How do I plan my mocks?

Question

I scored a 415 in my diagnostic test .I took a week to go through the exam pattern the questions and I feel relatively comfortable. I am still confused as to when I should start taking mocks . The subjects are not totally new to me but the question pattern is and working on speed is a challenge . Any input is much appreciated. I am planning my attempt in April .Thanks

KarishmaB · Answer

Follow a 2-3 month plan. First go through the concepts of all the topics. Then take mocks in the last month of your prep. You should be done with 80-90% of your course content before you start taking mocks. They don't make much sense otherwise. Here is an article I wrote about this: https://anaprep.com/test-strategies-whe ... ice-tests/

Rish94S · Answer

Keep track of error log & make sure you hit a good accuracy. Once you do that across difficulty levels then you can think of mocks.

NextstopISB · Answer

Start with gmatclub mock test

bb · Answer

There are certain skills you need - you need knowledge of topics, strategies to approach various question types - e.g. CR, RC, etc, and finally test-taking strategies such as timing.

Usually it is waste to take full practice tests until you have covered the first 2 aspects: topics and question strategies.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi SRIVISHUDDHA22,

I'm happy to help provide some advice on how to move forward with your GMAT prep.

I recommend concentrating on one topic at a time while studying. This allows for thorough understanding and practice, which is key to improving your score.

For example, let's consider your study of Number Properties. First, immerse yourself in all aspects of this topic, and then, focus solely on Number Property questions. After each problem set, take the time to delve into your incorrect answers. This self-reflection is a powerful tool that allows you to understand your learning process and make significant improvements. For instance, if you made a mistake in a remainder question, ask yourself why. Was it a careless error? Did you not apply the remainder formula correctly? Did you fall for a trap answer? Was there a concept in the question that you didn't grasp?

By meticulously analyzing your mistakes, you will efficiently address your weaknesses and, consequently, enhance your GMAT quant skills. This process has been unequivocally proven to be effective. Number Properties is just one example; follow this process for all Quant, Verbal, and DI topics.

Once you get through this part of your study plan, you can begin taking practice tests.

For some more tips on the best way to structure your studying, here is a great article:

The Best Way to Study for the GMAT

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Good luck!

BelronMajes · Answer

Take the next mock after a week or two of building your foundation. A mistake I did was to take the official practice tests early on. If you aren't planning on purchasing exams 3-6, I'd recommend that you save them for the last month of preparation and instead use gmat club tests or experts global.

bb · Answer

Moreover, each test you take it’s up two hours of your study time to take the test and then another hour or two to review it so that’s a lot of study time lost.

SarfrazAP · Answer

You've already got some good advice on this thread about how to structure your prep, so I won't go there. Let me just add that there are only 6 official mocks (2 free and 4 paid), so use them judiciously.

Any other test you take (like Kaplan, Princeton, etc) will not give you an accurate idea of the score, so while you can take them for testing practice, don't take the scores too seriously.

And do retake those official tests. You'll get lots of new questions in the retake, sometimes all of them in case your first take didn't go too well.

Good luck!

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