4 weeks to the test and my score is starting to fall

[ShivaniS604]

It has been over a month since my class with manhattan prep has ended and i was looking at a lot of improvement before my actual test. The improvement did happen but it seems like i am going back to where i started from. During the class my scores were:-
CAT 1:- 600 - Quant 46/ Verbal 28
CAT 2- 600 - 45/28
CAT 3- 640 - 48/31
These are my scores after the class,
Kaplan test - 700 (06/05) - 50/35
CAT 4- 700 (13/05) - 50/34
CAT 5- 670 (19/05) - 46/35
GMAC Test 2- 690 (27/05) - 50/34
CAT 6- 640 (03/06) - 48/31

I have my actual GMAT scheduled on June 2nd and my target score is 720+. I am studying everyday and sticking to a schedule.
1. I am doing extensive review of my CATs
2. I am doing 2 timed sets (1 timed set is of 30 minutes) per week(for each quant and verbal) with extensive review.
2. I am watching 2 lectures from ’Thursdays with RON' to learn minute things.
3. I am maintaining an error log and flash cards and reviewing them at least once a week.

Since my score has improved, my score in RC has been going down. My accuracy in RC for 700-800 level questions is <40%. Moreover, i have noticed that when i get all the RC questions somewhere in the middle of the test, i perform better. But when RC questions appear at the beginning and especially at the end i end up doing them wrong because i am trying to rush. So, I have started reading The Economist to improve my reading skills. Do you have any other suggestions?

More importantly, I don’t understand if i am starting to slide back or is it just a minor fluctuation. Should i reduce on the extra things i am trying to learn? and just stick with my timed sets and their reviews? Because honestly this is really disappointing for me, especially just a month before my real test! Also, should i consider postponing my test?

It would be great if i could get some guidance for my study plan till my real GMAT.

Thanks for your time,
Shivani

[StaceyKoprince]

The only score I would say is really going in the wrong direction is that last one. All of the others are showing an increase—and within 20-30 points, any change is really just statistical "noise." (eg, the "drop" from 700 to 670 isn't really a drop but normal variation of the test and testing performance.)

But, yes, you did see a drop on that last test, so the key is to figure out why. Before we get into that, I just want to say: Nice work getting your score up so far!

Take a look at this to learn some reasons why your score might drop:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... t-wrong-2/

Then go back to look at your test data again to see which factors you think may apply in your case. And then come back here to tell me what you think. (But wait! Finish reading this before you go do that.)

One idea:

because i am trying to rush

If you are rushing, then you are more likely to make mistakes. If this happens at the end of the test, then bad things can happen to your score, because the GMAT is a "where you end is what you get" test.

So there's a good chance that at least one cause of the score drop is time management / decision-making. I'm going to give you some resources around that right now because I'll be traveling for the rest of this week and likely won't be back online till next week. (FYI.)

Before you analyze your test, read this:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... lly-tests/

Then this:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -the-gmat/

Take some notes / think about that. Also read and think about this:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... -the-gmat/

Then use what you learned above to help you analyze your most recent MPrep test, using this:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... ts-part-1/

(Note: The details are still about the old / longer test format, but you can still use that to analyze everything. I'm in the process of updating it right now—but it's all the same analysis as before.)

And then come back here to tell me what you think.
p.s. Your question about whether to consider postponing: Possibly, depending on what we find. But possibly not. Don't decide anything yet—let's see what the analysis tells us!

