BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Back to the desk with a 600

Find out how Beat The GMAT members tackled GMAT test prep with positive results. Get tips on GMAT test prep materials, online courses, study tips, and more.
This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:27 pm
Thanked: 5 times
Followed by:1 members
GMAT Score:640

Back to the desk with a 600

by c23678 » Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:19 am
Hello,

After giving my third attempt last weekend and unable to achieve my target score, I am back to the desk and the same question comes to my head.. Where to start?. My last 3 attempts have left me with more questions than answers. I am willing to go for one more attempt as I know that I can score much better than what I have been scoring recently on real exams. In my third attempt last weekend I scored a 600 (Q47/ V25), which is less than what I scored in my second attempt 640(Q47/ V32). I was devastated and broken but my hopes are still alive. There is something that is pulling down every time I enter the exam room. I am unable to give the same performance that I usually give in my practice exams. Here are the results from recent practice tests..

Kaplan 1: 640 (Q49/V28)
Kaplan 2: 670 (Q49/V35)
Kaplan 3: 720 (Q50/V37)

Being my third attempt, its fair to consider the GMATPrep tests as retake as I remember few questions not necessarily the answers.

GMATPrep 1 720 (Q50/V38)
GMATPrep 2 700 (Q49/V36)

My weak areas in verbal are RC and CR. I always had problems with RC. I tried multiple options but none helped me achieve higher accuracy in RC. I am not weak in CR, my accuracy for CR in practice tests in over 80%, but during the real exam by brain becomes so heavy that I am unable to think well enough to confidently answer the CR questions.

I still have 40 days to go for one more attempt (Thanks to my wife for encouraging me to try again. Its been very hard on her as we had out first son an year ago), before its too late to apply for 2013. I believe theoretically I am strong enough to get 700+ score, but my exam day performance with the combination of weakness in RC is letting me down. I am in need of advice's from experts on how to cross the 700 barrier in the next 40 days.

Any response is much appreciated.

Thank you,
-C23678
Top
Source: — I just Beat The GMAT! |
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Mon Aug 12, 2013 12:24 pm
sorry to hear, please hang in there. i am not an expert, but have been studying for the test for the past 7 months, and in my experience with cr and rc, i've noticed that the more rested i am, the stronger the result. just by the way you wrote your original post, i can tell english is your native language (or quite a strong second language). i've struggled with cr and rc as well -- particularly after 2 and 1/2 hours of awa, ir, and quant. if i had to guess, you need to build stamina, endurance, and confidence; that combination will improve your verbal score (q47 is dreamy to me...lucky you).

also, for what it's worth -- i've been working through LSAT cr sets, and it's helped me get to 80% accuracy. they're a little nuanced and legal-specific in content, but i feel like they're a little trickier than gmat cr questions, so i feel better prepared when i tackle a og cr questions.

with rc, for me (every man for himself), i don't take any notes, i read slowly and carefully in the beginning, start skimming in middle, and read carefully at the end. then, it comes down to concentrate with each question.

best of luck! you are going to do great in your last attempt; KNOW THAT and dig deep.
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:27 pm
Thanked: 5 times
Followed by:1 members
GMAT Score:640

by c23678 » Mon Aug 12, 2013 12:33 pm
Thanks Basso25 for the encouragement.. Yes I am a Non-Native. I will take a look at the LSAT CR sets.
basso25@ wrote:sorry to hear, please hang in there. i am not an expert, but have been studying for the test for the past 7 months, and in my experience with cr and rc, i've noticed that the more rested i am, the stronger the result. just by the way you wrote your original post, i can tell english is your native language (or quite a strong second language). i've struggled with cr and rc as well -- particularly after 2 and 1/2 hours of awa, ir, and quant. if i had to guess, you need to build stamina, endurance, and confidence; that combination will improve your verbal score (q47 is dreamy to me...lucky you).

also, for what it's worth -- i've been working through LSAT cr sets, and it's helped me get to 80% accuracy. they're a little nuanced and legal-specific in content, but i feel like they're a little trickier than gmat cr questions, so i feel better prepared when i tackle a og cr questions.

with rc, for me (every man for himself), i don't take any notes, i read slowly and carefully in the beginning, start skimming in middle, and read carefully at the end. then, it comes down to concentrate with each question.

best of luck! you are going to do great in your last attempt; KNOW THAT and dig deep.
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2011 1:52 pm
Thanked: 16 times
Followed by:2 members

by transfer9858 » Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:01 pm
Hi- it took me four tries to reach the 700 mark- don't give up!
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:27 pm
Thanked: 5 times
Followed by:1 members
GMAT Score:640

by c23678 » Mon Aug 26, 2013 6:14 am
Thank you.
transfer9858 wrote:Hi- it took me four tries to reach the 700 mark- don't give up!
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 16207
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Thanked: 5254 times
Followed by:1268 members
GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Mon Aug 26, 2013 7:44 am
Your practice test scores suggest that you possess the skills needed to reach your target score. The missing piece of the puzzle seems to be how you function on Test Day. You say during the real exam by brain becomes so heavy that I am unable to think well enough to confidently answer the CR questions. I think this may be something you need to work on. Once you convince yourself that test day will be accompanied by a "heavy brain" and a lack of confidence, then the day is a "fete de complete" (foregone conclusion).

