Help..Much Lower Actual GMAT score than expected

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vijbala
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Topic: Help..Much Lower Actual GMAT score than expected
PostSun Sep 17, 2006 12:39 pm Reply with quote
Hi,

I took the GMAT about 2 days back and scored a 630 ( Q 48 and V 30 ). I was extremely disappointed with the score as it was lower than my scores on the Kaplan ( 650 and 640 ) and Princeton review( 660 and 690 ).

In the powerprep1 tests i scored a 750 and 740 and was expecting to corss the 700 mark with ease.( I took these tests without doing any of the OG exercises ). My score on the GMAT was the lowest score in all my practice tests.

Any ideas on what could have caused this ?

I have signed up for the exam again on Nov 27. Before I try to fix anything I want to know what happened with this exam and how I ended up with this score. Is there anyway that I can request for my answer sheet from GMAT. ( Just need a listing of my correct and incorrect answers much like what I got after the powerprep CAT test ). Also given that I have gone through Kaplan and Princeton what other books could I use to study from.
I have 2 months and 10 days left and plan to practice a lot ( and hence need a lot of study material )


Thanks..

Vijay
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wildrebel
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PostSun Sep 17, 2006 2:36 pm Reply with quote
Vijay,

I think your problem was not necessarily quantity or quality of practice- it was more about your state of mind.

Getting a 700+ in GMATPrep and a 600+ in Kaplan certainly proves that you're a strong 700+ candidate. And you seem to have used all the right resources for preparation (OG, GMATPrep software)

I would suggest you work more on keeping yourself in a cool and calm state of mind. I've had friends who've taken the GMAT who were either TOO relaxed or just TOO nervous when they took it. Either extremety will hinder your performance.

Personally, I was relaxed, not nervous at all. It was exciting for me to take the test. I think that helped me. I went from a 620 in my first GMATPrep test to a 710 on the actual one.

So ensure that you're in the right frame of mind for the test. Don't get too worked up about solving loads of material. There IS such a thing as over-preparing. If anything, I'd suggest you pre-pone the test if possible!

All the best!

PS: Looking at your sectional scores- you may want to work a bit harder at your Verbal. Solve 1000SC and OG-Verbal/OG11. And spend at least 2-3 mins analyzing every single question. That, combined with your excellent quant, should get you well past 700.

And no, GMAC will NOT provide you with a list of right/wrong answers. If they did, the whole world would know their formulae, and the GMAT's control over testing practice would be destroyed! That's why Princeton and Kaplan et all do NOT give you the same kind of accuracy GMATPrep does.
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aim-wsc
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PostMon Sep 18, 2006 11:43 pm Reply with quote
dear Vijay,

Wildrebel is correct.
You certainly deserve a better score.
What went wrong? were you nervous or overexcited?
Anyways since you couldnt figure out the reason it will be foolish to ask this question again.
OK

i can tell you some reasons why score fall.

** if you mess with earlier or and last few questions
( yeah i know 8 myth but still it could be one of the reason )

** if you consequetively answer wrong questions
eg.say you answer item no. 9 10 11 & 12 wrong then,,,
your score may fall dramatically (by hundred sometimes.!!)

**case may be this( the above cases) might not have happened with you during your practise tests.

My suggestion
* keep you head cool
* & make sure you dont get wrong answers in series.
next time
all the best
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