I just Beat The GMAT!

HI BTGians,

First of all i would like to thank all the ppl here for their support and commitment during the course of my prepration.

I am writting this post after full one day of my exam so that i can't be partial in my writting and do not overreact after a dismal performance in the official test.
So here is the summary:
I gave GMAT on monday and scored 510 only.
Quants:42
Verbal:19
Although i know after looking on too my breakups it seems obvious that my verbal is way to poor and my quant is ok but not great with my typical indian IT professional background.(BTW i have a workex of 3+ years and my GPA is average)
Having said that i must say that i really tried hard for both verbal and quants and tried to learn as much as possible from all the resources this forum validates.
1) MGMAT SC guide
2) Powerscore CR bible
3) MGMAT and IMS tutorials for Quants.
4) All these with OG11 and OG 12 questions with explanations.
5) Gave Moc test as following:
MGMAT:6(Mean score 560)
GMATPrep:twice over(Mean score 580)
All moc test with AWA and testlike conditions.

Considering my results in Moc tests my real test result is definately below expectation but not way too different.
But the reason i am writting this blog and why i shared with you ppl all my study details is that after almost going though all this and for almost 4 months into prepration is there something wrong in my approach here and thatz why my score didnt improved over a period of time.

I myself analysed some of reasons for this which might have resulted in this score or may be not so i need your inputs:

1) I studied all 4 months alone with hardly a bunch of ppl knowing that i am giving the exam and also without any coaching as most ppl say its just a waste of time.
2)Couldnt found a study group thoughout my prepration and study all alone with hardly any feedback from other ppl(Apart from some really good feedback from the ppl in this forum)
3) I lost some confidence before a week of my exam due to poor moc results and then started hoping against hope that it will be fine and i may still achive 650+ score.
4) Although i finished each section on real test on time timing was a real issue for me throughout my prepration.
5) Although i learnt most of my concepts for Verbal from the materials i provided above but when it comes to application part i was not fully confident and mix two or three concepts.
6)I improved my Quant from my initial prep days,thanks to some tips from IMS notes and MGMAT guide but still i am not able to master the topic.
May be here i missed some tutors guidance as its almost more than 5 years since i got out of touch with elementary maths.

Although 510 is poor score but i owe it and i am not going to give up for sure.
But how much do you guys from your experiance tell me is it worth to retake the test.Can i improve around 100 points in 2 months of prepration.(keeping in mind i want to apply for fall 2010 only).
Suggest me what can be best approach for me now or how can i tweek my prepration stategy so that i wont do mistakes i did before.ALL the suggestions are welcome.Plz help

Thanks in advance...

Can any one comment on my post!!!
Looks like ppl dont want to comment on poor scores..

Firstly, i would say that you are pressurizing yourself too much by fixing a date (2 months from now) to write the exam. Looking at the scores, i would advice you to start from scratch (Math fundamentals). I made the same mistake as you made by booking the exam 3 months in advance when i just started to know what the GMAT is. I scored a meagre 500 in actual GMAT. Now i've realised that i must not burn myself too much by allocating just 2-3 months for my prep and finally ending up in doing everything improperly. I have now planned to take my own time and keep studying until i realize that i'm well equipped for the exam. And only then i will book an appointment for the exam coz i have mostly noticed free slots within 3-7 days.

As for verbal, even my score was pretty low but in my first attempt, i didn't study any strategies for RC or CR which dumped me in the exam. This time, i ensured that i must first completely understand the strategies and tricks involved in RC and CR and then start working out problems. I believe that this method should work for me. But in your case, you have mentioned that you have already practiced powerscore CR bible and MGMAT sc guide whereas i never knew of these resources in my first attempt earlier. Why don't you diligently and cautiously study these 2 books again and then practice all the questions? I believe that if you study these 2 books carefully instead of rushing up, you will definitely see an improvement in your score.

The key is don't burn yourself by covering everything in 2-3 months which will affect your performance in actual GMAT. Also, ensure that you take practice tests at least 1 week before the exam. Finally, it is you who must take the call. I have provided my inputs to you as much as i can. Feel free to ask any question.

Thanks papgust for your feedback.

As you said i also realised myself that booking a date way to early leads to rushing up and missing the concepts which really matter.Actually I have already made up my mind that this time around i will only book a date when i feel confident about my score and when it wiill be consistent and close to my target score.

Can you tell me what approach will be best now to start again from scrach as u said.
Actually speaking i think i dont have to start from scratch and need to reconsider my statergy which can be to go for any couching classes or anything as studing alone is not bringing me the desired results.What you say??
Can you suggest me something else if you have in mind like what worked for you and what didnt keeping all what i said here or previous post in mind.

