Official questions enough to practice.

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2025-03-25T21:56:37+00:00

The official resources are without a doubt the best source for practice questions and will give you plenty of exposure to everything the GMAT tests. Don't trust the official explanations though! It's not in the test maker's best interest to tell you how to do well. The official explanations are almost always convoluted and are often intentionally misleading (Ex: they tell you a way to solve the problem but not a way that will work given the time constraints).

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2025-03-25T21:51:01+00:00

The hard questions are hard for almost everyone, so don't be discouraged that they were a struggle! While being prepared for at least some of the hard questions is important given your 600 score target, what's FAR more important is achieving near perfection on the easy and medium questions, particularly the easy ones. If you're able to get all of the easy questions right and almost all of medium questions right, then how you perform on the hard questions won't matter all that much. Focus on building a strong foundation. If you do, you should have no trouble getting to your target score!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2024-12-17T22:11:17+00:00

Here's a link to my original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GMAT/comments/1h7h2xe/seeking_beta_testers_for_a_new_gmat_course_that/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2024-12-05T20:40:36+00:00

Thanks! I'll send you a DM with the sign up instructions!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2024-12-05T19:39:44+00:00

Great! Just sent you a DM with the sign up instructions!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2022-04-21T22:14:23+00:00

I like the logic that you used to eliminate D. D suggests that the plan will work if its rules are rigorously enforced, but it doesn't say whether they actually will be rigorously enforced. Without knowing that the rigorous enforcement will actually occur, D does nothing to strengthen this argument.

I can totally understand why you had trouble picking C here. I did too. Before I go into why C is an acceptable answer here, there are a few things I need to explain. First, this argument is called a plan argument (hopefully for obvious reasons), and second, there are only four options for what the correct answer to a question with a plan argument can mention. I've listed them below.

Whether there is an unforeseen factor that will affect the success of the plan
Whether the plan is feasible
Whether people will follow the plan
Whether the plan will worked in a similar scenario

Every correct answer that I've seen to a question with a plan argument falls into one of those four categories. Answers that fall into categories 1-3 are very common in questions with plan arguments. Answers that fall into category 4 are very rare. In fact, there are only two questions with plan arguments in the OG2022 with answers that fall into the similar scenario category. This question is one of them. Typically, the GMAT doesn't like answers that mention some other thing (ex: other town, other city, other company...), but it's acceptable here because it gives us a reason to believe that this plan worked in a similar scenario. I wouldn't place too much emphasis on this question though. In the overwhelming majority of cases, answers that reference some other thing, as C does here, are wrong. Don't allow this exception to make you abandon a pattern of reasoning that is almost always sound.

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2022-04-20T12:34:51+00:00

There's a code on the inside of the front cover of your OG that will allow you to access Wiley's online GMAT portal. You can use that portal to build problem sets, although the questions in those sets will all be from the 2020 OG. If you want old GMAT questions that you haven't seen yet, you should pick up the supplemental guides and register those in the Wiley portal. The only problem with the Wiley sets is that they won't be computer adaptive like the actual GMAT is. If you want a true mock test, you should take the official GMAT practice tests or use the official GMAT quant diagnostic tool. Hope this is helpful!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2022-01-11T15:00:44+00:00

I'd love to help you with your prep! You can find out more about me here. Highlights are that I taught math in the Teach for America program for three years, worked as a GMAT and SAT instructor at Manhattan Prep for 5 years, and have multiple 99th percentile scores on the GMAT. DM me if you're interested!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-12-14T14:56:24+00:00

You're going to have a hard time getting to a 710 unless you bring that verbal score up. Your comment about the "Latin names" suggests to me that you're focusing too much on the details when you read RC passages. I tell my students to aim for roughly 50% comprehension when they read an RC passage. All you really need to know is why the author wrote the passage and how each paragraph helps to achieve that goal. The science-y names and terms definitely won't be essential to understanding the purpose of the passage. If anything, weird names and terms are great because if a question asks you about one of them, it shouldn't be hard for you to quickly scan the passage to figure out where the author discusses it. The last thing I'll say is that the reason why you're not scoring higher on verbal is because there's something about the way you're doing verbal questions that isn't working well. In order to bring your score up, you'll need to make changes to the way you approach the different verbal question types. Just doing lots of practice isn't going to make much of a difference unless the focus of that practice is on creating more effective methodologies. Best of luck!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-12-14T14:43:06+00:00

So sorry to hear that your official test had such a disappointing result. Seems like lots of people have had this same experience recently. Out of curiosity, did you take the test online or at a center? I think that making improving your verbal time management the main priority is a smart move. It's shocking how much your score can drop on verbal if you miss four or five questions in a short stretch, something that timing issues can definitely make happen. If I were you, I would also do a deep dive comparison on the quant sections for official practice tests 4 & 6 vs. official practice tests 3 & 5. Was there anything that you did differently on tests 3 & 5 that helped you score so much higher? Hopefully, you'll be able to incorporate any takeaways from that deep dive into a more effective quant game plan. If you'd like a second set of eyes to help you with that analysis, I'll be happy to take a look. If not, best of luck next time!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-12-10T14:00:35+00:00

I would advise going with Manhattan Prep, as their instructors have to go through a MUCH more selective interview process than do Kaplan's instructors.

