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GMAT killed me - need help!

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GMAT killed me - need help!

by syk120 » Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:01 am
I took the GMAT yesturday 4-2-09....here's my results

530 (Q-37, V-24).

I wasn't doing so great on the prac's either (ranging 510 - 570). Also took VeritasPrep course....i think it was somewhat useful but apparently did not help me in a high score. My target would be 670+ (700+ would be amazing).

My study pattern was doing all the questions from veritas books, i completed data sufficiency/sentese correction from OG. I was nailing them and doing pretty good, just choked on practice tests.

Also took 2 GMATPREP tests, and 5 800GMAT ones that Vtas provides.

I'm not too upset because I had a feeling since my prac tests were around the same range, I was hoping to get "lucky" on test day and maybe get low 600's atleast. I'm planning on taking the test again.

I've been reading this forum and wanted to reach out to people who have scored as low or around my score, and any feedback on what I need to do for the second time. My weaknesses were definately TIMING....i was scrambling towards the end basically last 10 questions had to do within 12 minutes, so below the ~2min/question mark. Also, im not so great with number properties e.g. N is an integer divided by 8....then data sufficiency comes up with 1) n is int div by 3
2) n is int div by 4 ....etc

also what can i do to increase verbal. I'm great at SC (usually 8/10), decent in CR (7-6/10) and hit or miss on RC (5/10).

sorry about the long story but wanted to give as much insight into my situation so you can provide me with your valuable advice.

Thanks so much!!!
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by mjjking » Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:28 am
Dear Syk,

it's daunting, I know! But keep it up. And try to study with Manhattan GMAT guides. They should help!
Beat The GMAT - 1st priority
Enter a top MBA program - 2nd priority
Loving my wife: MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL!

REAL THING 1 (AUG 2007): 680 (Q43, V40)
REAL THING 2 (APR 2009): 720 (Q47, V41)
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by aabsih » Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:43 pm
Hey syk120,

Don't lose hope. Just build some confidence in your abilities, this is one of the most important general things about preparing for the gmat.

Here's a recap from one of my other postings to help you improve your RC, because that seems to be one of your weaknesses in verbal.

For RC
The most important thing for me over here was to develop an understanding of the passage. Don't skim. Don't skip over things. Read it in such a way that you understand what the author is trying to convey.

I found that McGraw Hill's Conquering GMAT Verbal and Writing helped me here. I haven't seen others reference this book on this forum, but I actually looked at Chapters 4 and 5 of the book about 4 days before the exam. I was horrible at RC and wanted to remedy this. Chapter 4 basically tells you what to look for (scope, main idea, and purpose), and chapter 5 goes into specific strategies. In short, what I was able to get from the book is the habit of reading a passage actively and constantly looking for the intent of each part and paragraph.

During a passage I would ask myself what the intent of a specific part is. This will help you figure out the overall meaning and purpose of the paragraph, which you will need in some of the questions. Other questions can be answered directly from the passage, but make sure you are careful not to choose answers that are tempting just because they feature certain keywords.

I personally did not find a need to write out any notes during my reading, but others find it useful. See what suits your style.

One more important thing to keep in mind: Tackle every passage head on, with full confidence. By the time I took the real GMAT exam, I was almost telling myself "bring it on" whenever I came across a passage. This attitude helped me a lot. Look at it this way, if you understand the overall idea and purpose of the passage, then you can answer the difficult questions. The other questions can be answered straight from the passage; how much easier can it get, right?
Another thing that you need to work on apparently is your timing. I really encourage you to time your practice problem sets. Use the timed spreadsheet from the BeatTheGmat Resources page; I found it very helpful. Give yourself a specified amount of time and keep track of questions that are taking you too long. As for your practice tests, make sure you do FULL practice tests, including the two essays. This will help you build much needed stamina. I did a full exam every single day for two weeks before the exam, and then took the last two days off to rest my mind, just to give you an idea.

My main advice is for you to recognize your weaknesses, and then face them. Work on them, and improve them, because it can be done.

Good luck with your prep.

aabsih
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