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550: after 3 months of prep :-(

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550: after 3 months of prep :-(

by sxdas » Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:15 am
Hello beat-the-gmatters ...

I come with sad news. I've been preparing for this big day today since May 2008. Also underwent a tutorial offered by TPReview. Pls don't mind if this one's getting a little too emotional. It's bcos I just got back from the test center with a score report saying 550: (M-47; V-18 :roll: ). And, the essay was my best so far. Everything went well except for the last 75 mins of the exam. I still can't figure out what exactly happened to me then. I had set realistic goals of a 640-660 as my test scores prior to that were as follows:

TPR Diagnostic : 480, May 1st week
PowerPrep 1 : 550, May 4th week
TPR CAT scores - 580, 620
PowerPrep 2 : 580

My preparation material included - OG11, OG11 Quant Review, Manhattan SC 2007 - No more, No less.

Of course, GMAT tests endurance when it comes to Verbal. And, it is quite a herculean task to keep that up throughout the test. And I guess, this is what caught me. Now, can someone (of the likes of Stacey Koprince) help me analyze my standing as I plan to book a date in September(around the 20th. Taking it too soon would be punishing. Isn't that so?). I'd be extremely delighted if someone could shed some light and view my approach from a totally different angle.

I plan to set a realistic goal of no less than 670 this time, and verbal being my prime attention @ 2.5hrs a day till next test day. Help me beat-the-gmat cos this time I got beaten, rather. Any suggested material? Or the approach while solving OG problems? I tend to rush through my wrong answers (without spending too much time. Even if I did, I don't think it would have helped me, or maybe it would. I'm just a bag of doubts now.Arrrgh!)


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by Stacey Koprince » Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:46 am
First, take some time immediately (right now!) to go write down (or type out) EVERYthing you remember about your experience during the real test, good and bad - problems, pacing, energy, stress levels, everything. We need to figure out what went well and what didn't go so well for you.

Next, either take a new practice test or go back to your most recent one (as long as it's within the last couple of weeks) and start to analyze that thing. Ideally, do this from a test prep company's test since GMATPrep doesn't give you any kind of analysis on your performance. Take a look percentage correct, timing, and difficulty level across the various categories of problems and content areas and make a map of your strengths and weaknesses. There are basically four main designations for a particular question type or content area:
1) I tend to get these right and I do so within the right amount of time
2) I tend to get these right but NOT within the right amount of time
3) I tend to get these wrong but at least I don't spend too much time
4) I tend to get these wrong AND I spend too much time doing so

In verbal, you need to do this for each of the major grammar categories for SC, and for each of the major question types for CR (find assump, draw conclusion, strengthen, weaken) and RC (main idea, specific detail, inference).

Once you figure all that out, come back here and tell us the data and we can help you figure out a study plan from there!

Also, just know for future that your test scores on practice tests taken close to the real test (especially PowerPrep or GMATPrep) will be right around where you should expect to score on the real test. It's unlikely that you would take a GMATPrep a week or two before the real test and then improve by 60 points a week or two later on the real test.
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thank you Stacey

by sxdas » Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:39 am
Thank you Stacey, a trillion times, for your time and patience.

Kindly allow me time till Monday to provide you with an in-depth analysis that I can present to you with all the nitty-grittys you've asked for. I do have access to the Manhattan tests, but, never went beyond the question bank for the SCs. I think it's best that I take a Manhattan test now which would make it easier for you to gauge the stats.

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by mayonnai5e » Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:43 pm
First, I'm sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your score. Second, I'm happy to hear you are going to work hard and try again. From your writing, it appears that you are a native English speaker, which bodes well for your chances of upping that Verbal score. Indeed, with a 18V score, you have a lot of room for improvement. If you can maintain your 47Q and move your 18V score, you should be able to achieve the 640-660 goal that you set for yourself. This time around, it seems like you really need to focus on the Verbal portion, but be sure not to let your Quant regress.

As Stacy has said, if you can give us more information about the breakdown of your errors we'll have a better understanding of where you are. The MGMAT cat has the best statistics I've seen so it can tell us everything we need to know.
https://www.beatthegmat.com/my-blog-erro ... t4899.html
550 =\ ...560 =\... 650 =) ...570 =( ...540 =*( ...680 =P ... 670 =T ...=T... 650 =T ...700 =) ..690 =) ...710 =D ...GMAT 720 DING!! ;D

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Thanks mayonnai5e

by sxdas » Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:17 pm
From your writing, it appears that you are a native English speaker, which bodes well for your chances of upping that Verbal score. Indeed, with a 18V score, you have a lot of room for improvement. If you can maintain your 47Q and move your 18V score, you should be able to achieve the 640-660 goal that you set for yourself.
This is the kind of statement I was desperately waiting for. And, you just made my day. I'm working on jotting down wht I noticed while giving the test. The rest are yet to be completed, and I hope to finish with that soon. btw, I'm not a native speaker of English (am an Indian), but I did believe I have a good command over the language until yesterday. But, your words really worked in boosting my morale.

Thanks
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by mayonnai5e » Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:08 pm
Hey glad to hear it! Your english seems good to me - I'm sure you can boost that verbal score!
https://www.beatthegmat.com/my-blog-erro ... t4899.html
550 =\ ...560 =\... 650 =) ...570 =( ...540 =*( ...680 =P ... 670 =T ...=T... 650 =T ...700 =) ..690 =) ...710 =D ...GMAT 720 DING!! ;D

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by sxdas » Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:54 am
mayonnai5e wrote:Hey glad to hear it! Your english seems good to me - I'm sure you can boost that verbal score!
Hello ! And yes, after a long break. G-Day is in another 2 weeks time and I'm still fighting it out to beat that 35 barrier that I've been touching consistently.

After analysis, I've improvised on my CR strategies, but RCs blow my sync due to the sudden influx of words on the screen. Any tips that Stacey, or mayonnai5e or anyone can help me with? I've tried and tried again to force myself to draw close to the issue at hand, however, to no avail.

It would be nice if someone could quickly run me through what I need to cover to up my math score from 48-ish to 51~, as I feel this would be a safer bet to keep my feet on the ground on G-day. I just don't wanna get thrown off like last time. :P

Good day!
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