Help!! Scores going down and only 2 days until test!!

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rrp7231302: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 4:02 pm

by rrp7231302 » Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:09 pm

I'm taking the GMAT this Saturday, so I only have 2 study days in between. I took 2 non-CAT tests on Kaplan's site before I registered and before found Beat the GMAT and got 590 and 630. After I registered for a test date and was ready to get serious about studying, I signed up for the 60 day GMAT guide. I started it about 80 days ago to allow for days I couldn't do the whole assignment due to having a full-time job and nearly full-time volunteer commitments. The first CAT I took at the beginning of the 60 days I got a 710. The one I took after completing all of the math topics had gone down to 690. The one I just took today was 670. Why is my score decreasing?!? I found Beat the GMAT helpful, I have never had bad test anxiety to the point it actually affected my scores on any other test I've taken. Quant and verbal have both decreased, but quant definitely moreso. I've also felt more crunched for time on the quant now than I did on thise first 3 tests. I don't know what to do at this point. I don't know if postponing is even an option much less a good one.

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:09 pm

Geva@EconomistGMAT: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 905; Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 1:38 amFollowed by: 123 members; Thanked: 378 times; GMAT Score:760

by Geva@EconomistGMAT » Wed Jun 15, 2011 10:13 pm

rrp7231302 wrote:I'm taking the GMAT this Saturday, so I only have 2 study days in between. I took 2 non-CAT tests on Kaplan's site before I registered and before found Beat the GMAT and got 590 and 630. After I registered for a test date and was ready to get serious about studying, I signed up for the 60 day GMAT guide. I started it about 80 days ago to allow for days I couldn't do the whole assignment due to having a full-time job and nearly full-time volunteer commitments. The first CAT I took at the beginning of the 60 days I got a 710. The one I took after completing all of the math topics had gone down to 690. The one I just took today was 670. Why is my score decreasing?!? I found Beat the GMAT helpful, I have never had bad test anxiety to the point it actually affected my scores on any other test I've taken. Quant and verbal have both decreased, but quant definitely moreso. I've also felt more crunched for time on the quant now than I did on thise first 3 tests. I don't know what to do at this point. I don't know if postponing is even an option much less a good one.

1) Relax.

2) Postponing two days before the test means that your $250 are forfeit anyway. You might as well just take the test, see the score, and worry about what's next if there is any cause for worry. Stop thinking about postponing, and focus on the test ahead.

3) Regarding your score drops, It would be helpful to know which tests you are using - comparing scores between one test source and another isn't really useful, as each source uses its own algorithm and score calibration. The only sources I really trust in terms of score prediction are the GMATPREPs - the average of what you get on the two CATs (the first time you see them - not repeat takes) is pretty much what you're worth at this point in time, and even that prediction carries a 20-30 point margin either way because of a good/ bad day.

Geva
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rrp7231302: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 4:02 pm

by rrp7231302 » Thu Jun 16, 2011 3:05 am

The 710 was my first attempt at the first GMATprep practice test. The 690 was my repeat of the same test, and the 670 was my first attempt at the second GMATprep test.

Geva@EconomistGMAT: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 905; Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 1:38 amFollowed by: 123 members; Thanked: 378 times; GMAT Score:760

by Geva@EconomistGMAT » Thu Jun 16, 2011 3:12 am

rrp7231302 wrote:The 710 was my first attempt at the first GMATprep practice test. The 690 was my repeat of the same test, and the 670 was my first attempt at the second GMATprep test.

...Then my current estimate of your ability is 710-720 on a good day, 670 on a bad day. Stop freaking out, use the next two days wisely, and make sure Saturday is a good day.

Geva
Senior Instructor
Master GMAT
1-888-780-GMAT
https://www.mastergmat.com

rrp7231302: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 4:02 pm

by rrp7231302 » Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:28 pm

Thanks for the advice and vote of confidence! I took the day off work to do some de-stressing, regrouping, and studying. It definitely paid off because when I retook the GMATprep test tonight I got a 720, and that was with only a couple repeat questions that I knew I'd seen before. I still work the repeats out all the way too, because I don't usually remember whether my answer was right or wrong.

Geva@EconomistGMAT: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 905; Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 1:38 amFollowed by: 123 members; Thanked: 378 times; GMAT Score:760

by Geva@EconomistGMAT » Sun Jun 19, 2011 6:07 am

So, what actually happened here? How did it go?

Geva
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rrp7231302: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 4:02 pm

by rrp7231302 » Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:31 am

I ended up getting only 690 which I definitely wasn't happy with, but I sort of knew was coming as I was taking the test. I could tell that I was having to work out way too many by the full arithmetic and just wasn't seeing those typical tricks and shortcuts that I knew to watch for, and I ended up getting rushed. I was also working problems out, checking the math, and still having answers that weren't in my choices and having to guess much more than I ever did while practicing. At least I kept calm and confident enough to still hold it together and do well on the verbal. The most disappointing was really that I got a 710 on the first GMATprep test that I did at the beginning of beat-the-GMAT, and now I have to wonder why I sacrificed seeing friends or doing anything social for 3 months if I did just as well as I could have done before all that studying. I still thought beat the GMAT was a good study guide and would recommend it to anyone who asked my advice, but the knowledge I felt I gained from it just didn't show up on the score report.

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