Tying it all together - Where to from here?

Question

My scheduled exam date is April 20th.

I have been studying since January 1st. I have exhausted all the official materials (Gone through OG twice, OG Verbal and Quant twice, Paper tests twice, Question pack twice, etc).

I have taken 5 practice tests with the following scores:

GMAT Prep 2: 680 Q42 V41 (Right at the beginning of my studies) (Didn't review my answers as wanted to keep it fresh for the next try)
GMAT Prep 1: 690 Q45 V39 (Feb 1st)
GMAT Prep 3: 730 Q49 V41 (Feb 23rd) At this stage I began to study Verbal as well
GMAT Prep 4: 730 Q48 V42 (March 27th)
GMAT Prep 2: 740 Q46 V47 (March 28th)

All exams were taken fully at approximately the same time of day.

So, now that I have hit Q49 and V47 in separate tests, I feel that I am capable of scoring a 750+. With three weeks until test day, how do I work to achieve my max score in both sections on that day? Is it simply a matter of hoping my strengths appear on the Quant section? What sort of studying can I really accomplish in the next three weeks? I do plan on buying Exam pack 2 and taking at least 3 more full length CATs, but am also wondering what else I can do to supplement this. 
If anyone has any input it would be really helpful.

Thanks!

GMATinsight · Answer

You can subscribe Manhattan Mock CAT series or GMAT Club Mock CAT series They have wonderful exercises on Quant and Verbal Also another point to note that I see is that your Verbal score is pretty much consistent but Quant has taken huge shifts so practising more Quant at the last hours can get you relieved. I hope this helps!!! All the best

bgbeidas · Answer

Thanks for the advice. The moment I started devoting more time to Verbal my Quant score started dropping a little bit. So will try to keep my Quant sharp for test day.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bgbeidas,

From these CAT scores, it certainly appears that you're in a good position to hit your goal score on Test Day. I just have a few questions about how you took these CATs:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once?

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

bgbeidas · Answer

Hi Rich,

1) Yes
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) No
5) Yes, the last one but I took that three months ago and didn't review it the first time around.

AjiteshArun · Answer

It'll be interesting to see how your exam pack 2 tests go. One suggestion: try not to focus  too much  on hitting both Q49 and V47 on test day. Getting your quant back to 48 or 49 is probably going to be more important than bumping your verbal from 41/42 to 47.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bgbeidas,

We really have to ignore that last CAT result (the Verbal Scaled Score is an 'outlier' relative to your other performances and you openly admit to having taken that CAT before). That notwithstanding, you're still in a great position to hit your score goal on Test Day. At your scoring level, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes, so you have to do all of the necessary work to eliminate them from your 'process.'

On each of your CATs, how many questions did you get wrong that you COULD/SHOULD have gotten correct? THOSE errors are the things that you have to deal with. The precision of your work will likely be the difference in the handful of points that you're looking for. Little mistakes tend to occur when a Test Taker refuses to write information down on the pad (any time you choose to do work 'in your head', you run the risk of a little mistake). These last 3 weeks should be focused on honing that 'precision.' The GMAT will give you the score that you EARN, so you have to be ready to earn all of those points.

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

dabral · Answer

I am no longer active on this forum.

bgbeidas · Answer

So I got a 760 on Exam 6 from Exam Pack 2. Will take the other one by Friday and have my exam on the 20th April (next Wednesday). Would taking my last exam on Friday be okay? I'm planing on spending the weekend +Monday and Tuesday winding down and reviewing tactics and slight weaknesses.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi bgbeidas,

Taking one more CAT during this last week before your Official GMAT isn't really necessary. In the broad sense, you have to ask what you would gain by doing so (and what distractions might it provide if you don't score at the same level as your last CAT?)? You're already scoring at a high level, so your time would be better spent on light review and getting some extra rest.

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

AjiteshArun · Answer

You're performing at a level where it really needs to be  you  who takes a call on this. If I were you, I'd certainly take that last test before the main exam. But then again, that's probably because I already have a "safe" score. Two things you need to watch out for over here: energy and state of mind. You want to make sure that you're at the top of your game on exam day  and  you can't let that last score affect you too much (you can't let it make you worried or too confident).

However, because your scores have just been going up and up, you might want to focus on consolidation at this stage. That is, focus on getting a good, but not necessarily 760 or 760+, score now and keep the "all-out" mindset for a second attempt.

bgbeidas · Answer

Okay, thanks to the both of you. I think I will stay away from the exam for now. I have a couple of things I would like to review before the test and it wouldn't hurt to have a fresh GMAT Prep CAT incase I have to go for a retake in 3 weeks time.

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