Digesting my MGMAT test feedback to break through to 650-700

[nerdysuit]

Because of my excellent academic background and references, I feel confident that I will be able to get into one of my desired schools with a score somewhere between 650-700 (though, I would much prefer to score closer to 680-700). I also have made it a point to be realistic about my potential score and not go in with the idea that I need to score 750 when I started out in the 550 range.

My test date is about 5 weeks away. I am hoping to realistically score between 650-700. I am hoping that I can get advice on the following:

1) Is that realistic?
2) What advice would you suggest to help reach that goal?

Here's a recap on my progress so far:

1) GMAC PrepTest: 550
2) GMAC PrepTest: 570
3) MGMAT Test: 570
4) MGMAT Test: 670
5) MGMAT Test: 620

As you see between tests 3 and 4, I made a significant jump. I mainly attribute that to the way in which I revamped my study method. I essentially implemented a lot more "review" of things that I already learned into my study method instead of constantly trying to learn new stuff (and then forgetting much of it during the time pressured test). I did drop somewhat to 620, which I somewhat expected since I knew that a 100 point jump was a lot.

Using data from the last two tests (since those tests are the ones that benefited from the new study method) here are some of the specifics that stood out to me:

Time Managment Issues:

Problem Solving -
Average Time Right Answers: 1:58
Average Time Wrong Answers: 2:33

My biggest issues with time management on the quant are Word Translations and Number Properties:

WT: Right Answers -1:36 Wrong Answers - 2:53
NP: Right Answers - 1:49 Wrong Answers - 2:07

The issue with the Word Translations is that I actually get a good chunk of them right...between the two tests, I got 12 right and 5 wrong. But my time management has not been good.

This actually reflects a problem that I have with time management on both the Quant and Verbal section: I have a personality that REALLY hates giving up on something. I know that I need to just give up on some of these questions and move on. The problem that I have is knowing when I should just give up and move on. Any suggestions on how I can improve this area?

Specific Areas:

Quant - Number Properties and Algebra

I was very surprised to see my deficiency in NP and Algebra. But numbers don't lie, and between the two tests I got 14 right and 20 wrong. What can I do to improve these areas besides reviewing the MGMAT guide?

Verbal - CR and RC 700-800 questions

I do well in SC, CR, and RC in the 600-700 range. I also do pretty well with SC in the 700-800 range (12 right and 8 wrong). However, between the two tests, I have not done very well with CR and RC in the 700-800 range. With CR 700-800, I have got 6 right and 8 wrong. With RC 700-800, I have got 3 right and 7 wrong. What can I do to improve this deficiency?

Finally, when a student feels that they understand the basics of an area pretty well (Quant and Verbal), what do you suggest they do to break through the 650-750 difficulty range of questions when they're likely being asked to apply their basic knowledge in unusual or more difficult ways?

(P.S. I plan to take three more MGMAT Prep Tests before the big dance. I'm choosing the MGMAT Tests over the GMAC because of the much larger test bank and I get an explanation as to what I did wrong on the questions. To get used to how the GMAC test makers ask questions, I plan on my daily study material to consist of doing and reviewing GMAC problems from the OG 12th edition. I plan on doing approximately 40-50 questions a day split between PS, DS, SC, CR, and RC under timed conditions. Let me know if this sounds ok).

Thanks for the help!

[nerdysuit]

Gack! I should have posted my individual Quant and Verbal scores for the last two MGMAT tests:

670:

Quant: 43
Verbal: 38

620:

Quant: 40
Verbal: 35

[StaceyKoprince]

Good data. (A lot of people don't give much data at all and then ask for help... but there's not a lot we can say if we don't have the data!)

Before we get into advice / strategies, can you tell me whether you took your practice tests under full official conditions? That means you did do the essays, you took only two 8-minute breaks (one between each section), you never used the pause button, you did the test with normal timing (30m each for essays, 75m each for multiple choice), you did the whole test in one sitting, you ate and drank only on the breaks, etc. Basically, exactly the way you'll have to do it on test day - is that the way you took these tests?

If so, that's great, and it's also realistic to think that you can score in the 650 to 700 plus range 5 weeks from now.

If not, I have some potentially bad news. When people take tests under non-official conditions, it's more likely that their score will be artificially inflated. For instance, skipping the essays means you have a lot more energy and stamina for the multiple choice sections than you normally would. Ditto things like taking much longer breaks or taking the test in multiple sittings. So if this is the case for you, then your current scoring level is somewhat lower than your practice test scores - and we won't know how much lower till you take a practice test under full official conditions. Then, the answer to your "is this timeframe realistic?" question could be different.

You've done some good analysis of your tests already. Here's an article that can help you dig even deeper (if you haven't already been using this):
http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/09/23 ... tice-tests

You do definitely have a timing problem on WT. It's great that you get most of those right, but you're (obviously!) having trouble letting go when you really don't know what to do.

So, the first thing we need to do is shift mindsets. Do NOT think of this test as a school test, on which your goal really was to try to get everything right. That is emphatically not how this test works and, in fact, you will only get about 60% of the questions right (whether you score a 550 or a 680), because the test will just continue to give you harder stuff as you get better. There's really nothing you can do about that statistic.

What you can do is change your mindset. Think of this as a tennis match, not a school test. You're going to win some points and the other guy is going to win some points; you're not going to win them all, right? Your goal is to put yourself into position to win the LAST point. Translated, that means you have to put yourself in position to answer the last question - you have to have time to address it. Otherwise, you've lost the last point, and by extension the match. When the other guy hits a winner, don't go running after it so fast that you hit the fence and injure yourself, thereby hurting your chances on the later points.