I think that developing a proper mindset is a crucial ingredient in one's prep for the GMAT. To this end, you may be interested in the following articles I've written for BTG:
- https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2013/06/ ... -destroyer
- https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/04/ ... n-the-gmat


Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
Image
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 8:53 am
Thanked: 1 times

by essen_1976 » Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:19 am
Hey,
Believe me you can hit 700 with the kind of practice test scores that you have. I would say that on exam day, just relax and treat the exam as just another episode, think that your life is not solely dependent on it. Take a deep breath before you start. Do not think of the end result at the beginning, play like a test match session by session, say 10 questions at a time. Notice your remaining time after each such session but do not panic. You should be prudent in skipping questions that you know would take a lot of time and chances are that they will be wrong even if you tried for a while. Think that this might be an experimental question to feel good or that you are doing well, hence the tough one arrived. Move on and try to finish a session in 20-22 mins max, especially the first two. If your initial sessions are good and you will begin to realize that, you will gain in confidence on the subsequent ones and your time management will also improve. This way you can conquer each session and your overall score will reflect that.

On the RC front, I applied a strategy which gave me benefits in terms of time. It may not work for you. But you may want to read the question first and then go back to the passage trying to figure out the answer. Often times I found it was a waste to read the whole passage when the questions were concentrated in about two-thirds of the entire passage. Of course you have to be careful with questions like, "What is the author's overall impression?", "What message does the passage signify?", etc. but this approach did give me a headstart in terms of time.

It's ultimately a matter of keeping that feel-good-factor all throughout the exam that will be crucial. Best of Luck!
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 5:28 am
GMAT Score:21 V

by bhakk » Wed Sep 04, 2013 9:01 am
... But it ain't about how hard you're hit,...

Best of luck buddy. You 'will' do it.

:)
c23678 wrote:Hello,

After giving my third attempt last weekend and unable to achieve my target score, I am back to the desk and the same question comes to my head.. Where to start?. My last 3 attempts have left me with more questions than answers. I am willing to go for one more attempt as I know that I can score much better than what I have been scoring recently on real exams. In my third attempt last weekend I scored a 600 (Q47/ V25), which is less than what I scored in my second attempt 640(Q47/ V32). I was devastated and broken but my hopes are still alive. There is something that is pulling down every time I enter the exam room. I am unable to give the same performance that I usually give in my practice exams. Here are the results from recent practice tests..

Kaplan 1: 640 (Q49/V28)
Kaplan 2: 670 (Q49/V35)
Kaplan 3: 720 (Q50/V37)

Being my third attempt, its fair to consider the GMATPrep tests as retake as I remember few questions not necessarily the answers.

GMATPrep 1 720 (Q50/V38)
GMATPrep 2 700 (Q49/V36)

My weak areas in verbal are RC and CR. I always had problems with RC. I tried multiple options but none helped me achieve higher accuracy in RC. I am not weak in CR, my accuracy for CR in practice tests in over 80%, but during the real exam by brain becomes so heavy that I am unable to think well enough to confidently answer the CR questions.

I still have 40 days to go for one more attempt (Thanks to my wife for encouraging me to try again. Its been very hard on her as we had out first son an year ago), before its too late to apply for 2013. I believe theoretically I am strong enough to get 700+ score, but my exam day performance with the combination of weakness in RC is letting me down. I am in need of advice's from experts on how to cross the 700 barrier in the next 40 days.

Any response is much appreciated.

Thank you,
-C23678
Top
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 11:24 am

by alwaysudit » Wed Sep 04, 2013 9:27 am
I must say that I was in a similar position after I first took the GMAT and scored a 640(Q 48,V 30) . The verbal score was what pulled me down and I decided if anything is going to improve my GMAT score ,it would be a significant improvement in the verbal section. My most noticeable weakness in verbal was SC. I really find it hard to memorize things and stuff, and my initial approach towards SC was to try and memorize as many rules as I come across . Needless to say , the strategy failed badly.
When I was strategizing for a retake, I realized that a good verbal score has a huge impact on the total GMAT score . For SC , I used a lot of online resources, and I found e-gmat as the most useful one.I strongly feel that the e-gmat SC is tailor made for non native speakers and strongly recommend that you make use of that resource. Other resources such as "thursdays with Ron " are also pretty useful.
RC is the section which makes all the difference in the verbal section . I am an avid reader ,yet it was really difficult to improve accuracy in RC's. I found MGMAT's strategy for attacking short and long RC's to be the most useful. Although this strategy is quiet time consuming in the beginning , it works wonders when you get a hang of it .
I really hated RC's on socioeconomics and loved the science related topics. On the actual GMAT , I was lucky to get three out of four RC's on the topics of my liking . A reasonably good performance in RC's helped me score a 730(Q49, V40).
The key thing worth noticing here is that the improvement in the total score is mostly because of improvement in the verbal sub-score. And trust me on this one, improving on the verbal section is easier than improving on the quant section. So buckle up, strategize well and I am sure you will be able to cross the magic figure of 700 this time
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1