Need Expert Help in GMAT Test taking

Question

Hello GMAT Experts,

Myself Sudeep, an MBA aspirant from Bangalore. Request your help and guidance in sorting certain issues that am currently facing during my preparation

It has to do more from an exam perspective,I have certain concerns that have been hindering me . But before that , i would like to give you a brief heads up on my preparation thus far.
I have been preparing for the GMAT since 26th July and i have booked my slot for the 2nd of December. I still have close to 2 months time at my disposal.
Below is a quick synopsis of my progress:

Books Used:
• Completed all the 800 questions in the GMAT Official Guide (2015)
• Realized i was struggling with the finer nuances of English grammar. Hence purchased the Manhattan Foundation Verbal Guide. I've completed the same.
• Wanted to fine tune my Quant skills. Hence purchased the Manhattan Advanced Quant Guide. I am halfway through it as of now.
• Wanted a set of Mock tests to practice. Hence, ordered the sentence correction guide which has a set of 6 mocks that come along with it.
• Purchased the GMAT Verbal Review guide (2015). Yet to start working on this. Planning to start with this in a couple of days

Practice results:

Problem solving:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the GMAT official guide - 72%

Data Interpretation:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the official guide - 49.2% (Struggling)

Reading comprehension:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the GMAT official guide - 61%

Sentence correction:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the GMAT official guide - 56%

Critical Reasoning:
Percentage of questions answered CORRECTLY from the GMAT official guide - 50%(Struggling)

Mock Tests Results:
GMAT Prep Mock Test 1 - 470
MGMAT Mock Test 1 - 510
MGMAT Mock Test 2 - 530

Major Concern:

Though i have been working hard over the past 2 months or so, i still find that my scores haven't improved dramatically. From what i have observed of myself, i find
it very difficult to keep my focus throughout the entire duration of 3.30 hrs

Infact, by the time i am done with Quant itself, i feel itchy ,restless and tend to
run out of steam.I literally feel like there is gorilla on my back sapping all of my energy. From thereon, i just feel like finishing off the test in a hurry and
relaxing

Though i am aware of this limitation, there seems to be nothing that i can do to ward this problem off. Time and
again, i am confronted with issues related to mental fatigue and its the same deja vu feeling (finishing pff the test in a hurry without bothering to analyze any further)

Can you please suggest ways that would come in handy to overcome this limitation? I have another 4 Mocks left and i am aiming for a score of 700+ in my actual
GMAT exam. I do believe deep down that i can do it, but it's this mental aspect that would need some conditioning and strengthening.

Awaiting your valuable inputs on the same.Also please let me know whether my study plan as of now looks solid or if i would have to beef it up further.

PS : Any suggestions related to my GMAT approach as a whole is also welcome :-)

I would be more than happy to incorporate them in my studies going forward.

Thanks,
Sudeep

Infact, by the time i am done with Quant itself, i feel itchy ,restless and tend to run out of steam.I literally feel like there is gorilla on my back sapping all of my energy. From thereon, i just feel like finishing off the test in a hurry and relaxing

Though i am aware of this limitation, there seems to be nothing that i can do to ward this problem off. Time and again, i am confronted with issues related to mental fatigue and its the same deja vu feeling (finishing pff the test in a hurry without bothering to analyze any further) Can you please suggest ways that would come in handy to overcome this limitation? I have another 4 Mocks left and i am aiming for a score of 700+ in my actual GMAT exam. I do believe deep down that i can do it, but it's this mental aspect that would need some conditioning and strengthening. Awaiting your valuable inputs on the same.Also please let me know whether my study plan as of now looks solid or if i would have to beef it up further. PS : Any suggestions related to my GMAT approach as a whole is also welcome :-)

I would be more than happy to incorporate them in my studies going forward. Thanks, Sudeep

MKS · Answer

Hi Sudeep,

First I'm not expert.
However, here are my 2 cents -

1) mention sectional scores you got among mock tests.

2) mention dates when you took the test.

3) Are you able to finish sections on time ? What sort of questions make you struck ?

3) 550 to 700 is really a big jump. However, you can certainly achieve it by giving proportional effort and dedication.

4) I'd suggest to do a lot of practice/reading about sections in which you got 60% or less. (also, keep a balance)

5) Maintain Consistency !

6) Make use of this lovely forum. (timers, error logs, personal notes, and almost rest everything about GMAT you get here :-)

)

Best,
MKS

) Best, MKS

elul21 · Answer

i have the same problem, use ritalin/adderal you will move up 100 points overnight..

JTuquero · Answer

Hi SundeepGeek,

You'll need to pace yourself more in order to not run out of steam when taking the test. Try this approach: When studying, try grouping five Quant questions together and spend no more more than ten minutes on them. You can use this strategy on both practice questions and simulation exams. If you fall behind schedule, make a strategic guess or two to catch up. Make strategic guesses on questions that you aren’t confident on or that would take you much longer than two minutes to answer. That way, you buy yourself some time and you can spend more time on questions that you can confidently answer. Since running out of time is not an issue for you, go back and review if you find that you're moving ahead of schedule.

Apply the same strategy on the Verbal section, except give yourself nine minutes to answer five questions.

Here's a link to a few more blog posts on timing strategies: https://gmat.economist.com/search/blog_post?keys=timing.

Hope this helps and best of luck.

Jessica

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