IDK why i feel i am slowly getting demoralized as my prep continues

Question

i am not seeing any improvement, my accuracy is still at 50-70 percent after so many days of hard work, and idk if I have to change things or keep continuing, man, I'm feeling drowning

gchandana · Answer

Hi  Shivam2027 ,

Trust me, I totally understand this feeling, and you are definitely not alone.

Maybe take a couple of days' break first, and then come back and evaluate what needs to be done.

It is good that you are at least noticing whether there is improvement; sometimes, we keep going without even checking whether it is working for us.
So, you could start by evaluating what isn't working: the practicing technique, the process you're applying, your approach to the solutions, or your understanding of concepts; it could be anything. Then reach out to experts or anyone with expertise in that aspect.

It is definitely disheartening when you don't see improvement, but at the same time, note that it will take time, even when everything is working out.

So don't worry, take a couple of days' break, and come back. Don't give up!

All the best!

GMATNinja · Answer

I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling so much,  Shivam2027 ! To echo the wonderful post by  gchandana : you're DEFINITELY not alone. The forum sometimes feels like it's filled with glorious stories of GMAT conquest, but for everybody who gets a 700+ with minimal effort, there are soooooo many more people who struggle, sometimes in quiet isolation. :/

Two thoughts:

Sometimes, accuracy data doesn't mean what it seems to mean. If you're stuck at 50-70% accuracy... well, that's a broad range, for starters, and 70% is a whole lot better than 50%. Maybe more importantly, it all depends on the level of questions you're doing. There's no shame in getting 50% of the hardest questions wrong -- that's actually really, really good. So if you're not sure where you stand, try an adaptive practice test at mba.com, and see what happens. It's possible that you're in better shape than you think, especially if you're really disciplined about answering questions correctly that are relatively easy for you.  
 You definitely don't want to let yourself get burned out -- once that happens, it's really, really hard to improve. Think of this as a marathon, not a sprint, and keep space in your life to take care of yourself (sleep, exercise, a social life, and so on). Again,  gchandana  is spot-on: if you need a break for a couple of days or even a couple of weeks, please take it. All of this works better when you're rested and can find joy in the process.

Hang in there, and keep us posted!

DevmitraSen · Answer

Hi  Shivam2027 , 
 gchandana  and @GMAT Ninja have covered the emotional side beautifully.
I just want to add one practical layer.
Before you change anything or push harder, sit with these three questions by yourself:

1.Where exactly is the 50-70% happening ? Quant, Verbal, or one specific question type? Because "low accuracy" is a feeling. 
"My Permutation combination is weak, Percentage is okay" is a strategy.

2.Are you reviewing mistakes, or just doing more questions? 
If you can't explain in one line why each wrong answer was wrong, the practice isn't converting into learning yet.

3.How long is "so many days" and do you have an error log that shows a pattern, or are you going by gut feeling alone?

You don't need to answer these for anyone here.
But if you can answer them clearly, you'll know exactly whether to change course or stay the path and that clarity will cut through the drowning feeling faster than anything else.

Hang in there.
Devmitra Sen

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Shivam,

I hear you, and I want to say first that what you're feeling is real, and it makes complete sense. Putting in hard work and not seeing the needle move is one of the most discouraging places to be in test prep. It doesn't mean you're failing. It usually means something specific needs to shift, and that's actually diagnosable.

Let me share what's most likely going on, because "50–70% accuracy after a lot of practice" is a very common pattern, and it almost always points to one of a few root causes.

1. Volume without review is the most common trap 
When accuracy isn't climbing despite a lot of practice, the instinct is to do more problems. That usually makes things worse, not better. Accuracy improves when you deeply understand  why  you got something wrong — not when you move quickly to the next question. If you're spending more time solving than reviewing, that ratio needs to flip. Every wrong answer is a data point. Are you treating them that way?

2. The difficulty level matters enormously 
50–70% on hard questions is a completely different situation from 50–70% on medium or easy questions. If you're pushing into harder material before the fundamentals are truly solid, your accuracy will plateau and feel stuck almost indefinitely. The fix isn't more practice at the hard level — it's going back and making sure the underlying concepts are airtight at the medium level first. Speed and accuracy on hard questions come from mastery below them, not from grinding through them repeatedly.

3. Understanding vs. recognition 
A lot of students reach a point where they can recognize a question type but haven't fully internalized  why  the correct approach works. So they get it right sometimes and wrong other times, depending on how the question is framed. That inconsistency shows up as exactly the kind of 50–70% band you're describing. The fix is going back to the concept itself — not to more practice problems.

4. Demoralization affects performance 
This one is real and worth naming. When you're stressed and doubting yourself, your working memory takes a hit. You second-guess answers you'd normally get right. You spend extra time on questions you should move past. The mental state you're in right now can actually suppress your accuracy below your true ability level — which means some of what you're seeing may not reflect your actual knowledge.

Here's what I'd suggest as a reset:

- Slow down significantly for the next week. Do fewer problems, but review every single one — right or wrong — until you can explain exactly what happened.
- If you're consistently missing a topic, go back to the lesson or concept first. Practice without understanding is just reinforcing confusion.
- Track your errors by category. After a few days, patterns will emerge — and those patterns are where your prep time should go.
- Take one lower-stakes practice set just to rebuild confidence. Sometimes breaking a negative streak, even on easier material, resets the momentum.

You haven't plateaued because you're not working hard enough. That's almost never the reason. The work is there, the approach just needs a recalibration.

Just know that you're not drowning. You're closer than it feels right now.

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IDK why i feel i am slowly getting demoralized as my prep continues

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