princeton 2005 tests: tougher than the earlier editions??

[Psychodementia]

Originally Posted by Time

Hey everybody,

I have purchased PR 2006 edition recently and have taken the first full test on the CD. From what I remember from the info read from various forums, I expected 'good' scores. But to my shock, I ended up with a meagre 590 ( V26, M46) !!

<snip>

Thats a pretty neat score if you have not even started off with the prep. I got around a 650 when I took it after a couple of weeks of prep. So don't sweat too much on that.

Regarding AWA that is something you will know only after you take the actual GMAT, as none of the practice software provided have any electronic method to evaluate your essays. Maybe if you post it in one of the relevant AWA threads junta can review it and let you know what they think of it.

Arun

[Crash_test_dummy]

i`m sooo pissed off with the princeton CD. there is such a long delay after answering one question and before the next one appears, totally kills the fun. i took a test last night. after completing the first section i took a break and when i returned in 5 mins, the screen said "this test is completed, click to see ur scores!". i had to restart the test all over again. so basically, i did the math section twice and verbal once...that`s like taking the gmat one and a half times! anyways, i managed to score a 720...V44, M46...some releif!

Originally Posted by Time

I have purchased PR 2006 edition recently and have taken the first full test on the CD. From what I remember from the info read from various forums, I expected 'good' scores. But to my shock, I ended up with a meagre 590 ( V26, M46) !!
Time

dont worry too much abt ur scores. u cant really trust any of the cds to calculate an accurate scroe. they all have different, and wierd, algorithms to calculate scroes. focus on where and why u`re going wrong. these cds sometimes give u good scores when u have loads of errors and bad scores when u`ve done reasonably well. see psychodementia`s progress tracking thread for a pictorial proof of this the princeton tests aren`t as easy as they used to be, so a drop in average scores is expected. i got 3 probability questions back to back followed by one combinations and permutations last night.

Originally Posted by Time

Any suggestions on how can I work on RC. My reading spead is also very slow ( guess < 200 wpm).
Time

i had issues with RC as well. my problem was the opposite though, i used to read really fast and not grasp so much and then return to the passage for each question, thereby wasting time searching for answers after having read the passage already. i tried the strategy of reading the question first and then searching for answers, that`s an even more disastrous strategy i must say!

i have now consciously slowed down my reading speed so that i grasp and comprehend more and more and dont need to return to the passage for answers, except for factual questions. so there`s a tradeoff i beleive: u could either read fast, grasp less, come back to the passage in search of answers, and waste time; or you could read slow, grasp well, and answer all questions in one go. either approach can work, depending on your personal style. but if u`re reading slow, not grasping enough AND returning to the passage repeatedly, then u`re in trouble!!

i`ve also noticed that sentence correction questions can be solved relatively fast...coz once u identify the error in the underlined part, u can coolly eliminate many choices. so i allott less time to SC questions and use that time to compensate for my consciously slowed down speed.

the major change i`ve done is this: earlier, i used to look at the watch and panic if i saw i had exceeded 2 minutes for ANY question, irrespective of the category. now i dont worry if i`ve spent 3 mins on an RC question, but i rush if i`ve spent more than a minute on an SC. identify where u take more time and where u can finish fast and set variable target speeds for each category. that`ll keep u cool and composed.

Originally Posted by Time

I finished quant with 10 min to spare and verbal with 3 min to spare. hence timing issues are there as well.
Time

i dont see any major timing issues here. 10 minutes to spare on quant is quite good i think, at least by my standards! 3 minutes on verbal isn`t bad either. i finished my quant with 1 min to spare and verbal with 45 seconds....now THAT is a timing issue!! what`re u gonna gain by finishing ahead of time anyways?? when i see i have plenty of time at hand, i consciously slow down and spend more time per question to get better accuracy. just remember: apart from the ego boost, having spare time has no achievement value!

Originally Posted by Time

Another question, how do we get to know the AWA scores. There is no mention of it on the PR score report.
Time

there`s no way to get awa scores rated on the cd...coz it requires subjective judgement. i use it just to build the stamina for a 4 hour session. sometimes i get it evaluated by friends, sometimes i put it away for a few days and read it myself after a couple of days as if i`m reading someone else`s essay and evaluate it myself.

in contrast to the wide pattern here, i`m quite comfortable with verbal and find myself in a spot with math! actually i`ve been working for a content and technical writing company where we develop english language products, so that takes care of the verbal...it`s math that`s gotten rusty! would appreciate any help with probability and combinations/permutations from you guys!

[Time]

Dear Pschodementia & Crash_test_dummy

Many thanks for the inputs. Appreciate the patience and time taken to respond in detail.

