I just Beat The GMAT!

I started studying intensly for the GMAT (12+ hours every week) back in March. I went through all of the MGMAT strategy guides in detail and completed all of the 12th edition OG problems. I'm a consultant that travels for work every week so I lugged my books around with me, got up at 5 am to study during the week, and created an outline of key concepts I could review on planes/trains. I also took multiple practice tests:

MGMAT 1: 630
MGMAT 2: 610
MGMAT 3: 670
MGMAT 4: 680

My target score was a 700, but I would have been happy with a 680 so I took the test over the 4th of July weekend feeling confident that I had thoroughly prepared and would do well.

During the test I knew things were going south. I was so anxious that I had to reread questions multiple times. I've always been much stronger in verbal than math, so the majority of my test prep was focused on math. On my first math question I panic'd, I could tell after that that I was getting easy stuff, but I still wasn't sure of my answers. My timing got a little off and I rushed through the last 3 questions. Then on to verbal, I was so shaken that I couldn't concentrate. In my practice tests, I was finishing the verbal sections 10-15 minutes ahead of the time limit, but on the actual test I was re-reading questions multiple times and trying to focus.

When I finally finished I got my score - 650 (Q40, V40), I was extremely disappointed but not shocked, i've never been good at standardized tests. I vowed to study more and retake it.

I spent the months of July and August studying intently. I reviewed key concepts that I was weak in and did drills every day from the Official Guide Quant Review book. I started feeling much more confident in my quant abilities. I took more practice tests..

GMAC Power Prep 1: 700
GMAC Power Prep 2: 700
GMAC Power Prep 1 Second Attempt (quant only): 45

I felt really good, I was much more comfortable with the concepts and ready to tackle the test. I scheduled it for a Monday and went it well rested after the weekend and excited.

I got a 660.
Q: 41
V: 40

I was shocked - I had barely improved and was now two tries down and not near my target score.

I've scheduled a 3rd and final attempt for October. My plan was to apply to schools this fall, so now I'm freaking out about what's best...how do I study more effectively to improve my score? how do i get over my nerves on test day? should I push off my applications a year and devote another 6 months to studying? Would love to hear some others' thoughts!!!

About me:
Female
Consultant (3 yrs work exp, early promote)
Strong GPA but in liberal arts major
limited extracurriculars

i feel u should not push yourself too much
u seem to have done the study on ur own..u can try to take some professional coruse and check if that can help u in getting better score
waiting six months is better than getting a unsatisfactory score..
but if u r confident abt ur selves then give it a shot
all the best

Hi there, since you made a point that VERBAL is your strength, it is really worth if you can manage a 45+ score in verbal. This 5 point increase in your verbal score will definitely help you a lot assuming that you will not score less than 40 in quant. From what I understand, with a decent quant score (40 is decent enough), a good VERBAL score will help boost your overall GMAT score leaps and bounds. The difference lies in how well you do in VERBAL. The more you socre in VERBAL, the more benefits you reap when it comes to your final GMAT score. You can try this as an alternative as it wont demand much from you to get that 5 point increase in your area of expertise. Good luck

Thanks.