I make mistakes and am slow. 760 49Q 45V 8IR

Question

This is a story about making mistakes and having time problems and still drudging your way through.

I've always made mistakes. When my parents took me to math preparatory classes when I was young, I would always make a ton of mistakes. I'd make mistakes adding two four digit numbers together. My parents - who compared me with other Chinese American kids - thought I was stupid for a while because of these careless errors. When reading, I might skip over words or read the words wrong; when writing, I almost always make typos, and it takes me 5, 6, 7 readings of my writing aloud to find all the typos on a long writing assignment. Even knowing that I misread words, I cannot help but misread words on the GMAT from time to time.

I am also slow. In school, I noticed that I finish tests slower than other people. I am slow on everyday decision=making. At least from my own perspective, timing has always been a challenge.

These weaknesses can be overcome, but these are weaknesses I've always perceived I have. And I was utterly unable to overcome them with respect to the GMAT; I just accepted them and let them be.

----

Pre-Exam Prep
 
At the start of GMAT prep, doing the problems on the official guides, I found that I made a ton of careless mistakes; thus, I swore to be extremely careful.

But, to be honest, under time pressure, I still misread questions, and I still made careless math mistakes.

I found it was impossible to finish 80% hard math problems in under 2 minutes. Sometimes I took 5 minutes. For 50% of the medium questions, I finished in 2 minutes.

I just read that profile of an Indian person who got 51 in math and got everything in the math section correct and does that regularly; that's amazing and not something I am usually close to reaching.

And on the verbal sections, I'd get ~= 5 wrong. Sometimes I'd misread. Sometimes, there are esoteric grammar rules. I've never completely understood GMAT, LSAT logic. For some of the official GMAT questions, I swear GMAT just got it wrong.

For example,

The argument concludes that Vidnet would earn greater profits overall if it replaced Starlight with a show of average popularity and production costs. It doesn't conclude that Vidnet would earn greater profits overall if it replaced Starlight with a show of average popularity and production costs for  a Vidnet show , but rather a show of average popularity and production costs (generally). GMAT thinks the right answer is B (which is a good answer but one that doesn't mean that retaining Starlight would necessarily be more profitable), but E gives you a much more clear and direct answer. If Starlight is more profitable than your ordinary network show, replacing it with an show of ordinary popularity and production costs (not just in reference to Vidnet) would not make you more profit. Thus, Starlight shouldn't be replaced with an ordinary show.

There are several of these questions where I think GMAT's reasoning is just clearly wrong.

I am not sure doing practice problems necessarily helped. I swore I got much more familiar with math problems and could do a lot of them faster. And I understood that GMAT had an almost irresistible love for parallelism and for having antecedents immediately before the clause that refers back to the antecedent. But experimentally, I'd still get around 4-5 wrong every 40 medium mixed with hard verbal problems and finish hard math problems in 3-5 minutes.

Took 6 official GMAT practice tests. I didn't think I did well on any of them other than one I got a 770 on, where I got 5 math problems wrong, almost finished the math section (guessing only on two), and 2 verbal questions wrong. I thought I just had easy questions on that test. I got 720 on the last one because I got a poor verbal score (41); that gave me a scare because I only got 4 incorrect on verbal (but the 4th question wrong). On all the rest, I received 760s and 750s.

First Exam
 
17 days ago, I took the GMAT. The computers had  extremely wide screens and the words were extremely large . I had practiced only on my 15" laptop in 1080p font. I had to move my chair away from the screen to clearly read the words on the screen. And the chair was low, making me stretch my head upwards to read the screen. I was unfamiliar with the slippery notepad I was given. I didn't get enough sleep off of nerves. I performed badly. I thought I had the hardest math section ever. I think I got the first math problem wrong because I read the question wrong, and I had spent 5 minutes on the question, after which I guessed. I had told myself that I had to get the early questions right after that scare with the 720 on my last PT. I didn't finish the verbal section. I got a 700 and immediately canceled my score.

Inter-Exam Preparation

I did the extra practice questions that MBA.com offered. I found out that I still got 4-5 questions out 40 questions wrong in verbal and still took a lot of time on math questions, making careless mistakes even when I told myself to be more careful. But I also realized that still meant I got most of the questions right, that my judgment was not entirely askew. I just needed to finish the exam, and I would likely perform well.

