I just took the GMAT this morning. And I tanked. I received a 500 (Q28, V31). I am not dissapointed as much as I am frustrated. While my practice tests are not high at all: 500 to 620 range, I was hopeful that during the test I would break the 600 barrier and then take it from there for a second attempt.
As for my history, basically, due to a tumultous period of transition I have been studying on and off again for a year. I took the MGMAT course for the second time last April and I was about to take the test in August but was unable to do so because I was in the middle of a job transition. I assume that I have studied on and off again has affected my performance.
I say I am feeling frustrated because I know the content and the procedures back and forth at this point but I cannot seem to make any progress during the test. I log all the problems I work on and I have identified my weaknesses: most of my issues seem to be around making careless mistakes and not having sufficient time to finish the problems - particularly in the Quant section. I usually do much better in the Verbal. (The "high" practice test scores I have received have been mostly due to high Verbal scores.)
So I have tried to work on those issues but I feel it's a bit of a chicken and egg problem: in order to avoid silly mistakes I spend more time on the problem and therefore I run out of time. That happened today: I practically ran out of time on both Quant and Verbal around the the 28th, 29th question so I was forced to guess after that. I feel I cannot comfortably go at a faster pace without feeling like I am guessing, however.
As for the work, this is what I have done so far:
1)MGMAT Course
2)All Strategy Guides (Not advanced sections though)
3)All Master List Problems using OG Archer (Not advanced problems though)
4)Online Labs: Yes/No; Quick Elimination; Rephrase, Timing Strategy
5)Integrated Reasoning Section
6)All Math Question Banks
7)All 6 CAT Exams
8) Both GMAC Practice Tests
9)MGMAT Flashcards
10)Foundations of Math Book
I know that is unrealistic for me to get a 700 score but I would like to believe that I can do mid 600's, a 670 would be ideal. I have a pretty strong background and I am applying for an EMBA so I believe that my GMAT will weigh less than if I was applying for a full-time MBA.
I don't really know where to take it from here and I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has gone through this before and was able to succeed in obtaining a higher score.
Thanks!
DM
GMAT Forum
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- DM
- Course Students
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 8:00 pm
- RonPurewal
- Students
- Posts: 19744
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2007 8:23 am
Re: Feeling Frustrated. Seeking Advice.
hi, some comments:
well, not necessarily.
the good thing about this exam is that it's the kind of task on which "forgetting" or "losing momentum" is a non-issue.
here's a post i wrote about that on another forum:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/580-re-take- ... tml#480613
as far as content/procedures -- how often have you been using alternative (i.e., non-"textbook") methods in solving quant problems?
stuff like...
... working backward from answer choices (on multiple choice)
... plugging in your own values for undetermined quantities (on multiple choice)
... estimating answers
... testing individual cases on DS
if the answer is not "i've been doing those things regularly", then there's your focus.
among all the "content and procedures" you could learn for the math section, those are by far the most important -- together they actually solve more than half of all the math problems!
in my experience -- and according to many formal studies -- this whole idea isn't accurate.
unless you are rushing through the problems at blinding speed, "silly mistakes" are largely NOT tied to the speed with which you work problems.
if you are making "silly mistakes", then i can pretty much guarantee you the cause is one of two things: (1) lack of organization, or (2) trying to retain too many things in your head rather than writing them down on the page.
as for (1), you should always try to impose some sort of framework on the problem. take a look at your math scratchwork -- if it's mostly random scrawlings positioned randomly on the page, then organization is something you need to work on. some suggestions:
* if it's a word problem, always make some sort of chart or diagram to organize the information.
* if you are looking at different cases (e.g., positive/negative or even/odd), then arrange them in a table.
etc.
and then there's (2). i'm going to sound like your first-grade teacher here, but, if you are making procedural mistakes in arithmetic or algebra, then the most likely reason is that you're not writing down all the steps.
that means *all* the steps. if you subtract 2 from both sides of an equation, actually write out the two "minus 2"s, actually cancel whatever cancels, etc.
if you do this, you'll find that the rate at which you make "silly mistakes" plummets, as if by magic.
that's a lot of blank problems -- about 1/4 of the math section and 1/3 (!) of the verbal section.
what this means is that you need to take a long, hard look at what you do when you are stuck.
see, the problem here is, the problems on this test are not lots of work.
that doesn't mean they are easy (clearly, lots of them are hard) -- but it does mean that, if you've been working on a problem for a long time, then you ARE stuck, and have probably been stuck for a good long time already.
that's the secret to time management: you don't have to work fast. (take it from me, i am godawful slow at arithmetic and algebra.) you don't have to be incredibly efficient; in fact, quite the opposite -- if one approach (e.g. algebra) doesn't work on a given problem, you should have the time to try another one (e.g. plugging numbers or working backward).
you do, on the other hand, have to ...
