MGMAT Tests

[jahnavi_p]

I took the four hour test but took the GMATPREP (Repeat) (Tookthe GMATPREPs more 3 weeks back). I noticed a few questions but as you had said in few other threads, I tried to go logically as I would during the test say and spent those 2 minutes on that ques. You wont believe but I still had 2-3 repeat questions wrong! But my score was 720 and I was thinking that even discounting the repeat questions, I may still fall in 670-690 range. Any opinions on this?

This is my final week and I plan to go over the wrong questions in all the GMAT tests which I have taken till now and the questions from OG and reviews.
I plan to go over formulae and CR and SC questions.

I would definitely like to know which of my weaknesses are most commonly tested. If I observed correctly, its number properties, inequalities, rate-work, mixture, geometry concepts) and somewhere I get into the test maker's trap in these kinds (mostly 600 and 700 level). Also SC in GMATPREP was bit difficult than MGMAT tests. The thing is that if I do not have a set of questions together topic wise so I am trying to do set of 20 questions and then review them.

Well, my exam is on the 25th. I will definiitely post my experience and owe you a big thanks if I get a good score. Thanks Stacy.

[StaceyKoprince]

If you only had a few repeats and you spent full time on them, then you may still have a little bit of inflation, but probably not too much.

Number properties = extremely common; worth spending time here; overall, 7-12 questions might test some concept of NP and, of course, "higher order" questions will still use some NP definitions and concepts
inequalities = more common on DS specifically
rate-work = less common than above, more common than mixture
mixture = see above
geometry concepts = depends which. Basic shapes (triangles, squares / rectangles, circles) are more common. Weird shapes (trapezoids, etc) and 3D shapes are not as common. Maybe 1-2 questions will be coordinate plane. Overall, geometry is typically 4-7 questions.

[jahnavi_p]

Hi Stacy,

I gave my GMAT last week and got a 640. It was somewhat below my expectation of atleast a 670. I know I could have done better on quant (had Q47) and just don't know what happened in verbal (consistently around V36-37 in practice but a meagre V31 on the real one!!).

As I am aspiring for a PhD., most schools have an average of 700. In that case, I need to push myself a bit and achieve that score. Please guide me as to what should I focus on for reappearing for the exams.

My Sentence correction skills are good. CR- I may have fumbled there a bit and I plan to read the editorials henceforth. But is there anything I can do to pep up my RC skills?

For Quant, what should I do and what source should I use to get those 700 level questions?

Are the MGMAT tests good for just once or can I retake it again (3rd time) to get the most of all the questions there.

I would really appreciate your advice since I want to nail this test the second time on.

Thanks for the inputs given the first time and hence look up to you for further tips as well.

J

[StaceyKoprince]

You made some really good progress over the past 6 weeks or so - I know you didn't quite get the score you wanted, but you've still done a good job. You just have more work to do, that's all.

When you took your practice tests, did you do the essays? I know a lot of people skip the essays (during practice) and sometimes that causes verbal scores to drop on the real test. Verbal's the last section, so if you're not totally prepared for the mental stamina necessary, then that section can drop a bit.

How did you feel both mentally and physically throughout the test, especially during verbal? Did you feel as alert as you usually do? Were you able to perform at the same level? Or did you feel a lot of adrenaline, nerves, fatigue, anything?

You mentioned in an earlier post that you have two books already for CR, so you've got what you need but will need to continue to follow the lessons, practice, analyze, and improve. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, you've been doing this over a rather short period of time and most people just need more time to solidify their skills.

What have you been using to learn how to get better at RC? You need some kind of test-prep-type material for RC, just as you have for CR, so if you don't already have something, you'll have to go out and get something (it's a good idea to go to a bookstore so you can browse before you buy).

You can also, in general, read things from the following sources to help you get better at comprehension (this doesn't help you practice questions of course):

* http://magazine.uchicago.edu/ - particularly articles in the "Investigations" tab
* http://harvardmagazine.com/
* http://sciam.com/ (This can get a bit too casual for the GMAT, but it's probably worth including if you don't like science passages.)

[jahnavi_p]

Hello Stacy,

I was a bit anxious before the test but during the test, I was pretty okay but more fatigued than I usually was during practice tests. I also practiced all my tests with the essays and must say that this 4 hour sittings did a lot to boost up my stamina.

When I was doing the verbal, SC seemed fine as did the RC but just dont know what happened there!! How do i ensure that the answer I opt is the correct answer because when I was doing the verbal, i thought I was doing just fine! On the contrary, I thought the quant was easy and i was bit concerned that since I am not getting hard questions, I am not doing well but instead of expected 42-43 score, it gave me a 47 and verbal was just 31.

