I cant believe it- 760 to 640- Not sure how GMAT beat me

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NB1234: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 27; Joined: Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:17 pm; Thanked: 20 times; Followed by:2 members

I cant believe it- 760 to 640- Not sure how GMAT beat me

by NB1234 » Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:23 pm

Im still in shock. After preparing for 2 months I wrote my GMAT today and got 640. I got the same score 2 months ago when I started preparation. However, during the last week I took 4 GMATPREP exams
GMATPrep1: 760
GMATPrep2:760
GMATPrep1(retake, few similar wstn): 730
GMATPrep(retake...): 740

Im not even sure what to do now? Where do I start? What do I analyze? I was slow on quant on the exam but never even thought I would see a 100 point differntial. Im not blaming the exam but wondering if anyone else has had this experience and what they did to come back and get the score they worked so hard for.

Last edited by NB1234 on Sun Sep 08, 2013 3:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — I just Beat The GMAT! | Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:23 pm

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; Followed by:511 members; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:49 pm

Hi NB1234,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as hoped. Since this looks like your first post, I don't have any gauge for how you were studying or for how long.

I can tell you that taking 4 CATs in ONE WEEK is a BAD idea. You were likely burned out by the time you took your Official GMAT. The good news is that Business Schools don't care if you retest, but you're going to need to make some changes before you take the GMAT again.

Can you tell me how long you've been studying and what resources you've used? Also, when are you planning to apply to school (and what schools are you considering?)?

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

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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NB1234: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 27; Joined: Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:17 pm; Thanked: 20 times; Followed by:2 members

by NB1234 » Sat Sep 07, 2013 4:26 pm

Thanks for replying Rich.
I have been studying for about 2 months now. I did the complete OG13 PS, DS and CR sections. Finished half of the SC and RC sections. I also did the verbal review and Quant review, almost half the questions, starting from the last one and working back towards the first question. I read the MGMAT books cover to cover. Did their practice questions as well. My MMGAT scores were in the range of 640-690.

Im planning on applying to Kellogs and booth only since Im moving to Chicago very soon. My plan was to apply right about now but it seems like I would have to wait.

As of now I feel the angst of a badly beaten boxer who thinks he needs another round right away to prove he is better than his opponent. My first thought is to retake the exam at the next available date which seems to be end of october based on teh availability at test center.

Were the 4 scores a fluke? Did I just get lucky on all 4? I feel dejected knowing I have already done these exams and doing them again , even if that shows a 770 score, wont mean much. My quant score(44) is below even what I got on MGMAT and the verbal score on GMAT(34) was worst ever on any test ever given, lower even than when I first started preparing. On GMATPrep my quant was either 50 or 49 on each of the 4 tests and verbal was in the range of 41-45.

Sorry for the sad rant

. The shock has still not worn off. Ill appreciate if you can provide any pointers.

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basso25@: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 110; Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm; Thanked: 13 times; Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Sat Sep 07, 2013 7:55 pm

Sorry to hear. But, my 2 cents -- get back in that test center the earliest you can. But this time around, don't take a CAT a week out of the test, and concentrate on being as well rested and clear headed as you can be going into D day. Trust in yourself, and I would predict you're cruising your way into Kellogg and Booth. Cheers.

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faraz_jeddah: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 358; Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:46 am; Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Thanked: 42 times; Followed by:7 members; GMAT Score:730

by faraz_jeddah » Sat Sep 07, 2013 11:45 pm

Sorry to hear that but did you write GRE or GMAT ? Or was that a typo

A good question also deserves a Thanks.

Messenger Boy: The Thesselonian you're fighting... he's the biggest man i've ever seen. I wouldn't want to fight him.
Achilles: That's why no-one will remember your name.

