GMAT Strategy

About six months ago, I took the GMAT for the first time with very little preparation and got a 650. (Q 45, V-34) I said to myself that if I could get a 650 with such little preparation, I wonder what I could get if I took it more seriously?

I wanted to score higher, and I signed up for the test again and prepared like crazy. I utilized the strategies discussed in the prep courses and everything.

Now let me say this: Everything seemed fairly straight forward the first time I took it. The second time, though, my mind kept getting convoluted with my gut instinct answers contrasting the answers I derived from using the "strategies" discussed in the preparation courses. I ended up running out of time and had to guess about 5 in the Quant, and 4 in the verbal.


OG, Manhattan, Kaplan, Princeton.... and hundreds of dollars spent later, I ended up with a 490.

This is a 160 point DROP.

Practice tests the week before:

GMATPrep 1: 680
GMATPrep 2: 710 (Day before)
Kaplan 1: 630
Kaplan 2: 650
Kaplan 3: 660
Kaplan800: 690

Funny thing, I completely disregarded the AWA in my studies, and got a 6. (5 on the first attempt).

Top 10% in undergrad
Graduated Cum Laude
3.6+ GPA



490 GMAT.


I'm speechless.

dont worry man

the first time I did the GMAT - 420 , I was going to take that comp screen and rip it apart.

the second time I did it I got - 540 ( I did kaplan only )

my third time is in a couple of days , I have been doing crazy stuff
OG 11 , OG Q , OG V , and KAPLAN.
If I dont do well I dont know what I will do , but man you cant give up , GMAT people NEVER GIVE UP , your going to go back , study hardddd , get some sleep the night before , and then get a 700+


I know it seems like a pep talk , but dont give up man.

KAMO

One of the best things about this forum is the amount of motivation that you can find from it not only from the success stories found in the "I Just Beat the GMAT" forum, but also from the hard work that other members put into their studies. The people here are motivated and that motivation is contagious. Our moderators and managing directors are passionate about helping you succeed. I know I am. Do not give up, work hard, work effectively, work efficiently and things will happen.

Good luck!

I definitely know how you feel. I technically started studying in January and have the test in 2 weeks. I first scored in the late 400s (460 I think) on the PowerPrep tests and by the end of February I got my highest GMAT score, a whopping 520. After more studying I dropped back down to the 400 level.

I then decided that self-study was not working for me and decided to spend the money for a Kaplan course. After 3 weeks into the course I took the Kaplan CAT 1 and scored a 550!!!! I was so thrilled since the Kaplan tests are more difficult than the real deal. Lets just say the score improvement stopped there.

Kaplan CAT II was a 480 and CAT III was a 420. I decided to lookover my mistakes and do the problems that I got wrong a few times. I even took days off from work. More confident than ever before, I decided to try out my new skills on the GMATPREP I and only got a 520. I was under the impression that the more studying I did, the better I would do. Additionally, after spending all that money on the class, I'm not seeing any benefits. Someone please help.

Did any of you feel the same way with a course? I dont have much time now, so I have decided to take a test a day (quant & verbal only until my last one before the GMAT). I have a little under two weeks and I hope taking a test a day and reviewing my mistakes would pay off.

Just finished another GMATPrep CAT Test.


700



Unbelievable. I just don't understand.... It just infuriates me more.

It sounds to me like you psyched yourself out. You are doing consistently well in practice tests. So, either you got nervous or you got overconfident during test day. I would guess it was probably overconfidence, since you scored best on the section that you probably didn't feel overconfident about.

Now that you have had one humbling experience, I imagine that you will not feel overconfident in the next test. So, don't worry! I think your next test will go very well. It sounds like you are ready to go in there and kick its butt, so if I were you I would sign up for the next date.

Best wishes,

Tatiana

VP_Tatiana wrote:It sounds to me like you psyched yourself out. You are doing consistently well in practice tests. So, either you got nervous or you got overconfident during test day. I would guess it was probably overconfidence, since you scored best on the section that you probably didn't feel overconfident about.

