After a lot of studying & 5 CATs - No Score increase

[JasonE459]

Dear MGMAT members,

Currently I am studying for the GMAT. My official GMAT test will take place in 2 weeks. Unfortunately after 5 mock CATs my score has not increased.

Background information
# non native speaker
# studying for the GMAT 2,5 month in a row; 6 hours a day
# Study materials: MGMAT books (all), GMAT Club free ebooks, OG 2015 and I finish some of the first questions of the Math Review Guide and the Verbal Review Guide
# I am targeting at 680 but a least 640-650

As I mentioned I finished 5 CATs with the following results:
# MGMAT CAT 1: 580 (Q40 / V30)
# MGMAT CAT 2: 530 (Q32 / V32)
# GMATPrep Test 1: 570 (Q39 / V29)
# MGMAT CAT 3: 570 (Q39 / V30)
# MGMAT CAT 4: 550 (Q40 / V27)
I finished all tests under real test conditions. That is, all tests were composed of AWA, IR, Q and V and all tests were timed with considering the official breaks.

I analyzed and reviewed all errors which occurred in the OG and in all CATs to find out my weakest area according the MGMAT study tips.

Although I wrote down all errors in an error log, I cannot increase my score. I also tried to understand the concept behind each question which I answered wrong (and right).
The error log shows that I don't have a particular section in which I am really bad in. Sometimes it is quant DS, sometimes it is verbal CR, etc.

Currently I am lost - I cannot get over 600 :(
On average I am missing 60-100 points overall to reach my goal.

What do you suggest? Should I concentrate on quant or verbal? I have only 2 weeks left
It seems that all the studying does not have the effect I expected (my first CAT was the best :( )

Is it possible to discuss the results from the CATs with a MGMAT instructor to see if other study support from ManhattanGMAT makes sense (e.g. private instructor hours, etc.)?

Please tell me whether you need more information.

Thanks for your support.

(I also posted my question in the GMAT club forum because I don't know whether the MGMAT members are also members of the GMAT club - sorry for that duplicate)

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry that you've been having such trouble with the GMAT.

We can discuss your results here, yes, and you can ask me any questions that you have (about your results, tutoring, or anything else).

I do need some information from you in order to help you figure out what's going on. First, read these two articles:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/2013 ... lly-tests/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/2013/ ... -the-gmat/

Think about how what you've been doing does and doesn't match up with that and how you may need to change your approach accordingly.

Then, use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CATs (this should take you a minimum of 1 hour):
http://tinyurl.com/analyzeyourcats

Based on all of that, figure out your strengths and weaknesses as well as any ideas you have for what you think you should do. Then come back here and tell us; we'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)

Most people who don't see improvement after a lot of study have timing problems, so pay particular attention to the timing analyses described in the above article.

[JasonE459]

Stacey,

Thank you for your reply. It was really helpful and I really appreciate your tips :)

Regarding your first two references:
- In my opinion I know the "content" and "basics" very well (Formulas, Number Property Rules, etc.)
- My execution is bad, especially to grasp the idea behind the question. What I experienced when I was reviewing wrong questions, that I actually know the content (everything was familiar to me) but during the CAT I was missing the "first idea"
- I suppose I have not time issue because I could finished all CATs in time. The reason why I was able to finish in time is that I was checking my residual time every 5 question (a time management strategy I've read somewhere) and therefore I could adjust my speed accordingly (e.g. let a question go)

In conclusion, the second article describes my situation. BUT: In theory I know the the strategies which I should apply in some situations (Backsolving, Number Plugging, etc.) and I also know how the GMAC obscures DS questions (e.g. Rephrasing DS Question stem into a formula, "x+y > 0" means x+y just needs to be positive, What ist "x+y" means just find an answer which gives "x+Y" it is not necessary to figure out x and y separately, etc.). As the article proposes, I made flashcards for these scenarios.

Two issues I have identified so far:
1) I am struggling to use the described strategies for CR and RC. Could I really apply such a "Second Level Learning" on CR and RC?
2) To be honest: I could not identify "similar" problems. That is I couldn't find problems which are similar in the solution approach
3) As a non-native speaker I am struggling in CR and RC questions which use unusual wording and, of course, I often miss subtle difference which are important to answer the question correctly. Probably that problem I cannot solve even in months. There will be always words I don't know and words which I cannot "infer" from the context/passage itself.

