Regarding my MGMAT cat scores

[beswar]

Hi,

I used MCAT test for three times. I get score around Q 43-46 and V 30-36. I believe both are very disppointing for me. I do extremely bad in Data sufficiency especially on 700-800 questions, Reading comprehension and Sentence correction. I was very frustated that my score is not improved. Could you please let me know what can I do to improve my score. I did purchase Manhattan GMAT books, I used Official Guide GMAt books. I also worked problems using Kaplan books and would like to know any tips.

Thanks
Eswar

[JonathanSchneider]

Hi Eswar,

It's good that you've identified your weaker areas. It would probably help if you could be even more detailed - are there particular types of problems that are troubling you? For example, you say that Data Sufficiency is an issue. Does this happen more often on Number Properties DS questions, or Algebra questions, etc.? You'll want to know that so that you can target your practice. Ditto for RC and SC.

The best practice is also done in the difficulty range where we are currently starting to break down. For you, this might be in the 600's right now, so concentrate there. It's important to focus on those areas before challenging yourself with just the hardest stuff. Ditto for when you review from the OG - focus on the areas where you start to get stuff wrong about 50% of the time under timed conditions.

One last thought - sometimes buying new books/new review materials is not the best approach. At this point, you will probably be better off just going over the OG problems again - but rather than aim to get the right, you should aim to deeply understand each question.

[beswar]

Thanks for your tip. Could you please let me know whether the question in OG are in the order of difficulty. Also I did not great in number properties in DSS, Assumptions and Draw Conclusion in CR and Inference questions in SC.

[StaceyKoprince]

OG questions are in rough order of difficulty for all question types EXCEPT Reading Comp.

Number Properties questions are very common on the test, so it's important to go back and review those concepts. The hardest thing about NP on the test tends to be that the test writers are very good at disguising the question topic, so that it's hard to even figure out what concept they're testing. At the back of your Number Properties book, you have problem sets from the OG for each chapter. Take the time to identify the specific clues (words, symbols, and particular combinations of words or descriptions) that should trigger you to think about specific concepts (e.g. prime numbers, or consecutive integers). As the questions get harder, they will no longer use the word "prime" or the word "consecutive" in the problem; instead, they will provide the definition of the concept somewhere in the question and you have to be able to recognize: oh, those words mean this question is about prime.

For CR and RC in general, make sure you are studying why the wrong answers are wrong. Be able to articulate:
- specifically why each wrong answer is wrong
- which wrong answer is the most tempting and why
- how to recognize that the tempting wrong answer is still wrong anyway so you can eliminate it
- why someone might be tempted to eliminate the right answer

Also, for both Draw and Conclusion (CR) and Inference (RC), the correct answer has to meet a very strict test: it must be 100% true according to the information in the argument or passage. If a particular answer does not have to be 100% true, if there's even a small chance that it might not be true, then that answer is wrong. If I tell you that chocolate is my favorite flavor of ice cream, you might infer that I like chocolate in general, and I like ice cream in general, and I like sweets in general. Those things may be true, but they don't have to be true - so none of those would be a correct inference or conclusion. On the other hand, it is 100% true that vanilla is not my favorite flavor of ice cream. (By definition, "favorite" is the ONE I like best.)

Here are some other things to think about in general as you study:
Was I able to CATEGORIZE this question by topic and subtopic? By process / technique?
Did I make a CONNECTION to previous experience? Or did I have to do it all from scratch?
Did I COMPREHEND the symbols, text, questions, statements, and answer choices?
Did I understand the CONTENT being tested?
Did I choose the best APPROACH? (a lot of the time, the way you try a problem the first time is NOT the best way to do the problem!)
Did I have the SKILLS to follow through?
Am I comfortable with OTHER STRATEGIES that would have worked, at least partially? How should I have made an educated guess?
Do I understand every TRAP & TRICK that the writer built into the question, including wrong answers?
Have I MASTERED this problem? Could I explain every aspect, fully, to someone else?
How will I RECOGNIZE similar problems in the future, so that I know what to do rather than having to figure everything out from scratch?

Also, when you get something wrong, figure out WHY you got it wrong. Then figure out what you need to do to minimize the chances of making those specific errors in the future. Then do whatever you need to do to make those things a habit for the future.