Test in 10 days how to raise quant by a few points

Hi mtnginger,

GMAC has publicly stated that the Official Score that you earn on Test Day is within +/- 30 points of actual ability. Assuming a similar 'swing' in how your CATs function, the 2 CAT score results that you listed show that you essentially performed the same each time (+/- a few points). This means that you're fairly consistent in the things that you do well and in the general mistakes that you make. Raising a Quant Score into the high-40s/50s has a lot more to do with Tactics, pattern-matching and eliminating mistakes than it has to do with content knowledge or IQ, so you have to really try to define WHY you're getting questions wrong. At higher-and-higher scoring levels, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes, so part of your focus right now really needs to be on eliminating those little mistakes from your work.

The scoring algorithm on the Official GMAT is far more complicated than most people realize. It takes into account a number of different factors - far more than the number of correct answers. Since you're concerned about the accuracy of your CAT score results, I have a few questions about how you took these CATs:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE?

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

1.)I took the entire CAT just as I would on test day. I spent almost all the time on awa and IR just like I would at the real one.
2,3,4)I took it at home locked at my desk took 6 minute breaks since that's what I plan to do on test day and I took it just an hour before my scheduled time and didn't do anything not allowed.
5) First time I've too this CAT but many IR questions repeated from prep 1 to prep 2. I didn't remember answers thoug and none of the quant or verbal repeated.

1.)I took the entire CAT just as I would on test day. I spent almost all the time on awa and IR just like I would at the real one.
2,3,4)I took it at home locked at my desk took 6 minute breaks since that's what I plan to do on test day and I took it just an hour before my scheduled time and didn't do anything not allowed.
5) First time I've too this CAT but many IR questions repeated from prep 1 to prep 2. I didn't remember answers thoug and none of the quant or verbal repeated.

Hi mtnginger,

Taking CATs at home is not a realistic way to prepare for the GMAT. However, if we ignore that issue for a moment, you certainly appear to have the potential to score 700+ on the GMAT. The higher Quant Scaled Score that you're after is going to come down to the little mistakes that you described. In real simple terms, if you can eliminate those mistakes, then you'll score higher; if you continue to make them with the same general frequency, then you'll likely score at the same general level as you are right now. Most little mistakes come from a lack of note-taking (and proper note-taking actually requires less time than trying to do work 'in your head'). Thus, that is really what you should be focused on during this last 1.5 weeks of study: proper note-taking so that you can eliminate the little mistakes from your work.

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