Mock test scores plateau. What am I doing wrong?

[nikhilbhatia87]

Hi,

I gave the fourth MGMAT CAT yesterday. My scores so far -

MGMAT 1 - 590 (messed up on timing, big time!)
MGMAT 2 - 640 (big jump, but far from target - timing is still a bother)
GMAT Prep 1 - 660
MGMAT 3 - 640 (improved on quant, screwed up verbal timing)
MGMAT 4 - 650 (aaargh!)

What's bothering me is my accuracy on the OG and other study material has never dipped below 80% (irrespective of difficulty, all within timing targets), but somehow it never comes together on the test. I find myself slow to identify questions in quant, lose concentration in RC and CR (which I otherwise consider strengths) and also make silly mistakes like selecting the wrong answer choices. (I counted 6 on MGMAT CAT 4!).

My question is, is fatigue getting to me? Apart from my daily practice, I typically study about 3-4 hrs prior to giving the mock CATs. (I have a 1 pm slot, so I make use of the time prior to the mock test.) Could this be bringing my scores down? I mean, by the time I start verbal on the tests, I'm already into my 5th or 6th hour of studying that day!

Please let me know if giving a mock with a free mind (read - no studying on that day) will help? I've rescheduled my paper for September 4.

Thanks,

Nikhil

[StaceyKoprince]

Definitely, fatigue is getting to you. There's always extra fatigue associated with doing a full-length test under official conditions. So that's one aspect.

Definitely don't study for 3-4 hours beforehand! That's like saying, "Hmm, I'm going to run a marathon at 1p... I think I'll run a practice marathon this morning to warm up!" :)

Read this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... you-crazy/

You'll always make a few careless errors, but 6 wrong answers chosen just because you selected the wrong button? Clearly, you don't want that.

Breaking bad habits is actually about building a new, better habit on top of the old, bad one. So what new habit do you need to build to break the old habit?

Maybe your last task is to look at the question, say "yep, I'm solving for x," look at your paper and say "yep, x = 32" and then go pick 32. For verbal and DS, you should actually have the letters written on your scrap paper, every time. When you solve, you should be circling the desired letter. So your last thing is to look at that later, consciously say "I'm choosing B" and then go pick B. (All of this "saying" stuff is in your head, of course - not out loud. :)

Read this:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

If you want more detailed adivce, use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT(s):
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Then come back here and tell us the results of your analysis and what you think you should do based on that analysis. We'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (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!)

[nikhilbhatia87]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I made a note of all you mentioned and read the articles too. I gave another CAT in between (improved to a 670 - a calm mind helped me improve by 20 points!), but the more telling bit was the analysis I did after I gave it. I spent most of this weekend taking apart the 5 CATs I've given so far and the analysis was really eye-opening. Here's what I got -

VERBAL

CR - The analysis revealed I was mostly getting 'Find the assumption' and 'Draw the conclusion' wrong on all tests. I didn't know that!

RC - I'm weak in inference questions. Again this is something I wasn't aware of. I blamed it on not grasping the passage well, but my approach to the question was wrong. Have drilled 'Inference=Something that must be true' into my head!

SC - Good.

Timing - Timing in verbal was not much of an issue on CAT 5. A relaxed state of mind possibly helped here. I did touch 3 min on some CR questions but I think with a better approach I should do better.

QUANT

Data sufficiency - I get stuck on inequalities and geometry. I need to brush up on my geometry concepts. Inequalities...I need to accept a question as a hit/miss and move on..

Problem solving - My strike rate is surprisingly lowest on number systems but the bigger news to me was that I've been messing up questions from topics I'd considered strengths: Sets, exponents, statistics and algebra!

Timing - This was the most interesting bit of the analysis. I got nearly 60% of questions I spent over 2.5 min on wrong! As you'd expect, I also messed up the last few questions in all tests.

Takeaway - It's a bit late in the day for me to be doing this analysis (my test is on Sep 4!) but I guess as long as its before the GMAT, it should help! I've decided to be ruthless in Quant (with respect to timing) and more mindful in Verbal. Hope it all comes together on the big day!!

PS - Any tips for IR? I'm wayyyy too slow!

[StaceyKoprince]

Good!

CR: look at the overall process plus the stuff for Find the Assumption and Draw a Conclusion / Inference.
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... reasoning/

Inference on RC and Draw a Conclusion / Inference on CR is basically the same logical process. So if you can master one, you should be able to get the other!
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... rehension/

Inequalities are often used as disguises for certain topics (eg, positive / negative number properties). Is that part of the issue - that when the inequality is really a disguise for something else, you're not seeing it? Maybe because you're not looking for it? :)
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -gmatprep/

Agreed on the timing: be ruthless! Don't give into the "but I should know how..." or "but if I spent some more time, I'm sure I could..." feelings. They're trying to trap you! Move on! :)

Oh, and I see that your test date was today. So hopefully you don't actually need my advice any longer. But for IR I would've told you not to worry about it with 8 days to go - you definitely care more about Q and V.

But if you have to take it again, let me know and we can talk about it! Hope it went well!

[nikhilbhatia87]

Yup, gave the GMAT and got a 690. Q48, v36 or 37...Not happy with the score but I guess i know what I did wrong -

1) No error log - As I mentioned, I made an error log just 2 weeks before the actual exam. I think this was the single most important factor that helped my quant score, even in the limited time I had. In 10 days, I nailed every weakness. During the exam I actually got a bit worried..the questions just didn't seem to get much harder! That's the sort of progress I made!

2) Verbal - I'm kicking myself for not acting on the MGMAT CAT data I got for verbal. I just mindlessly practiced questions but never really rectified what I was doing wrong. Lesson learnt.

3) Not practicing much IR - I have to admit, I underestimated IR. I was terrible at it on all MGMAT CATs, yet I didn't devote time to it right till the end. I think I did pretty well on the actual IR, but the fact that it made me panic right into the closing stages of my prep wasn't good.

I'm going to take the GMAT again. Verbal will be my focus this time around!

[StaceyKoprince]

A 690 - that's awesome, though! :) Congrats on your hard work!

Our IR is harder than the real thing, so hopefully it wasn't too bad. Let me know when you get your score.

And if you want help as you prep again, let us know!

Also, if you took our course or one of our Guided Self-Study packages, then you're eligible for a free Post-Exam Assessment (if you haven't done it already). This is a phone call with an instructor to figure out what went wrong and come up with a plan to re-take the test. If this applies to you, please send an email to studentservices@manhattangmat.com and request the Post-Exam Assessment.