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; Followed by:1268 members; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Sep 08, 2013 6:44 am

Your practice test scores suggest that you know the material backwards and forwards. The missing piece of the puzzle seems to be how you function on Test Day.
I suspect that there are other forces at play on T-day. How did you feel? Is it possible that some test anxiety may have hampered your performance?
If you're interested, we have a free video on the topic on overcoming test anxiety: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1252

As part of managing anxiety, it's crucial that you adopt the proper mindset/attitude on test day. This this end, you may be interested in reading the following BTG articles:
- https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2013/06/ ... -destroyer
- https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2011/04/ ... n-the-gmat

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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NB1234: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 27; Joined: Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:17 pm; Thanked: 20 times; Followed by:2 members

by NB1234 » Sun Sep 08, 2013 9:43 am

Hi Brent
I was little tired mentally but still in good spirits on the test day. Reached the center early. The Essay and IR sections were a breeze. Interestingly IR was much easier than the one on MGMAT CATs. The quant section started well. Pretty easy first 3 quetions. On the fourth one, the solution boiled down to 4/25% and in my hurry to be ahead of time I clicked 8% instead of 16%. I realized it the moment I cliked "Next". After that I thought, I have screwed up one question early in the test, ie amongst the first 10, so I cant be wrong on any more questions. That sort of drove up the anxiety but it felt under control. I remember in the middle of the exam there was a fairly easy question where I had to calculate underoot of some decimals. It took me a while. Eventually landed up with a score of 44.

The verbal though, I thought went pretty good. It was of the exact same "difficulty" as my practice tests and I didnt feel nervous or under time constraint. I thought I would be getting at least 42 and perhaps more since my score range in GMATPrep was 41-45 on Verbal sections. I got 34!. FYI, I read your articles about retaking GMATPreps again and sent you a message a couple of days ago,ie before the exam, asking about getting 760 twice on prep followed by a 730 and if I should retake the test. I know you said its not a good idea but to feel better I gave prep again to get a 740. Just wanted to be sure not to loose my confidence. I was able to spot splits on verbal within 20-30 secs after reading the sentence and was achieving an accuracy of around 85% on SC and +90 on CR and RC.

Appreciate the inputs.

PS: I used the video link in you messages(earlier ones on BTG) to use the time matrix in both verbal and quant sections. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to ensure they are not overshooting the test on time.

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GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; Followed by:1268 members; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Sep 08, 2013 10:17 am

As you've noted, the Verbal section was your undoing. This is not uncommon. Sometimes a ridiculously confusing/difficult RC passage can knock you off your entire game (both in timing and in confidence). Unlike the quant section, where you can easily pass on a question, the verbal section has RC passages with up to 4 questions, so you really can't skip the passage altogether. Does any of this pertain to your test experience?

I have a feeling that, if you wrote the test today, your score would be MUCH HIGHER. So, put all of this behind you, schedule another test, and keep doing what you've been doing. Your practice test scores suggest that you're on the right track.

Cheers,
Brent

PS: If anyone is interested, the free GMAT Time Management video that NB1234 mentioned is here: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1244

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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panzer62: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:01 pm

by panzer62 » Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:20 pm

DonÂ´t worry, you are not the only one.

I expected a score between 690 and 720 and I got 600.

My scores:
Manhattangmat:
1. 520 Q:33 V:29
2. 640 Q:41 V:36
4. 650 Q:40 V:38
5. 630 Q:40 V:36
6. 680 Q:45 V:37
7. Retake 1st: 710 Q:51 V:36 (Quant that high because I had seen most of the questions already)

A week before the test:
GMAT PREP 1. 710 Q:47 V:40
GMAT PREP 2. 700 Q:49 V:35

My Testscore was 600 Q:47 V:26
All in all my test day didnt go well: I came back 1 minute late to each section, 1st question of quant took me 3 or 4 minutes, wasnt used to use ear plugs, etc, but my verbal score, though my time management was bad, is a riddle to me.
English is not my native language, though. And even when I scored 40 on Verbal in a prep test I would say that there were at least half of the questions, where I was in between two answer options and guessed the right one. So maybe my guessing strategy on verbal didnt go so well on the test day.
Or I got a severe punishment for clicking too late on "next" on the last question of verbal section (certainly clicked in the last seconds).
Anyways, you are not the only one, but donÂ´t feel beat by the test dude.

