the clock is killing me!

Question

So i took MGMAT CAT 2 this weekend and it went disastrous.... timing constraints are totally killing my Q scores....my time ran out at Qs 32....i scored a pathetic 38.....on reviewing the paper i found that i was above the 90th percentile(700+ qs throughout) constantly and had hit 99th %tile a few times too.....blindly guessed last 2 questions , which turned out to be wrong+5 questions i didnt see even.....the percentile came right down to 55 %ile
I dont know what to do! Word probs are my nemesis...i take an avearge of 4 minutes to process word probs.....i cant even skip 'em coz they are just too many to be ignored...another thing i noticed is tht I am simply blankfor the first 30-45 seconds after reading a problem....probably coz I'm panicking about my speed....its a vicious cycle....
Any advice anyone? I know u probably will tell me to practice more....but i'm jus hoping u will give me some miraculous trick to save time....

rajeevrks27 · Answer

hi Upasana, Don't be upset, ur almost there...mind u almost because u know ur weakness... here's my 2 cents. yes, i agree with you that practice would take ur score high, but i would like to add here that u must know which areas you should practice more. generally, the word problems eat up a lot of time because one has to read long sentences with awkward names, understand the problem and translate the problem into an equation...and if the problem happens to be a DS problem, then considering each option individually and at times collectively. so knowing the hurdles, you must not bother about unnecessary stuff in the long sentences ( awkward names of individual, city) and don't bother to write their entire name. just simply write the first letter or two. you must write the equation as soon as you have finished reading and know what information will do the needful , which is asked by the problem. IF PS problem , quickly scan the answer choices to know in what format the details are required..If the problem is DS type, check out 1, see if it solves...then check out 2, see if it solves and so on( i suppose u know the procedure... :wink:

.afterall u have hit 99% many times during the test) moreover, if u are unable to do a problem in 2-3 mins , less likely that an extra minute or two will help u solve it...better choose an option intelligently( guessing smartly) and move on...Trust this last advice will do a lot good to ur scores. PRACTICE ur weakness, u must not be having much scope to squeeze time on ur comfort questions because u must be doing them quite fast as ur comfortable with them. So practicing ur weak areas( as u say word problems) will pay rich dividends as they will not only reduce ur time taken per question but also increase ur hit probability. hope this helps.

mohater · Answer

When practicing, keep track of time. Many people can kill the GMAT assuming more lax time constraints. That's the whole point of the test.

Don't just practice more, keep better tabs on time when doing practice problem. I broke problems into blocks and kept track of the time per block and would then average that time together. Your goal is to make sure your time for sets of problems are within the average. You should spend above average time on more difficult problems and below average time on easier problems. The goal is to have the average on pace to finish the test.

MSoS · Answer

I agree that timing is one of the most important part of the GMAT and therefore a big disadvantage for the test takers. Wordy questions and awkward sentence try to confuse you and that is precisely what the test-writer wants.

Try to focus on the timing issue and use a clock each time you answer a question. skipping the last few questions do harm more than answering a question wrong once in a while.

Dreaming · Answer

Thanks every1 for your valuable suggestions!

According to your advice I will first hit the concepts and strategies word probs(yet again!) and other areas of difficulty....then I will do problems in sets/blocks....lets see how much of an improvement i can make....

GMATPill · Answer

You're on the right track.

You might even try studying/practicing under restrict time constraints. For example, give yourself 30 seconds-1 minute LESS time than the time budget you're supposed to have. Get used to that kind of urgency. Then when you go in for the actual exam, you can relax a little and know that you have a little bit more time than usual.

AbhiJ · Answer

First of all donot worry about MGMAT Quant Scores. They are much more complicated than actual GMAT. Try some other tests. I would go on saying that you do MGMAT Quant untimed and try to get all the questions correct. Keep a track of timing though from onlinestopwatch.com , laptimer.

This way you will improve your approach and truly be able to identify your strengths and weakness. Once you have mastered 100-200 tough problems then speed will naturally increase. On the other hand taking timed tests you will keep on making the same mistakes and keep on getting frustrated.

mthasan1 · Answer

I am also studying for the GMAT and took three MGMAT exams and I can share my experiences.

1. First Test, 580 (Q38, V38). Ran out of time with 5 questions, never got enough correct in a row to get 700-800 questions. Felt depressed and made me questions going further.
2. Second Test, 700 (Q48, V41). Still ran out of time with only 3 questions, but got several 5-6 in a row correct meaning I'd get many more 700-800 even if I got 2 wrong in a row, the question after would be a 700-800 question which I would get correct and it would rebound my score. Quant went up because I forgot many of the basic rules for RC, SC.
3. Third Test, 610 (Q35, V41). Totally ran out of time with over 10 questions remaining, got each one wrong. I tried to same strategy as Test 2 but what I didn't do is weigh out whether to get many right in a row or simply move onto the next question so I ended up actually doing worse. When you consider the first 24 questions though, I was at 90th percentile and even at question 30, I was at 80th percentile. Then I dropped to 50th percentile with last 10 wrong which brought my whole score down to 610.

So to conclude, I am going to change my game and do first 10 totally correct, then focus on time on next 10, then if I am really behind on the clock I will guess one, focus on one, guess one, focus on one, then alternate til the end. That is better because the occasional correct answers will keep rebounding your score and you will end up finishing with your last percentile which should be between 80-90th, which should get you near 45+ in Quant.

I will try this new strategy and let you guys know how it goes.

Good Luck!

I will try this new strategy and let you guys know how it goes.

Good Luck!

Dreaming · Answer

Hey thanks for sharing your strategy....i think it does make sense...i will try something like it too and see wat happens!

mohater · Answer

That's a pretty bad strategy.

Getting back to back incorrect answers will tank your score
Not finishing will tank your score.

The GMAC has studied people who focus on the first ten and it showed those people typically did worse off as they ran out of time toward the end.

gmatclub-attends-gmac-test-prep-summit-85573.html

thelog · Answer

Completely agree!

I too think that one right one wrong one right one wrong isn't going to lift scores. Or even keep it near the scoreline attained by answering first 10 questions correctly. The next question after a wrong answer might be of the same level as the one that is answered wrong or a notch below it. A right answer here doesn't justify that you are eligible to get a higher score question next.

A time distribution for a set of questions may be a better alternative. Something like 25mins for the first 10, 25mins for the next 15, 25mins for the last 10. To be adjusted accordingly.

Getting stuck on a question may be the worst thing and leaving a question (by guessing and moving on) may be the best thing that one could do in those 4 hours. But one needs to be know what is to be done and when

More thoughts welcome.

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the clock is killing me!

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