Hi all. I am new to this forum hence not aware of the rules etc. So I might do some errors while posting. please don't mind. I am 8+ yrs experienced banker and like all others here wished to score 700+ on GMAT. But destiny had it otherwise. I took GMAT second time today and scored an abysmal 640 (Q47 V320. On my previous attempt, way back in 2010, I scored 610 (Q48 V28).
I studied rigorously for full one month this time with clear goal of scoring 700+. I knew I was weak in verbal, hence devoted almost all the time to verbal. In fact studied for Quants just one day before the test.
I did my preparation from the following:
1) OG 2015
2) Manhattan Verbal book
3) Gmat Prepnow free videos (Gone through all verbal videos)
4) 2 GMATPrep test and 3 Manhattan test
OG, as everybody say, is bible. started with OG and reviewed it once again before test. Manhattan verbal book helped me to understand key concepts. And GMAT Prepnow videos were really helpful. In fact I wished to say a lot about them but for my GMAT Score. Anyways, beyond the preparation, my mock test scores ranged from 610-690 in GMATPrep and 610-630 in Manhattan tests. Though I took these test in early stages of preparation. Thereafter I studied exhaustively, so was sure to score 700+.
Now all this is history. My area of concern is why I am not able to improve on my scores. Why my hard work is not reflecting in scores. Its quite demotivating, And in fact, this was the reason I left preparation five years back when I first took my GMAT.
I know there are many experts on this forum. I have seen their posts during the course of my studies. This forum is really awesome and the quick replies by experts is icing on the cake.
My straight questions are:
1) I want to give GMAT again, But is it possible for me to score 700+ after two successive unsuccessful attempts.
2) Verbal is a big concern. I was able to do all hard questions of OG with 90% accuracy, But on the real test, Things got weird. I could not understand passage, could not assimilate info from CR arguments. It happened twice, I mean. How to improve on the endurance part.
3) I have really found this very difficult - When I try to build on accuracy, timing goes out of context. And if I strictly follow timings, don't even think of accuracy. Now how to approach this. If a careful understanding of CR requires say 3 mins, then those three mins have to be given to it, otherwise how will I do it correctly. Now how should I apply timing restriction?
Request some insights from seniors and experts. The more the better.
Thanks
Saurabh
640 Q47 V32
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Hi saurabh,
Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it's likely that you just have not put in enough time and effort yet. It also looks like you've take a bit of a 'book-heavy' study approach; many Test Takers get 'stuck' at a particular scoring level when using that type of approach, so you will likely need to invest in some new, non-book resources.
1) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on each of your CATs?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) on their studies before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it's likely that you just have not put in enough time and effort yet. It also looks like you've take a bit of a 'book-heavy' study approach; many Test Takers get 'stuck' at a particular scoring level when using that type of approach, so you will likely need to invest in some new, non-book resources.
1) What were the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores on each of your CATs?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Spend a little time on the "success" forum here. You'll see plenty of stories written by test-takers who have taken the exam multiple times. Many have improved 150+ point from one official test to another. Without question, it's possible for you to exceed 700 on this exam.1) I want to give GMAT again, But is it possible for me to score 700+ after two successive unsuccessful attempts.
A couple of additional things you can do to improve your verbal score:
- Read voraciously. (Anything challenging will do.) There's research suggesting that the physiology of our brains changes when we read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/ar ... in/282952/
- Consider incorporating some mindfulness meditation, which has been shown to improve standardized test scores: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... on/275564/