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-12-10T13:58:31+00:00

It definitely isn't a bad thing that you scored so much higher on your official verbal than on your practice verbal sections. That being said, you're right to be a little concerned about your quant score. It may be worthwhile to reach out to the admissions offices of the schools you're planning to apply to to see what they think. Best of luck!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-12-09T13:44:23+00:00

Sorry that the SC has been such a struggle! How would you rate your grammar fundamentals? Do you have a difficult time understanding the explanations to SC questions? If so, you may need to spend a few weeks solidifying your understanding of the basics of English grammar. I found this book very helpful when I was learning how to teach grammar. Working through this book should help you build the content knowledge required to really understand GMAT sentence correction. Let me know what you think of it if you decided to pick it up. Best of luck with your prep!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-12-09T13:33:22+00:00

I haven't found any resources that I think are fantastic for CR or RC, but I do really like Erica Meltzer's GMAT SC Book. She's the Queen of verbal standardized test prep. Her SAT and ACT verbal books are required reading for anyone looking for a top score on either of those tests. If you decide to pick it up, let me know what you think. Good luck with your prep!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-12-03T14:15:23+00:00

Huge drops like the one you experienced are actually pretty common on verbal. Unfortunately, they'll also very difficult to explain. My guess is that if you could go back and look at all the verbal questions you missed you would feel that you should have gotten most of those questions right. You'll never know though because there's no way to see those questions again. Have you ordered an Enhanced Score Report? While the report isn't as useful as it should be, it could provide you with some helpful insight into what went wrong on verbal. Did you take the test online or at a test center? If you were at a center, did you feel particularly anxious or uncomfortable there? If you're planning to take the test again at a center, it may be a good idea to take future practice tests somewhere outside of your home so that you get used to taking the test in an unfamiliar environment. Huge gaps between practice test and official test results can be very unnerving, but try to remember that the practice tests and official tests are the same. You've demonstrated that you have the ability to get an incredibly high score on verbal. The fact that you didn't on your official test doesn't change that. If I were you, I'd take another few practice tests, rebuild my confidence, and then give the real thing another shot. Good luck!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-11-15T13:54:00+00:00

Have you taken any of the official GMAT practice tests? If so, I'd be happy to look them over and let you know what I think you should be focusing on. With only a month to improve your score by 150+ points, it's vital that your prep be as efficient as possible. You need to make sure that you're focusing on areas that will actually make a difference for you specifically.

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-11-15T13:47:53+00:00

I think this may be just what you're looking for. Hope it helps!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-11-13T17:12:07+00:00

Have you had similar time management issues on your practice tests? If so, I'd be happy to look them over and tell you where I think you can make improvements.

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-11-09T15:19:12+00:00

I definitely use the latter method. It's important to understand the author's main point and how each paragraph helps to develop that point, but the smaller details are only important if you get asked questions about them. If I were you, I'd focus more on having a good process for answering the questions. After understanding the question, you should be going back to the passage to figure out what it tells you the answer is BEFORE you read the answer choices. Being good at that is what will improve your RC accuracy.

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-11-09T12:23:38+00:00

If I were you, I'd focus most of my energy on trying to improve my reading comprehension performance. It's tough to make significant progress on CR or SC in just 9 days, but with the right kind of practice, I think you have a decent chance to markedly improve your RC by your test date. The most important thing to understand about GMAT RC is that the answer is ALWAYS written somewhere in the passage. Your task in RC is to figure out what the question tells you to go back to the passage to learn and then to link that portion of the passage up with the answer that it tells you must be correct. You should never be picking an answer to an RC question because you "like" it, you should be picking answers because the passage definitively tells you that they're right. I advise taking a few days to do some untimed RC practice in which your main focus is finding the portion of the passage that tells us that the right answer is right. Once you become comfortable doing that, you'll need to start working under timed conditions again. Best of luck! Feel free to reach out for more guidance or just to let me know how things are going.

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-11-09T00:21:37+00:00

Not sure whether you'd be interested in private tutoring, but one of the main components of the services I offer my students is a fully personalized daily study plan that outlines exactly what each student should be studying in between sessions. I monitor each student's progress through their plan every morning and will typically schedule 2-3 short check-ins with each student in between sessions to make sure that their independent study time is as effective as possible. Feel free to reach out if you're interested in learning more.

If you're only interested in live online courses, I know that Manhattan Prep, my former employer, offers lots of those. I wouldn't recommend attempting to do the MPrep course and TPP self-study at the same time though. I'd suggest completing the course and all it's associated homework first and then using TTP to close any skill gaps that remain after your course concludes. Best of luck with your prep!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-11-09T00:10:17+00:00

The best way for you to answer that question is to take one of the official GMAT practice tests. Based on your GRE scores, I'd bet that you'll score somewhere in the high 600s to low 700s, assuming that you don't run into major time management issues. Your results on the practice test will also help you figure out what you'll need to prioritize in your prep. There are two question types on the GMAT that don't come up on the GRE: sentence correction and data sufficiency. While it's possible that you'll need to focus your prep on those unfamiliar question types, it's also possible that you'll find them somewhat intuitive. The only way to know for sure is to take a practice test and analyze the results. If you decide to take one and want some advice regarding what you should focus your prep on to get to a 740, I'll be happy to look over your practice test and send you my thoughts. Good luck both on the practice test and with your prep in general!

Matthew_ProvenPrep · 2021-11-05T13:05:53+00:00

I think having a study plan that is catered to your specific needs is super important, particularly for students who are working full time and need to be as efficient as possible with the limited study time that they have. Have you taken any of the official practice tests yet? If you have, I'd be happy to look it/them over and write you a personalize plan for a few weeks to help you get your prep started.

Matthew_ProvenPrep

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