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riddlemethis828
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:13 pm
I took the GMAT a week ago and am really disheartened with my score. Honestly, it has taken me a full week to come to terms with the fact that I did as bad as I did on quant and to muster up the energy to reach out for advice. My score breakdown was as follows:
Verbal: 40 (89th percentile)
Math: 38 (48th percentile)
Overall: 640 (74th percentile)
I studied on my own using all of the Manhattan GMAT books, Powerscore SC and CR, and also Kaplan's Math and Verbal books. I also did tons of math problems in both the OG (the big book and the green quant book). I consulted GMAT Hacks for explanations of problems that I got wrong and also to learn faster ways to solve problems that I noted took me a lot of time. I also did a few practice tests (admittedly, I could have done way more) and looked at the areas that I did not do well in.
Essentially, my verbal score was strong from the start, so I barely went over a few chapters in the Powerscore guides for SC and CR, focusing most of my studies over the last 2 months on math. In practice tests, my quant scores were all over the place, between 55th and 75th percentile, so I already knew that there was a chance that I would not do as well as I had hoped but I wanted to take the exam before the Integrated Reasoning changeover and felt that since I was consistently scoring in the high 600s, I could crank something out. (My first diagnostic was a MGMAT test under real circumstances and it put me at 680: 70th percentile Math and 89th percentile Verbal). I did take the MGMAT math diagnostic test and finished it in half the time allotted with a perfect score so I know that I've got my very basics down. I've also historically done well in math and on standardized tests. I scored a 770/800 in math on the SATs (though that was like 10 years ago and not nearly as hard as GMAT math) and I was scoring in the 710-770 range back in college when I was contemplating going to school for a Masters in Finance because my liberal arts degree did not make me employable.
I'm really feeling defeated right now. I have not cracked open a book for a week. I also feel like I put so much of my life on hold for this test (putting off so many things for "after the GMAT") and studied 30 hours a week for the past 9 weeks. I am disappointed in myself. I'm also an older prospective candidate and feeling like I need to get my apps in first round to have a fighting chance and feel like I'm going to need a few months to realistically improve my quant, learn the Integrated Reasoning stuff, and really nail the GMAT this time (though I am also still in my self-pitying "defeatist" stage where I feel like it may not even be attainable). I'm estimating at least 2-3 more months of studying but would welcome everyone's input on that as well. I know that many Round 1 deadlines for my target schools are in October.
I'm contemplating taking an online course like Knewton to get some extra help and to improve my math score. I'd appreciate any other advice in terms of improving my quant or just overall. I'm also considering lowering my expectations as to realistic target schools. (I am absolutely in love with -- and have been gunning for -- Sloan ever since I visited.) Any advice would be appreciated with respect to setting realistic admissions goals as well.
I just don't know what else to say. Timing was definitely a slight issue but I selectively "chose" what questions to skip, as MGAT suggested, each time. I also don't seem to have a consistent pattern of mistakes though I KNOW I was hit with a ton more number properties questions on my actual test than what I saw in the practice questions or practice tests.
In terms of "other" factors: I was a double major in the liberal arts with a 3.8 from a good state school. I already have another rigorous graduate degree from an ivy league school (much lower GPA but still above a 3) and I have 6 years of FT work experience which is not amazing but is from a non-traditional sector. I took 4 Econ courses, 2 calc courses, and 1 stats course in college and got A's in all of those classes but 1 econ course (in which I got a B). I have insane extras and accolades. I am certainly open to taking finance or some other courses over the next year to prove that I'm "quant ready" for programs. But, I suspect that I would still need to get my quant score close to the 80th percentile mark (if not exceed it, per the 80/80 rule).
I sincerely appreciate as detailed advice (even if it's hard to hear) as possible.
Verbal: 40 (89th percentile)
Math: 38 (48th percentile)
Overall: 640 (74th percentile)
I studied on my own using all of the Manhattan GMAT books, Powerscore SC and CR, and also Kaplan's Math and Verbal books. I also did tons of math problems in both the OG (the big book and the green quant book). I consulted GMAT Hacks for explanations of problems that I got wrong and also to learn faster ways to solve problems that I noted took me a lot of time. I also did a few practice tests (admittedly, I could have done way more) and looked at the areas that I did not do well in.
Essentially, my verbal score was strong from the start, so I barely went over a few chapters in the Powerscore guides for SC and CR, focusing most of my studies over the last 2 months on math. In practice tests, my quant scores were all over the place, between 55th and 75th percentile, so I already knew that there was a chance that I would not do as well as I had hoped but I wanted to take the exam before the Integrated Reasoning changeover and felt that since I was consistently scoring in the high 600s, I could crank something out. (My first diagnostic was a MGMAT test under real circumstances and it put me at 680: 70th percentile Math and 89th percentile Verbal). I did take the MGMAT math diagnostic test and finished it in half the time allotted with a perfect score so I know that I've got my very basics down. I've also historically done well in math and on standardized tests. I scored a 770/800 in math on the SATs (though that was like 10 years ago and not nearly as hard as GMAT math) and I was scoring in the 710-770 range back in college when I was contemplating going to school for a Masters in Finance because my liberal arts degree did not make me employable.
I'm really feeling defeated right now. I have not cracked open a book for a week. I also feel like I put so much of my life on hold for this test (putting off so many things for "after the GMAT") and studied 30 hours a week for the past 9 weeks. I am disappointed in myself. I'm also an older prospective candidate and feeling like I need to get my apps in first round to have a fighting chance and feel like I'm going to need a few months to realistically improve my quant, learn the Integrated Reasoning stuff, and really nail the GMAT this time (though I am also still in my self-pitying "defeatist" stage where I feel like it may not even be attainable). I'm estimating at least 2-3 more months of studying but would welcome everyone's input on that as well. I know that many Round 1 deadlines for my target schools are in October.
I'm contemplating taking an online course like Knewton to get some extra help and to improve my math score. I'd appreciate any other advice in terms of improving my quant or just overall. I'm also considering lowering my expectations as to realistic target schools. (I am absolutely in love with -- and have been gunning for -- Sloan ever since I visited.) Any advice would be appreciated with respect to setting realistic admissions goals as well.
I just don't know what else to say. Timing was definitely a slight issue but I selectively "chose" what questions to skip, as MGAT suggested, each time. I also don't seem to have a consistent pattern of mistakes though I KNOW I was hit with a ton more number properties questions on my actual test than what I saw in the practice questions or practice tests.
In terms of "other" factors: I was a double major in the liberal arts with a 3.8 from a good state school. I already have another rigorous graduate degree from an ivy league school (much lower GPA but still above a 3) and I have 6 years of FT work experience which is not amazing but is from a non-traditional sector. I took 4 Econ courses, 2 calc courses, and 1 stats course in college and got A's in all of those classes but 1 econ course (in which I got a B). I have insane extras and accolades. I am certainly open to taking finance or some other courses over the next year to prove that I'm "quant ready" for programs. But, I suspect that I would still need to get my quant score close to the 80th percentile mark (if not exceed it, per the 80/80 rule).
I sincerely appreciate as detailed advice (even if it's hard to hear) as possible.
