EA Prep Week 8: What Goes Up...Might Come Down Ft. Stacey Koprince, Manhattan Prep

“This is why you take practice exams. So that you know what you DON'T want to do on test day.”

Practice tests don’t always move in a straight line—and this week, GMAC Zach finds that out firsthand. After hitting a personal high on his previous EA exam practice exam with a 155, his latest score dips slightly, sparking an honest conversation about score fluctuations, confidence traps, and what really causes plateaus during EA prep.

Joined, as always, by Stacey Koprince from Manhattan Prep, they unpack why the third practice exam is such a common stumbling point, how overconfidence can quietly lead to careless mistakes (yes, even in your strongest section), and why focusing only on weaknesses can cause your strengths to atrophy. They also dig into practical strategy: how to review practice exams effectively, how to organize quant scratch work, and how to decide when you’re truly ready to take your final practice test—or the real thing.

The episode closes with a thoughtful discussion on motivation, deadlines, and whether booking the official exam before you feel “ready” can actually be the push you need. If you’ve ever felt frustrated by a score dip or unsure about your next step in EA or GMAT prep, this one will feel very familiar—and very reassuring.

About Stacey:

Stacey Koprince is one of the most recognized names in test prep, with over 15 years of experience teaching the GMAT, EA, GRE, and LSAT. As Manhattan Prep’s Director of Content & Curriculum, she has written countless articles, guides, and video explanations that thousands of students rely on. A former management consultant, Stacey now spends her days helping future business leaders master tricky concepts and find confidence in their prep—something she’s passionate about seeing “click” for every student.

Helpful links:

Register for the EA: https://www.mba.com/exams/executive-assessment/register

Purchase EA Official Prep: https://www.mba.com/exams/executive-assessment/prepare

GMAC Free EA Prep: https://www.mba.com/exams/executive-assessment/prepare/free-prep-resources

Manhattan Prep EA Resources: https://www.kaptest.com/gmat/courses/executive-assessment-test-prep

Key Takeaways:

• Score dips are normal—especially around your third practice exam. As content knowledge increases, timing issues, overconfidence, and stubbornness can creep in.

• Focusing only on weaknesses can hurt your strengths. Mixed review matters, or previously solid skills can quietly slip.

• Careless mistakes often come from confidence, not confusion. Rushing through “easy” questions can cost just as many points as knowledge gaps.

• Practice exam review matters more than the score itself. Time spent, question-level decisions, and patterns of error are where the real insights live.

• Write everything down on quant. Clean, organized scratch work isn’t about neatness—it’s about thinking clearly under pressure.

• Grammar prep shouldn’t break what already works. Use rules strategically to retrain your ear where it falls for traps, not everywhere.

• Your last practice exam is precious—but not sacred. For some test-takers, the real exam can function as a high-stakes “dry run” with better data.

• Deadlines can be powerful motivators—if you know yourself. Booking the test can help procrastinators push through, as long as flexibility remains.

• Don’t tell anyone your test date. Fewer external expectations = fewer distractions on test day.

Chapters:

00:00 Practice Exam Insights
07:04 Verbal Section Challenges
10:01 Quantitative Strategies
12:45 Considerations for Test Day
18:19 Setting Deadlines and Accountability