... 1/ be VERY honest with yourself about when you are stuck,
and
... 2/ QUIT, IMMEDIATELY, when you are stuck.
that's it. that's the entire corpus of advice that can be given on time management.
it's not necessarily easy -- no one really loves the feeling of being stuck and quitting -- but, there it is.
note, also, that "quit" doesn't necessarily mean that you should guess right away and leave the problem -- it just means that you should quit what you are currently doing, and see whether you can find any other way to solve the problem.
if you have that kind of attitude -- zero perseverance, quit if your method doesn't give fast results -- you'll have plenty of time to try all sorts of alternative approaches when your "Plan A" goes south.
well, i don't personally know your profile, but i suspect this is false. instead, the most likely reality is that you are spending too much time continuing to work on problems when you're already at an impasse.
if you can identify (with brutal and uncomfortable honesty) the moments when you get stuck, and quit, right away, when you get there, then you'll magically get faster.
good luck.
DM Wrote:As for my history, basically, due to a tumultous period of transition I have been studying on and off again for a year. I took the MGMAT course for the second time last April and I was about to take the test in August but was unable to do so because I was in the middle of a job transition. I assume that I have studied on and off again has affected my performance.
well, not necessarily.
the good thing about this exam is that it's the kind of task on which "forgetting" or "losing momentum" is a non-issue.
here's a post i wrote about that on another forum:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/580-re-take- ... tml#480613
I say I am feeling frustrated because I know the content and the procedures back and forth at this point but I cannot seem to make any progress during the test.
as far as content/procedures -- how often have you been using alternative (i.e., non-"textbook") methods in solving quant problems?
stuff like...
... working backward from answer choices (on multiple choice)
... plugging in your own values for undetermined quantities (on multiple choice)
... estimating answers
... testing individual cases on DS
if the answer is not "i've been doing those things regularly", then there's your focus.
among all the "content and procedures" you could learn for the math section, those are by far the most important -- together they actually solve more than half of all the math problems!
So I have tried to work on those issues but I feel it's a bit of a chicken and egg problem: in order to avoid silly mistakes I spend more time on the problem and therefore I run out of time.
in my experience -- and according to many formal studies -- this whole idea isn't accurate.
unless you are rushing through the problems at blinding speed, "silly mistakes" are largely NOT tied to the speed with which you work problems.
if you are making "silly mistakes", then i can pretty much guarantee you the cause is one of two things: (1) lack of organization, or (2) trying to retain too many things in your head rather than writing them down on the page.
as for (1), you should always try to impose some sort of framework on the problem. take a look at your math scratchwork -- if it's mostly random scrawlings positioned randomly on the page, then organization is something you need to work on. some suggestions:
* if it's a word problem, always make some sort of chart or diagram to organize the information.
* if you are looking at different cases (e.g., positive/negative or even/odd), then arrange them in a table.
etc.
and then there's (2). i'm going to sound like your first-grade teacher here, but, if you are making procedural mistakes in arithmetic or algebra, then the most likely reason is that you're not writing down all the steps.
that means *all* the steps. if you subtract 2 from both sides of an equation, actually write out the two "minus 2"s, actually cancel whatever cancels, etc.
if you do this, you'll find that the rate at which you make "silly mistakes" plummets, as if by magic.
That happened today: I practically ran out of time on both Quant and Verbal around the the 28th, 29th question so I was forced to guess after that.
that's a lot of blank problems -- about 1/4 of the math section and 1/3 (!) of the verbal section.
what this means is that you need to take a long, hard look at what you do when you are stuck.
see, the problem here is, the problems on this test are not lots of work.
that doesn't mean they are easy (clearly, lots of them are hard) -- but it does mean that, if you've been working on a problem for a long time, then you ARE stuck, and have probably been stuck for a good long time already.
that's the secret to time management: you don't have to work fast. (take it from me, i am godawful slow at arithmetic and algebra.) you don't have to be incredibly efficient; in fact, quite the opposite -- if one approach (e.g. algebra) doesn't work on a given problem, you should have the time to try another one (e.g. plugging numbers or working backward).
you do, on the other hand, have to ...
