Freaked out by my 1st Practice CAT Test - How to proceed?

[lmaura429]

Hi,

I'm aiming for 710+ on the GMAT, and I'm freaked out that my 1st CAT score came in at lower than I'd like. I've only been studying for a week.

I'm not entirely sure how to go about studying. I've been following the syllabus, but I don't know if that entirely makes sense because there are some areas that I need to focus on more than the syllabus recommends. What is the best way to strategize/prioritize studying?

My 2nd question/concern is that, I think 1 of my big issues is anxiety about timing while taking the test. Is this something that will get better as I take more practice tests?

Thank you!

[j.essary2010]

Have you read the Manhattan GMAT Roadmap? It really gives some good insight on how to view your results from your 1st test and even 2nd test. I freaked out as well after my first 2 CATs. I believe you will feel better if you read the Roadmap.

[StaceyKoprince]

Thanks for your input, j.essary. I also think the roadmap contains a ton of good advice.

Lindsay, it's okay. It's your first CAT; you've only been studying a week. The score does not matter at all. What does matter is that you now have an idea of what your strengths and weaknesses are, and that will help you to prioritize your study. That's all you care about at this stage. (See below for more on this.)

I'll also mention: it's probably going to be quite some time before you see any really sigificant improvement in your overall CAT score. The next time you take a CAT, sure, you'll have studied various things, but there will still be a TON of things you haven't studied, and you'll also probably mess up the timing (just like you probably did on the first test), and for various other reasons, things won't all come together perfectly on that CAT either. As far as a "whole" CAT is concerned, that doesn't really start to come together until much later in the study process.

Here are some resources for you:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... an-part-1/

Use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then, if you'd like, come back here and tell us the results of your analysis and what you think you should do based on that analysis. (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!)

Alternatively, if you're taking a class, you can discuss your analysis with your teacher and see what s/he thinks. Use this newfound knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses to prioritize your study. You can still follow the general order of the syllabus, but you can spend more or less time on things depending on strengths / weaknesses, and you can even move things around to some extent.* (Quant and SC can be moved around more. For CR and RC, I recommend sticking closer to the order in the syllabus.)

*Note: if you're taking a class, stick to the syllabus ordering, because you want to be prepared for each class. But you can still choose to spend more or less time on various things, or choose, for example, to move more quickly to harder material on strengths.

Also, if you had timing problems (and, really, almost everyone does), read these two articles:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... to-win-it/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/

Re: anxiety, yes, taking practice tests will help. Here are some other ideas for managing stress:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

[lmaura429]

Hi Stacey,

Thank you so much for a thorough and helpful reply! Ill definitely be taking your advice.

Thanks!
Lindsay

[StaceyKoprince]

good luck - let us know how it goes!