Help Needed

Question

I just gave my first GMAT F.E. and scored 525 (Q77, V80, DI71). I am giving the exam again on 10th and want to increase my score to somewhere around 590-600. During the exam I found myself struggling with time management. There were questions I knew I could do, but had to guess few of them because I was running out of time.

What should I do next to reach this score. Do I practice the questions from GMAT club only?

What should I do next to reach this score. Do I practice the questions from GMAT club only?

MBAACCOUNT2025 · Answer

To reach 595-605, follow these steps:

Use timed sets for Quant, Verbal, and DI to improve pacing. Bookmark and skip questions that seem time-consuming, returning to them later if possible. 
 Focus on DI, practicing exclusively with official questions. 
 Use GMAT Club for challenging questions, but balance with official GMAT materials to ensure alignment with the exam's style.

Ayeka · Answer

For time management, you should try to give mocks or sectional tests regularly until the exam day. 
You can also try to analyse your mistakes, so you can avoid repeating the mistakes again.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi lv1,

Timing issues plague so many GMAT test takers, but it's important to know that those issues can be overcome, and a great way to improve your timing is with topical practice, which will help you locate and fix content gaps that may be slowing you down as well as causing accuracy issues. As you fill those gaps you’ll develop the ability to a) quickly recognize and then b) execute a plan of attack when solving problems, but with pinpoint accuracy.

For example, take the quant topic of units digit patterns. While such a topic may seem challenging at first, imagine how “automatic” answering units digit pattern questions will be if you learn about the concepts related to those questions, and then practice numerous units digit patterns questions. You’ll easily recognize when you have a units digit pattern question and quickly execute when solving the problem.

What is the units digit of 3^22

(A) 9
(B) 7
(C) 3
(D) 1
(E) 0

Solution:

Recognition: If you have spent time mastering units digits patterns, you’ll get a big smile on your face when you see this problem!

Execution: Because you have a units digits pattern question, you execute by recalling and using the pattern for positive integer powers of 3.

Now, let’s discuss how to solve the above problem.

Recall that the pattern for the units digits of powers of 3 is 3-9-7-1. In this pattern, every power to which 3 is raised that is a multiple of 4 has a units digit of 1.

We need to determine the units digit of 3^22.

First, we note that the units digit of 3^20 must be 1, since the exponent 20 is a multiple of 4. Next, the units digit of 321 must be the next number in the pattern, which is 3. And finally, the units digit of 322 is the next number in the pattern, which is 9.

Answer: A

For some more advice, feel free to check out this article:

How to Get Faster at GMAT Quant Questions

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi lv1,

Did you face similar issues in your official practice tests as well, and what were your practice test scores like?

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