GMAT second try. Went down a little.

[rustom.hakimiyan]

Hello All,

I just took the GMAT the second time around and pretty much scored the same thing.

GMAT 1: 6/1/14 - 660 Q44, V36
GMAT 2: 11/17/14 - 640 Q44, V34

While taking this test, I felt as though I was doing great on the first few verbal questions, but at some point, I was at question 20 with 17 minutes remaining. Really horrible to say the least.

I don't know what happened to be honest? Maybe mental fatigue? I had been practicing with full test's so I knew what to expect. I feel as though CR and RC are the two things that suck up my time if i'm not careful. I would love some criticism on how to improve my timing? I've read a lot of articles but for some reason, it obviously hasn't helped me much? I've rescheduled the test for next month while things are still fresh.

I've also done pretty much all of the OG problems and taken the GMAT prep practice tests, so at this point, i'm just recalling stuff from memory. I've also taken the MGMAT CAT's multiple times so there's obviously something that isn't clicking. Is there a place I should refer to to get additional questions or should I be doing something other than just answering these questions?

Thanks,
Russ

[MohitS94]

If you were at question 20 with just 17 minutes remaining, time management is clearly an issue. Others may disagree but, for me, the GMAT is not an exam in which you should be running out of time. There is a management entrance exam in India called CAT, and that IS more of a speed test (and I hate it for that reason). But the GMAT is a more well-thought-out out exam.

I started my preparation about a month ago and gave my first GMATPrep exam without thinking about time management and got 700 (verbal 36). I ran out of time on the last 4 or 5 questions in each section. I gave the second one after a week, with the sole difference that I had made a solid time strategy, and got 750 (verbal 42). Maybe the second one had easier questions, maybe I slept better the previous night or maybe I just got lucky. But to me it felt as if it was all because I had managed my time better. And the number one technique I came up with is learn to let go of a question. It you're heading nowhere after a minute, take a good guess fast and move on. Another thing to consider is when to look at the clock. You may want to look at it after every 10 questions or every 5 questions. Come up with a plan for how you would react if you were running behind time after the first 10 questions. I try to make sure that if I'm lagging at question 11, I should be back on track by question 21. But to each his own. You may want to figure out what works best for you.

[rustom.hakimiyan]

If you were at question 20 with just 17 minutes remaining, time management is clearly an issue. Others may disagree but, for me, the GMAT is not an exam in which you should be running out of time. There is a management entrance exam in India called CAT, and that IS more of a speed test (and I hate it for that reason). But the GMAT is a more well-thought-out out exam.

I started my preparation about a month ago and gave my first GMATPrep exam without thinking about time management and got 700 (verbal 36). I ran out of time on the last 4 or 5 questions in each section. I gave the second one after a week, with the sole difference that I had made a solid time strategy, and got 750 (verbal 42). Maybe the second one had easier questions, maybe I slept better the previous night or maybe I just got lucky. But to me it felt as if it was all because I had managed my time better. And the number one technique I came up with is learn to let go of a question. It you're heading nowhere after a minute, take a good guess fast and move on. Another thing to consider is when to look at the clock. You may want to look at it after every 10 questions or every 5 questions. Come up with a plan for how you would react if you were running behind time after the first 10 questions. I try to make sure that if I'm lagging at question 11, I should be back on track by question 21. But to each his own. You may want to figure out what works best for you.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll implement it.

Thanks.