Need to reach the 500s!

[remberto.vilaro]

Hi,

I am struggling to reach the 500s in the GMAT. I have not taken the Official Exam yet. I will take it in two weeks, but given where I stand right now in terms of the scores I am getting on the practice tests, I am not quite optimistic.
I have completed 5 MGMAT CAT exams, and I have gotten the following results.
1 Test = 410 (before starting the course)
2 Test = 430
3 Test = 470
4 Test = 400
5 Test = 460
I am confident and I know that I have a better understanding of the material, topics and the way I approach problems since the first CAT exam, thus my frustration in not getting a higher score as I take the practice exams. I am saving the last practice exam for this weekend. How often do you re commend to take practice tests? I bought 5 practice exams from 800s score GMAT website.
I have completed everything from the syllabus. I have reviewed and redone the benchmarks problems. Right now I am focusing on the Quantitative section, because generally that is where I have being doing worse in terms of percentile ranking.
In summary, I have done:
1. The five practice tests + 1 practice test from mba.com
2. Benchmark problems
3. The readings of every chapter (sometimes more than once).
4. Some of the problems at the end of every chapter.
5. The Questions Banks.
6. I have reviewed the results of my practice exams.
I have tried to improve my weak areas by redoing all the problems and re-reading the material related to those topics.
Honestly I do not know what else to do. Any Advise? Also, I have problems in finishing the quantitative section (guessing the last 6 questions for instance). So, I guess time is also an issue for me.
Best regards and thanks,

[StaceyKoprince]

Given what you've described, the timing problem alone could be what's keeping you from getting that 500. There are big penalties for running out of time and either leaving questions blank or having a big string of wrong answers in a row.

So, let's start with this: you want a 500 and your practice tests aren't putting you quite in that range yet, so you likely need to postpone your exam. Major timing problems often take at least 4 weeks to resolve (and sometimes longer).

By the way, are you taking those tests under 100% official conditions, including the essays? Skipping the essays, taking longer breaks than allowed, or otherwise deviating from official conditions can result in an artificial score increase. Make sure you're taking them under official conditions!

Okay, so you probably need a little more time. How are you going to use that time? Use the below article to analyze your most recent MGMAT test, then come back here and share that analysis with us:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

We'll help you figure out what to do.

Also, read this article on time management and being implementing the techniques it discusses:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

Your practice test scores are generally moving in the right direction with the exception of test 4. Do you know what happened there? Did both quant and verbal drop, or was it mostly just one section? Did you have more significant timing problems than usual? See if you can figure out what happened there - it'll help us in developing your plan.