In short, you need to learn how the GMAT scoring algorithm works. It is not about efficiency or accuracy but about ability, and GMAT measures your ability based on an undisclosed algorithm. Therefore, you may very well get several questions incorrect in a specific test yet manage to get a higher raw score than in another test with fewer incorrect questions. I advise you to carefully read the topic available in the below link.
Thank you for the reply--I have done a good amount of reading on the GMAT algorithm, and I do understand that raw % of correct does not translate to a high score. However, what I found in my practice exam was that I got a high % correct and those that I did get wrong were of a higher level of difficulty.
I reached out to the GMAT Club community to hear insights on how 3 and 2 incorrect on each section could result in Q49 and V44 respectively since all of the incorrect questions were of a higher level of difficulty. I do understand that missing a couple in the first 10 questions is not ideal, but since the two that were missed in the first ten were considered "hard" I would have assumed the test would've given me the opportunity to work my way back to a Q50-Q51.
Maybe the Verbal section is a better example--I got the first 23 questions correct, missed a "Hard" question in question 24, got 25-31 correct, then only missed #32, a "Medium" question" and received a V44.