Crash....,
I have done RS Aggarwal for quant ( mostly aimed at Indian MBA entrances ) and have found it useful. I realise P&C, Probability are universal pain areas. I managed to skim them off during my PUC and engg entrances, but now have find a way to deal with them myself.

I agree with you on the timing problem. I avoid looking at the clock, else I screw up big time. Considering what has happened during my first full test, I will be careful to use this time to double checking on hard/doubtful questions.

I have read in the OG11 book (page17), that it is a myth that "the first 10 qs are critical and one should invest most time on these". It recommends to focus on all qs with equal focus. Taking additional time on the first 10 qs will not game the system and can hurt your ability to finish the test. Any thoughts??

Time

[Crash_test_dummy]

Originally Posted by Time

Crash....,
I have done RS Aggarwal for quant ( mostly aimed at Indian MBA entrances ) and have found it useful

i have no idea what RS agarwal is. i`ve mostly relied on IMS for indian entrance exams. since i`m focussing primarily on the gmat, i`m not mixing up materials of cat and gmat...it`ll only confuse me further.

Originally Posted by Time

I agree with you on the timing problem. I avoid looking at the clock, else I screw up big time. Considering what has happened during my first full test, I will be careful to use this time to double checking on hard/doubtful questions.

it could be dangerous to AVOID looking at the clock. my style is to allott variable amount of time to each category and be alarmed only when i exceed that target time...but to avoid looking at time just for the fear of it isn`t advisable. i hope u`re not confusing youjr CAT and GMAT strategies here. in CAT, u can go slow and focus on getting the questions right and afford to leave questions unattempted if u run out of time. there`s a heavy penalty for leaving any questions unanswered in the GMAT. do look at the clock, but be confident about your speed strategy even if u`re running behind.

Originally Posted by Time

I have read in the OG11 book (page17), that it is a myth that "the first 10 qs are critical and one should invest most time on these". It recommends to focus on all qs with equal focus. Taking additional time on the first 10 qs will not game the system and can hurt your ability to finish the test. Any thoughts??
Time

now this one`s a shocker! i didn`t know abt this claim. i would have rejected this statement outright, but if it`s in the OG 11th ed, it might carry some weight. it has been the trend that many ppl exploit this "weakness" of gmat in order to score high...they generally rush thru the last part. maybe the ETS folks wanna dfiscourage that practice....i dont know. are u sure u`ve read it right? i`d still like to assume that the first few questions are more important.

[Psychodementia]

Originally Posted by Crash_test_dummy

now this one`s a shocker! i didn`t know abt this claim. i would have rejected this statement outright, but if it`s in the OG 11th ed, it might carry some weight. it has been the trend that many ppl exploit this "weakness" of gmat in order to score high...they generally rush thru the last part. maybe the ETS folks wanna dfiscourage that practice....i dont know. are u sure u`ve read it right? i`d still like to assume that the first few questions are more important.

No, GMAC and ETS have long been crying hoarse over the importance of all the questions. However if you notice they carefully word it. They never say all questions are equally important. What they say is don't just blindly guess towards the end as there is weightage attached even to those questions. Which I think is perfectly valid but they never denied that there is more weightage to this part.

So, I for one, am believing in the theory that the engine is patterned on a damped sinusoidal oscillation No this is not a term I coined - that was vingmat's term to describe it !!!

Arun

[Time]

First 10 Qs
Thats exactly the point, I was shocked to see these comments and was not sure what it really meant.
I hope psycho's inference is valid.
Incase you have not been able to lay your hands on the og11, here is the verbatim.

"
Myth -vs - facts

M- The first 10 qs are critical and you should invest most of the time on these

F - all qs count

It is true that the computer-adaptive testing algorithm uses the first 10 qs to obtain an intial estimate of your ability; however, that is only an initial estimate. As you continue to answer questions, the algorithm self corrects by computing an updated estimate on the basis of all the qs you have taken and then administers items that are closely matched to the new estimate of your ability. Your final score is based on all your responses and considers the difficulty of all qs you answered. Taking additional time on the first 10 qs will not game the system and can hurt your ability to finish the test.
"


Now as pysho said one inference would be that they are trying to dissuade from the smart jacks by this time pacing.
Another doubt which I want to make sure is (wef Jan 1st) that there is no twist in the tale !!

Timing of practice tests
Crash...., Well I guess you are right, one has to find a way which works best for himself / herself. In my case I intuitively know if I exceeded 2 min per q in anycase. Hence given this, whenever I FREQUENTLY looked at clock, it has only worked negatively. However I do agree not looking at all is not going to help as well. Its about identifying what ticks for you.
As for CAT, I know nothing about it, bcoz in my 9 years of work life and 4 years of college before, I have never thought about it.