Help! I am not sure what else to do!

[thiru.valliappan]

Hi,

My real GMAT test score before I did MGMAT course was 580. After some extensive class work I seem to have improved in some ares but taken a step back in some other ares. I took both the GMAT prep and have ended up with 580 and then a 550. One aspect of the GMAT prep that I did not understand was my scaled scores were better in the second exam than the first however my overall score dropped to 550 from 580.

On the last GMAT prep I scored a 45 in Quant and 21 in Verbal. SC in my verbal seem to be really bad. I got 10 SC wrong out of 14 or so. I seem to narrow down my SC choices to 2 right ones. But at the end I seem to pick the wrong answer. Is there an approach to be certain in SC questions?

Also, I seem to have taken all possible CAT exams and now I seem to have run out of tests. I have taken two rounds of MGMAT cat exams and have also taken the GMAT prep. Now I need some fresh questions. I would like to take the exam in two weeks.

Thanks
Thiru

[StaceyKoprince]

What is your goal on the real test?

I'm assuming you want to get a higher score than 580 (otherwise, you wouldn't be taking it again, right?). Your current practice test scores, however, are right around the score you got last time. As a result, the most likely scenario is that, right now, you'd get a similar score if you took the official test again. That situation is not likely to change substantially in only 2 weeks. So, FYI - you may need more time.

Did you take the practice tests as assigned during the course? If so, did you sign up for the free post-course test assessment? (Your instructor would have gone through your exams and given you feedback about what to do to improve.) If you didn't sign up for this but you did take the tests as assigned, then email your instructor to ask whether you might still get this assessment. (The deadline for requests is officially the last day of class, but some instructors will let the deadline slide a bit.)

On SC, it sounds like you're generally falling into traps on the most tempting wrong answers. Try articulating:
- specifically why each wrong answer is wrong
- which wrong answer is the most tempting and why
- how to recognize that the tempting wrong answer is still wrong anyway so you can eliminate it
- why someone might be tempted to eliminate the right answer

I italicized two of those because I think this is where you're falling into traps. You aren't able to figure out why something is tempting to choose but wrong and why something else is tempting to cross off but right. If you can understand how a test-writer could write an answer choice that is tempting-but-wrong, or a choice that is tempting-to-eliminate-but-right, then you'll be less likely to fall into those same traps yourself in the future.

Every time I study a verbal problem, even if I got it right, I ask myself which wrong answer is the most tempting answer and specifically why it's so tempting. And I also ask myself why someone would think the right answer is wrong (not just why they'd choose something else as "better" but why, specifically, they'd think the right one is actively wrong).

You can still take both GMATPrep and MGMAT CATs as long as you follow a few guidelines to minimize the chance of artificially inflating your score via question repeats. First, anytime you see a problem that you remember (and this means: I know the answer or I'm pretty sure I remember the answer, not just "hmm, this looks familiar..."), immediately look at the timer and make yourself sit there for the full length of time for that question type. This way, you don't artificially give yourself more time than you should have. Second, think about whether you got this problem right the last time. If you did, get it right again this time. If you didn't, get it wrong again. If you *completely honestly* think that you would get it right this time around if it were a new question (even though you got it wrong last time) because you've studied that area and improved, then get it right this time.

Alternatively, you may want to try tests from another test prep company. You may want to ask around at the Beat the GMAT site (www.beatthegmat.com) to see which other tests people think are good.

Also, if it has been a while since you downloaded GMATPrep (>6 months), you can try deleting and downloading again. The questions in the database do change somewhat over time, so this can help to minimize the chances of question repeats.