Do you think guys I am on the right way? HELP ;)

[carlosutrillas]

Hello everybody!!

I would be so happy if you can give me your opinion about my situation.

I studied for the GMAT for 3 months and I took the examn the 14th March. Unfortanely, I got a 580 (40q 29v). I felt quite disappointed because I expected a score around 650 but that´s life!

Since the 1st week of April I have been studying again. (2 hours per week day and 5 hours per day the weekend) (Doing the official guide, quantitative 2nd review, verbal 2nd review, gmat prep...etc....correcting the exercises and trying to understand why I do my exercises wrong and how can I improve...)

Moreover, I am taking a Manhattan exam every 2 sundays (under exam conditions) and these are my results:

1st week of April: 620 (39Q 35V)
3rd week of April: 650 (45Q 34V)
1st week of May: 640 (45Q 33V)
last sunday: 640 (44Q, 33V)

I will take a gmatprep (http://www.mba.com) this sunday. I will keep you updated!!

I have my exam in 6 weeks and my target is 670.

What do you thinK? Do you think I am close to my target?

Thanks to your opinions ;)

[StaceyKoprince]

Are you taking those practice tests under 100% official conditions, including essay and IR, length of breaks, *everything*?

What were you getting on practice tests before you took the real test the first time? You said you were expecting 650 - is that because your practice tests were at the 650 level?

If that's the case, why do you think your score dropped to 580 on the real thing? If your score did drop, then you need to figure out why in order to prevent it from happening again.

Here are some ideas:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ent-wrong/

Next, take a look at this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Pay particular attention to the how to study / how to learn section. Are you studying in this way? If not, start doing so. :)

What about timing? Everybody has timing problems to some extent - what are yours? If you're not sure, use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and tell us the results of your analysis and what you think you should do based on that analysis. 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!)

[carlosutrillas]

Stacey! First of all, many thanks for your nice message! Trust me your information is very useful for me!

I want to analyze everything you have told me carefully. I will get back to you in 2 weeks with my analysis. Only if you have a good picture of my situation you can give me the right advice so I prefer to do it like that!

Take care and cheers from Barcelona! ;)

[StaceyKoprince]

That's exactly right - the better information I have, the better I can help you.

Barcelona! I've never been, but that's on my list of places to visit. :)

[carlosutrillas]

Well Stacey,

I have been analysing some issues and my main conclusions are:

I think I do not manage well the time. I am a little bit slow. I have been analyzing the Manhattan exams and I have usually lost 2-4 minutes (usually 1 or 2 questions away) when I get to the 10 questions of the exam. (same in verbal and in quantitative)

I have been thinking and it is not only a problem of time but also that I usually feel more tired in the last part of the exam. I think my performance is worse in the last 15 minutes of eachpart compared to the first half an hour (I do no maintain well the stamina). For example, last week I took a gmatprep exam from www.mba.com and my verbal results were as follows:

1st. Wrong. 2nd Right. 3rd Wrong. 4th Right. 5th Right. 6th Right. 7th Right. 8Wrong. 9th Right. 10th Right. 11th Wrong. 12th Right. 13th Right. 14th Right. 15th Wrong. 16th Right. 17th Right. 18th Right. 19th Right. 20th Right. 21th Righ. 22th Right. 23th Wrong. 24th Wrong. 25th Right. 26th Wrong. 27th Right. 28th Right. 29th Right. 30th Right. 31th Right. 32th Wrong. 33th Right. 34th Wrong. 35th Wrong. 36th Wrong. 37th Wrong. 38th Wrong. 39th Wrong. 40th Right. 41th Wrong.

Verbal score I got: 30!
I know the main goal of this exam is not how many correct answer you get but also how difficult the questions are but I think it is quite obvious my performance dramatically decreased in the last 10 questions of the exam and I guess this really dropped the score. What do you think?? Do you agree?

There is a 2nd main problem I have identified. Sentence correction. I thought I was ok in this area but I have checking carefully and it is my weakest area in the verbal. Am least I think I am lucky because I believe it is the easiest area to improve (if you understand well the fundamentals behind this area). What do you think? I bought the manhattan sentence correction book last week and I have started reading the bood. I have heard this book is great!

