Please guide me on my progress.

[hilmercastilo]

a

[StaceyKoprince]

Everybody struggles on the quant (and, really, both sections). The better you do, the harder it should feel. If it feels easy, you're probably going to get a lower score than you wanted. That's just how the test works! :)

Most people feel that our quant is a bit harder than on the real thing, so if you can keep it together on our quant section, you should be well-prepared for the time pressure on the real test. Having said that, though, you still may need to do some additional things to make sure you don't hit a "timing meltdown" situation on the real test and kill your score.

First, are you taking these tests under 100% official conditions, including the essays? Skipping the essays, taking longer breaks than allowed, eating or drinking during the test - these things can all lead to artificial score inflation. Make sure you're mimicking official test conditions as much as possible so that you are making your results as valid as possible.

Your scores are looking fairly consistent across the different tests - that's good. You may want to use the below article to analyze your MGMAT tests in more detail:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/02/ ... sts-part-1

And you may also want to read this article on time management:
posting.php?mode=reply&f=9&t=12861

I'll also mention a general "mindset" strategy. Pretend you're playing tennis. You don't expect to win every single point when you're playing tennis, right? That'd be silly. You just want to win more points than the computer. :) That's how this test works. Sometimes, the computer's going to win a point (about 40% of the time actually!). Let the point go - don't waste time when you've already lost the point. Say "Nice shot!" (mentally) and move on to the next point!

Here are some articles on RC. You don't mention exactly what's giving you trouble, so I'll give you some high level articles to start. After you do that test analysis using the link I gave you above, let me know any additional detail you figured out, and we'll talk about how to handle those areas of weakness.

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/04/ ... mp-passage
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... rc-passage
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/09/ ... ading-comp

http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... estion.cfm

[hilmercastilo]

Hello Stacey,
Your reply was very helpful and encouraging. I really liked your "mindset" strategy. Now, if anytime i am stuck on a question for too long, i say "Nice Shot" (mentally) and move onto next question. Also, i have gone through the links you suggested for improvement in RC. I cannot say right now whether there is any improvement, but they were helpful.
I generally take tests under official conditions. I used to skip essays in my initial tests, but now as my exam date is approaching fast i have started writing essays as well. Regarding brakes, i always ensure that i take timed brakes as per exam standard (not more than 5 minutes).

Please find below my latest scores (with essays)
MGMAT 3: 700 (49Q, 36V)
MGMAT 4: 710 (49Q, 38V)
MGMAT 5: 740 (51Q, 40V)

----------------
GMATPrep 2: 710 (50Q, 35V)

Got two repeats in verbal and intentionally marked both of them wrong.

Stacey: Thanks once again for your suggestions and insights!!

[StaceyKoprince]

That's great! Okay, you look ready to go.

Big thing to remember: do NOT let your timing get messed up. Check regularly (every 5 to 10 questions) and DO SOMETHING if you discover you're moving way too quickly or slowly. The single biggest reason for a "my score dropped in a big way!" post is messing up the timing.

Good luck!!

[hilmercastilo]

Thanks Stacey for your suggestion again. I will keep an eye on my time for sure.

Thanks once again!!!!

[hilmercastilo]

Hello Stacey,

I took my GMAT last sunday (June 20, 2011) and totally botched it up! I scored a meager 660 (48Q, 33V). I thought i was doing well and should comfortably hit the 700 mark but it didn't happen. I finished both sections with a minute to spare meaning thereby i didn't do that bad on my timings.
I am really disappointed because i scored 700+ in all MGMATS, POWERPREPS and GMATPREPS but still got a 660 on real thing!!

Now, i have two options either to apply with my current score or to retake the exam.
Option 1: I was primarily aiming for schools from 15-30 ranking. I had Ohio, Smeal, North Carolina, Southern California etc. on my list. I have work-ex of some 30 months in IT and i am from India. Do you think i can apply to these schools with my current score? Please tell me which schools can i apply to with this score?

Option 2: I know i am weak in RC but i made up for it with SC. In quant, my area of improvement is DS. Can you please guide me on what i should on my preparations?

