Practice Exams

[borrelli_13]

I scored a 660 (Q47,V33) on MGMAT 5, but I don't want to take the test until I'm up to at least 700 on the practice exams. I've been really plowing through practice problems over the past couple weeks and still feel I have room for improvement. However, I only have 1 practice exam left through MGMAT. What are other good sources for practice exams? I saw a previous post that referenced GMAT PREP 1 & 2, but I'm not sure what site those are offered through.

Also, what different Q & V combinations will result in a 700?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated...thanks!!

[StaceyKoprince]

GMATPrep is a practice exam (well, 2, actually) offered for free by the people who make the official test. You can download the exams from www.mba.com. Definitely get those, though you should know that those exams do not offer explanations for the problems, nor will they show you how much time you spent on each question. You'll have to use a stopwatch yourself to keep track (which you should do, as that's important data to help you improve!).

You can find explanations for a lost of the questions in the two GMATPrep folders here on the forums. Search for a problem to see whether it's already there; if not, you can post it yourself.

How often are you taking practice tests? It's not typically useful to take them more than once a week, and it's actually better to go closer to 2-3 weeks before taking another. CAT exams are really good for (a) figuring out where you're scoring right now, (b) practicing stamina, and (c) analyzing your strengths and weaknesses. The actual act of just taking the exam is NOT so useful for improving. It's what you do with the test results / between tests that helps you to improve.

There are a lot of different combinations that add up to a 700. You need to be able to score at least a 36 or 37 on verbal and at least a 39 or 40 on quant. (Though those are the bare minimums if you maximize the other score; a combo of those two figures will be closer to 600 than 700.) If your quant stays around 47, you'd probably need around a 40 or low 40s on verbal.

[tomslawsky]

GMAT PowerPrep is free and basically the same as GMAT PREP from MBA.com, it's just the older version.

[borrelli_13]

Thanks Stacey. I've been taking one per week for the past 3 weeks. I'm enrolled in the 9-session course and my last class is tomorrow. I would like to take the GMAT by the end of this month.

While my Q has improved drastically since I started, my V hasn't improved at all (32-34) on the prior exams. However, I haven't put nearly enough time into the V practice problems. My plan is to really focus on them over the next couple weeks, but realistically I don't know if I can get up to 40. I'm considering enrolling in the online SC workshop.

[StaceyKoprince]

Make sure you also sign up for the post-class exam review by your instructor. S/he should give instructions during the final class as to how to sign up for this (or ask if s/he forgets!). The instructor will take a look through three of your exams and give you advice about what to do to continue to improve.

It's a good idea, when requesting the review, to write a little summary (send via email) about your goal score, when you plan to take the test, what you think your strengths and weaknesses are, etc. That will help your teacher to advise you.