GMAT just ate me alive... 590 (39Q/ 32V)

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GMAT just ate me alive... 590 (39Q/ 32V)

by shwetabala » Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:28 am
I took the GMAT last Wednesday, 9/29 and I did not beat it :cry:

Quant - 39 - 52 percentile
Verbal - 32 - 62 percentile
Total - 590 - 61 percentile

I am totally ashamed to even mention or bring up this score but I want to do well and KILL the GMAT... I really want to get 700+

My prep started back in June when I started going thru OG 12. I also took an MGMAT class that definitely gave me more confidence. I took 6 of their tests and also gave 2 of the GMAT Prep tests too. I was constantly scoring in the mid to high 600 range so I don't know what happened during the test. I also solved all the problems in the OG guide...

I was feeling moderately confident during the test too which is why I'm even more surprised by my score... the verbal I knew was going to be a challenge b/c I got 2 really long scientific passages and the RCs were a bit challenging too. The quant was mostly rates, divisors and DS heavy (DS has always been a challenge for me).

Not sure how to proceed from here... any tips would be greatly appreciated! I'm worried about repeating my GMAT Prep tests questions in my prep again.

I'm not in a rush to retake the test but just want to be sure that the next time I take it, to ace it.

Any suggestions/advice/criticism will be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Shweta

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by gsbjake » Tue Oct 05, 2010 7:10 pm
I'm sorry dude. Honestly, it seems like you did pretty much everything right. It sounds like you felt pretty confident too but sometimes you can be just a little off and hurt yourself a lot. I think the most important thing is that you realize you can take the exam again and you stay motivated to crush it.

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by outreach » Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:01 pm
gmat prep tests questions repeating is good because u will tend to see those difficult questions
for instance gave ur prep tests and u score 600+..next time u take it u might get same questions but u answer correctly so u r going on a higher grid..hence questions of 700+ level will appear in ur exam
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by celestia007 » Thu Oct 07, 2010 8:01 am
Don't lose hope - you'll get there!

If you're planning on taking it again, before you start studying again, do yourself a favor and commit some time to really analyzing your strengths and weaknesses.

eg. Is timing a problem?
Do you stay longer on 1 problem when you should be moving on ? (pacing)
Is there certain concepts you don't understand? (Go back and do theory review)
Is there certain concepts that you DO understand but are slow at? (Get faster at what you're good at).

Hope that helps. My GMAT journey is far from over myself, so I know how you feel. But strategic progress and studying will help get you there. I've started a blog to keep myself going ... do whatever you need to push yourself! Good luck :)

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by Isaac@EconomistGMAT » Fri Oct 08, 2010 9:00 am
Hi there,

There are many aspects to your performance and your way forward. Firstly, and most importantly, please recognize that you have not done badly! Obviously, the score you have received is not the one you want but it is clear you have a foundation. If there were no solid foundation, there would be a problem.

In terms of practical advice, it is certainly ok to relook at the test prep questions and the official guide. But beforehand, several other things need to be done and determined. There has to be a good analysis of where your weak and strong points are. For example, in the Verbal section, and even within the Sentence Correction questions, it would be important to know what the trouble is exactly.

Therefore, proper techniques for all question types is crucial of course. Even within the critical reasoning, each question type (for example Assumption versus Inference versus weakening, etc) has, or should have its own technique and your job is to become very familiar with what you are faced with. So, for example, if you see a verb in the Sentence Correction, immediately you must know to check for things like Agreement with Subject (of which there may be a few types), Tense/Form, and Parallelism. The more automatic you become the easier the exam will be. They wish you to overthink everything. Your duty is to say, "I know everything here because I have learnt it and seen it several times- it is repetitive!" One of the most important things you can do once you learn how to attack every question type properly is to also take several practice exams and do much self analysis. The fact that you get something correct is not interesting from a learning perspective, but the fact that you make a mistake...now there is something to chew on as this gives you a clear idea of what is going on.

In addition, questions of time strategy come up. Where did you spend a lot (too much?) time; did you finish the sections comfortably; are you sacrificing several questions because you spent to much time on 2 or 3 questions that are designed to waste your time, and so forth.

Think of this as a holistic approach to your studies,. Not only do you need to utilize proper technique in a very consistent manner, but you must also make sure that your timing strategy works AND that you are fully confident, which you should be. Again, if you had received a 300 after much studying, this would have been a red flag, and I would still have encouraged you, but the fact that you are scratching the 600 tells me that you are decent but have the ability to improve as well.

Good luck! There is no doubt you will improve.
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by debaranjansahoo » Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:56 pm
Hi ,

I think first of all you need is a break..Take a break for atleast 3 months before you come back to GMAT preparation once again...During this period..Just play don't get out of touch with GMAT totally.

Study for your improvement not just from the exam point of view..I can suggest few ..which would be helpful with the preparation.

1. Read Powerscore CR Bible.
2. Read WSJ daily.
3. Read MGMAT SC guide multiple times 3/4 times..

After 3-4 months, get to questions but not to tests.
Join www.grockit.com , you ll get some practice questions.

Continue with that for 1-2 months. Then assesss how you have been doing. Give individual sections tests...Check how you have been doing. If you see the improvement then go on to appear practice full length test. Try 1 or 2 at least . If you consistently score above 650 , then set a target for how many more you can take all this.. If you feel you are not improving, then you have to admit you have hit the wall and take the exam dates. No point in delaying it further.
Simultaneously work on other aspects of your applications.

Always remember GMAT score is not the only thing but if you get a high score it just makes your chances of getting admission brighter..

Good Luck..