When to move ahead on next topic and how to utilise QB

Question

Hi,

I have been struggling for a while to put an end on a topic and move on to study a new one , The question bank at Gmat club is huge and there are so many interesting questions . I am not sure how to put a stop and move on to prepare for next topic .. I have approximately exhausted 500 questions for a particular topic with an accuracy of 90-60–30 which varies based on the prep company question type/ Filter based on source.

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bb · Answer

You don't want to do thousands or tens of thousands of questions. It helps on one hand, that's for sure but the amount of time it takes and the fatigue on your memory is going to be too strenuous. I had a very limited question bank access (just Kaplan and GMAT Prep - not even the OG).

I would say that a good rule of thumb is that depending on what score you are aiming for, you want to have the following distribution of easy/medium/hard questions

1. 750 - 9 out of 10 questions correct
2. 700 - 8 out of 10 
3. 650 - 7 out of 10
4. 600 - 6 out of 10
5. 550 - 5 out of 10

This is a super simple table but it works. Basically assumes for 750 you get all but 1 hard one wrong and for 550, you get all hard and 2 out of 3 medium wrong. This depends on the mix of easy, medium, and hard questions which is a bit tricky with OG and other source it is not as easy to get a good mix but if you don't pick difficulty on GMAT Club or rather pick all 3, you can get a good mix per each topic.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Esheshsomani,

Since GMAT skills can 'fade' over time, you should not expect to 'master' a concept before moving on to the next one. Your studies would likely be far more effective if you did a reasonable amount of work on a concept and then later put in some consistent 'review time' to go back to prior subjects that you have already worked on. In that way, your overall knowledge-base and skill-set will strengthen over time AND you'll hone skills in all of the areas that you have worked on.

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

GmatWarrior700 · Answer

Hi Rich , Thank you for your advice ... I understand that for an exceptional score in Quant I need to have exceptional accuracy for each topic, I am using this approach to get the concepts right practice and gain confidence, However, it has become tiresome. (Would really appreciate your inputs )

A bit more information on my plan

Studies :
1) I had actually started my prep in nov But with the bad tutor changes and covid ... I have been serious for the last 2 months with an effort of 10-12 hrs a week and 6-8 hrs of Quant tutor each week for new concept learning

2) As I am still in the learning phase of my prep, I have used GMAT official mocks, Gmat club question bank, and my Quant tutor Topic-based sheets.

3) My first mock on OG gave me a 370 score in November after my break I used TTP and Magoosh mock in March which gave me 400-450 score (both the areas are in pretty bad condition)

Goals:
4) My overall goal score is around 680 
5) I am planning to apply for Indian B schools (EPGP programs) and Candian B schools from December 2021 - January 2022

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi GmatWarrior700,

If you took your last CAT/mock back in March, then it's been well over a month since you measured your overall skills in a Test-like way. As such, I suggest that you plan to take a NEW CAT sometime soon (perhaps this weekend) - so that we can get a better sense of how effective your studies have been over the last 5+ weeks. Make sure to take that CAT in a realistic fashion that matches-up with what you will face when you take the Official GMAT (take the FULL CAT - with the Essay and IR sections, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, if you will be at a Test Facility, then wear a face mask, etc.). Once you have that Score, you should PM me and we can discuss the results and how you might best proceed with your studies.

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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi GmatWarrior700,

I see that you used TTP back in March. Can you paste in a screenshot of your analytics page, so I can see exactly what is going on? Once I have that information, I can provide some advice.

When to move ahead on next topic and how to utilise QB

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