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GMAT beat me 470 Q20, V35...all over?

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GMAT beat me 470 Q20, V35...all over?

by ch229151 » Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:37 pm
Just came back from my first attempt, and I am completely upset with myself. I started studying in March, completed the Manhattan prep course, and did relatively well on all my practice exams (mid 500's to mid 600's and one 710). I've been using the OG books, and all the Manhattan Guides. I assumed today's attempt would have landed me at least in the low 6's.

The essays went well, but I couldn't even get the first question right in Quant. I must have spent a good 5-8 minutes staring at the damn problem (I know, I know, 2 minutes per question), trying to fiddle with numbers, and amazed that I couldn't decipher what to do. It all went downhill from there. Everything went wrong; careless errors spotted too late into the problem, things I focused my studies on didn't appear on the exam, DS question after DS question after DS question, ran out of time on the last 5 problems and had to try and solve each one as expeditiously as possible, guessing, etc. Just a horrible experience.

The verbal section wasn't toooo bad, but certainly nowhere near the 40's and 45's I was scoring on the practice exams. Needless to say, the real deal was INCREDIBLY more difficult than I prepped for, and I assume most of it was me psyching myself out and succumbing to pressure.

However, I am most concerned with the fact that I entered several schools to receive my scores. How will this affect my chances? Of course, I plan on taking the exam once or twice more, but with my weak HS grades and similar college experience I fear that history will come back to haunt me despite an excellent score. I have however owned a business and sold it for a profit, and currently manage another business that is also doing very well. I am 26. Not bad for 26, so I assume this may be my saving grace along with a good score.

Just looking for advice and someone to tell me it will be okay! How long should I wait to take the test again? What should I change in my approach? I plan on applying to several schools in the NY area...Stern, Columbia, Fordham, Baruch, Hofstra, and Temple in PA.

Any advice is welcome...thanks!

-C
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by pemdas » Tue Jul 12, 2011 3:03 am
You will need to walk through your test by the next retake. Before a man walks he must learn how to sit and then crawl, afterward he will stand on his feet and step on. It doesn't matter where you walk and how you walk. You just walk if you are able to do so. To learn walking at the very beginning we may need to run at some point just to keep standing on our feet before we fall. What you did - you attempted to run and rushed through your exam. You must have fallen several times before you reached your test's end. Try doing more prep and you will walk. Clear your prep concept-wise (brutal part) and walk without too much thinking why you walk and how you walk. Make this natural but not outrageous - otherwise you risk to foot-step others or hurt yourself. Look where you walk but don't sit and don't crawl in exam. If you come across water leak on your way - cross it, turn back or away from the road. Indeed, walking is one simple way of decision making we commit everyday.

Another example is riding a bicycle. Once you learn how to ride a bike you are done and set for journey.

The point I am trying to make here is will resolves the deficiency of energy, intellectual bottlenecks and other constraints. Will is everything, and it may greatly help one to achieve the target. Raise your will and don't get upset. Bring all your strengths to the test prep. Hire a tutor, take an on-line course or fill your test gaps somehow but do not lay down your will.
Success doesn't come overnight!
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by prodizy » Tue Jul 12, 2011 5:36 am
Ideally, this score will not effect you if you get a better score in your next attempt. That I am sure you will. What I guess from your post is that you panicked because the exam was nothing like you expected. It happens. Peace of mind and better understanding of quant basics should get you start the exam on a good note. And generally a good begining leads to a good ending. If you haven't read Manhattan quant books, do read them. I am finding them very useful.

All the best.
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by ch229151 » Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:09 am
Thank you for the responses. I do plan on attacking the GMAT next time with a higher level of confidence than I did this time around. However, the part that gets me upset is the notion that I felt prepared...my practice test scores were on par with my timeline, my drill sets were all completed on time, and I believed I had a good general basis for all the quant. Perhaps my approach to studying quant highlighted each individual quant problem I encountered instead of understanding the concept behind each problem.

Pemdas, you mentioned I should "walk through my test" before the next attempt; is there a way to find out the subject matter of each question I got wrong? I know with the Manhattan tests you can see a broad outline of the subject matter, the level of the question, and the solution. I doubt I can find out the specific problems on the actual test, but perhaps the subjects?

Prodizy, I actually completed their course and their books. Without which I'm sure I would have done MUCH worse, or just not taken it at all. I do however feel that I relied on their materials too much, and didn't venture off into the OG too deeply, or any other materials I could have gotten my hands on. Do you find their practice tests to be on par with the actual GMAT?
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by prodizy » Tue Jul 12, 2011 7:31 am
I am just starting my preparation. After I finished number properties from Manhattan, I feel that it had influenced me immensely the way I approach the questions. I didn't take any of their tests so can't comment on them. But I heard that they are closest to real GMAT than any other tests, except GMATprep.

I feel that your panic attack is the reason for your bad test, not your preparation. But it might not be a and idea to start afresh with new set of prep books, say verities. But it might take lot of time. Your call.
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by ch229151 » Tue Jul 12, 2011 7:42 am
I 100% agree with you. The stress of the actual test didn't hit me until that first question appeared in the quant, and I didn't recognize it's format (the question, not the test).

I will most likely dive back into the syllabus from the Manhattan course and DEFINITELY supplement some other sources into it. I've heard good things about Veritas, so I will surely give them a go.

I'll tell you what though, that number properties book from Manhattan is amazing. If there was one subject I felt very comfortable with, that would be it! Their word translation book is great too. Good luck on your preparation, and don't panic as I did! Take a deep breath and focus on carefully following through with all the calculations, and familiarize yourself with the various paths you can take to reach an answer...something I looked over as well.
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by pemdas » Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:49 am
you will need to know the subject matters of each question
Manhattan will hint you roughly about one subject matter. In very rare cases you will solve problems in exam which are concerned with only one subject. Drill into the combination of math problems rather than study subjects separately.
ch229151 wrote:Pemdas, you mentioned I should "walk through my test" before the next attempt; is there a way to find out the subject matter of each question I got wrong? I know with the Manhattan tests you can see a broad outline of the subject matter, the level of the question, and the solution. I doubt I can find out the specific problems on the actual test, but perhaps the subjects?
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by prodizy » Wed Jul 13, 2011 2:39 am
ch229151,

Guess what I already panicked in my first GMAT CAT(grockit CAT). It took 5 minutes for me to solve the first question(which is very simple, ofcourse). But somehow I regrouped and finished the exam and scored a 640. So, I hope I will not repeat this "performance" :)

All the best with your studies. I am counting on you that you will a good score. All the best :)
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