defeated! 10/31 test

Question

Just took the test on 10/31. i did prepare intensely for two months and can not comprehend my test result.(M48 V less than 20). what the hell.
As i understand, GMAT is Computer adaptive test. Meaning, if one is doing well, the computer presents a difficult question and so on.

I was getting fairly difficult logical reasoning questions througout the test.(mostly completion, one boldic and stregthen types). i ran out of time and did only 29 questions. on question 30, the system asked me whether i want to record the answer or not. i clicked "no", then i finish the test.

it is nearly impossible for me to finish the entire verbal questions on time. is it bette to leave unawered questions blank? or should i make random guesses? any advices would be helpful..great thanks.....

scorpioguy · Answer

One thing which I have understood is that you have to complete all questions. Hence if you run out of time, the best idea will be to guess.

kayser1soze · Answer

i am just curious did it give you an option to cancel your score??

HongHu · Answer

Did you do any practise test before the real test? If so how did you do for the verbal section? Were you able to complete it? If no then you really need to work on this. You can't go take the GMAT without having had any training on time management. Timing has always been tight for almost all of us. If you find yourself taking too long for a question, go ahead and make your best guess. I did hear that there's something build in the scoring algorism that would punish mass guessing, but I do not have any official source on that. If you are running out of time on the end, the word of the street is that you should make your guess at least 10 seconds apart.

ValleyBall1 · Answer

In general, test-takers are expected to answer ~7 Q questions in 15 minutes and ~8 V questions in 15 minutes.

At all costs, try not leave any answers blank. If necessary, guess if you have to - at least you'll have a 20% chance of getting the answer right. If you can eliminate a couple choices, then your chances increase. So if you have 2 minutes left on the test and have 10 questions left, you'll have 10-12 seconds per question to make an educated guess; don't forget about the extra time it takes to "confirm" your answer as well.

Here are some ideas when guessing on V:

CR:
1. Stay within scope
2. For inference questions, pick the most obvious answer
3. Avoid extremes
4. Watch for answer choices that are the exact opposite of the intended question

SC:
1. Make sure each pronoun has a clear antecedent
2. Verify whether the subject is singular or plural
3. Look for splits (based off items 1 & 2)
4. Active tense is preferred over passive tense
5. When in doubt and in desperation mode, pick the shortest answer

RC:
1. For inference questions, pick the most obvious answer
2. Avoid extremes, exaggerations, and offensive words
3. Vague words (usually, sometimes, maybe, may, some, etc.) are better than unequivocal words (always, everybody, all, never, etc.)
4. When in doubt and in desperation mode, pick the answer closest to either the intro or conclusion (with more emphasis on the intro)

RC is probably the hardest section for me because the passages are so dry and boring. Try to become an active reader and, for those 3-4 minutes, pretend you love the topic.

Lastly, I'm not a fan of canceling a test score because it basically wastes $250. However, if you're in a situation where you didn't get to finish ~7-10 questions in a section, I'd cancel the score.

Good luck!

yb · Answer

Have u tried using MGMAT SC guide for SC and LSAT for RC and CR?

ValleyBall1 · Answer

Yah, I use both. The SC MGMAT guide has been my bible and saving grace. Regarding LSAT material, I use a Princeton argument and RC guide. Funny thing is that I've noticed an overlap, albeit slight, between that guide and the OG. I just wish it had BF CR questions. I can't find any but the ones on this forum! I know I'm going to have a couple of those questions on the real GMAT; I can feel it!

yb · Answer

I think you'll be able to find those in LSAT material (not sure though). I just started MGMAT SC today; did you read each chapter, then do the assigned questions? Also, how do u benefit from the OG explanations... some of them put me to sleep!

Thanks

ValleyBall1 · Answer

I first read each chapter thoroughly and then did the questions at the end of the chapter. After I completed the chapter questions, I moved to the OG questions that corresponded with that specific chapter. One thing to note is that the MGMAT guides refer to OG 10th edition questions - not 11th (yet). I followed this process until the end of the SC guide. In addition, I continue to read one column of idioms nightly and create sentences for each.

Are you referring to the OG 10 or 11 explanations? If you're referring to the former, I highly recommend you get the 11th edition for this reason: the 11th edition verbal explanations are ten times better than those found in the 10th. I purchased the 11th edition specifically to get clearer explanations; I learn more efficiently by understanding my mistakes.

This is one of my favorite examples of an egregious explanation in OG 10:

If "than" is followed by a clause referring to "army", the subject of that clause must be singular (it). Furthermore, the verb of that clause will need to be in the past perfect form (had had) because it refers to a time "before" the simple past of "entered". Finally, the preposition "for" is more precise than "in" because supplies are gathered "for" an upcoming campaign. Choices "A" and "C" incorrectly use the plural "they" and simple past "had". Moreover, "A" uses the less precise "in". Choices "D" and "E" wisely dispense with the full clause and use a simple prepositional phrase. "D", however, uses the imprecise "in" and the plural "their". Only "E", the best choice, avoids all the errors mentioned above.

The explanation could have been made a little more "user friendly", you think?

yb · Answer

Haha.. yes i agree !

Unfortunately, I finished OG11 before purchasing the MGMAT SC guide. This leaves me only OG10 to work with. (I will however, go over the log that I have kept from OG 11 during the last week of my prep).

I recently bought the MGMAT stuff, so they sent me a list of the corresponding questions from OG11 as well. (eg. Subject/verb qs, Parallelism etc.) If you want i can send them to you.

Thanks

ValleyBall1 · Answer

Thanks yb! Unfortunately I'm taking the test in a couple days so it's a little too late. But thanks anyway...

Study hard!!

yb · Answer

Thanks... when are you taking it?

ValleyBall1 · Answer

<img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" /> Thursday <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" />

duttsit · Answer

All the best buddy...you will do well.

ValleyBall1 · Answer

Thanks man. You too!

yb · Answer

Good luck Valleyball!

ValleyBall1 · Answer

Thanks yb! You too!

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defeated! 10/31 test

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