One thing I did do was investigate the test centers near me. I found one where the computers were set to 5-4 aspect ratio for testing, even though the screens were wide. I signed up immediately for testing at that center.

Retake

I still didn't sleep 8 hours the day of. But I had slept 10 hours each of the previous days.

I still was nervous which affected my performance minutely on the first questions of quant section which I took first. I told myself to be careful and to drudge on, that I would get most of the questions right. I told myself not to worry about getting the first 10 questions all right, to skip hard math problems that took more than 5 minutes, to get easy problems which I would have a better chance of getting right and get right faster, and to not worry about esoteric mistakes I made on the verbal section. I can't control the fact that GMAT tries to trick you and has really sketchy verbal questions where its not always clear if you should use common sense or pure logic, that I don't know every English idiomatic expression, and that I make careless mistakes and have time issues, but other people face the same challenges.

I was nervous. It was not a pleasant experience. I didn't get the 50Q, 47V, and a 770 that I had on that super easy official practice test, but with a 49Q, and 45V, and a 760, I had satisfied my minimum expectations.

manasiT22 · Answer

Woah! My friend you are brilliant and that is a terrific score.
I pray you get an admit to the school of your choice.

ChiranjeevSingh · Answer

Congratulations on the excellent score!

And wow for proving an official question wrong!! Can you share other official questions in which you have found the logic dicey or wrong? That'd be very helpful. Also, if you have any other interesting observations from official questions, I'd be grateful if you can share them. - CJ

Rocknrolla21 · Answer

JohnWycliffe , that's a brilliant score. Can you please share how you structured your preparation time, how many hours did you devote on an average per week?

Also, how many months did you spend preparing?

Thanks!

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Congrats and a great debrief. I probably would have written a very similar heading

Still 99th percentile and I doubt it will keep you out of any program. Don't see how a 770 would make any difference, so would not think twice about it. P.S. About why E is not the best answer, it is because of this: shows of all networks combined . GMAC cherishes scope and this is a great example of a harder question that makes the difference between right/wrong only with scope. We are not talking about all shows/all networks, only this one. It is a giveaway when something is out of scope. It is not logical but it is something one has to learn to get a high verbal score (GMAT quirks).

LoneSurvivor · Answer

JohnWycliffe

Pardon me, I am not a V45/47 Material but I would like to Discuss the Official CR Question you discussed,

Major Problem I see with E is , It states that although the projected profit will decrease because of increased Production Cost, Overall profit will still be greater than all the networks combined . But the Whole stimulus is Centred around Vidnet's Profit. E says although The overall profit will be greater than the other network profits combined but still its own profit which is Vidnet's profit will be less so E does not weaken the Argument.

On the other hand B weakens it somehow because If we replace the popular show with a ordinary show we may not be able to compensate the loss.

So I believe B is the correct answer.

gmat1393 · Answer

Congratulations  JohnWycliffe  on 760!!
Very good debrief

All the best for your apps

JohnWycliffe · Answer

Yes, if E is true, Vidnets profits would decrease if it replaces Starlight with an average program with average popularity and production costs. Average popularity and production costs means average popularity and production costs across all networks.

Why? Because Starlight is more profitable than an average program with average popularity and production costs. It might not be more profitable than the average Vidnet program, but that's not what the argument proposes Vidnet be replaced by. Replacing a more profitable program with a less profitable program means Vidnet's profits will go down.

JohnWycliffe · Answer

We are talking about all networks. That's what the conclusion talks about when it suggests that Starlight be replaced with a show of average popularity and production costs. Average of what? Without specifying that Starlight be replaced by a show of what would be considered average popularity and production costs for Vidnet, the sentence by itself must be interpreted to talk about average popularity and production costs referenced vis a vis all television shows. That's what a show of average popularity is.

And E says, even if Starlight is less profitable than your average Vidnet show, it's still more profitable than your average show. Replacing it with the average show would make you less profitable.

bb · Answer

I am sorry for diverting attention from the debrief

Mia Culpa. That should be the main point and in now way I was trying to say anything else, just was a bit overzealous and overhelpful

freedom128 · Answer

This story is compelling. CONGRATULATION for being a 99th percentile scorer. Which b-schools will you apply, sir?

