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Couldn't beat the gmat. At least not yet..

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Couldn't beat the gmat. At least not yet..

by ozlemmetje » Wed Mar 19, 2014 4:47 am
Hello all,

I took the gmat yesterday and my result was far less than what I had expected.I got a 410. I had taken a couple of practice tests and they were 390, 420, 550, 520 and 550. Both practice tests at which I scored 550 was of Princeton Review and I think they were a bit easier than the Official Gmat practice tests.

During the exam I tried to spend as much time as possible on the first 10-15 questions, however when I could not solve a math problem at first try I still insisted on it. It just took much of the time I could use for the next questions and it just made me cause I got stuck between trying to solve the question and moving on. I really spent so much time on the first questions that I had almost no time left for the rest so I had to guess them all.

Although I think the Princeton Review practice tests were easier in general, I see no reason why I scored only 410, just 2 days after I had taken a practice test and had a 550. Maybe unconsciously I got too nervous I don't know.

Now I have registered for another test which I will take on 22. May. What would your suggestions be ?

Thanks
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by [email protected] » Wed Mar 19, 2014 11:13 am
Hi ozlemmetje,

I'm hoping that you can answer a few questions about your GMAT studies so far:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What materials have you been using to study?
3) Can you list your Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each of your CATs and your Official GMAT?

4) The pacing problem that you described...does it happen on every CAT? How many questions do you end up having to rush through at the end of each section? Did you ever run out of time and NOT answer any of the questions (if so, then how many did you leave unanswered?)?

The good news is that Business Schools don't care if you retake the GMAT and the Test IS predictable, so you can train to beat it. You'll probably need to change your approach and learn some new tactics, but I'll be better able to offer that advice once I know a bit more about how you've been preparing.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by ozlemmetje » Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:05 pm
Hello Rich,

1) I have been studyin for 2,5 3 months. But I have to admit that I could not really concentrate on studying for the GMAT until I quit my fulltime job on 31. Jan. So we can roughly say 2 months.
2) I have been taking one to one lessons from a tutor. Besides that I used the OG Quant. Review and Official Guide 13th Ed.
3)

This was the first test before having lessons with a tutor.

01/07/2014
Verbal: 27
Quantitative:39
Total: 550

02/06
Verbal:19
Quant: 29
Total: 420

02/28
Verba: 24
Quant: 35
490

03/12
Verbal:23
Quant: 39
Total: 520

03/15
Verbal:31
Quant: 35
Total:550

4)It doesn't happen always. I never left any question unanswered but I usually have to rush after question nr 15-20 and I think It's not normal cause I spend way too much time on the first 10-15 questions since they play a bigger role in determining my final score. At least that's what my tutor told me..

Thanks for any advice.
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by [email protected] » Wed Mar 19, 2014 11:19 pm
Hi ozlemmetje,

The pacing problem that you've described is SIGNIFICANT and you should not retake the GMAT until you've properly dealt with your pacing. You're essentially guessing on half of the questions in a section. This problem would absolutely affect your scores and helps to explain why they vary so much.

To fix this problem, you're going to have to do the following:
1) Become more familiar with the various concepts that the GMAT will ask you about
2) Learn to recognize which concepts show up in a given question and do so faster.
3) Respond faster to each prompt (taking notes, using tactics, doing math, guessing and moving on, etc.)

This will be a big task and will probably require you to push your GMAT Test Date back. After several months of studying, you're also likely stuck doing things "your way" (or your tutor's "way"). I'd suggest that you look into a structured GMAT course that will teach you new tactics and how to better handle the non-content aspects of the GMAT (pacing, endurance, etc.).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by ozlemmetje » Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:13 am
Hello,

Thanks very much for the advices.However I cannot push my gmat test back anymore since I need to have a score which is higher than 600 by the end of June at latest. I want to start an mba programme in September.I feel a little discouraged now since there is no such a gmat course in Turkey. However i think i can still do it on my own.If i scored 550 twice then It should be possible to score 600 too.
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by [email protected] » Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:02 pm
Hi ozlemmetje,

You mentioned that your next GMAT is on May 22, which is 2 months from now. In your last post, you said that you needed your GMAT score by the end of June (at the latest) - that difference in time would add 5+ weeks to your available studies. You don't have to make any decisions about this now, since your score goal is modest and you have plenty of time to continue studying. You might re-evaluate your plan and timeline as you get closer to May.

Have you considered an online GMAT Course?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by ozlemmetje » Tue Mar 25, 2014 12:19 pm
Hello Rich!

Can I take the Empower Gmat course for 2 months only? How much does it cost?

Thanks
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by [email protected] » Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:02 am
Hi ozlemmetje,

I've sent you a private message.

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