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jjk
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:56 pm
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- GMAT Score:730
Hey all,
So I took the GMAT on Monday and got a 640 (40 Q, 38 V). I definitely think my nerves got to me a bit and the data sufficiency questions seemed to be a step in difficulty above what I was expecting.
I'm just having a hard time figuring out how I lost my composure when the quant section began. I did all 1400 practice problems in the official original, quant, and verbal guides and got 85% of them right on my first run through. I redid all the problems and paid particular attention to the ones I missed and figured out why I missed them.
My practice exam scores were as follows:
Powerprep 1: 690 (47 Q, 40 V)
Powerprep 2: 730 (49 Q, 41 V)
GMATPrep 1: 710 (48 Q, 41 V)
GMATPrep 1 (retake): 720 (48 Q, 41 V)
GMATPrep 2: 740 (49 Q, 42 V) (2 days before the real thing)
I even did some extra Powerprep practice problems the morning of the real test and got all those right. I felt real good and calm going in.
What started it all was the first difficult data sufficiency problem. Knowing that it required more care than other problems, my concentration got paralyzed by my nerves and I started worrying about time management. I wasn't jittering or shaking, but I could definitely feel my heart pounding faster and I felt "stuck."
I'm looking into shortcuts to help me work through more difficult problems faster b/c I don't want to panic over time management when such problems appear. I also noticed I had some trouble retaining about a third of what I read in RC and CR problems.
Maybe it's just a matter of nerves and maybe I'll be relaxed and unflappable the next go-round. Anyone got any advice?
So I took the GMAT on Monday and got a 640 (40 Q, 38 V). I definitely think my nerves got to me a bit and the data sufficiency questions seemed to be a step in difficulty above what I was expecting.
I'm just having a hard time figuring out how I lost my composure when the quant section began. I did all 1400 practice problems in the official original, quant, and verbal guides and got 85% of them right on my first run through. I redid all the problems and paid particular attention to the ones I missed and figured out why I missed them.
My practice exam scores were as follows:
Powerprep 1: 690 (47 Q, 40 V)
Powerprep 2: 730 (49 Q, 41 V)
GMATPrep 1: 710 (48 Q, 41 V)
GMATPrep 1 (retake): 720 (48 Q, 41 V)
GMATPrep 2: 740 (49 Q, 42 V) (2 days before the real thing)
I even did some extra Powerprep practice problems the morning of the real test and got all those right. I felt real good and calm going in.
What started it all was the first difficult data sufficiency problem. Knowing that it required more care than other problems, my concentration got paralyzed by my nerves and I started worrying about time management. I wasn't jittering or shaking, but I could definitely feel my heart pounding faster and I felt "stuck."
I'm looking into shortcuts to help me work through more difficult problems faster b/c I don't want to panic over time management when such problems appear. I also noticed I had some trouble retaining about a third of what I read in RC and CR problems.
Maybe it's just a matter of nerves and maybe I'll be relaxed and unflappable the next go-round. Anyone got any advice?
