Well, i just came back from the test centre, where I had an aboslute disaster.
I took my first test in May and was slightly disappointed with my 650, so decided to go at it again.
I have been studying for 3 months, 15 hours a week on average. This time around i used the OG and both supplements, i thought that it was really helping me to make the improvement that i neeeded.
I had been scoring around V45 and Q45 pretty consistently in the practice tests, so i was optimistic that i would clear 700.
I didnt sleep well as the test approached and felt tired, but positive, this morning.
The arguments essay was really tough (one of the toughest i have seen in terms of the reasoning involved) but i think it went well. The issue essay was very straightforward and i felt good going into Quant.
This is when i hit major problems. Even though i have trawled 100's of questions in the OG books and was familiar with most concepts, i was just seeing questions that 'felt' slightly different than what i had seen before. It's hard to define what i mean by 'different'. It felt like they were coming at some of the questions from a slightly different angle to what i had seen previously.
I read a post recently where someone had a similar experience.
It really threw me, but i tried really hard to stay focused. After about 15 or 20 questions i had guessed on 5 or 6 and i was starting to get questions about the perimeter of some basic shapes. It wasn't looking good. After a few more guesses i knew i was way off the mark and i became totally vacant. I dont know if it was fatigue or shock, but i just lost it.
I fought my way through the remaining questions but i knew that i was looking at a quant score of low 30's. I already knew that i was going to cancel my score. I took the break after quant to try and get my head together and at least use the verbal section of the test for practice. I went back into the room but i just couldnt do it. The disappointment was just too great to come back from. I clicked randomly through the remaining questions.
I briefly contemplated taking the window to get down to the car park instead of the stairs, before checking out of the room.
I felt like crying when i got outside, but tried to hold it together. After months and months of effort, to perform worse on the second test than the first is a very hard pill to swallow. My heart goes out to anyone that has faced this situation.
I am trying to tell myself to keep my spirits up and, as Kipling would say, to treat triumph and disaster in just the same way...but it is tough.
I don't know if i can get back on the horse again. Maybe if i read the posts from NGUFO and the army Colonel a few more times it might help me!
In the short run i need to focus on my work / my girlfriend, both of whom have been threatening to part company with me. After that... we'll see what happens.
Good luck to everyone taking the exam.
Fred
I took my first test in May and was slightly disappointed with my 650, so decided to go at it again.
I have been studying for 3 months, 15 hours a week on average. This time around i used the OG and both supplements, i thought that it was really helping me to make the improvement that i neeeded.
I had been scoring around V45 and Q45 pretty consistently in the practice tests, so i was optimistic that i would clear 700.
I didnt sleep well as the test approached and felt tired, but positive, this morning.
The arguments essay was really tough (one of the toughest i have seen in terms of the reasoning involved) but i think it went well. The issue essay was very straightforward and i felt good going into Quant.
This is when i hit major problems. Even though i have trawled 100's of questions in the OG books and was familiar with most concepts, i was just seeing questions that 'felt' slightly different than what i had seen before. It's hard to define what i mean by 'different'. It felt like they were coming at some of the questions from a slightly different angle to what i had seen previously.
I read a post recently where someone had a similar experience.
It really threw me, but i tried really hard to stay focused. After about 15 or 20 questions i had guessed on 5 or 6 and i was starting to get questions about the perimeter of some basic shapes. It wasn't looking good. After a few more guesses i knew i was way off the mark and i became totally vacant. I dont know if it was fatigue or shock, but i just lost it.
I fought my way through the remaining questions but i knew that i was looking at a quant score of low 30's. I already knew that i was going to cancel my score. I took the break after quant to try and get my head together and at least use the verbal section of the test for practice. I went back into the room but i just couldnt do it. The disappointment was just too great to come back from. I clicked randomly through the remaining questions.
I briefly contemplated taking the window to get down to the car park instead of the stairs, before checking out of the room.
I felt like crying when i got outside, but tried to hold it together. After months and months of effort, to perform worse on the second test than the first is a very hard pill to swallow. My heart goes out to anyone that has faced this situation.
I am trying to tell myself to keep my spirits up and, as Kipling would say, to treat triumph and disaster in just the same way...but it is tough.
I don't know if i can get back on the horse again. Maybe if i read the posts from NGUFO and the army Colonel a few more times it might help me!
In the short run i need to focus on my work / my girlfriend, both of whom have been threatening to part company with me. After that... we'll see what happens.
Good luck to everyone taking the exam.
Fred