... 1/ be VERY honest with yourself about when you are stuck,
and
... 2/ QUIT, IMMEDIATELY, when you are stuck.
that's it. that's the entire corpus of advice that can be given on time management.
it's not necessarily easy -- no one really loves the feeling of being stuck and quitting -- but, there it is.
note, also, that "quit" doesn't necessarily mean that you should guess right away and leave the problem -- it just means that you should quit what you are currently doing, and see whether you can find any other way to solve the problem.
if you have that kind of attitude -- zero perseverance, quit if your method doesn't give fast results -- you'll have plenty of time to try all sorts of alternative approaches when your "Plan A" goes south.
I feel I cannot comfortably go at a faster pace without feeling like I am guessing, however.
well, i don't personally know your profile, but i suspect this is false. instead, the most likely reality is that you are spending too much time continuing to work on problems when you're already at an impasse.
if you can identify (with brutal and uncomfortable honesty) the moments when you get stuck, and quit, right away, when you get there, then you'll magically get faster.
good luck.
- DM
- Course Students
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 8:00 pm
Re: Feeling Frustrated. Seeking Advice.
Hi Ron,
Thank you for your comments. I apologize for not replying before but I felt like I needed a break from the GMAT. I am going to give it a second shot.
This is good to know. This time I will not allow any gaps to pass between my studies.
I have used alternative methods mostly during the practice tests. I have really tried to take the direct approach when using the OG13 and Archer but fall back on these alternatives when running of time so I would say I have nurtured this skill as best as I know.
I would say that I certainly do not lack organization; I have learned all the proposed procedures to tackle problems according to the strategy books. As for retaining too many things in my head, this is certainly the case. In fact, I knew going into the test that I was going to try to solve quite a bit of the arithmetic in my head so I made sure to write everything down - perhaps this insecurity cost me some time.
This is probably the case - I felt I definitely obsessed over the accuracy of my procedures, which again cost me time. It's very difficult for me to let go. I can see how it affected my timing.
Ron, thanks again for your feedback, how would you pick up the pieces for Round 2? At this point I can review the material that I already know and I can work on getting better on fallback strategies. What do you think I should work on besides that? Should I just take practice tests? Should I redo all the problems in the Master OG Problems List (the beginners?) Any pointers would help. I would really like for this to work.
Best,
Daniel
Thank you for your comments. I apologize for not replying before but I felt like I needed a break from the GMAT. I am going to give it a second shot.
the good thing about this exam is that it's the kind of task on which "forgetting" or "losing momentum" is a non-issue.
This is good to know. This time I will not allow any gaps to pass between my studies.
as far as content/procedures -- how often have you been using alternative (i.e., non-"textbook") methods in solving quant problems?
stuff like...
... working backward from answer choices (on multiple choice)
... plugging in your own values for undetermined quantities (on multiple choice)
... estimating answers
... testing individual cases on DS
I have used alternative methods mostly during the practice tests. I have really tried to take the direct approach when using the OG13 and Archer but fall back on these alternatives when running of time so I would say I have nurtured this skill as best as I know.
unless you are rushing through the problems at blinding speed, "silly mistakes" are largely NOT tied to the speed with which you work problems.
if you are making "silly mistakes", then i can pretty much guarantee you the cause is one of two things: (1) lack of organization, or (2) trying to retain too many things in your head rather than writing them down on the page.
I would say that I certainly do not lack organization; I have learned all the proposed procedures to tackle problems according to the strategy books. As for retaining too many things in my head, this is certainly the case. In fact, I knew going into the test that I was going to try to solve quite a bit of the arithmetic in my head so I made sure to write everything down - perhaps this insecurity cost me some time.
what this means is that you need to take a long, hard look at what you do when you are stuck.
This is probably the case - I felt I definitely obsessed over the accuracy of my procedures, which again cost me time. It's very difficult for me to let go. I can see how it affected my timing.
Ron, thanks again for your feedback, how would you pick up the pieces for Round 2? At this point I can review the material that I already know and I can work on getting better on fallback strategies. What do you think I should work on besides that? Should I just take practice tests? Should I redo all the problems in the Master OG Problems List (the beginners?) Any pointers would help. I would really like for this to work.
Best,
Daniel
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