Posted from my mobile device

JohnWycliffe · Answer

Take this one:

Which of the following most logically completes the passage?

According to GMAT, the correct answer is D. It reasons that since the temple area is especially vulnerable, wearing bicycle helmets would greatly reduce injury there.

But it's harder to protect highly vulnerable areas. If the bones are in the temple area are espeically thin, then helmets might not be able greatly reduce the risk of head injury. A helmet might not be much help at all.

Rather if you land on your arm and dissipate some of the impact of the fall, as E suggests, helmets would be more useful in reducing your risk of serious head injury. Where the risk might have been 15% if you just land on your arm, it may be 0.1% if you wear a helmet and land on your arm, a nearly 100% decrease in risk.

If the force of the blow is decreased, armor would be more useful. Armor is more useful in protecting against low speed projectiles than high speed projectiles. Armor would be able to better protect the less vulnerable parts of your body than the more vulnerable parts of your body.

ari.banerjee · Answer

Hi,

Congratulations on a great score. I consider myself slow as well so I am happy to see someone from my community do well haha

However, in the second example I think that you are missing the point. The question falls under what most logically completes the argument. The author is advocating for the use of helmets that protect the temple area. So logically an answer choice that adds to that theory would be correct. How does someone falling on their arm add to the remedy to the problem that the author is proposing? If the Bicyclists already land on their sides and arm then there is no need to wear protective head gear that will save them in case they fall. I think option E doesn't continue along the thought process of the Author.

Good luck on the applications! Have you decided on the schools yet?

JohnWycliffe · Answer

Thank you for the congratulations. I think I might apply for the Master of Finance programs at MIT, Princeton, LSE, Columbia, and HEC and some places that might be willing to give me a full ride.

"Following the thought process of the author" may be the common sense approach, but I don't think it's the logical one. Saying that something will greatly reduce your risk of getting hurt especially because you are at more risk of getting hurt doesn't make sense to me. Air bags, helmets, and the like would be better able to protect you if you were less fragile, and they would be less able to protect you if you were more fragile.

Falling on your arm doesn't mean you don't hit your head. You can still hurt yourself. Reducing the impact on your head though makes it more likely for the helmet to absorb all the impact on your head.

Posted from my mobile device

kavach · Answer

This is great. Congrats man! It will be great if you could share how many hours did you devote per day for your prep.

Hovkial · Answer

JohnWycliffe

Great debrief. I especially appreciated the honesty and the detailing of the actual real world situation of the testtaker. Many would have us believe in a linear storyline where fantastic test prep materials helped them to touch the skies. We tend to ignore those who didn't fare as well, but are equally talented and worked off their behinds.

There are plenty of slow pokes and dim-witted folks out there who are brilliant thinkers, writers, teachers, academics, etc. etc.

As to the GMAT questions. They are of a special type and adhere to GMAT logic - not philosophical logic or mathematical logic or something else. In the examples you cited, the GMAT answers are correct as long as we take for given that we must use "GMAT logic". For example, this means that answers that make broad generalizations outside of the question are incorrect even though they may be argued to be correct from broader logical frameworks.

There is nothing overtly wrong with this GMAT logic. The exam is designed to test GMAT logical aptitude. And to do well on an aptitude test, one must understand the parameters of the test.

Clearly, you mastered this special form of logic. Your points though are interesting and deserve some contemplation. Cheers.

P.S. The points about GMAT logic also apply to the LSAT/GRE/TOEFL tests as well.

unraveled · Answer

JohnWycliffe Congratulations for that great score...!! Reading your debrief injected a new ray of hope for a slow pacer like me. Though there is not much about how you prepared but i can understand how difficult it is to read comprehend and then answer only to find the logic i applied is not correct. Diverting from the topic, talking about the Vidnet-Starlight questions i was almost sure after reading it first time that i would have marked E under timed condition since it is constructed in that fashion. But reading till the point when 'all networks' just bumps from nowhere and it just crash lands you. One thing i have noticed in all GMAT questions is that not only the logic (in CR particularly) is real world inspired that bounces right over your head(in cricketing terms - Ya i come from India with Hockey as its national game

