MGMAT test performance confused

[umamakesh.n]

i have taken all six MGMAT cat tests...and my actual GMAT is 5 days from today....
MY scores so far taken each 1 wk apart
MGMAT 1 620
MGMAT 2 680
MGMAT 3 700
MGMAT 4 710
MGMAT 5 720
MGMAT 6 740

I MGMAT 1 was disastrous because i was not accustomed to tough quant section. Also, i felt that CAT 6 was easier dont know if it is due to preparation or it was easy..i liked the upward trending but i know there is 40 point deviation with these tests. Incidentally, i took gmatprep (which i thought would be easier than MGMAT) and scored 700. i took it between week 5 and week 6. I found the math problems were tougher and SC in verbal was way longer and many were completely underlined. I kind got 2 or 3 SC wrong in MGMAT 4-6 but in Gmatprep it shot to 7, but i did better on RC and CR. I am totally confused as what to expect on actual test.

MGMAT instructors please shed some light
1) Thinks you would suggest to do in the last 5 days
2) Is gmatprep closer to real gmat question toughness..i was really disappointed with SC in gmatprep...i had done a lot of practice problems and was really confident until i saw those on Gmatprep.
3) when i viewed the assessment summary for CAT 6, Average right answer for PS was 650 (got 100% on that) whereas on PS it was 750 (got 5 wrong). A similar trend was there between CR and SC. In the real test does this happen, i thought the difficulty level would uniformly increase across chapters.

...Anyway its stressful and i am confused.!!!

[StaceyKoprince]

GMATPrep is the closest practice test to the real test, yes, but remember that there are hundreds of questions in any test database and you saw maybe only 15 SCs on that one test. That means you may get a different kind of mix from one test to another, so we can't necessarily say that all GMATPrep tests (or the official test) will have the same kind of mix or feel exactly the same way.

I know it's stressful as you get closer to the test, but your numbers are going in the right direction. You've got very good practice scores, so it's a matter of making sure you can repeat your performance on test day.

Don't burn yourself out in the last few days. You're not going to change much about your performance right now, so don't spend time trying to fix weaknesses. Your strengths and weaknesses are what they are; just solidify what you know and review all of your strategies for the different question types, your pacing strategy, etc.

Don't take another practice test - you're too close to the real thing now. Also, find ways to get yourself relaxed and in the right mind-set; if you're too stressed out, that can cause problems. Here are some articles that might help:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/stress-tips.cfm
http://www.manhattangmat.com/strategy-series-stress.cfm

Re: your third item above, it's not the case that the difficulty levels will uniformly increase or decrease, and it's not the case that you will have similar difficulty levels for PS vs DS (I assume you meant to say PS for one and DS for the other - you said PS for both.)

Bottom line - you're doing a great job and you should feel confident going into the test.

Good luck - let us know how it goes!

[umamakesh.n]

Finally, i took GMAT today. I scored 710 (Q 50, V 37)
I am not sure whether it is a decent score, i expected 730. I found toughness of RC and CR was almost the same in GMATprep but SC was ridiculously difficult compare with Gmatprep. I am now waiting for AWA score. Also contemplating whether i should take GMAT again.

-Uma

[StaceyKoprince]

I think I just answered you over at Beat the GMAT, too, but I'll repeat what I said there: you did a fantastic job, that's a great score, and that score will not prevent you from getting in to any school. (That doesn't mean you WILL get in, of course - there are a lot of other factors besides the GMAT score!) Congrats!

[umamakesh.n]

Thanks Stacey!

I feel a bit relaxed now. I think i need to focus on essays and recos.

I will keep my progress posted.

Thank You once again!

[RonPurewal]

Thanks Stacey!

I feel a bit relaxed now. I think i need to focus on essays and recos.

I will keep my progress posted.

Thank You once again!

just a little bit of extra advice, as to whether you should re-take the test:

when considering applicants, schools will often (sometimes inadvertently) focus on two things: the BEST and WORST things about that particular candidate.
this isn't really a policy issue so much as it's just human nature. for instance, think of your last relationship, and imagine the way you'd describe that person -- most likely, the two things that come to mind first (and most strongly) are the single best and single worst things you can remember about that person.
same thing with b-school applicants.

therefore, IF the gmat is the best - or the worst - part of your application, then you may want to consider taking it again. meaning:
* if the rest of your application is fairly typical for those in your field, or if it doesn't stand out in any exceptional way, then you may want to bank on your gmat score as the strongest part of your application. in this case, you'd be well advised to re-take the test.
* if the rest of your application is just ridiculously amazing, and a 710 is the single worst thing on your application, then it couldn't hurt to take it again either. (although in that case it'd be irrelevant, since, if a 710 were the single worst thing about your application, you could write your ticket into any school).

just some food for thought. good luck!

[umamakesh.n]

Ron,

Wooh! nice thought. but you got me confused in last few sentences. I have above average GPA and pretty good work experience. So,since app deadlines are approaching fast, i have decided to focus on the app (essays..and others) rather than spending time studying for GMAT.

then it couldn't hurt to take it again either

i did not understand this statement because you later say that if 710 is the worst part of your application, then it should not be difficult to get admitted to any schools.
So what is the point of retaking GMAT, is it just to make the app better.
I hope i understood you correctly.I appreciate any clarification on this. Also, is it true top-tier schools too?

Thanks,

Uma

[RonPurewal]

Ron,

Wooh! nice thought. but you got me confused in last few sentences. I have above average GPA and pretty good work experience. So,since app deadlines are approaching fast, i have decided to focus on the app (essays..and others) rather than spending time studying for GMAT.

ok. yeah, with that profile, i wouldn't think you'd have to retake the test.

remember that the most important thing you can do, on an application, is to distinguish yourself from the rest of the applicants.
this almost always means something OTHER than gpa and work experience, unless (a) you've done something truly amazing on those fronts, or (b) you work in a field that is drastically different from those from which people typically apply to business school.
in other words:
if you're a consultant, an investment banking analyst, an engineer, etc., then your biggest task is to play up the UNIQUE aspects of you, as well as the aspects that will CONTRIBUTE TO TEAM BUILDING.
this especially applies to things such as volunteerism, leadership, "socially conscious" stuff, and the like.

then it couldn't hurt to take it again either

i did not understand this statement because you later say that if 710 is the worst part of your application, then it should not be difficult to get admitted to any schools.

yes.

there are still (VERY limited) circumstances under which a student with that sort of profile may want to re-take.
for instance, if that student is in finance (a field in which students are typically strong in quant) and that 710 is composed of a perfect verbal score and a mediocre quant score, then a re-take with a better quant score could be helpful.

but otherwise, if that's your situation, you're pretty much good to go.