Great Site! Today has been a big day for me so far - I failed the GMAT this morning (420 31Q 18V) after 9 days of studying, took the afternoon off to 'escape' my failure, and then motivated myself to research how to improve myself. Result = beatthegmat.com
My target score has been set at 560 - no less is acceptable. I must retake the exam between the 31-40 day range. This article is geared more towards me than some of the 'I Beat the GMAT' posts that detail 3-4 month strategies.
About today's exam. I was lost. I blanked out several times after reading a question - both Q and V. In addition, I spent several minutes multiplying/dividing out long math computations. I knew there was a shortcut (since I read/practiced them in Princeton Review's Crack the GMAT), but it wasn't instinct to me.
Time was intimidating! It took me about 10 minutes for the first 3 problems (eventually guessing on the third!). Frustration mounting.. In addition, I was very discouraged because the problems continued to get easier. Hurt my confidence, and I continued to dig a hole. GMAT Formula for DISASTER.
Lastly, I had such a HARD TIME taking the CAT! Never took an exam on a computer before - FIRST TIME EVER this morning. Obviously not a good idea, but as of 24 hours ago I thought, "how different can it actually be?". Man, was I wrong.
Anyway, my preparation for the first 4 days focused on Q basics - refreshing my memory on algebra, geometry, statistics, and various tested formulas. The next 3 days I went through about 80 practice problems. I actually performed very well on these problems (all in Princeton Review's Crack the GMAT) Bin 1 (easy), Bin 2 (med, easy) and Bin 3 (med, hard) in addition to the diagnostic book exam. Thought I was golden on Q!
Day 9, I went over the V Sections. After the review, I took the diagnostic book exam and saw I needed added attention to SC. So I decided to go back and review, then jump right back into Bin 1 and 2 Verbal problems. After that, I closed the book, jumped in bed and took the exam this morning.
Obviously, the ultimate cram did not work out for me. I need to achieve my target 560! It's a must. I have roughly 38 days or so until my retake (haven't scheduled yet, but that's what I'm planning for).
Any Advice? Strategies? Plan of Attack? Again, just looking to achieve that 560 to gain acceptance. Thank you!
My target score has been set at 560 - no less is acceptable. I must retake the exam between the 31-40 day range. This article is geared more towards me than some of the 'I Beat the GMAT' posts that detail 3-4 month strategies.
About today's exam. I was lost. I blanked out several times after reading a question - both Q and V. In addition, I spent several minutes multiplying/dividing out long math computations. I knew there was a shortcut (since I read/practiced them in Princeton Review's Crack the GMAT), but it wasn't instinct to me.
Time was intimidating! It took me about 10 minutes for the first 3 problems (eventually guessing on the third!). Frustration mounting.. In addition, I was very discouraged because the problems continued to get easier. Hurt my confidence, and I continued to dig a hole. GMAT Formula for DISASTER.
Lastly, I had such a HARD TIME taking the CAT! Never took an exam on a computer before - FIRST TIME EVER this morning. Obviously not a good idea, but as of 24 hours ago I thought, "how different can it actually be?". Man, was I wrong.
Anyway, my preparation for the first 4 days focused on Q basics - refreshing my memory on algebra, geometry, statistics, and various tested formulas. The next 3 days I went through about 80 practice problems. I actually performed very well on these problems (all in Princeton Review's Crack the GMAT) Bin 1 (easy), Bin 2 (med, easy) and Bin 3 (med, hard) in addition to the diagnostic book exam. Thought I was golden on Q!
Day 9, I went over the V Sections. After the review, I took the diagnostic book exam and saw I needed added attention to SC. So I decided to go back and review, then jump right back into Bin 1 and 2 Verbal problems. After that, I closed the book, jumped in bed and took the exam this morning.
Obviously, the ultimate cram did not work out for me. I need to achieve my target 560! It's a must. I have roughly 38 days or so until my retake (haven't scheduled yet, but that's what I'm planning for).
Any Advice? Strategies? Plan of Attack? Again, just looking to achieve that 560 to gain acceptance. Thank you!
