When should I schedule my GMAT?

[y_roy82]

Hi,

I have been preparing for GMAT for a month now. I took 5 CAT tests absolutely under typical exam conditions.

My on line MCAT scores were:
(1/2/2011) CAT1- V31, Q43 - T600
(1/8/2011) CAT2- V35, Q46 - T670
(1/9/2011) CAT3- V30, Q43 - T600
(1/11/2011) CAT4- V32, Q45 - T630
(1/14/2011) CAT5- V31, Q48 - T640

After the exam I retry the incorrect Quant questions again to find that I solved at least half of them now in less than 2mins (close to the time i spent on them in exam), rest are just something new to learn for me. I am trying to say is that I make silly mistakes in hurry and in a pressure to finish in time.
I do not know how to improve beyond this score.
I solved kaplan 800 quant section with ease, i can say, but I goof up in the real thing.
Please suggest what should be my approach in the exam and what new material i should refer for quant specially Probability and PnC section? Also any helpful tips to get that score to 50.

I am really bad at verbal as you can see from my scores. On an average 20 correct of the 41 questions.
percentage of correct answers in each section for 5 MCATs:
RC - 43%
CR - 53%
SC - 57%

I pulled out this figures from Assessment report feature of MCAT. Really helpful. Thank you for this.

I can eliminate 3 choices but it is tough for me to decide from the last two, that explains why I get almost 50% correct in CR and SC.

I am aiming at a score more than 720-30 and want to take the exam in next two weeks at the max.
I think I need to get at least 40 in Verbal section to achieve that score. As many practice tests I take its the same result.
I really want to improve my reading skills in CR and RC.
Please guide me what should I do now to improve my verbal score. Any specific material please?

Also one more question. I have only 1 MCAT left of the package of 6. If I purchase another package will they have different set of questions than the previous one? If that's the case I see a point in buying a new package.

Thanks,
Roy

[StaceyKoprince]

Please suggest what should be my approach in the exam and what new material i should refer for quant

Except for practice tests, you haven't told me what materials you've already used or what your approach has been. So I can't really tell you what else you should try. :) Give me an idea of what you've done so far.

I can get some ideas based upon the way in which you wrote your post. There are a couple of things on which you need to take a step back. For instance, you told me the percentage correct for your verbal section, but that information by itself tells me very little. Percentage correct data MUST be combined with timing and difficulty level data in order to evaluate the information properly.

I'd recommend that you start by reading our free e-book The GMAT Uncovered. You can find it in the Extras section of your student center. Pay particular attention to the section about scoring.

I am aiming at a score more than 720-30 and want to take the exam in next two weeks at the max.

I cannot give you advice about how to do this. I have never met anyone who has improved their score from your current score to your desired score in 2 weeks. My guess is that most people would need at least 2-3months (assuming that your current score is in the low to mid 600s). I know that's not the news you want to hear, but it's better to know the truth so that you can adjust accordingly.

As many practice tests I take its the same result.

STOP taking so many practice tests. You should not expect that much of a difference in the timeframe you are discussing, and taking practice tests is a terrible way to try to improve your score.

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.

After you've read The GMAT Uncovered, read this article:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/02/ ... study-plan

And then this one:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm

And then these for the different question types (these are examples showing how to implement the strategy described in the main Analyze a Problem article above):
SC: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/GMATprep-SC.cfm
CR: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/CR-assumption.cfm
RC: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... estion.cfm
PS: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm
DS: http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/a ... roblem.cfm

That should give you a good idea about HOW you need to study.

Timing is critically important; read this article before you do any more practice problem sets or tests:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/12/ ... management

Next, these articles can help you with reading comp:
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

And these for CR:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/05/ ... -reasoning

And SC:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/06/ ... on-problem

And you mentioned making careless errors:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/04/ ... our-errors

Finally, do not purchase another CAT package from us. There is only one database of questions. You can still take both GMATPrep and MGMAT CATs with repeats as long as you follow a few guidelines to minimize the chance of artificially inflating your score via question repeats. First, anytime you see a problem that you remember (and this means: I know the answer or I'm pretty sure I remember the answer, not just "hmm, this looks vaguely familiar..."), immediately look at the timer and make yourself sit there for the full length of time for that question type. This way, you don't artificially give yourself more time than you should have. Second, think about whether you got this problem right the last time. If you did, get it right again this time. If you didn't, get it wrong again. If you *completely honestly* think that you would get it right this time around if it were a new question (even though you got it wrong last time) because you've studied that area and improved, then get it right this time.

[y_roy82]

Stacey! Thank you for the reply,

Except for practice tests, you haven't told me what materials you've already used or what your approach has been. So I can't really tell you what else you should try. :) Give me an idea of what you've done so far.

I started of with McGraw hill, then shifted to Princeton Review cracking the GMAT, practised with Kaplan 800.
In quant my weakest sections are Probability, PnC.

Percentage correct data MUST be combined with timing and difficulty level data in order to evaluate the information properly.