For RC, I will definitely try to read the content you advised me. What more can I do for practice? Can I MGMAT tests for more than 2 times (I dont care about the score now nor the timing but need more practice on some real tough ques).

Please advise a suitable practice content for Quant also (have gone through MGMAT material, Kaplan 800, OG)

Thanks

Jahnavi

[StaceyKoprince]

Okay, so you have two CR books already. You also need an RC book (something that teaches you how to do RC), so if you don't have one yet, you'll have to decide which one you want to buy.

It's also really valuable to spend significant time studying why the wrong answers are wrong (on any verbal problems, but especially CR and RC). We discussed that early on in this thread; have you been doing that? How has that been going? Have you also been using the "mastery" questions?

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.

For quant, are you looking for more practice questions just to keep your skills up? You can try some of the OG books that you don't have (OG12, OG11, quant supplement, OG10). You can also try GMAT Focus (www.gmatfocus.com). These are additional official questions available online, although there is some overlap with OG12.

[jahnavi_p]

Which are the books for RC? I have only been doing RC from OG12 and OG verbal. Also, what are these 'mastery questions'? Yes, I have been following your advice on how to analyse questions (why the wrong ones are wrong and why I chose a right one) and it helps in CR. However, I feel in RC, since passages are different, how would this be helpful? Do you think there is a pattern of questions in RC too?

Yes, I need Quant ques just to keep my skills in place so that i do not go below my current 47 this time around.........For Quant, I have the OG12, 11 , workbook ...........will try GMATfocus too.

I will keep u updated with my progress........need ur guidance for RC though......

thanks

[StaceyKoprince]

The OG books provide practice questions for you but they do not teach you HOW to answer those questions. So you need something for RC (and anything else that you don't have) that teaches you how to do this stuff. You said you've got the MGMAT CR red strategy guide and the Powerscore CR bible, so you need something equivalent to those but for RC. (For example, MGMAT also has an RC strategy guide.)

The "mastery" questions are the ones listed in my very first post to you, on the first page of this thread (July 10th). Take a look at that list of 10 questions with some words in all caps. Have you been doing this?

You can *definitely* still use the right answer / wrong answer analysis on RC. The passages are different, yes, but the ways in which the questions are constructed is very similar. Just as in CR - the arguments are different every time, but the way in which their constructed is similar in various ways.

[jahnavi_p]

Hello Stacy,

I am back to Phase 2 of my preparation, especially for verbal section. This is my weekly plan and I wanted to know whether it sounds good. I always raise my target so even if i get 80% of this done, it would be good. Please let me know if I could change anything in terms of sources and methods. I will keep in mind the advice given in early posts.

* OG11/12: 10 questions each of CR, RC, SC, PS and DS (starting from back)
* OG 11/12: Review( right and wrong options)

* MGMT RC and CR guide : Reference reading

* RC: Read passages as suggested by you (2 per day). The passages on UNC (Investigations tab) is very different from those on NYTimes and Economist. Wasnt sure if I was accessing the right stories here.

* 1000 RC/CR and SC: 100 each and review and post the ones on the forum for detailed explanation to clear logic.

* 1 test (MGMAT or GMATprep) each week.

* I need more practice ques in Quantative.

How does this sound. If you could go through my plan and suggest on improvements, it would be helpful.

Thanks

Jahnavi

P.S.: I had 6.0/ 6.0 on AWA which sounds nice. Does it have a positive impression eventhough I am bit off verbal next time?

[RonPurewal]

hi jahnavi -

fyi, stacey is on vacation for the week. since this thread is over twenty posts long, and your test isn't on the immediate horizon, i will flag this thread for her to respond to when she returns from vacation.

-- ron

[jahnavi_p]

Hello Stacy,

I posted the below post and seems that you were on your vacation. Hoep you had a good time.

Previous post: Would be glad if you replied.........thanks


I am back to Phase 2 of my preparation, especially for verbal section. This is my weekly plan and I wanted to know whether it sounds good. I always raise my target so even if i get 80% of this done, it would be good. Please let me know if I could change anything in terms of sources and methods. I will keep in mind the advice given in early posts.

* OG11/12: 10 questions each of CR, RC, SC, PS and DS (starting from back)
* OG 11/12: Review( right and wrong options)

* MGMT RC and CR guide : Reference reading

* RC: Read passages as suggested by you (2 per day). The passages on UNC (Investigations tab) is very different from those on NYTimes and Economist. Wasnt sure if I was accessing the right stories here.