Translation: don't go way over when the problem is too hard. Say "hey, nice shot!" and get ready for the next point.

I don't think you necessarily have a timing problem on NP; it's expected for your time average on the wrong answers to be a little bit higher because the ones you're getting wrong are typically harder questions. So 2:07 is not a big deal. However, you should dive down into the individual questions in that set. What's the fastest and what's the slowest? If it's the case that you have two or three that are 3m+ and the rest are around 1 to 1.5m, then you have a different problem. You might, for example, have trouble letting go of the ones you really don't know how to do and then you may be speeding up on ones that you do know how to do (to make up the time) and making careless mistakes as a result!

For NP and algebra (and any other) accuracy issues, you need to figure out WHY you missed every question that you missed. Was there information that you didn't know or didn't remember? Was the wording of the question confusing and you didn't know what to do? Did you know what to do but made a careless mistake? Once you figure out why you got it wrong, then you can figure out what you need to do about it. Use this article to help:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/04/ ... our-errors

Also, you mentioned that you've been spending a lot more time lately actually studying / analyzing your work. That's great; keep it up. Here's another article that can help with that:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/10/09 ... ce-problem

You can use the above on the verbal stuff too, of course. Here are some additional articles specifically for CR and RC:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/04/ ... mp-passage

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/05/ ... -reasoning

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/01/ ... r-question
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/02/ ... e-question

In terms of lifting your ability to be able to answer the higher-level questions, that's actually all about being able to do the analyses described in the above articles. The "holy grail" of standardized testing is to be able to recognize what to do when you see a new problem because you can make a connection to something you've seen before. The above articles will help you to develop this skill.

And finally, in terms of how to structure your study sessions: I do agree that it's an advantage to get the data and explanations from the MGMAT tests, and it's also an advantage to work heavily with the official questions, so I think the split you've proposed is a good one.

In terms of how many questions to do, this is what I recommend: In a 2-hour study period, spend 30-40 minutes doing questions and the remaining time reviewing those questions. (So that would mean doing something like 15-25 questions, depending upon the mix of questions you're doing.) As much as possible, make sure that the sets are mixed and random (e.g., DS and PS, from all content areas for one set). If you want to do more than one 2-hour study session in one day, that's fine, but make sure to give yourself at least a 1-hour break between sessions (and ideally a 2-hour break).

Be really careful not to try to cram - your brain doesn't make good memories that way, and as you already discovered - there's not much point if you don't remember what you're studying!

Good luck with everything - let us know how it goes!

[nerdysuit]

Thanks for the response!!!

I did take the test under official tests conditions...so I didn't use the pause button...only 8 minute breaks...etc. I did not do the essays with the first two GMAC tests, but I did do the essays with the MGMAT tests. I used just regular scratch paper lying around the house...I'm not sure how big of a deal that is.

The only significant way that my practice tests will vary from my real test is the time of day. Because of work, wife, kids, etc, I have done almost all of my studying and practice tests at night. My real test will be at 10 a.m. To help combat this difference, I have my schedule set up to take my last two practice tests at 10 a.m. I am actually hoping that taking the practice tests at night will be an advantage since my brain is much more fatigued at night after dealing with work and kids than it is at 10 a.m...but maybe I'm wrong about this assumption?

The following quote woke me up to my bad mindset:

"Do NOT think of this test as a school test, on which your goal really was to try to get everything right...in fact, you will only get about 60% of the questions right (whether you score a 550 or a 680), because the test will just continue to give you harder stuff as you get better. There's really nothing you can do about that statistic."

In the back of my mind, I know that I have been treating this too much like a school test. The idea that I can miss 40% of the questions and still score 680-720 sounds crazy to me, but I know that's true.

I've also been reviewing the quant that I missed on my last test...and I missed some questions that there's no way in the world I should have missed. I redid them without knowing the correct answer (or without really remembering what I originally answered), and the questions I should have got right on the test, I got right on the review under timed conditions. I believe I got these "easy" questions wrong because I either misread the question or because of some silly math. I would imagine that I could fix this deficiency if I just let go of the problems I really don't know how to solve and moved on, thereby not falling behind and feeling like I need to rush.

So my main goal in my upcoming practice test is to just move on when I don't know the answer. This will be REALLY hard for me to do...lol...but I've got to learn to do it. Maybe you can just stand behind me and slap me on the head everytime it's obvious that I just need to move on? lol...

I'll keep you updated. Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

Maybe you can just stand behind me and slap me on the head everytime it's obvious that I just need to move on?

lol. That would be great. I can actually tell, by the way, with pretty good accuracy when my students should move on. Mostly, I see them stop writing anything and I see them just reading the question over and over. You stop moving your pen for 10-15 seconds, you're done. Bam. (That's me whacking you on the back of the head. :)

I don't think the scratch paper is a big deal. The essays are, so make sure you do those from now on. If you are ordinarily a morning person and are at a mental disadvantage at night, then I think you're right in your assessment that taking the tests at night won't turn into a disadvantage for you when you switch to daytime when you're normally more alert. But it's also good that you're doing the last two at 10a. :)

What you really need to internalize is this scoring thing. That can hold you back - by causing you to get lower level questions wrong that you really should have gotten right. (As you found out in your test review.)

Dive into that "how to learn from your errors" article that I linked to in my last post. The info described there can help you learn to minimize these as much as possible.

Also, do shorter drills (every day, on days you don't take practice tests) to train yourself to identify when to move on (and don't forget to think about how to make guesses on different kinds of questions).

And, of course, let us know if you have additional questions or concerns!