) but vocabulary is fiery also. All the answer choices are like galaxies each shining brightly and wrong answer - most brightly. A wrong galaxy would have a black hole and right one would lack one which we need to find(consider such a way of presenting my point as an aftereffect of dong GMAT RCs

). So E is wrong since its scope covers all networks but for it to be right new assumptions are required to be made. On one instance i even thought of C being right but you know again i have to make an assumptions so it's wrong. Had it not been POE i would not have marked B as correct since i had hard time after reading it to justify it correct with similar reasoning you gave - not to mention that i had to make assumptions to convince myself(can't deny that still i don't have apprehensions

). I have been reading that GMAT is all about logic and comprehension but consider the questions on mixtures specially Milk and Water. Just show the question to people from countryside and see the reaction on their faces - i mean who would pay for a 50% concentrated milk OR who's driving speed is constant in cities(traffic seems to be afraid of GMAT questions as well). Ya i comprehended the question well but can't digest the logic. But i guess i am going into a delusional

world since it's only a GMAT question not the real world and for that matter i have to remain within the boundaries of urban landscape. Hahaha..! I want to explain the reasoning i have for the bicycle-helmet question but now you can very guess what i would write. Right...!!! BTW if you find bad English and logic in my writing do factor in that i am on my way to write GMAT still to conquer all the fronts of GMAT world.

omavsp · Answer

Amazing score! I hope that you get accepted to the school you desire.

Regarding the CR:

In my opinion, E doesn’t necessarily tell you that Var. will earn greater profits. In case its av. is greater than others, E means it wont.
For example:
Say starlight earns 12k, Var.’s average is 8k and and other network’s average is 6k. E tells you that starlight will be more profitable than 6k, and Var. lost 2k - which it can potentially earn from Var. average show (8k).

B tells you that other shows will suffer a decline if starlight is replaced with an Average (8k) Var. show.

It took me two good reads to understand it. It is definitely a hard one.

Posted from my mobile device

JohnWycliffe · Answer

Reading comments like this that address the Vidnet problem but don't address what I say about that problem is mildly frustrating with respect to my faith in humanity. I address these points in the OP and in subsequent posts. I don't really want to harp on this because its not the main point of the post so this will be the last time I am not able to resist:

In my view, the most accurate way to read the problem based on the way it is worded is:

X is the most popular show on Vidnet. But next year it will be less profitable than Y. Therefore, Vidnet would be more profitable if it replaced X with Z.

Which of the following most weakens the argument:

Option E. Even though X is less profitable than Y, X is more profitable than Z.

ChiranjeevSingh · Answer

Guys, here's my attempt to explain what John has been trying to say.

Let's consider the below argument:

Joe is currently the highest scorer in ABC school. However, because of unfortunate circumstances, he is going to score next year below the average score for the students in ABC school. Therefore, ABC school can raise its average score by replacing Joe with a person who gets an average score.

My question here is: Is there any difference between the following two statements?
1. The ABC school can raise its overall average score by replacing Joe with a person who gets an average score. 
2. The ABC school can raise its overall average score by replacing Joe with a person who gets a score that is average for the ABC school.

If you think there is a difference, you've understood the difference John was trying to highlight. When we just say 'average' without specifying 'average for the school or average for the city', we automatically mean 'average for all'. For example: If say X is the fastest runner, don't I mean that X is the fastest runner in the world? If I want to be specific, I should say that X is the fastest runner in the city or in the country. Without any such modifier 'X is the fastest runner' means 'fastest among all'.

Similarly, since the conclusion here says just 'average score' without specifying 'average for which category', it means 'average for all'. Thus, the conclusion suggests that we should replace Joe with a guy who gets an overall average score.

However, we just know that Joe is going to get less than the average for ABC school. He may still end up scoring higher than the 'overall average'. In such a case, it will not make any sense to replace Joe with a person who scores equal to the 'overall average'.

For this reason, option E in the original question weakens the argument and thus should be correct.

To make option E incorrect in the original argument, the conclusion needs to be altered to:

Therefore, Vidnet would earn greater profits overall if it replaced Starlight with a show of popularity and production costs average for Vidnet shows.

I hope it makes some sense.

- CJ

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I make mistakes and am slow. 760 49Q 45V 8IR

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