MGMAT CAT TEST 1 --- V 26

[gettoalok]

In this post, I'm focusing only on the verbal part of the MGMAT CAT TEST 1. I'm ok with my quant score and that's why I'm not discussng it.
I ended up with a disappointing verbal score of 26. The surprising thing is, I've already made 2 attempts at the GMAT (the real test) and got a verbal score of 29 on both tests.
For practicing verbal, I used MGMAT's SC guide. I then took an "800 score" verbal test (practice test) and got almost all SC questions correct (11 out of 12).
For CR, I practiced a few questions from the 1000 CR questions document.
In addition to this, I also used Kaplan 800 book for practicing SC, CR and RC.

However, in the MGMAT CAT 1, out of 15 SC questions, I got only 8 correct. Verrrry disappointing!!!!!
Also, out of 14 CR questions, I mangaed to get only 4 correct. I'm lost!!!
During practice, I usually have an accuracy rate of 70 to 80% for both SC and CR.

Also, please let me know an effective way to review my score. I usually perform well during practice sessions, but while taking the test, the scores dip considerably.

FYI, I took the MGMAT CAT 1 test under exact GMAT conditions... wrote both essays, 8 mins break between section, no use of the pause button.

[gettoalok]

Anyone..please advice. Stacey, if I've broken any forum rule, please let me know.

[StaceyKoprince]

On the real test, most people only get about 60% of the questions right, regardless of scoring level. The fact that you were getting 70-80% right while doing questions from non-CAT sources doesn't correlate to a test situation. Practice questions aren't adaptive, for one thing. Timing is another major factor. Were you timing yourself on your practice questions? And don't forget about the fatigue of taking a 3.5-hour test!

In order to get better at the verbal, you need to study from sources that will teach you what you need to know on the verbal. For example, you used our SC guide to learn grammar. For RC and CR, you mention sources that give you practice questions, but you don't mention sources that actually teach you the basic material - the grammar, the techniques for the different kinds of questions, etc. You'll need something similar to the SC guide to help you with RC and CR.

In addition, read the two articles below in order to learn how to analyze your strengths and weaknesses and how to study. Studying is about actually studying / analyzing what you do. For instance, can you tell me WHY you missed each of the problems that you got wrong? Do you know what led you to choose the wrong answer AND what led you to eliminate the right answer? If you don't know why, then it's tough to know what to do to get better.

Start with this article and use it to analyze your most recent practice test:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/09/23/evaluating-your-practice-tests

Then, use this article to help learn HOW to analyze problems:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/10/09/how-to-analyze-a-practice-problem

If (after reviewing the articles and doing what they say) you have questions about what to do based upon your particular strengths and weaknesses, then come back here, let us know what you discovered when you did the analysis described in the articles, and tell us what difficulties you're still having. We'll help you figure out what's going on!

[StaceyKoprince]

Just saw your second post. You might have seen your post all on its own down a list of answered posts - I've just been doing them in order and yours was the last (most recently posted), that's all! :)

[gettoalok]

Thanks for the reply Stacy. I'm sorry for the 2nd post, I know that looked a bit desparate, but I must admit I was. : )

Your questions :
can you tell me WHY you missed each of the problems that you got wrong? Do you know what led you to choose the wrong answer AND what led you to eliminate the right answer?

Answer :
Its not that I'm conceptually weak when it comes to SC, CR or RC. While solving the problems in practice sessions, I'm able to tackle all 3 areas quite effectively.
The problem lies with the timing. This brings me to your 1st question :
"Were you timing yourself on your practice questions? "
Unfortunatlely, its a big resounding "NO". I guess that's what hurt my score the most.

After finishing the MGMAT CAT 1 test, I performed a review without looking at the answers, i.e, for all the questions that I got wrong, I tried solving them again without looking at the answer. Weird, I got most of them right, barring a few.
However, while solving them again, I did not use any time constraint, rather, I kept a check on the time spent in this 2nd attempt (about 5 mins per question for CR and 3 mins for SC). Thus, the problem is with timing.

Now for my question :
How do I get about the situation described above? Obviously, it involves thinking at a faster pace. I might as well try and practice some verbal questions in a constrainied environment.(something like, 41 questions 75 minutes).
Let me know your thoughts!

[StaceyKoprince]

yes, although start in smaller increments: eg, a set of 5 questions, then a set of 10 questions, and so on.

Are you slow on everything? Or just certain things? Probably only certain things - you need to know what those things are.

When you are slow, WHY are you slow? What specifically is slowing you down? Do you not know the grammar well enough? Are you struggling to comprehend the argument or passage? Are you going back and forth between answer choices for too long? Are you using inefficient techniques to work through problems?

For instance, here's the general process for an SC question:
- Read the original sentence all the way through.
- If you happen to spot anything problematic, examine. If it's an error, cross off A. Then scan the other choices vertically, at the same point as that error you found (do NOT read the whole answer choice), and cross off any others that repeat the same error.
- Repeat the above until you've dealt with everything you happened to see on your first read-through of the original sentence (note: sometimes you won't see anything on the first read-through!).
- Then, do a vertical scan of the first word of each choice. If you can identify the potential error based on the differences you see, deal with it. If not, do a vertical scan of the last word of each choice - same thing. After that, do a vertical scan starting at the beginning of each choice.
- If you notice a difference when scanning but you don't know what error that difference might signify, keep going - look for a different split.
- If you've dealt with everything you know how to deal with and you still have more than one choice left, pick something and move on. Don't agonize over it - just pick and go.

Are you doing the above on SC? Or are you, for example, reading each answer choice through horizontally? If you're doing that, then you're losing a lot of time via an inefficient process.

As I mentioned last time, you will need resources that teach you the best processes for doing verbal questions. You only mentioned having the SC guide last time; you didn't mention something similar for RC and CR (in terms of HOW to work through these types of problems). If you don't already have something for these areas, you'll need to identify resources that you think will be good for you and get them.

You may also want to look into a course or some tutoring. Working with a teacher generally involves a significant focus on process / technique and it sounds like that's your major problem right now.