Some assessment data:
Quant:
PS -
Correct ans - Avg time: 1:56, Avg Diff: 660, (7h-8h: 2:24)
Wrong ans - Avg time: 2:44, Avg Diff: 710 , (7h-8h: 2:48)
Accuracy(7h-8h): 42%

DS -
Correct ans - Avg time: 1:41 , Avg Diff: 660, (7h-8h: 2:01 )
Wrong ans - Avg time: 1:42, Avg Diff: 720, (7h-8h: 1:28)
Accuracy(7h-8h): 35%

Verbal:
CR -
Correct ans - Avg time: 2:04, Avg Diff: 610, (7h-8h: 2:18 )
Wrong ans - Avg time: 2:02, Avg Diff: 660, (7h-8h: 2:24)
Accuracy(7h-8h): 35%

RC -
Correct ans - Avg time: 2:13, Avg Diff: 630, (7h-8h: 2:45)
Wrong ans - Avg time: 1:59, Avg Diff: 660, (7h-8h: 2:16)
Accuracy(7h-8h): 30%

SC -
Correct ans - Avg time: 1:15, Avg Diff: 630, (7h-8h: 1:21)
Wrong ans - Avg time: 1:32, Avg Diff: 690, (7h-8h: 1:25 )
Accuracy(7h-8h): 36%

I guess thats too much data but what I can see from it is that I need to improve my 7h-8h accuracy.

STOP taking so many practice tests. You should not expect that much of a difference in the timeframe you are discussing, and taking practice tests is a terrible way to try to improve your score.

I tried to apply different strategies while taking tests but none worked. And in between tests I worked on the errors and did not repeat them in later tests. this works for quant, but their is always somthing new in each test that I get wrong.
For verbal, like I said before its difficult between the last two options, but to improve this i think i need to practice more.

I read about your tennis match strategy, makes a lot of sense, I went through some of the links you provided. I figured that I should practice lots of questions for both quant and verbal. Because I tend not to make the same mistake again (but this does not work for CR and RC)
I think this is a best strategy for me right now. And schedule GMAT once I get atleast two consecutive above 700-710 scores Please correct me if I am wrong.
I am planning to buy Princeton review 1012, practice many questions get info from the links you provided and attempt my last remaining CAT coming weekend.

So please suggest some books where I can find 7h-8h questions to practice.

Also since I have exhausted all Manhattan CATs are their any other options available online for CAT exams.
I found Focus for quant and OG verbal review. But I want something like the full length MCATs which are adaptive.
Where can I find MGMATs, I have read about them in forums?

Oh! Its a long post. Any help, I will be thankful.

Roy

[StaceyKoprince]

I guess thats too much data but what I can see from it is that I need to improve my 7h-8h accuracy.

That's not what I'm getting from a reading of your case. The data you posted was from your 5th test, presumably, the one on which you scored a 640?

If you scored a 640, it wasn't the 700-800 level questions that prevented you from getting to that level. It was 600-700 levels, and possibly some 500-600s as well.

You can get a 700 while getting all of the 700+ questions wrong. But you can't get a 700 if you get too many 600 or 650 level Qs wrong.

I figured that I should practice lots of questions for both quant and verbal.

What do you mean by "practice?" If you mean "do" a bunch of questions... it's going to take you a long time. If you split your activities into two groups, "doing" and "reviewing," doing = trying the problem under timed conditions, and reviewing = everything I do after I'm done doing the problem in the first place (and this is described in those "How To Analyze" articles I linked to last time). Maybe 15% of your learning comes from doing and 85% comes from reviewing.

So if, by "practice," you mean doing some and reviewing a whole lot, great. If you mean doing a ton and reviewing a little... I can't recommend that. :)

Where can I find MGMATs, I have read about them in forums?

I'm not sure what you're asking here - what specific tool or product are you trying to find?

You can still take both GMATPrep and MGMAT CATs with repeats as long as you follow a few guidelines to minimize the chance of artificially inflating your score via question repeats. First, anytime you see a problem that you remember (and this means: I know the answer or I'm pretty sure I remember the answer, not just "hmm, this looks vaguely familiar..."), immediately look at the timer and make yourself sit there for the full length of time for that question type. This way, you don't artificially give yourself more time than you should have. Second, think about whether you got this problem right the last time. If you did, get it right again this time. If you didn't, get it wrong again. If you *completely honestly* think that you would get it right this time around if it were a new question (even though you got it wrong last time) because you've studied that area and improved, then get it right this time.

BUT, you shouldn't be taking any more of these right now. You have a TON of data already. USE IT before you waste any more CATs. You can easily find 2-4 weeks' worth of things to study based on the results of a single CAT!

You can use this article to analyze your most recent CATs and figure out what you need to do from here:
http://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/e ... -part1.cfm

If you would like, you can post your analysis here (not just the raw data, but your analysis of what the data means!), and we'll tell you whether we agree, etc.