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Bad GMAT Score :(

by bluebeltsky24 » Mon Apr 14, 2014 2:43 pm
Hey. I took the GMAT a month ago without studying and got a 650 (42q, 38v). I needed to get a 700, so I started studying and doing prep from an online source. After this I took the GMAT prep tests and got a 650 (47q,32v) and a 670 (47q, 35v). I was sort of disappointed because I reviewed everything that I missed in Quant and it seemed easy when I had the solutions in front of me. Also, for verbal, I reviewed it and I made silly mistakes on sentence correction. The RC questions usually seem easy, but I feel like so many sentence correction are subjective when the solutions say they are "wordy".
Basically, I retook the GMAT today and got a 580 (42q,28v) and I was just so lost afterword. Even my worst verbal score didn't come close to this 28. Also, I left knowing that my quant timing was bad and that I probably got every percent change question wrong. I thought that I got every verbal questions correct because I had enough time to review my answers and because they all seemed fairly easy.
This whole process has just felt like a waste of time because I have friends who got a 700 without "knowing" how to do most questions. Can someone give me any sort of advice for going forward? Thanks.
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by [email protected] » Mon Apr 14, 2014 11:17 pm
Hi bluebeltsky24,

Based on what you've described, it sounds like you've only been studying for about a month. Is that correct? If so, then you shouldn't be too down on yourself - many Test Takers need 3 months (or more) to hit their goals. A 700+ score represents the 90th percentile, meaning that 90% of Test Takers either can't or won't do what it takes to score that high. My first thought, after reading your post, is that you didn't put in enough time.

Your practice CAT scores are in line with your original GMAT, but they do provide some additional insight. You had made some nice improvements in the Quant section, but they were "offset" by the losses in Verbal. That COULD mean that your original Verbal score was based on a bit of "luck" - a few "coin flips" went your way, maybe you found the RC prompts to be interesting and easy to follow, etc. You weren't able to get back to that level, so maybe it wasn't a completely accurate assessment.

You mention finding SCs subjective, but as a category, it's one of the most objective measurements of your ability. English grammar is an established set of rules (in the same way that Geometry is an established set of rules in the Quant section) - know the rules and recognize the patterns and SCs can be a big point "category" for you on Test Day. If you're picking SC answers by "how they sound", then that could also explain the point swings that you've experienced.

Moving forwards, I'd suggest that you give yourself more time to study and fully utilize whatever resources you have. And stop measuring your GMAT ability relative to that of your friends. Your application will be different than theirs, you have different strengths and weaknesses and B-schools will evaluate you accordingly.

To that end, what schools are you planning to apply to and when?

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Rich
Last edited by [email protected] on Tue Apr 15, 2014 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by bluebeltsky24 » Tue Apr 15, 2014 8:18 am
I'm applying to the University of Alabama. I need a 700 for the scholarship that I want and my application will be due near the end of the fall semester. Also, I've only been going for about a month, but I feel like I've covered every bit of material that I could find.
In regards to sentence correction, I've read the Manhattan SC guide probably five times and I've memorized all of the concepts, but I guess the studying has made my skills worse. Where do you suggest that I go from here? I've read almost every review book and have watched almost every video I could find from test companies. Is there some sort of study plan I should take? At this point I feel like I may need to cut my losses and get out. I didn't nearly have this kind of trouble back when I took the SAT and different CLEP tests.
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by [email protected] » Tue Apr 15, 2014 2:24 pm
Hi bluebeltsky24,

You mention that you've "covered" every bit of material, but how well do you really KNOW the material?

One of the reasons why you'll likely be better trained after 3 months of studies than 1 month of studies is the same reason that practicing guitar for 3 months will likely improve your ability more than practicing for 1 month. Even though you might know all the notes and chords, the repetition makes the process less difficult.

Studying ultimately includes a handful of facets:

1) Knowledge/Memorization - do you know the material/concepts/rules. You say you have the grammar rules memorized, but could you list them out? For example, do you know the various ways that parallelism will be tested on the GMAT?

2) "Spotting" a grammar rule - If you pull an SC out of the OG13 right now, would you be able to read through the prompt and point to the grammar rules "in play?"

3) Knowing GMAT "format"/patterns - The GMAT is a consistent, predictable exam. Do you have enough exposure to practice questions so that you can quickly recognize the inherent patterns behind the questions and avoid reading every answer from beginning-to-end (this is the WORST way to approach SCs by the way, and one that many under-trained Test Takers think is a good approach).

I believe you when you say that you've done a lot of reading, but that's not a complete enough approach.

As an aside, we haven't even addressed your Quant score drop. Even with a Verbal score in the high 30s, a Q42 isn't enough to get you a 700. I have to stick to my earlier assessment: you haven't put in enough time and reps yet to truly earn the score that you're after.

What specific materials have you been using to study?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by bluebeltsky24 » Tue Apr 15, 2014 8:41 pm
I've been using the Manhattan SC guide. Also, I used the number properties and geometry books. I know I have to practice more on word problems and timing. I feel like I only made dumb mistakes on the GMAT prep tests, but the real thing covered a lot of my weaknesses in areas such as "calculate the percent change".
For Sentence Correction, I've been trying to dissect the meaning of the sentence and let the rules apply from there, but I feel like this is my main verbal weakness. I enjoy the RC passages more than sentence correction.
Thanks.
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by [email protected] » Wed Apr 16, 2014 1:20 pm
Hi bluebeltsky24,

Since it sounds like you've been focused primarily on book-work, you might consider adding some computer-based resources to your studies. Since the GMAT will require that you work hard for 4 hours on a computer, you have to train for the "physical" side of taking this test. Book study does not provide a comparable experience to computer-based study.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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