Should I always take timed sections when doing OG Quant questions ?

Question

Hi guys,

I have finished all quant guides from MGMAT and I have started doing the DS Section of the OG. I was wondering what is the best way to train in this case. What I do is take a 10-question and see my score and my time, then I go back and see what I got wrong and how much time I spent.

I plan to take a CAT in a few weeks, but I want to see all my mistakes and flaws before wasting CAT's randomly.

Do you guys think this is good way to practice ?

Thanks everyone!
Best regards

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi cfpenteado,

Have you taken any FULL-LENGTH CATs yet? If so, then what were your scores? If not, then you should plan to take a FULL CAT sometime soon (perhaps this weekend). Until we have a basis for comparison, and we have a better sense of your strengths and weaknesses, it's really too early to be concerned about your pacing. Accuracy comes before speed.

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

cfpenteado · Answer

Hi Rich,

I have taken one official GMAT with a under 500 score, studied a little of Manhattan GMAT, took 2 CATS, both with a 560 score but with clear flaws. My goal is something around 680-700, quite high. Then, I decided to start the PS questions from the OG and built an Error Log. From there I started revising the quant theory by studying the 5 Quant guides from Manhattan GMAT. Now I was planning to attack the DS questions from the OG but I was wondering if I should time myself in this case. I plan to take another CAT in a week or two after I am done with the Quant Section from the OG. 
Sorry if I sound a little confusing. From the time I wrote this post, I finished the first 110 questions from the DS section, in 10 by 10 sets and timing them (this is was arbitrary because I didn't receive any formal orientation). I performed around 80%-90% on the first 40 questions but then my performance clearly dropped to 60-70% on the next 70. I felt a little decepointed because I have heard the OG is actually much easier than most of the real GMAT questions.
What do you think ?
Thanks again Rich

KarishmaB · Answer

Timing slots of 10 questions is certainly a great way to practice though only after your concepts are strong. A 60 - 70% accuracy on OG means there are some gaps in your understanding. Focus on covering those up first. If you still want to practice with 10 question slots, that is fine. Just ensure that once you are done, you take an hour or two to review those questions - the wrong ones and the correct ones. Look for alternative solutions, conceptual discussions and similar problems. Ensure that every question is a learning step towards better understanding. A lot of OG questions are in the 500-600 range so to rise above 650, you should be very comfortable with a majority of the OG questions.

Take your time before taking the next CAT, not a problem but ensure that you have made substantial progress in the meanwhile. Taking one test after another will not help.

cfpenteado · Answer

Thanks for the reply Karishma,

What I believe is that my problem is much more about strategy (pacing, approach, etc) than the theory itself. Other than that there are clear silly mistakes I am making, such as calculation. Out of these 3-4 per 10, I am getting wrong, probably 2-3 I woud normaly get right, but I end up either making a silly mistake because I rushed things up in order to finish them in the alotted time (25-30 min) or I get confused by which approach to use.

So my question is more how to practice OG questions: if I should just make the 10 question set with no timing first, so I can practice what I actually learned from my 2 month studies, or I should actually practice more strategical issues, like pacing, approach, etc., by timing these sets.

Either way, I plan to take a CAT in a week or two to check my "real" level and what actually needs to be done.

Thanks again!
- Cheers

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi cfpenteado,

On your previous CATs, what were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each? And did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections) each time?

The OG sections are arranged *generally* in increasing difficulty, so you can expect 'groups' of questions to be more difficult the deeper you go into any particular area of that book. At this point in your studies, you should be focused on accuracy and using proper tactics. When you mention making silly mistakes, THAT is an issue that you want to try to 'fix' now.

When are you planning to take the GMAT?
When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

cfpenteado · Answer

Hi Rich,

My scores:
CAT 1: 560 (Q32/V35) Percentiles (Q:30%/V:74%)
CAT 2: 560 (Q38/V29) Percentiles (Q:46%/V:54%)

I took a full CAT both times.

One clear mistake I made on both CAT's was to leave questions in blank, because I have wasted too much time on previous questions and rushed on last questions.

What do you mean by accuracy and tactics ? From what I am getting here, I should only practice the OG with precise timed sections if I have solidified concepts, then go for strategy (pacing, etc.). By silly mistakes I mean attention and calculations mostly, or maybe I forgot to consider info already given by problem for solving a DS question.

I am not sure when to take it yet since my score is quite low yet. I will take the next CAT in a week or two.
I plan to apply Jan-16.

I am open for sugestions.
Again, thanks.

-Carlos

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Carlos,

When you say that you left 'questions blank', does that mean that you did not answer them (e.g. you ran out of time and didn't get to the last few questions in a section)? If that's the case, then how many questions did you not answer in each section?

Pacing is NOT something that you should be focused on right now as it generally improves over time (as you study, practice tactics, make and 'fix' mistakes, start to recognize patterns, etc.). Right now, you should be (re)learning all of the content and practicing tactics for each of the sections (with the goal of doing correct work and avoiding little mistakes).

Other than the MGMAT Books and the OG, have you used any other GMAT resources?

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

cfpenteado · Answer

Yes Rich, that's exactly it, I would say I did not answer 4-5 questions on Quant, answered without even reading the question stem about 2-3. On verbal I ended up answered 5-6 without even reading. I know this is a serious mistake and should not be done by any means. I am trying to get some orientation by reading the topics and it seems there is no common ground on how to use the OG. Some say it's like "gold" and should be used as timed sections simulating the real tests only after my skills are refined and weaknesses decresed. However, others say it should be used to fix mistakes and all, to identify patterns, etc. So I guess it depends on which 'phase' of my preparation I am at to define which way I should use the OG. I think I need to respect the 'layers' of preparation, and dedicate more time with (re)learning all of the content and practicing tactics for each of the sections (with the goal of doing correct work and avoiding little mistakes), as you said. I didn't use any other material other than MGMAT Guides and the OG. I am trying to follow this study plan: gmat-study-plan-how-to-start-your-gmat-prep-80727.html?fl=menu Do you think I should finish the OG before taking another CAT ? or I should just take a CAT right now to see if there is some improvement in this 3-month study so far ? Just for the recorded, I haven't deeply studied Verbal so far and I have done any questions from the Verbal part of the OG. Thanks Carlos

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Carlos,

Having to guess on so many questions, and leaving questions unanswered, would have had a significant (negative) impact on your scores. As your overall familiarity with the content and tactics improves, these pacing problems should become less of an issue. In that way, you should be focused on doing 'efficient' work and not wasting time (that does NOT mean should focus on doing 'fast work' though).

I think that taking a FULL CAT this weekend would be a good idea. Even though you have not finished the OG, it's important to take CATs at regular intervals (so that you can measure your progress). You should also plan to start working on your Verbal materials soon. A 'mix' of material during yours studies (some Quant and some Verbal) will likely be better for you overall than an "all Quant, then all Verbal" approach.

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

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Should I always take timed sections when doing OG Quant questions ?

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