My goal is 650-670 for the exam. I am having consistent scores in quantitative (44-45) and I strongly believe I really need to improve the verbal because I believe my problem is in verbal (I am having 30-31 in the verbal)

I am having my exam in 10 days. I will try it. I know I am still not 100% to get the score I want but maybe I am lucky. This is 2nd time I will take the exam and I still have time until september to reach my goal.

I would appreciate stacey if you can give me feedback of the points I have asked you.

Many thanks! take care

[carlosutrillas]

I also forgot to tell you that my score did not drop the 1st time.

I started getting 640-650 scores in the manhattan exams after the 1st exam (after a few more weeks of preparation)

However, I do not feel I am in the level to get a 650 in the real one because the exam I took last week from gmatprep (the one I have explained you in the previou post) did not go well. (610). I got a 44q (which is pretty consistent with the scores I am having in manhattan exams) but a 30 in verbal

Anyway I will let you know how it goes!

[StaceyKoprince]

Yes, you answered 7 of the last 8 incorrectly on verbal - that definitely pulled your score down.

Everyone feels fatigued by that point, of course - it's a long test! - but we need to do something so that you don't drop quite that far.

Part of the problem is that you're spending too much energy early on. It's like running a marathon: if you run too fast at the start, you won't have enough energy to finish. You need to let go of some of those too-hard questions faster. Bonus: that also means you won't be spending all that extra time, so you also won't have to rush so much later in the test.

It's great that you realized that SC is a difficult area - sometimes, we think we're okay in something, but the data tells us otherwise. :) And, yes, many people find SC easier to improve than CR or RC, so that's good.

You didn't mention what your overall score was on the recent GMATPrep exam, but that's about the level you should expect to score in 10 days on the real thing. It's still fine to take it, if you want, since you know that you have until September - just think of it as a practice run. Let me know how it goes!

[StaceyKoprince]

Whoops, I just saw your second post. Okay, yes, so your level is closer to 600 than 650 right now. :)

[carlosutrillas]

Thanks for your quick reply Stacey!

Ok...my strategy from today is:

1) I will continue studying this week. 2 hours per weekday and 6 hours per weekend day
2) I will try to be in a positive mood this week and I will also say to myself everyday: "Carlos you can!"
3) I will think how I can manage a little bit better the time the day of the exam.

And I will take the GMAT in 8 days. I will try to stay calm the day of the exam. Maybe, if I manage well the time and I am just a little bit lucky I can reach the 650 barrier. i agree I am not in the level but I think I am not that far from 650!

Once I finsh the exam I will let you know how it goes and I will then ask you advice for my future strategy if it not goes well

Thanks Stacey! I owe you a tour showing barcelona when you come !! ;)

[StaceyKoprince]

That sounds good. Here's the single most important thing to read / do:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/

If you can keep this mindset during the test, you will be less likely to mess up your timing and more likely to make the right decisions to get the best score you can!

Good luck!

[carlosutrillas]

Hi Stacey,

I finally took the GMAT and my result is 620 (42Q AND 34V)

First of all, I think this result shows well my current level. As you told me, I am not yet in the 650 level but at the same time I am over 600. Being honest with you, I was expecting to have something between 610-620 or 630. However, I must also admit I was a little bit scary to get something below 610 (You never know in GMAT!)

I am "more or less happy". There are some good news and some bad news. The goods news are I have improved 40 points from my last exam 2 months and half ago (my score was 580). I believe this is a significant improvement and I should be happy of that. At the same time, I have been studying for 6 months and I see I need at least 1 month and half more to get to the 650-660 level. (These are the bad news ;( )

I am interested in 2 MBA programs (both in Europe). One of the programs has an average of 640 and the other one has an average of 680. I have taken the gmat 2 times (580 and 620) and I hope the 3rd time will be the final one (660 would be great). (The latest I can take the GMAT is September!)

Main conclusion? I am more or less 40 points from my target. I believe this is not that far but at the same time I still need some hard work to do to improve those 40 points. What do you think?

Let me explain you a little bit about my exam...