Now that you have had one humbling experience, I imagine that you will not feel overconfident in the next test. So, don't worry! I think your next test will go very well. It sounds like you are ready to go in there and kick its butt, so if I were you I would sign up for the next date.

Best wishes,

Tatiana

Right now I have absolutely zero motivation to take this test.... I feel 100% emotionally drained.

Considering just letting my GPA carry the load at a local university near where I work. I'm pretty sure I can get in on a probationary status.

If I were your mentor, I would smack you and tell you to shut up and hit the books.

You can't just give up like that...

beeparoo wrote:If I were your mentor, I would smack you and tell you to shut up and hit the books.

You can't just give up like that...

Thank you for the note.


I consider this score a direct insult to my intelligence. Especially when I read various articles of this exam being a measure of one's intellectual capacity. A teachable test that virtually anyone can learn is a direct measure of intelligence? Talk about a non sequitur...


Nonetheless, this test was once an inconvenience in my path to getting into grad school, and I treated it as such. I was embarrassed and humiliated when the administrator handed me my score after she glanced at it.

I will never forget that moment... now it's become personal.

Respectfully, I think these experiences are good preparation for the business world. Sometimes you will give something your all (preparing a presentation for investors, working out a deal), and things won't work out. Successful business people learn to set aside previous failures and move ahead with confidence. I think Howard Schultz heard over a hundred "no's" trying to get together his first round of investment in Starbucks.

Best wishes,

Tatiana

GMATFailure wrote:I consider this score a direct insult to my intelligence. Especially when I read various articles of this exam being a measure of one's intellectual capacity.

Dude, that's your injured pride talking. Since it takes one to know one, I suspect your especially proud of your high intelligence. Would my guess be off if I said you're probably an engineer or IT specialist?

Anyway, Tatiana has a point. The business world is tough and the GMAT is paltry in comparison to crises you'll undoubtedly face when livelihoods and reputations are on the line.

So... Good luck on your next try.

Hi Gmatfailure, it seems like there's a discrepancy between your practice exams and the real exam. do you remember what happened? were you extremely nervous? did you not finish the exam on time and had to guess on a few questions? do you remember which areas you were weak in the exam? I definetely feel your pain, but at least you have a 650. i took the exam twice. the first time i got a 530 and the second time i got a 470. it was verbal that tanked for me. i concentrated so much on the math section that i didn't review any verbal and then when i took the real exam, all the answer choices for verbal all looked the same. it was a nightmare. then after seeing the score 470, i was so depressed. now i'm still studying for this exam, but i learned my lesson to review everything. maybe if you could find your score breakdown for the second exam, then you could try to improve. i also believe that luck also plays a small deal in the exam. if one day, you got more problems in an area that you studied in depth, then your score could be much higher on that day and you'll have more confidence to battle the exam. well, good luck with your future gmat exam! with a 650, you could still get into a couple of decent schools (top 20 b-schools). just know that you made the 80 % and b-schools take your highest score.

Hi Gmatfailure.

Your gliding path/graph in build up toward the actual test, looks like mine. You do have a 650 to show (which is a respectable score), unlike me!
I sailed in the 700’s , while taking the practice tests, but tanked in the actual exam. 1st Take score = 560 and 2nd Take score = 600!

I can imagine/feel your plight, for I have been through it. My actual scores made me seem like a lame duck with zero IQ! I was embarrassed when the lady at the counter handed me my un-official score report.

Do you have plans for 3rd attempt?...If so, what is your strategy?

P.S: I hired a tutor for my 2nd attempt (and I feel, He did a good job in aligning my strategies). He was pretty confident that I will hit 700 (or at least get a 680/690), but unfortunately the GMAT handed me ‘disgrace’. After this experience, I don’t know what else needs to be done for the 3rd take! I have exhausted all the prep materials and tests.