Hi Rich,
Thanks so much for your reply!
Please see below for my response to the questions:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
No. I took the first mock entire time. For the second and the third exams, I took only the Quantitative and Verbal sections
2) Did you take them at home?
I took them in the library. I tried to mimic the exam atmosphere as much as possible. But the exam environment is very daunting to me! The whole checking in and checking out every time I go for a break is so intimidating. Plus, they don't allow many drafts. It took me 2 minutes to wait for the exam proctor to give me the second draft during Quantitative section. I also went to the restroom every break and had to run across the hall from the exam room to the restroom. I wonder if I should try not to go to the restroom and just sit and recompose myself? I have a bad habit of going to the restroom regularly when I am nervous.
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as when you plan to take your Official GMAT?
Yes. I always take them around 2-4pm. My exam was at 2 pm.
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
I did pause for a few minutes during the second exam because somebody was talking on the phone in the library.
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE?
I did take the first and second mocks before when I first started studying. There were some but not many repetitive questions. The third mock was completely new to me.
6) My scores
GMAT 1: 650 (Q48, V28)
GMAT 2: 620 (Q44, V35) - I was very surprised by the low math score. I always scored 48 or higher in any mocks throughout my study time.
Thanks so much. I appreciate any pointers of whether I should continue studying (I have about 4 months before the round 1 application) and how I can study, not just hard, but also smart to get to the 700 level.
Sincerely,
Chi