Your last reference.
Actually the sentence "You don’t get better while taking a CAT" in your post describes my situation best. Let's go through each point you mentioned in your blog post (for now only for the Quant section)

#2:
In my opinion I know the strategies (in theory) and I executed all CATs under real test conditions (AWA & IR included; regular breaks, etc.)

#2 “Correct / Incorrect” Column:
Oh, definitely, I will list all with three wrong answers in a row
For Quant there were no clear section in which I am weak in - wrong answers occurred in both PS and DS in equal shares

• CAT 1 Quant:
  
  
  
  • 29-31 (not that hard but I used 2:50 for the first question)


• CAT 2 Quant:
  
  
  
  • 16-18 (not that hard but I used 3:22 for the first question)
  
  
  • 26-28 (hard, I used 3:09, 2:03 and 3:42)
  
  
  • 31-35 (not that hard, for two questions I used 3:35 and 3:65; for other tow I spent 0:57 and 0:24, I probably I was in hurry ;-))


• CAT 3 Quant:
  
  
  
  • 21-25 (more harder questions; I spent 1:57, 3:04, 2:42, 0:20, 0:30)
  
  
  • 32-24 (not that hard; I spent 1:53, 1:56 and 2:42)


• CAT 4 Quant: 5-8
  
  
  
  • 25-27 (hard, I spent 0:59, 2:21 and 2:27)
  
  
  • 29-34 (not that hard; I spent 2:44, 1:31, 3:03, 2:47, 4:24 and 1:09)

I found out that I had made a lot of serious careless mistakes and on average it took to long to answer the question.

#2 “Cumulative Time” vs. “Target Cumulative Time”:
As expected I was always close to the target cumulative time

#2 “Time” Column:
I am not sure, but probably there is a imbalance.

• CAT 1 Quant:
  Too Fast: 9
  Too Slow: 6


• CAT 2 Quant:
  Too Fast: 11
  Too Slow: 11


• CAT 3 Quant:
  Too Fast: 9
  Too Slow: 6


• CAT 4 Quant:
  Too Fast: 11
  Too Slow: 6

It is always a mixture of both correct and wrong answers.
Hmm, ok you wrote that a person has got timing issues when there are such imbalances.
How should I solve them?!?!

#3: Run The Reports
What I have figured out
- High discrepancy btw. Correct/Incorrect Answer Time for PS: 1:51 vs. 2:31 (yes, "stubborn" could describe my attitude :D)
- I couldn't figure out something special in the detailed reports (verbal and quant)

I have attached all three repots. Could you spot something special?

#4: Fill Your Buckets
Weak areas:

• Algebra: Linear Equations (a lot of DS & a lot of careless mistakes; after checking the explanation :D)


• Algebra: Inequalities (a lot of DS & a lot of careless mistakes; after checking the explanation :D)


• Geometry: Circles & Cylinders (a lot of PS; ok, most problems I couldn't understand and I couldn't understand how I can solve them -> missing "content" knowledge


• Number Properties: Odds & Evens (almost all DS; here I am always in hurry; I cannot stay cool... by testing numbers in my matrix I quickly get confused)


• Number Properties: Positives & Negatives (almost all DS; here I am always in hurry; I cannot stay cool... by testing numbers in my matrix I quickly get confused)


• Word Problems: Rates & Work (almost all PS; in the CAT I rush through the given question; I cannot understand the question at a first glance... Finally, I get in hurry, mess up the question and guess on one answer...)

The 4 Steps to Getting the Most out of your CATs
Yea, ups, probably I was too occupied by conducting CATs. I finished 5 CATs in 4 weeks.

In conclusion:
Nevertheless, I will & have to keep my current GMAT test date (in about one WEEK) because of some time constraints (work, etc.). I studied for the GMAT 2 month in a row min. 6 hours a day. Probably I will never have such a long time to study for the GMAT. So will give it a try. If the result is too bad I have to check whether a "personal trainer" make sense.

I am really struggling to improve the verbal part. Even after some analysis. Especially CR and RC. Probably these problems stem from my "intermediate" English. Let me ask one question: When I screw up the GMAT, do you suggest that I first take the TOEFL afterward before starting a new GMAT try? I know almost everyone proposes to take first the TOEFL and then the GMAT... Why I chose the different way? My idea was to tackle the "harder" test first ;-)

Thank you.

BTW: I cannot upload any pictures. Is there another way I can show you my test reports?