[ShivaniS604]

Hi Stacey,
I read all the articles that you suggested plus i found that i did not have major timing problem. I was just nervous around RC questions. So i tried not to panic around them and my score was back on track. I got a 700 on next gmatprep.
Then a 740 on gmatprep3
740 on gmatprep4
720 on gmatprep2 (repeated test which i took months back so did not really remember any question)

So i was confident that i will score around 750 on the actual day, which was yesterday. And to my horror i got a 640 which is like the first score i got on a prep test. I really dont know what happened. Quant was around 47 and verbal 31! I had stretched my verbal score to 41 all this time and i strung back to 31! (If it helps then let me tell you that i woke up atleast 7 times the previous nights for no reason and even felt sick atleast an hour before the test. I was not feeling nervous but i dont know why it was so)
Can all of this contribute to the drop?
Also i didnt cancel my score even when i know i am 700+ level atleast. Should i cancel it now? Does it potray a bad image in front of schools like wharton, harvard and stanford?

[StaceyKoprince]

That's really frustrating; I'm sorry. No, don't bother to cancel. It's not bad to have a lower score and then a higher one—if anything, it's seen as a sign of perseverance.

First, if you were feeling sick / nauseous, that actually is a sign of nervousness—in fact, it's a sign of very strong nerves. And that, of course, can impact your performance.

What do you remember about the test, especially the verbal section? Just tell me whatever you do remember, even if you think it doesn't matter. (Note: don't provide any significant detail about individual questions; it's illegal to share questions from the live test.)

Did you order the Enhanced Score Report or are you thinking about it? That could help us to see whether there were timing issues, whether it was one particular question type that really hurt you, etc.

[ShivaniS604]

I remember being extremely relaxed, too relaxed i believe, during the verbal section. I should not have a major timing issue because i am into the habit of leaving questions if i dont understand what is going on in it after a minute or two. Plus i was doing 9 questions in 16 minutes (i.e. with proper arrangement on my scratchpad).
SC did not go well for me because i was continuously coming across sentence in which i couldnt find any split. I was reading and reading but nothing! Every sentence appeared like scattered fragments to me but still i wasnt getting stuck on a single question. So overall i am quite certain it went bad. I have done OG questions and i am able to do hard questions most of the times but SC on test day appeared like a whole new world to me.
On CR was still better but i was not able to comprehend what CR and RC questions instantly. Sometimes it takes a while but i get there but there my mind was not ready to think.
I feel i was doing things mechanically and i was not able to think. Just going along with the test and not stopping as if my aim was just to get to the end of the test. For this reason, i have started doing verbal first now. Yesterday i took a test( after a long day at work ) and got a 720 on kaplan test. So i just cant accept a 640 ever
I thought i would buy the ESR but it does not show much detail. That is why i dropped the idea. Is it going to help if i am sure there is no timing issue with me?
Also, is it even possible to not feel nervous and having your body tell you otherwise (like nausea, breathlessness) ? because i constantly calmed myself and i couldbt have been kore relaxed while taking the test. (Or maybe my brain just shut down)

[StaceyKoprince]

The characterization that you just weren't able to think normally / properly is another classic sign of significant mental stress. When you're super-stressed, your body literally goes into "fight or flight" mode—all it wants to do is escape the current (stressful) situation. So your brain focuses on wanting to get out of here...and that means it can't pay good attention to all of the details of these problems you're trying to do.

That deep level of stress may not feel like "normal" nervousness—but it's still anxiety that (seriously) impacts your ability to perform. Couple that with nausea and breathlessness...it sounds like you experienced performance anxiety. (The name comes from people who are performing—entertainers, athletes—and who get so overwhelmed by anxiety that they can't perform as they usually do.)

The good news: there are things you can do to manage / minimize performance anxiety. Start here:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog ... mat-score/

The above article links to some free resources from UCLA.

There's also this program:
http://www.10percenthappier.com/mindful ... he-basics/
It has a free 1-week trial and is then paid, but I've had several students who have really liked it, so that's another option.

If your performance anxiety goes beyond these kinds of resources, you can also try talking to a sports psychologist who specializes in performance anxiety. (This costs money, obviously.) We do have someone we refer our students to when needed—if you want the name, you can contact our student services team at gmat@manhattanprep.com and ask them to forward the email to me. But I would try the above for a couple of weeks (at least) first. Then come back and tell us how it's going.