Study and Strategy questions relating to the GMAT.
rishisbook
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MGMAT MOCK CATs

by rishisbook Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:20 am

Hey,

I have given all the MGMAT mock tests once, i.e. all six of them. If i reset the exam and appear for a new test, will the exam present me with totally new questions or will there be repetition or both?

Please let me know ASAP..

Regards,
Rishi
biswas_sandeep
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Re: MGMAT MOCK CATs

by biswas_sandeep Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:32 pm

Some of the questions may repeat..!

Thanks
Sandeep
StaceyKoprince
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Re: MGMAT MOCK CATs

by StaceyKoprince Tue Aug 23, 2011 12:19 pm

Yes, you may see repeated questions now. You will be more likely to see repeated questions if your score has not changed a great deal from the earlier tests.

Also, you may or may not remember the repeated questions - it depends how long ago you did the first set of 6 tests and how closely you studied the questions afterwards.

Ideally, it has been quite some time since you took those tests, and so you won't remember much. Alternatively, perhaps you took those tests quite recently, in which case I would ask: why are you taking so many tests so quickly?

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, CATs should only be taken about once every 2-4 weeks while you're still learning a bunch of new material, and once a week for the final 2-3 weeks before you take the real exam.

Finally, 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.
Stacey Koprince
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ManhattanPrep
rishisbook
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Re: MGMAT MOCK CATs

by rishisbook Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:27 am

StaceyKoprince Wrote:Yes, you may see repeated questions now. You will be more likely to see repeated questions if your score has not changed a great deal from the earlier tests.

Also, you may or may not remember the repeated questions - it depends how long ago you did the first set of 6 tests and how closely you studied the questions afterwards.

Ideally, it has been quite some time since you took those tests, and so you won't remember much. Alternatively, perhaps you took those tests quite recently, in which case I would ask: why are you taking so many tests so quickly?

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, CATs should only be taken about once every 2-4 weeks while you're still learning a bunch of new material, and once a week for the final 2-3 weeks before you take the real exam.

Finally, 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.


Thanks Stacey..I will keep this in mind when i give my exam the next time. Actually i have posted another query in a new thread for which i am waiting for a reply from you..I might as well repeat the question here..

" GMAT Prep Dilemma?Help Needed!!!

I gave the GMAT prep 1 today. Scored a 630 (Q47 V30).

I suffered in Quant because i spent too much time on the initial questions, due to which the later questions suffered badly with very less accuracy.Otherwise, I am pretty sure that i would have increased my score in Q, with proper time management, to say 49-50.

But with regards to Verbal i am a little confused here. Everybody says not only to concentrate on the first 10 questions but also to distribute the correct answers all over. When the exam was completed, what i saw was a little surprising!!! Out of first 14 questions ,6 were wrong. But in the next 27 questions i got only 5 wrong. Still my score is 30. I expected it to be around 35-36. Break-up of Verbal: 6/14 wrong in CR, 2/12 wrong in RC, and 3/15 wrong in SC. With Manhattan tests, the same pattern would have yielded a higher score in verbal. I am sure of it.

CR has been a bit of a problematic area for me. Though it seems RC has improved for now. In Manhattan CATs, RC was around 50% accuracy. CR was around 50% accuracy. And time management in Verbal has definitely improved now. But not for CR though(Avg time for CR remains 2.5-2.75 min).

In addition, i have noticed one more thing.In 50-60% of my wrong CR questions, i am always confused between 2 choices and i end up selecting the wrong one.

Please instructors. Need help on this.

Q.1 What do i make of the GMAT prep 1 score?
Q.2 What do i make of MGMAT scores with respect to GMAT prep 1?Since i have already exhausted all 6 MGMAT tests, i cannot rely on MGMAT scores now.
Q.3 What pointers do you have for improving CR?Do i repeat problems from OG 12 or do i practice some other problems(say LSAT)?"
rishisbook
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Re: MGMAT MOCK CATs

by rishisbook Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:31 am

In addition, do you advise any particular strategy for Verbal section.Since CR is definitely a problem. Would you advise blind guessing for 1-2 questions to improve on time management?Or should i rather go back to basics as stated in my earlier post?
StaceyKoprince
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Re: MGMAT MOCK CATs

by StaceyKoprince Fri Sep 09, 2011 2:40 pm

I responded to the first of your last two posts in the other thread.

Re: timing, ideally, you manage your time well from question to question so that you never find yourself too far ahead or behind. But if you do find yourself more than a couple of minutes behind, yes, guess blindly and immediately on some question just to catch back up. (You can look long enough to see whether it's a type that's stronger or weaker for you - guess on one that's a weakness.)

Have you read this article yet?
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... anagement/
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep