based on your last message, it's not clear WHY you got questions wrong on this initial CAT (and YOU should be able to answer those questions after reviewing this CAT), so your focus should be on defining those details (and not worrying about which CATs to take next).

To answer your question though, the scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. Since that algorithm is proprietary, no GMAT company has an exact match for it, thus CAT scores can vary a bit based on the 'biases' involved in their respective designs. The most realistic CATs available are the 6 from GMAC, but the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas are all 'close enough' to the real thing that they will provide you with a relatively realistic score assessment (assuming that you use the CAT correctly).

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

Thanks for the guidance Rich ,
So I understand that I have not been able to pinpoint my weaknesses from this CAT .
As you suggested, I need to analyze my mistakes and weaknesses .For this very purpose,I need a CAT which not only gives answer explanations but also assessment of my performance.
Based on above please help me with ,which CAT to take and strategy to follow ?
Also consider the fact that I need to improve my score at least by 50 and have a month to do that .For now I am practicing from GMAT official guide for Q & V .

Ishan


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Also few weaknesses I have been able to figure out ( not very sure and based on only CAT )
-RC consumes a lot of time,I need to go back to comprehension again to answer the question.Even then I can't signle out the answer confidently.
-This leaves me with lesser time for CR and SC.
-Speed for Quant is not up to the mark.Had to guess the last 4 questions.


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Hi Rich ,
So after a few more verbal practice sessions,it is confirmed that I am bad at RC.I don't seem to be retaining the ideas and have to go back to the passage time and again for reference .This consumes a lot of time and also causes concentration lapse.Moreover I never get the 1st question which asks for the primary purpose of the passage.
Please make me a RC test assasin

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Hi IshanBhardwaj,

Based on your self-analysis, one of the immediate issues that you will need to work on in the Verbal section is your 'note-taking' (for RC - and probably CR too). You do NOT need to be a 'fast' reader, and you do not need to memorize the entire passage as you read it, but you do have to 'attack' each prompt (with the goal of 'picking out' the relevant information for your notes). You also need to learn a bit more about the major question types and the common types of wrong answers that often show up in Verbal questions (so that you can spot those answers and avoid choosing them if you ever have to 'guess').

Given your first CAT Score, you have a much greater opportunity to pick up points in the Verbal section, so you should choose some new study materials that will teach you all of the necessary content and Tactics. You currently have about 1.5 months of potential study time, but you might not need that much.

1) Going forward, how many hours do you think you can consistently study each week?

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

Hi Rich ,

Your prompt and precise responses are really impressive.Between our last conversation and now I have figured out my weaknesses and strengths Viz ,
- RC : as already described
-SC : I am generally good at spoken English ,but my scoring rate in SC has been around 40% for 600 level questions.The problem is I can't comprehend the technicalities of grammar and other SC principles ,thus I tend to follow my instincts.

CR : is my strength,with 75%scoring rate from 600 level questions.

Quant : I am decently good at quant but need to work on my speed.

The scoring rates are calculated from GMAT official guides with time constraints .

I have around 40 days before the exam.I will be studying around 10 hours weekly ,and additionally have decided to give a mock exam every Sunday ( also need advice on this .Should be with answer explanations and performance analysis)

Anticipating your response,gets me pumped up
Ishan

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Hi IshanBhardwaj,

If you're looking for practice CATs that provide written explanations, then any of the CATs from Kaplan, MGMAT and Veritas should be fine. I want to reiterate that you need to learn proper Verbal Tactics - and while the OG is a great book for practice questions, that book is NOT designed to teach Tactics, patterns or any of the little 'secrets' to the Verbal section. This is meant to say that you would likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led), so you should plan to look into the available options.

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

Hi Rich ,
Please suggest a GMAT course with verbal tactics considering I am good at CR and have only around 40 hours of solid study time before GMAT.

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