Stuck at 660 - Ends with 720 (Q50, V37)

[saravanaraj.jobs]

hi Stacey,
I need some help. My test is on 9/27. I have been giving MGMAT CAt, GMATPrep 1 and other CATS and my scores are all aout 660 with (Q45 and V35). I feel like I am stuck here. I have 4 more weeks to go. My target score is 720. I am confident that my quant score will improve up to 48. But my biggest question or worry here is that my verbal score. Lots of people who wrote the tests recently have much reduced score in verbal. This is where I can go wrong on test day. I score very poorly in RC. CR is good and SC has improved a lot. I am still not able to hit my desired score in my practice test.

Please give me some inputs to improve my score leading up to the test day.

Regards
Raj

[StaceyKoprince]

I would be happy to help. I need some more data from you.

What have you been using to study so far and how have you been studying?

Please use the below article to analyze your most recent practice test; then come back here and tell us the results of your analysis. If you deviated from official conditions in ANY way, no matter how minor (and including the essays), include that information in your next post.

http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/09/23 ... tice-tests

These verbal articles will also provide you a starting point while you wait to hear back from us on your analysis of your practice test:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/04/ ... mp-passage
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/07/ ... rc-passage
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/06/ ... on-problem
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/05/ ... -reasoning

[saravanaraj.jobs]

I have been studying for more than 6 months now. I had my test scheduled on 7/20, but had to postpone it due to personal reasons. Now I have my test scheduled on 9/27. I read the following books:
1. MGMAT SC - 3 times now
2. MGMAT CR
3. MGMAT RC - (my weakest area)
4. OG 11, 12 and Verbal and Quants 2nd edition.

My practice test scores are as follows:
1. GMAT Prep 1 - 5/15 (Q49, V24) - 560 with AWA
2. MGMAT CAT1 - 7/14 (Q48, V37) - 700 no AWA
3. MGMAT CAT 2 - 7/15 (Q42, V32) - 600 (actually poor time management in quants made me guess last 8 questions). no AWA
4. GMAT Prep 2 - 7/16 (Q48, V25) - 590 with AWA
5. MGMAT CAT 3 - 7/18 (No quants, V32) no AWA
6. GMAT Prep 1 Retake - (Q48, V33) - 660 no AWA
7. MGMAT CAT 4 - 8/21 (Q44, V36) - 660 no AWA
8. MGMAT CAT 5 - 8/28 (Q44, V36) - 660 no AWA

As you can see from my scores, verbal is what is going to decide my final score. For the last month or so, I am not putting too much time in quants. I am going to work on speed and tougher quants from here on.

Verbal
1. SC - After I read MGMAT SC for third time, I am now confident. I can understand sentence structure and I am more consistent now. between 75% and 80%.
2. CR - Always been my strength. Accuracy is > 80%.
3. RC weakest - only 50% correct. but interesting enough when I just do some official guide tough questions accuracy rate is better.

I will analyze my last 2 CATS and post it soon. Please let me know what do you think my problem areas are and how to improve my score to 720?

-----

[ekta.anand]

I have very similar result in my mock test going on.
Would be eager to know what Stacey can suggest here

[StaceyKoprince]

The first thing that strikes me is the very large number of CAT tests you've taken, and the frequency with which you've taken them.

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. Generally speaking, you don't want to take another test until you feel you have done significant work to improve the major deficiencies you uncovered after you took your last test.

If you've been focusing on taking lots of exams or doing lots of problem sets, then you aren't learning as much (or as efficiently) as you could be.

Your verbal was signficantly lower both times you did the AWA, so stamina is an issue for you. When you do take tests from now on, you must take them under full official conditions, INCLUDING the essays.

You can also practice stamina while studying. Schedule 2 hour practice sessions. Before you begin, plan out every single thing you'll do during the 2 hours. Halfway through, take an 8 minute break. Otherwise, work hard the entire time. Don't answer your phone. Ignore email. Don't even have anything to eat (except on the break). Push your brain to engage the entire time.

While studying, spend 1/4 of any given study period doing problems and 3/4 of the time reviewing and analyzing those problems. Most of your learning comes from your review and analysis, NOT from simply doing the problem in the first place.

You can use this article to help you learn how to review and analyze your work:

http://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/10/09 ... ce-problem

If you have not been reviewing problems in this way, then go back to problems that you've already done and start reviewing - all those OG and other books. You didn't extract what you could / should have if you weren't conducting an in-depth analysis of your work.

You're telling me accuracy for the three verbal areas, but accuracy in a non-adaptive setting and without time constraints is basically a meaningless statistic. Don't get so caught up in accuracy by itself. How is your timing? Are you able to work within the timing guidelines? What are your strengths and weaknsses when you do problems in an adaptive setting (so that you aren't getting a ton of too-easy problems)?

I will analyze my last 2 CATS and post it soon. Please let me know what do you think my problem areas are and how to improve my score to 720?

I can guess that you may not have been spending enough time on analysis previously, but I can't begin to answer that question with any detail until I see your test analysis. (Note: follow what the article says; don't post the data in the test reports. Do the analysis yourself and then let me know what you found out.)

[saravanaraj.jobs]

Stacey, You are the first person that comes to mind to convey thanks. I just got back from the test, I got 720 (Q50, V37).

you have been of great help. Thank you so much.

[StaceyKoprince]

Wow - that's really fantastic! Congratulations!

We're glad to help; it's what we do. :) Good luck with apps - let us know how that goes!