Kaptest #3:: Another Heartbreak…

Well, after having tastes of two Kaplan tests and also after reading the experience of some stalwarts, I didn’t keep my target too high… Assuming a 700+ is almost impossible to touch in a Kaptest, I targeted 680-690 in my Kaptest 3..

Well that was not to be.. If GMAT gurus advise not to take Kaptests too close to ur G-day, it surely carries some meaning.. They can easily bring you down.. Remember the Times job Ad, where the employee’s inflated ego takes a beating after seeing his paycheck.. Similar thing happened to me after I saw my score in this test..

So.. the scores were:: M50 🙂 ,V36 🙁 ; overall 650.. :'(

Maths is going fine, it was a third 50 in as many Kaptests.. and that too for a silly silly mistake.. Out of 37, I got 1 incorrect. No idea how Kaplan scores.. Should getting just 30^th Q wrong bring the score down to 50.. Even with 7 Qs wrong in my Kaptest #1, I got the same score… 😮 Good thing was that I finished with 11 minutes to spare.

Anyways it’s the Verbal that matters more to me…. Remembering my past scores, I started cautiously… Spending more time on each Q… And particularly RC that has been my nemesis for some time now… I made elaborte roadmaps for each passage and that did help in increasing my accuracy level to 60%. And I was more confident as I neared the last 10 Qs that I had done at least okayish this time.. But then I was left with hardly any time for the end Qs.. So had to rush towards the end…And that badly lowered my score..

I got 8 out of last 15 wrong and that included four wrongs in the last four Qs… 😐 Heard that GMAT punished you harshly for a series of wrong Qs.. Saw the evidence this time. 🙁

Take-aways from the test:

• Maths isn’t a problem… Just need to avoid the silly mistakes… And given that time too does not appear to be a problem.. I guess I can afford to double-check even the simple-appearing ones..
• Roadmap technique is working for RCs. But need to do that fast.. Else the accuracy gained in earlier Qs will be at the cost of Qs in the end.
• Avoid a series of wrong Qs… If I take a guess for one of the Qs, I need to be doubl cautious on the next
• No matter how much u know about the Kaptests being low scoring, they have this ability to take you down.. So will surely give my next Kaptest next weekend.. a safe 3-weeks distance from my G-day.