Based on my understanding, i have still couple of month's time before applications start. So, i can prepare a couple of months and retake the exam and see whether i can get a better score.
Your insights are highly appreciated.

[StaceyKoprince]

I'm sorry you had a disappointing test experience. :(

If you are thinking about retaking, sit down right now and write or type out EVERYthing you can remember from your exam - what you thought went well, what didn't go so well, even things that you don't think matter either way. Everything. That can help you to get a handle on where things might have been not so great, and that info will help you for the re-take.

Important Note: you can share some of that with us here, but do not post any information about actual problems you saw - not just here, but anywhere online. You signed a legal agreement before the test saying that you would not disclose any actual test questions to anyone else.

Re: your admissions question, go and post in our Ask An Admissions Consultant folder - I'm not qualified to answer that question!

Re: what to do, first take some time to do that debrief I described above and then share with us what you think you discovered. Next, use the "how to analyze your practice tests" article to give me the most recent data from your last MGMAT test or two. In particular, do you still have any timing problems at all? I know you finished the section on time, but there is still a possibility that you are spending too long on some questions and rushing too much on others to make up for that. Dig into the data on your recent tests to see. Then come back here and tell us what you found on that too, and we'll help you figure out what to do!

[hilmercastilo]

Hello Stacey,

I was a bit busy with my work this week. So, i could not write earlier. Anyways, this is all i could remember:
I reached my test center 45-50 mins early. I had lot of nerves, so i thought reaching my center well in advance might help in easing them down a bit (it actually did). I was thinking before the test because it is real test i may be a bit nervous and end up spending more time on questions (double check etc.) but that did not happen.

Then the test started and essays were decent. I have received my official score report and i have scored 5 in AWA. I took 3-4 mins break after AWA section and went forward with my quant section. I think i was doing well because at around 7-8 questions i got real tough ones. Similar thing happened at around 23-24 questions. I could not answer last question properly and had to guess. Otherwise quant was good (at least i thought). I took second break and had some water and then came back for verbal. First two questions were SC, third one was CR and 4-7 were RC questions and i really suck at RC. But i devoted good time on 4-7 questions and think got couple of them correct. Again, i got RC questions 11-14 and again RC topic was not something which i am comfortable with (similar to first RC). I got some real tough ones in CR, but ended my test on a high. I was hoping to get somewhere around 690-720 but was shocked to see 660.

Regarding my last MGMAT, i scored a 740 (51Q, 39V). I finished my quant section with 8 mins to spare and verbal section with 3-4 mins to spare.

I was aiming for 30+ questions correct in quant and 28+ questions correct with reasonable performance in top 15 in both sections and based on my experience with these much questions correct i should manage a 700+ score. Now, two things are possible here:

1. I got sufficient number of questions correct in both sections, but in actual GMAT you need to get more questions correct.
2. I did not get sufficient number of questions correct.

As i am planning to retake the test in last week of august, i need to work on my quant to aim for 50/51 and 35-40 on verbal. I know i need some work on my DS and RC. Please suggest me some good books for the same. I am planning to buy 8 books of MGMAT.

[hototc03]

Thanks Stacey for your good suggestion .

[StaceyKoprince]

1. I got sufficient number of questions correct in both sections, but in actual GMAT you need to get more questions correct.
2. I did not get sufficient number of questions correct.

Neither of the above - that's not how the scoring works. Unless you (a) scored VERY high or VERY low, or (b) ran out of time badly and had to guess on a ton or left questions blank, then you answered roughly 60% of the questions correctly. That's true at your 660 level, at 700, at 600, at 550... the score is not based on the # of questions you got right, but on the difficulty ratings of the specific questions that you answered correctly vs. incorrectly.

You can't simplify this to "I need to get this many right" and it's actually dangerous to do so, because it leads to decision-making that was appropriate when you were taking paper-based tests in school (which were graded based on percentage correct), but that same decision-making can actually be counterproductive on the GMAT.

I strongly suggest that you read the Scoring section of our free e-book The GMAT Uncovered Guide. It's really important to understand how the scoring works; otherwise, it's very tough to maximize your score.

with reasonable performance in top 15 in both sections

Are you referring to the first 15 questions in each section? It's a myth that the earlier questions in the section are worth more. Rather, your goal is to have a steady performance across the entire section. Again, take a look at that Scoring section I mentioned above.

Please suggest me some good books for the same. I am planning to buy 8 books of MGMAT.

You are buying the books I would already have suggested. :) Although I will add: you scored in the 82nd percentile on quant, so you may actually benefit most at this point from our Advanced Quant book. It takes you through problem solving and analysis strategies that are necessary for 90th+ percentile scores on quant.

Re: DS, are you 100% sure that DS is actually a weakness for you? I ask because I see this scenario a lot: a student tells me that DS is a weakness, and that person also has timing problems on quant. I look at their tests (I can only do this for my students - sorry) and I see that they don't actually have a DS problem. Rather, they're spending too much time on PS problems and then they have to rush somehow to catch up, so they rush on DS... and then DS performance goes down. But they're not BAD at DS. They're just not spending enough time on it.

Use this article to review your latest MGMAT practice test and see:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ice-tests/

Note that the analysis described in that article is extensive - share all of your analysis results with us and we will be better able to advise you.

Also, I just updated the time management article - take a look:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/

Finally, for RC, start with the articles I linked in one of my earlier posts, and then move on to the book when you get it. Also, start reading a little bit every day. Try these sites:
http://magazine.uchicago.edu/ - particularly articles in the "Investigations" tab
http://harvardmagazine.com/
http://sciam.com/

(Note: Scientific American can sometimes be a bit too casual compared to the GMAT, but if you don't like science passages, that's a good source to use.)

[hilmercastilo]

Hello Stacey,

Sorry for not replying. But you can be assured that i went through each and every link provided by you and i bet each link helped in one way or the other.

I took GMAT couple of days back and scored 690(Q48, V36). I would have loved to hit a 50/ 51 in quantitative but could not.

I am planning to apply for Fall-2011, so need your help in deciding which Admission Consultancy to choose. I have following universities in mind:
1. OHIO
2. Penn State
3. RICE
4. SMU
5. NYU (Dream)
6. University of Illinois at Urbana Campaign

Stacey, I would really like to thank you for the guidance with granular details. I will come up with a debrief in coming days to share my experiences.

[StaceyKoprince]

That's really great, Varun! I know you wanted to be a little bit higher, but 690 is a really great score.

Re: what admissions firm to use, I would encourage you to make appointments with 2 or 3 and see what you think yourself. It's important to find someone with whom you feel comfortable. You'll also have to take a look at prices and see what works for you.

I've spoken with multiple people who work for MBA Mission and I like their general philosophies and practices. I have also heard good things about Clear Admit and Stacy Blackman (but I think Stacy Blackman is really expensive - FYI).

Put together a list of questions and concerns, call up 2 or 3 companies, and ask to speak to someone. Ask the same questions of each (including pricing) and then you'll have better data to decide who might be the best match for you.

[hilmercastilo]

Hello Stacey,

Thanks for your suggestion. I visited Princeton Review and Manhattan Review in my vicinity. I should be able to decide between these two in a couple of days. Please let me know if you have some other recommendations (economical ones).

And how many schools should i apply to to ensure that i get an admit call?

[StaceyKoprince]

Oh, do those companies do admissions work? I didn't know that.

A certain number of applications can't ensure, of course, that someone gets in somewhere, but it is important to make sure that you are applying to different "kinds" of schools. Most of your applications will be "normal" ones, where you have a decent chance to get in, but you might not. If you *definitely* want to go to business school this year (vs. just waiting if you don't get into the better schools), then you should also apply to 1 or 2 "safety" schools - schools that you are almost certain to get into based on your record. Some people will also apply to 1 or 2 "reach" schools - schools that you aren't that likely to get into, but you try anyway just in case. :)