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WHAT NOW?! Good practice scores, Horrible GMAT

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WHAT NOW?! Good practice scores, Horrible GMAT

by bcdilley » Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:08 pm
I recently took the GMAT Exam and did horribly. My goal on the exam is 700+. I have improved and scored consistently on each of my practice exams--640 (Q43,V35), 650 (Q44,V36), 660 (Q44,V38), 680 (Q47,V36). I spent 150 hours over the past ten weeks studying for the exam while working 45-50 hours a week and I have a family at home. I did a thorough self-study program using all of the Manhattan GMAT books, as well as Princeton Review.

Anyway, I scored a 540 (Q38, V27). The exam really did not "feel" any different, in fact I felt quite confident.

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? Had I scored around where I have been scoring on the practice exams, I would feel confident about continuing what I am doing. Since my score was sooo much lower, I really don't know what to do.

Your advice and help is greatly appreciated.
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by Bryant@VeritasPrep » Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:59 pm
A good place to start might be here:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/a/2009/10/26 ... went-wrong

my other advice would be to consider enrolling in a guided course. Sometimes self-study can only get you so far. In my experience, guided study prep has demonstrated dramatic results. It's akin to hiring a personal trainer as opposed to trying to workout on your own.
Bryant Michaels
MBA Admissions Consultant


Enroll now. Pay later. Take advantage of Veritas Prep's flexible payment plan options
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Sat Jan 23, 2010 1:27 pm
bcdilley wrote:I recently took the GMAT Exam and did horribly. My goal on the exam is 700+. I have improved and scored consistently on each of my practice exams--640 (Q43,V35), 650 (Q44,V36), 660 (Q44,V38), 680 (Q47,V36). I spent 150 hours over the past ten weeks studying for the exam while working 45-50 hours a week and I have a family at home. I did a thorough self-study program using all of the Manhattan GMAT books, as well as Princeton Review.

Anyway, I scored a 540 (Q38, V27). The exam really did not "feel" any different, in fact I felt quite confident.

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? Had I scored around where I have been scoring on the practice exams, I would feel confident about continuing what I am doing. Since my score was sooo much lower, I really don't know what to do.

Your advice and help is greatly appreciated.
Looking at your score breakdown before you go out and sign up for a prep course. Consider getting the Powerscore Critical Reasoning Bible and the Powerscore Reading Comprehension Bible. I have never gone through MGMAT RC and CR guides, but based on their CATs and the explanations in their CATs its pretty apparent that their logic for these two sections are horrible and do not align with the logic of the actual test. I would recommend going through those two books and making flash cards as you go along. After you do that, go through the official guide and see if you notice a big jump in the amount of questions you get right along with your understanding. If so, take it again, if not, register for the class.
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by bcdilley » Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:21 pm
Thank you for your responses. They were very helpful. After analyzing things a bit, I really feel that my problem on the actual exam was time management. On all of my practice exams prior to the test, I tried to simulate the test as accurately as possible. During the exam, I felt that I spent entirely too much time on the first dozen or so questions and was very rushed and flustered on the last several questions.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to time management strategies as well as increasing one's speed on quantitative questions?

Thanks!
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