I arrived to the center half and hour before (with plenty of time). I was more relaxed than the first time. I knew it was difficult to get a 650 but at the same time I knew it was important to get at least a 610-620 (this score helps me to see there is a real improvement in my level from the 1st time). AWA and integrated reasoning were not that bad. I started the quantitative part and I thought about what you told me (GMAT is like a marathon) and I tried to save some energy to the end. I also tried to be in the right mindset. I finished the quantitative and I was quite happy (I was expecting to have a higher score in quantitative (something closer to 44). I started the verbal and I continued with the same right mindset. There is something I would like to tell you, I received my last reading comprehension text in the question number 30. Stacey, this text was crazy. I am sure it was a 700 or 750 level reading comprehension passage. I read it 3 times and I was not able to understand it and I think I failed the 3 questions related to that text. I think this is unfair because my English level is good but I think it was impossible to understand this passage unless you are an English native speaker. Fortunately, the last questions of my verbal exam were ok and I do not think this passage dramatically pulled my score down. I guess there is nothing I can do with these kind of passages...what do you think?

I am not surprised with my score (620) but a little bit surprised with the quantitative and verbal score. I was having consistent 44´s in the Manhattan exams and I also got a 44 in the gmatprep exam for the quantitative part.. Unfortanely, I got a 42q. At the same time, I was having around 30 and 32 for the verbal and I got a 34!

What´s my main goal for the next exam?

Quantitative à Recheck all the fundamentals and improve a little bit my level. Start getting 45´s and 46´s in my exams rather than 44´s. Be sure I get the day of the exam at least a 45.

Verbal à I told you my weak area is sentence correction. Start reading the Manhattan SC book and be stronger in that area. Start getting 35´s in the exams rather than 30´s or 32´s. Be sure I get the day of the exam at least the same score (34) or if possible 1 point more (35)

If I can get a 45 in quantitative and a 35 in verbal I should have something between 650 and 660.

Sorry for the long text ;( I want to say thanks to you because your suggestions helped me to be in the right attitude the day of the exam. I would like to ask you some other questions but I prefer you first give me your opinion about my current situation and my evaluation of the situation! ;)

[StaceyKoprince]

That's great - congratulations. Yes, you have more to do to reach your goal - but you're moving in the right direction. :)

There's a pretty good chance that even a native speaker would have found that passage crazy / too hard. In general, if you hit something that's just too crazy, change your goal. You're not even trying to get all 3 or 4 questions right any longer. Instead, you're hoping to get the main idea question and to be able to eliminate some answers on at least one other question.

So you actually take less time! You just accept that you're almost certainly going to miss at least 2 of the questions, and you don't care - you're just going to guess pretty quickly and move on.

You're making that mindset switch already and that's helping your score to go up - so keep working on that.

Here are some resources to help on harder SC:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... orrection/

And here's an RC series on a harder science passage; see what you think:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... -passages/
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... m-passage/
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... m-passage/

In general, you're moving in the right direction - your score proves that - so keep going. I know quant was a little below what you were expecting, but there's not a huge difference between those two scores. Just a few questions can make that difference, so continue to practice both your timing and your skills, and make sure that you're focusing on how to make the best decisions in the time that you have! (study how to guess, how to know when to cut yourself off, etc)

[carlosutrillas]

Hi Stacey,

Pretty clear feedback, many thanks!

From now on, I only have one more question for you.

For the RC area, one great strategy (at least it works for me) is to do 1 reading per day (or 1 reading per 2 days). Do the reading and analyse the answers (30 - 45 minutes per reading)

Unfortanely, I have done all the readings from the official guide. Do you know where I can find other readings?

Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

By one reading, you mean one passage with the questions, right?

First, I'm going to suggest that you do this with only 3 or 4 questions in the set. If there are more questions, do only the odd ones first and save the even ones for later (or vice versa). Then you can put the passage away and use it again in a month or two. (And this more closely mimics the real test, where you only get 3-4 questions, and you don't have an advantage on the 5th or 6th or 7th question because you've learned so much about the passage already.)

Second, you can also use the OG Verbal Review 2nd edition (contains only verbal questions). GMATPrep also contains 15 free questions (spread over 3 passages). Within GMATPrep, you can also buy access to a pool of ~400 additional practice questions, half of which are verbal.

[carlosutrillas]

got it! thanks!

Last thing Stacey! I have bought the gmatfocus from www.mba.com (I have bought 3 quantitative exams)

I have done the first exam and the result is my scaled score range is 42 to 48. That´s pretty coherent because I got a 42q in the my real exam 2 weeks ago.

However, I have been checking the results and I have done only 10 correct and 14 incorrect!! That´s horrible.

Does it make sense to you to be in the range of 42-48 with only 10 out the 24 questions correct?

Thanks.