Exhausted all OG questions

Question

Hi guys, I'm preparing for GMAT for quite some time now and have exhausted almost all OG questions. I still don't feel confident (especially in RC) but I have decent accuracy (probably because I hardly see any new question now). Can you please suggest something (any plan or resource) that I can use for the next 6-8 weeks. Thanks a lot in advance!

Anki2609 · Answer

Hi,

For RC you can use LSAT official material for further practice.
As well you can purchase question bank from MBA.com 
There are further set of Official questions.

Other option is solving questions from old OG's if you have not exhausted those questions as well check Verbal guide.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  StillON . Unless you have been studying for years and taking the test intermittently, I would say you made a rookie mistake: blow through the OG and supplemental guides assuming that you will get better the more you expose yourself to. The GMAT™ does not work that way. And before you blow through 6-8 weeks' worth of other material, I would urge you to spend more time with questions you have missed or found challenging from the OG. Particularly in Verbal, it is important to understand what makes the wrong answers incorrect as opposed to feeling as though you understand why the right answer is correct. Sure, you may find the questions easy, knowing what the answers are ahead of time, but can you disprove the others? If not, then I would say you will continue to make the same mistakes on new questions, without any real progression. (I hope you are keeping an error log at least. That would make review much simpler.)

I agree with  Anki2609  that older  official  GMAT™ questions are an excellent source of supplemental questions. You can find them by sorting through various filters in the  Practice Question Banks —e.g., "Reading Comprehension" + "Official Guide." I am not a big fan of switching over to LSAT material unless you have a tutor or teacher to screen the passages and questions beforehand, since there are enough differences between the two tests that you may lose sight of what it is you are studying for, what a GMAT™ passage and question set looks like compared to those of its counterpart. If you feel you must see new questions and have managed to exhaust the more than 4000 official Verbal questions (about 1400 of which are RC questions), then you could check out high-quality third-party material, such as that by Manhattan Prep or Veritas Prep. Nothing beats official material, but if you must...

Finally, if you have not already, you may want to check out some of the free RC strategy videos on YouTube— GMATNinja  has published quite a few such tutorials, and many students have found them helpful. I would suggest  something different , in any case, from what you have been doing. If there were a linear relationship between the number of questions attempted and the eventual exam score earned, then most people would probably put more time in and earn higher scores. You want to work  smarter , not harder.

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

ueh55406 · Answer

It's not about the number of questions mate. Don't fall into the same trap, thinking that if you will complete ALL OG's that would somehow make the test easier. It won't. trust me, speaking from experience (made the same mistake myself). Can't stress how important your error log is. go back to the wrong question. understand why you marked what you marked and why did you cancel off the right answer. Understanding your own line of reasoning seems such an unimportant task "what was I thinking" but it'll help you in the long run.

Cheers.
A.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi StillON,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, 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

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi StillON,

I am happy to provide some advice but would first like to learn more about your situation with the GMAT. Once you respond to the questions already asked, I can provide some further guidance. In the meantime, here is a helpful article for you to check out:

GMAT Reading Comprehension Tips: Top 8 DOs and DON’Ts

StillON · Answer

Thanks everyone for reply.

To answer some of the questions:
I'm studying since Jan 2021 (very on and off), but started properly in March. Had planned to write the exam by May, but due to high work pressure, exam pressure, and health concerns, I was asked to take a break for some time. So now I'm trying to pace things up a little. I have used Jamboree Material, but my score in mocks varied a lot (probably because I was being too hard on myself and wasn't taking enough breaks). I have scored 670-730 in mocks but not very satisfied because even after practicing so much, I am still not able to get a stable score. My quant was Q47-50 and verbal was V34-38. I scored 750 (Q49, V42) in my official mock test on mba.com, but this was in May. I was /am still not confident (I don't know what should I do to boost this up though). My score in GMAT club tests was Q44-48 and V25-35 (but this was in March).

I am aiming for 750 and planning to apply this year or next. I'm aiming for the top 10 US/Canada B schools but have just 2 years of work experience so not sure if I will get anything this year. I just want to give GMAT as soon as possible so that I can get rid of this extra pressure. I work 15-16hrs a day, so try to spend 1-2 hr max on weekdays and ~5-6 hrs on weekends.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this extra pressure, gain confidence and improve score will be very much helpful. Any study plan would be helpful too (RC / CR especially).

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi StillON,

To start, since you are planning to apply to some highly-competitive Schools, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile and plans. Those Experts should be able to answer your Admissions questions and help define the specific areas of your profile that could use some improvement (and the more time you have to work on those suggestions, the better). There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

Based on your Score Goal, we have to be far more specific about your practice results so far (not Score "ranges"). As such, we should start with your CAT/mock results so far. Which "brands" of CATs have you used, 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)?

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

AndrewN · Answer

Hello again,  StillON . Your performance across the six  official  practice tests is the best indicator of how you will likely perform on test day. You may be placing too much emphasis on your target score (increasing pressure), not enough on the steps it may take to reach that goal. I actually think your study plan, time-wise, is perfect. You want to study a little each day to keep sharp and improve, but not so much that you lose direction, and you also want to put in more time when you can. I have written  a detailed post  on common preparation mistakes I have seen others make, a post I think you will find useful.

Good luck.

- Andrew

Exhausted all OG questions

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