Also I will really push myself for fall next year so need to be really accurate this time around with very little scope of error.

Thanks a lot in advance

I would like to share the reasons which knocked me royally in the first attempt. Five things dumped me in my first exam,
1. Didn't take any effort to understand the exam and do some research on like how the exam will be, how difficult the questions may be, what kind of materials must i use? and so on.
2. Booked the exam date 3 months in advance and only then started preparing
3. I studied the wrong/may be insufficient books like Nova Press, Barron's, 1000 documents. Also used OG 11 which is the only good resource. OG maybe is good for practice after learning the fundamentals and strategies. I find OG a horrible book for learning fundamentals or strategies
4. Started taking practice exams only 2 days before the exam. And that too without doing AWA essays. This is a great mistake one can ever do!
5. Did not have a good sleep before the exam. Pressurized myself too much and more importantly was shocked after seeing the difficulty level of GMATPrep exams and realised that i didn't prepare myself well. Got scores of 550 and 580 in the GMATPreps. Then i literally lost sleep after that, which made me tired and which turned me into a pessimist during the exam.

Make sure you AVOID doing these things first.
Now,

Ask this question first to yourself. Can i manage to study by myself? If your response is YES, then you have started really well for your preparation. If your response is NO, then you don't hesitate to seek a private tutor or a coaching class. Sometimes, dedicated study in a class may help several people to improve their performace. As far as coaching classes are concerned, i'm neither sure which institute is the best nor which private tutor is the best. I've opted myself to battle by studying alone which i feel comfortable.

Secondly, i can see that your quants is fairly good but not excellent. Are you sure that you are excellent in math fundamentals? If not, i would advice you to search for your high school math book and learn the basics first. This is very important for your preparation.
Only then, start working out problems from whichever sources you have. I guess you already have good resources for math.

In verbal, looks like your weakest part in this exam. In which part are you weak at? SC, CR or RC?

For CR, i firmly believe that Powerscore CR bible is an excellent start. I myself was horrible in my first attempt as i didn't learn any strategies for it which is the most horrible start to my prep. After learning a few chapters, i took a diagnostic test in OG 11 and surprisingly my accuracy shot upto 85-90%. This is a great book for strategies. I don't find really great with MGMAT CR strategies although it is just good.

For SC, i hear from everyone that MGMAT SC guide is the apt resource. For me, SC is my only strength in first attempt. Accuracy of answering was always more than 90% for me. So, i didn't really sweat for this section rather i just learnt the idioms and practiced a ton of questions.

For RC, till now i myself have not found a good strategy to master this section. So far, i have not diligently started my prep with this section. However, i see to that i regularly read articles from sites like Economist, Wall street journal, sciam etc. as many ppl advised me to start RC preparation in this way.

Hope these points help you in some way. Your experience is very much similar to mine and i'm sure that my strategies will in some way help you too.

Hi samsachd,

If you dont mind can you tell me, are you from Bangalore. Basically let me tell my back ground i have also given GMAT and did very badly scoring (530). If you are interested and if u dont mind. I guess we can do combined studies.

My contact number : 9916927216.

Hoping a reply from you.

Thanks,
Sasi

samsachd,

I think you should consider the following
1. Get a private tutor. At this point, I think it makes sense. Let someone else detect the error trends that you make on Verbal.
2. Maybe push out your MBA applications by one year to give you time to strategize properly
3. Work on your Verbal!!!!! Do you read the NY Times and The Economist for example? Focus on the Leaders, Science and pure economic focus articles to get a feel for how arguments are made in essays, the assumptions that underlie the main points and how they attempt to counter arguments against the main point. The most recent copy of The Economist makes an argument for why voters should not be disenfranchized - https://www.economist.com/opinion/displa ... d=14744966 - this could very well be a GMAT RC passage in the future

Here are some good links:

Opinion - https://www.economist.com/opinion/
Science - https://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/
Technology - https://www.economist.com/businessfinanc ... micsfocus/

Good luck!!

Thanks ogbeni for the inputs.

I am considering the options and looking for some good feedback from all of you.
Can you tell me what are usual 2nd round deadlines for Universities overseas.
Also of various prep companies which has got the best reputation for classroom coaching.(particular in india)

Again thanks sharing for these links and hope to get some more positive feedbacks from you ppl.

Cheerz..

Hi,
If you dont mind can you tell me are u from Bangalore ?