defeated wrote:I'm scared, feeling defeated and very worried ....
I started preparing for the gmat 1.5years ago .... while working full time ...
Fist score- 490
Second- 500
3rd - 520
My goal- To attend a Top 15 MBA program. Initially had my mind set on Stanford only but with my very low gmat, i'm looking at UCLA and Coumbia.
It is very very crucial to my 3 year plan that I get admitted into an MBA program, class of 2012.
I need to bring my GMAT score from 520 to 650. Every other section of my application is great and good to go! (solid leadership skills, work experience with a Fortune 5 and great recommenders)
I was scoring as high as 690 on the GMAT practice CAT from mba.com before I took the real exam the 3rd time. I dont know why I do so well on practice exams and not on the actual exam.
Thus, I have decided to schedule my gmat exam tomorrow morning and just take it cold. I will pray and use all the knowledge and practice i've accumulated from the past 1.5yrs to just give this exam one last try. God knows how much work i've put into this and how badly i want to do well...
Studying again or taking a class at this point will not help, round 2 deadlines are in a few weeks
Any Advices?
Well, frankly it's tough to tell why someone does worse on the real GMAT. Because the practice tests are nearly identical to the real GMAT, one possibility is psychological factors.
Therefore, I suggest you search the forum for posts by TestLuv - he's made several excellent posts on tester confidence. Also, look through the "Just beat the GMAT" forum for the people who exceeded their expectations.
You've probably covered all the concepts - now you just need to generate good feelings toward the test.
You must also be OK with the worse outcome - you get a 500. Although it's an unpleasant possibility, you MUST be OK with it to release yourself from your fears. By getting into a state of mind that "I must get into a top-ranked program now", you're putting A LOT OF PRESSURE on yourself.
It's akin to how the best soldiers are those who are ready to give their lives. They obviously don't WANT to, but accepting that possibility allows them to give the battle their all, instead of living in fear of dying. Similarly, you must accept the possibility of a low score, even pushing your plans back or going to a lower ranked school.
Once you ACCEPT that possibility, then any result above 500 will start looking fantastic, and as a result you'll start generating good feelings toward the test. You KNOW you can get a high 600, so accept the possibility of a 500, and start believing you can get a 700!
