I just Beat The GMAT!

I took the GMAT this week and did poorly (570: Q35, V34). My target school is duke so I know that I need to be in the 650-680 range. I've already taken a Kaplan course and that didn't seem to help. Here are the results of my practice exams.

Diagnostic - 530 (Kaplan Percentile Q42%, V33%) - I honestly wasn't super worried about this because I rushed through the test so that I could have 'a score' before starting the class

CAT 2 - 510 (Q38%, V33%) - I tried to answer all the questions using the Kaplan method and failed. My teacher assured me that it would take some time for my score to rise

CAT 3 - 600 (Q59%, V43%) - Finally broke 600! I was pretty pumped

CAT 4 - 560 (Q34%, V56%) - I realized the 600 was a fluke

CAT 5 - 590 (Q51%, V58%) - Better, still not good

CAT 6 - 570 (Q38%, V78%) - Please make note of the difference in quantitative vs. verbal. I didn't see it at the time but this would become a trend

CAT 7 - 620 (Q42%, V95%) - This was 2 days before the exam. I thought that if I could do well enough on the verbal and decent on the math I could bang out a 650

Well, you can see from my actual GMAT that that didn't happen. So my questions to the forum:

Does anyone know how Kaplan's higher score guarantee works? I think I may be eligible for some king of refund.
I know that I need to take the exam again, and I need to do better in the quantitative section, I'm thinking about doing the veritas self study or even a veritas class. Any thoughts?

Also, I'm still not close to the 650-680 range that I need. My low quant scores indicate a basic misunderstanding of some of the concepts tested. Most people that make the type of jump I would like to do end up studying for up to 3 years. Can this be fixed with a class or do I need to do some self-study for the next 6 months (to get an understanding) and then revisit the exam?

Any advice, especially some harsh criticism (but not too harsh), is appreciated.

Dont be disappointed. You can break the 600 barrier.

I would recommend MGMATs 8 guides for your first level prep. For SC, MGMAT is the best. Get Powerscore CR also.

Analyze your previous prac tests. See if there is a pattern in your weaknesses. Concentrate on that weakness. When you took practice, did you take AWA just like you would on the real test? If not, do that. Once you start scoring consistently in the 600s, then only think of the real GMAT.

With the amount of info you have given, it is hard to criticize. And I don't want you to think I am some authority to comment.

Thanks for the advice. I'll look into it.

I would highly recommend Manhattans series and see if you can learn it on your own. The books are very straightforward and excellent guides for the GMAT. Just make certain to start in book 1 and work your way from there. This will also give you access to the Manhattan CATs which are excellent for prep work.

The other thing I would suggest is to take the GMAT Prep CATs when you are confident after your study work. Those are the most representative tests available since they are provided by the GMAT people.

If you know that you have a test score that you need make sure that you are in that range before you go. If you are in the upper 500s/low 600s and need near a 700, cancel the test date. There is almost no chance that somehow your score will rise that many points on the day of the exam. Sure you might lose a few dollars, but retaking it over and over and scoring low is probably not going to help you in the long run when you apply to Duke.

Dont get shattered!!!!
Somewhere I read "Some people are born genius, others make their way towards it"

Better luck for next time

Wow, thank you all so much for the advice. I can't explain how much the encouragement means to me. I'll try out the suggested strategies and keep you posted.

Thanks again

Hi,

I am sorry you had a rough day. I am sure you will bounce back. Here's an approach that can help.

Divide your Quant learning into specific areas

1.1 Equations
1.2 Speed and Work
1.3 Sets ... and so on
1.4 Number properties ... and so on

Then against each category, write down the exact steps you need to perform. For example for a Speed/Work question, you may want to draw a table with Rate, Time and Distance/Work

For questions from number properties, you may want to reduce the prompt to its bare minimum. For example X is a even integer with only 2 factors implies that X = 2

Second, you need to sort out any timing issues. You need to learn when to give up on tough questions and move on.

Last, do not ignore verbal for your next attempt. With some more practice, you can easily move toward late 30's in your verbal

You can check out the GMAT-Mastersheet in my Debrief. It might give you some pointers.

Mohit