* 1000 RC/CR and SC: 100 each and review and post the ones on the forum for detailed explanation to clear logic.

* 1 test (MGMAT or GMATprep) each week.

* I need more practice ques in Quantative.

How does this sound. If you could go through my plan and suggest on improvements, it would be helpful.

Thanks

Jahnavi

P.S.: I had 6.0/ 6.0 on AWA which sounds nice. Does it have a positive impression eventhough I am bit off verbal next time?

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi, Jahnavi, thanks for re-posting. Because Ron showed up on the main page as the last poster in the thread, I assumed there weren't any open questions.

* OG11/12: 10 questions each of CR, RC, SC, PS and DS (starting from back)
* OG 11/12: Review( right and wrong options)

Good, though I wouldn't necessarily start only from the back. Do a mix of higher and lower questions in one set. You are doing these once a week, yes? So, maybe 10 CR questions today and 10 SC tomorrow? I just want to make sure you're not doing 50 each day - that would be too much work and not enough review.

* MGMT RC and CR guide : Reference reading

Good - as needed based on your performance on the practice questions.

* RC: Read passages as suggested by you (2 per day). The passages on UNC (Investigations tab) is very different from those on NYTimes and Economist. Wasnt sure if I was accessing the right stories here.

Yes, you're in the right place. The NYTimes articles tend to be not anywhere as dense as the test passages. The Economist articles are a bit more dense, but still not as dense as the real test.

* 1000 RC/CR and SC: 100 each and review and post the ones on the forum for detailed explanation to clear logic.

FYI - you can't post these questions on this forum; the 1000 sets are banned on MGMAT. You'll have to use a different forum for these. I have a different suggestion though - I wouldn't use these at all. There are a lot of bad questions / errors mixed in those sets.

Also, don't make the mistake of thinking that a very high volume of practice questions is helpful. It's not as helpful as really analyzing and mastering a smaller number of problems. I'd much rather see you do maybe 120 questions total in a week (including everything!) but really master those problems.

* 1 test (MGMAT or GMATprep) each week.

Practice tests should only be once every 2-3 weeks until you get to the final few weeks before the exam.

* I need more practice ques in Quantative.

You can get additional quant practice problems via:
1) OG Quantitative Review (2nd edition was published yesterday, including 75 new practice problems that weren't in the 1st edition)
2) GMAT Focus (www.gmatfocus.com)

You can also get additional verbal practice problems via OG Verbal Review (2nd edition published a few weeks ago, including 75 new practice problems that weren't in the 1st edition).

[jahnavi_p]

Thanks for your earlier reply Stacy.

I have started with the OG (new books - Quant) and verbal i sover (got most of hte CR correct and reviewed even if I had it correct). I am doing CR problems from Princeton 1012 Questions. I am able to do only 10-15 questions with good review and move on with 10 SC questions (thought SC is not a problem anymore). However, RC was tough on that book. I was thinking if I could have few other good sources of RC (wherein there are questions because, it is just the answer choices which baffle me sometime eventhough I understand the passage!!).

CR Review- going good;
SC Review: Good;
RC Reveiew: Improvement but not as expected

Apart from the above, I havent taken a test yet. I will take a test this week to see where I stand. Any suggestions on the RC questions ?

Thanks in advance,

Jahnavi

Maths Review : Ok (am doing problems from OG Review -new book)

[StaceyKoprince]

I can't remember exactly which books you have already, so I'll list a lot and you can decide based on what you already have.

OG12, Verbal Review 2nd edition
OG11, Verbal Review 1st edition
OG10
MGMAT RC strategy guide (problems in the book + an additional bank of 25 online questions)
MGMAT and GMATPrep CATs

Though I will mention - if you're struggling with something, then doing a bunch of new problems is not actually the best thing to do. First, you have to figure out how to get better - and you might as well do that on problems you've already done. Then, you can use the new problems to test yourself, to see whether you actually did learn what you needed to learn in order to get better.

How to get better? I know we've talked about this before - you need some resources that actually teach you how to do this (such as our RC strategy guide - basically, something from a test prep company). I don't know whether you did actually buy some company's book since we talked about this.

[nitin_prakash_khanna]

Jhanavi,

i dont want to interrupt your ongoing thread with Stacey, but will you able to provide your email addr. i am in a similar situation as yours and would like to see if i can get some useful tips from you. As you seem to have made some progress in your preparation.

thanks
nitin_prakash_khannaATyahoo.com