GMAT Strategy

Hi Everyone,
I have never once posted on a blog before - never mind a GMAT blog. I have been following this network closely since my failed 2nd attempt at the GMAT. Long story short, I am aiming for the top tier schools, well just two in NYC. I am not going to bore you with my "Oh I tried so hard but I just can't get 700" story but I will say this much; I am aiming for the top schools b/c I have always done well in school, have a very respectful job with a professional designation and have the supports of the big bosses of my firm to puruse my MBA degree.

BUT, I have taken the GMAT 4 times just during this calendar year.

First Attempt: Q35 V29 for 540
Second Attempt: Q37 V33 for 580
Third Attempt: Q 40 V29 for 580
Fourth Attempt (today): Cancelled my score

I have now passed the point of being embarrassed (clearly, since I'm posting this online!) and stopped asking questions. I was definitely not ready after my 1st test as I have only done Princeton Review questions but since the I've completed all of MGAMT materials including its CATs which scored the following: 580; 620; 640; 660 and 680 (I kept a track of my individuals scores in another spreadsheet in my personal computer therefore do not have the breakdown of the MGMAT scores other than the totals you see).It was almost too perfect to believe that the more I studied with MGMAT books, my scores would increase by the increments of 20.

Anyway, it was most definitely devasting to walk out of the 3rd test attempt with 580 after scoring 600's in MGMAT CATS.

Today was my 4th attempt.... I panicked and lost track of time in the math section. The stress carried through and I made the decision to cancel my score around question #18 of the verbal section. I have written a number of professional exams and this is certainly my first time cancelling. I do not regret this decision for I am certain that I was on a downward sprial (after seeing some difficult questions though) and just could not focus anymore. After so many tries, I just can't afford another low to mid 500's.

My plans for the next month (as I only have one more attempt for year 2011) is to re-do Princeton CATs and MGMAT CATs again strictly to keep on top of pacing. I also need to learn to focus better during reading comprehensions. I find Verbal much more difficult than the quant section.


I am writing in here for any word of wisdom that you might have to share with me.


Thanks so much everyone.

I don't know how encouraging this will be, as I am also trying to improve my score, but I think you should take a step back and maybe reevaluate how you are studying. Have you been using books or just taking practice tests? And where are you taking the tests? Maybe you can try taking them in a "test-like environment." After my first (and also extremely terrible) try, I'm trying to change my study methods to see if that helps. I'm also going to slow down because I was in such a rush that I was creating more stress in my brain and ruining my score. Also, I would maybe limit the frequency at which you take the tests. I'm pretty sure the schools can see how many times you take them and who knows what an admissions officer would think about the repetition; check in with the schools. As someone who is also striving to go to a top school, I wish you the best! I hope this helped.

Heylo..

Relax..Dont push yourself too hard.

I have seen the mad rush behind 700's but at times.. Those score are just for reference.


Push yourself to maybe 620-650 range. get your thoughts around why you want to pursue an MBA

bring yourself to understanding the essays deeply

and boost your resume

All in all you will be a credible candidate for the b schools

All the best.. keep your spirits up and attempt

Hey NYC-bound,

Sorry to hear about another frustrating experience with the GMAT. But - and not just because you asked specifically for this - I do feel that there are some reasons to be optimistic about what happened:

-It sounds like your recent attempt was doomed by pacing and stress, both of which are a lot easier to fix than lack-of-ability. So all is not lost at all.

-Your practice test scores demonstrate that you have the ability and should help you with that stress - you've earned the right to be confident! You're not grasping at straws here to try and stay upbeat...you have evidence that shows that you should be upbeat.

-It sounds like you're applying to Stern. With that in mind, I should mention that a good friend of mine who now has an MBA from Stern and owns his own upper-east-side apartment once called me in tears after his second failed GMAT attempt and it all worked out okay for him about six weeks later on the GMAT. So there's some precedent in your favor...

I'd advise a few things for you as you gear up for this next attempt:

1) Don't put too much pressure on your score; focus more on the process of answering questions correctly. It sounds like you felt a lot of stress on test day, and I'd bet that most of it was self-inflicted and unproductive. You seem like a decent candidate for this article: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/09/ ... al-setting

2) It also sounds like pacing could be a major factor for you. Keep in mind that you CAN and WILL get questions wrong, so there's no harm in blowing a couple guesses on difficult-looking questions so that you can allocate your time to getting "your" questions right. This article can help with that...#2 in particular: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/04/ ... ay-anxiety

3) It's probably hokey, but if it helps remind yourself that you've already had your worst day. It sounds like attempt #4 was a perfect storm of nerves and botched timing. That's out of the way now - now you're on to better things. We all have bad days...you've had yours, you've learned from it, and now you're poised to put it all together. There's some comfort to be had in knowing that you've already experienced your worst-case scenario.

4) Don't let a rough quant section impact your verbal confidence. It's a hard test, and I've seen many a student feel like she struggled so much on the quant that it's all lost for verbal...only to find out that her quant was actually better than she thought and her verbal tanked because she lost her nerve. Quite a few 700+ scorers felt like they had an awful test leading up to their score popping up...keep plugging away and let the score report tell you how you did - don't let yourself infer any limits while you're still taking the test.