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panzer62: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:01 pm

by panzer62 » Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:27 pm

Oh and I find their verbal scoring somewhat arbitrary anyways.

I scored 40 on GMAT prep having 12 incorrect and 35 having 11 incorrect.

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NB1234: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 27; Joined: Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:17 pm; Thanked: 20 times; Followed by:2 members

by NB1234 » Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:55 am

Just got my Official score. IR=8/8, AWA=5/6.

I have started studying again and will be writing the exam in early october. Last attempt before I bow out to GMAT.

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NB1234: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 27; Joined: Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:17 pm; Thanked: 20 times; Followed by:2 members

by NB1234 » Thu Oct 10, 2013 12:18 pm

Just wanted to post after my re-attempt. I got 750 this time( Q 49, V 44) IR 8, AWA 5.5. Thanks to all of you who supported me. This forum was the first thing I thought of when I finished my exam, both the first and second time.

https://www.beatthegmat.com/640-to-750-q ... 70455.html

Last edited by NB1234 on Wed Oct 16, 2013 3:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

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GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; Followed by:1268 members; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Thu Oct 10, 2013 12:47 pm

Awesome - that's more like it!

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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faraz_jeddah: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 358; Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:46 am; Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Thanked: 42 times; Followed by:7 members; GMAT Score:730

by faraz_jeddah » Thu Oct 10, 2013 1:00 pm

Congrats

What did you do differently?

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NB1234: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 27; Joined: Sat Sep 07, 2013 3:17 pm; Thanked: 20 times; Followed by:2 members

by NB1234 » Thu Oct 10, 2013 1:35 pm

Thanks.
I think there were a few things that I did differently for the re attempt. My analysis is based on the fact that I was getting scores close to 750 on my practice tests before the first attempt.

1) THIS ATTEMPT-
Didnt overstress and took some time off work- I "felt" different on the re atempt. I would contribute that to taking monday off(the re attempt GMAT was on tuesday). So in fact I had 3 days off including the weekend. I didnt write a practice exam on monday. Just spent the day idling with my son and family. The re attempt was early in the morning, so having a fresh mind helped. I would have gotten questions wrong on this attempt as well but they werent 4+2=8 kind of mistakes.

FIRST ATTEMPT-I remember on the first attempt, which was on saturday, I was too tired mentally. The day before, ie on friday,I worked for half day. My work involves a lot of activity on the phone, emails and constant time pressure to deliver things. That left me tired, I think.I remember on the first exam there was a question about decimals(hundreths etc) and I knew what to do but kept scaring at the screen for 5 mins re-re reading the question. On the third question I calculated 4/25 as 8 pecent instead of 16%. Getting an easy question wrong hurts your score more than getting a hard one wrong, IMO. And you are more prone to getting harder questions wrong if you are stressed for time.

2) Time management- This time I was both cautious of my answers as well of time.

RE-ATTEMPT- I would re check my answers, though as you would notice in the link I provide, that I already lost some time before I started quant.Also, I didnt just waste my time on one question. If I had to guess it I did within 3 mins of seeing the question. I didnt draw the grid this time but kept a mental note of time(roughly 10 mins for 5 questions).
On Verbal on the exam, even though on practice exams I would finish the section 10 mins ahead of time, I barely finished on time. Qstn 40 : Ihad to guess it in 30 secs and on 41 I just managed to click on a random option WITHOUT getting the time to click Submit/Next. The clock ran out on me.

First Attempt- I was behind time right away and probably left out /got wrong some pretty easy questions. Throughout the exam I was behind the clock. On Verbal though I cant say what went wrong. Perhaps I was over confident since I finished the verbal 10 mins ahead of time. This might have led to ignoring some of the right choices and settling on a "seemingly" right choice.

3) Extra Practice- I did put in extra hours of practice the second time by using Magoosh(primarily for DS) and GMAT Question Pack 1. The Question pack has good questions and allows you to practice under timed constraints on the computer.