[StaceyKoprince]

No there isn't a way to upload screen shots, etc. We won't actually do the full analysis for you on the forums (that's something that would be paid, like tutoring). But we will help you analyze yourself. :)

I actually know the content (everything was familiar to me) but during the CAT I was missing the "first idea"

Okay, then that's what you need to study. What are the clues that should have given you that "first idea" - that way into the problem? Go back to problems you have already done and ask the 2nd level questions that are about how to understand what they're really asking and come up with a good plan / approach.

Eg, now that I read the solution, I can see that I could use smart numbers (pick or plug in my own numbers), but I didn't think of that when the problem first came up. So what are the clues in the set-up of the problem itself that should have triggered the thought, "Hey I can use smart numbers here!"

Those clues are consistent. I'm not going to tell you what they are right now. Try to figure it out. You can look at the article below for ideas if you get stuck. Or, if you have our 6th edition books, you can look it up in one of the strategy chapters. If you'd like to check your understanding, explain this to me in your next post.
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/2013 ... er-part-1/

Yes, the second level of learning absolutely applies to CR and RC.

For instance, I know the various ways to identify Find the Assumption questions. I know that FA arguments will contain a conclusion, at least one premise, and at least one assumption bridging that gap (usually multiple).

I know that my goal on FA is to find something that the author must believe to be true in order to make the argument that he's making.

And I know that some traps will do things like strengthen the argument, but via something that doesn't HAVE to be true. And I know all of the above the instant I recognize that a problem is FA.

For instance, I teach OG 2015 CR #46 in class. Go try it, then read what I have to say about it below.

This is FA because of the word "assumption" in the question stem (so this one's kind of obvious). The specific argument is "institute fee --> people will throw out less trash to avoid fee --> we will save parkland" and the last thing is the final conclusion. This overall kind of argument, though, is what we call a "plan" and the overriding assumption is "the plan will work the way I say it's going to work."

Now that you know all of that, how does the correct answer fit into the last thing that I typed? And how could you use those ideas to do similar CR FA plan questions in the future? Let me know and then I'll let you know what I think. :)

For your vocab / small detail issues for CR and RC, start doing some non-GMAT reading every day - articles from New York Times, Wall Street Journal. That will expand your vocab and the kinds of idioms that you'd want to make sure you know. If you've got a friend who's very good with reading comprehension-type stuff, ask him or her to read the same things. You describe what you read and see whether your friend has the same interpretation.

Okay, now on to your timing problems.

First, there's only one good reason to have a really-fast-and-wrong problem: because you knew you didn't know what to do. You don't want to miss something that you knew how to do because you rushed and made a careless mistake

Next, everything that you do uses some amount of mental energy. The harder it is (and the longer you spend on it), the more mental energy you use. So when you get something right in 3.5 minutes, that's actually not a good thing, because you used the time AND mental energy for two questions to answer just one. It's better to get that question wrong in less time and spend that time and mental energy on things that you are more likely to get right (especially because, if it takes 3.5 minutes to get the question right, then it's really hard - and there's a strong chance you'll make a mistake or not be able to do it anyway, just because it's so hard).

Don't forget that your mental energy is just as limited as your time. Once you start getting too tired, you're going to make a lot more mistakes and your score is going to go down.

So, in general, you don't want to spend more than about 45 to 60 seconds above average time for a particular question, because the costs are too high even if you get the thing right in the end.

Use these two articles to help you get better with timing:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/2013/ ... -to-do-it/
http://tinyurl.com/GMATTimeManagement

Under "Fill your buckets," you list "weak areas." Are these bucket 2 or bucket 3? There seems to be a mix of 2 and 3 here.

For instance, careless mistakes are bucket 2. But Circles & Cylinders sounds like it might be bucket 3, from the way you described it.

Start following this for careless mistakes:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/2012/ ... -the-gmat/

For NP, you describe having issues with testing cases. This strategy is described in the same article I linked earlier for quant: the 4 strategies to master. It's also described in some of our 6th edition quant books.

I'm less concerned about Circles and Rates because, from your description, those sound more like bucket 3 for now.

Oh, and I'm at the end and see that you're test is coming up soon (or maybe you just took it?). Let me know how it goes!

If you have to take the TOEFL anyway, then I do suggest that you do that first. It tests English at a more fundamental level, so you will work out all of those problems first, and that will help you with the GMAT.

Good luck, either way!