What do my scores say?

[rohitsingh1281]

Hi so started preparing a couple of months ago and here is my progress in CATs (various sources) i have taken on almost regular intervals:

630: Q38/V37
650: Q38/V41
680: Q44/V38
690: Q42/V41
700: Q44/V42
730: Q46/V44
700: Q44/V41

I am aiming at 730+ but as you see i seem to be stagnating now around 700. Very clearly i have a weak quant score across all tests.
I have around 2 weeks left for the real test. How do i up my Quant?
Also which tests can i take for the most accurate estimation of my preparation?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[StaceyKoprince]

Your score 1-2 weeks out is approximately what you can expect on the real test, so the question to ask yourself is whether you want to postpone your test.

Do you want a 730 but would actually be happy with a 700? If so, keep your test date. Or would you rather study some more and postpone in order to go for that 730 (no guarantees, of course)? If so, postpone. (You pay only a $50 fee to reschedule as long as you do so >7 days out from your test date.)

Next, did you take those tests under 100% official conditions, including essay and IR? If not, then your score could be artificially inflated, so you'd want to factor that into your decision.

Your verbal score is fantastic - as you note, quant is the problematic area. I'd be happy to advise you, but I need some data on your strengths and weaknesses.

First, read these two articles:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Then, use the below to analyze your most recent *MGMAT* CAT (this should take you a minimum of 1 hour):
http://tinyurl.com/analyzeyourcats

Figure out your strengths and weaknesses as well as what you think you should do based on that analysis. Then come back here and tell us; we'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)

p.s. As far as I know, the two most accurate practice tests are our own and GMATPrep. Our company publishes standard deviation and other stats for our tests. No other test prep company does so, so I can't say for sure - but my general assumption is that, if people had better numbers than ours, they'd publicize those numbers. :)

[rohitsingh1281]

Thanks Stacey for your inputs.
Yes, the Mocks were taken under proper tests conditions and were full length except for a couple of them which were taken earlier. Let me give you an analysis of the last couple of tests.

1. 800Score.com
Score: 700
Verbal: 42 (31/41)
Quant: 44 (28/37)

This one i finished both sections on time, so the test was paced ok and i hardly spent more than 2 mins on any question.

2. GMAT Prep
Score: 700
Verbal: 41 (31/41)
Quant: 44 (18/37)

Here i was a little distracted and ended up spending a lot of time on some questions and was left with 3 mins for the last 10 questions - guessed them all and got 8 wrong.

That said:
1. I am willing to/planning to postpone the test by at least couple of more weeks.
2. No I at least need a 730 and am not willing to settle for a 700.
3. I have another GMATPrep left and will share the analysis of the test with you here once i take it this week/end.
4. My weak areas in quant: 700+ level questions. I have solving the Manhattan Advanced Quant Guide and the accuracy rate has been 60% (until recently when it has improved to 70-75%). The improvement has mainly been because i have been able to grasp some concepts recently. But i do also know that there is still some distance to go.
5. I will also take an MGMAT next week and share the analysis here.

Couple of questions:
1. How long do i spend on a quant question before i give up?
2. Should i slightly more than average time on any 700+ questions i encounter while i am still under question 15 in the real test?


Thanks for your help in advance!!

[StaceyKoprince]

2. Should i slightly more than average time on any 700+ questions i encounter while i am still under question 15 in the real test?

No, for three reasons. First, the earlier questions are not worth more than the later ones. Second, you have no idea which are 700+. (Even the test makers have to test these questions on a thousand real students to determine the difficulty level. You can't just look at question and know.) Third, the 2 or 3 hardest (and easiest) questions on your test will count less towards your score than all of the other questions. (The "outliers" count less.)

In general, most quant questions should fall between 1 minute and 2.5 minutes - enough time at the lower end to really give it a shot and minimize careless mistakes, but not so much time at the higher end that you shoot yourself in the foot on later questions.

If I finish a quant question and think it hasn't even been a minute yet, I check my work.

1. How long do i spend on a quant question before i give up?

The real decision point is at the approx. 1 min mark. Yes, 1 min, not 2!

Read section 4 of this article to understand why:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... nt-part-1/

(Note: section 4 is in the second half of the article.) And then read the rest of the article and start doing what it says. :)

The key overall idea is: if you don't know what you're doing by the halfway mark, then you're not going to finish this one off (let alone correctly!) by the 2 to 2.5m mark, so you might as well stop now, try to make an educated guess, and move on. Save that time and mental energy for lower-hanging fruit, since all of the questions (except the very easiest and hardest in your mix) are worth the same.

It sounds like you know what you need to do in terms of the material - and do let me know once you take another test. Don't take a test more often than once every week or two - you already have data from the first test, so it's not worth it to take another so soon after!

[rohitsingh1281]

Hi Stacey,

Thanks for your valuable insights.
So i took took another test on GMATPrep.

Score: 730 (96th Percentile)
Breakup: 44Q (63rd Percentile)/46V (99th Percentile).

Quant - Got 23 Correct on 37 (last 4 questions were guesses due to lack of time).
Verbal - Got 36 Correct on 41 (finished on time).

In Quant, I see clearly that i am weak on some concepts. Is there any place where i can work on questions concept wise - especially ones frequently tested in GMAT? Have less than 10 days to go for the test. Any help would be highly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Regards
Rohit Singh

[StaceyKoprince]

If you have less than 10 days to go, then you have a different decision to make. Your score 10 days out is about what you're going to get on the real thing - it's not going to change all that much. And your focus the last 10 days really needs to be on a comprehensive review, not on tiring your brain out trying to get better on a subset of things (and possibly forgetting things that you already know because you're trying to cram a bunch of new stuff into your brain).

The only two things that *might* (might!) change in 7-10 days are:
(1) Careless mistakes - figure out what types you tend to make and learn how to minimize them.
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/
(2) STOP spending a bunch of extra time on too-hard questions (if you are doing this...and most people are). STOP rushing on questions that you do know how to do; take normal time and reduce your careless mistakes.

That might be enough to give you a 10-20 point buffer. MAYBE.

So: do you generally find that score acceptable? Please read this before deciding:
http://www.mbamission.com/blog/2014/08/ ... to-get-in/

If so, go into review mode.
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... an-part-1/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... ew-part-2/

If not, consider postponing your test. If you do so at least 7 days ahead of your test date, you have to pay a $50 rescheduling fee. If you do so within 7 days, you have to pay the whole $250 again.

If you are already within the 7 days, then I would keep the test date, but still focus on review until then. Go into the test planning to take it a second time (and it will be a pleasant surprise if you don't have to!).

Our books do list the OG questions by topic area - the back of each book lists the relevant OG questions for each chapter. If you would like more specific advice about what to do for quant, please see my first post in this thread and use that info to analyze your most recent MGMAT CATs. Tell me the areas in Bucket 2 for you (you'll understand what that is when you read the article on analyzing CATs).