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What does everyone think...

by maolivie » Fri Sep 21, 2007 1:25 pm
A couple of weeks ago, I took my gmat. I scored a 560 with a 6.0 AWA. I was very disappointed. That same day I woke up to learn that we had to put my dog to sleep because he wasn't doing to good. So I went and took the test after saying bye to my dog. I'm pretty sure this was my reason for a bad score - (nerves, etc.)
Anyway, before that test I was sitting under practice tests ranging from 670 - 740 - MGMAT, GMAT prep, and powerprep tests. and a solid 3 months of intense fundamental studying.

I took two weeks off, and now since last week, I have been taking 2 tests a week since I don't have much time to study with classes that just recently started plus work. But these 4 tests I took were all MGMAT and I got two 680s, a 670, and most recently a 730.

I'm debating if I should take my test next week this way I can complete my ED application for Columbia as I was earlier planning on doing till the first test score. Columbia ED deadline is Oct. 10th.

So what do you guys think - take the test ASAP and my first test score was just a bad day, or am I just fooling myself again and for some reason I do well on practice tests?
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by Stacey Koprince » Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:08 pm
You're consistently doing well across different tests, so it does sound like your real test might have been an anomaly. Can you give us more detail? How did you feel during the test? How was your pacing? Did you find yourself rushing or running out of time at any point? Did you find certain things unexpectedly easy or hard? Etc.
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by maolivie » Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:19 pm
Hey thanks for applying since this is an urgent, spur of the moment decision - i'm thinking about taking the test this monday.

During the actual test I felt good, I actually thought I was doing really well since the questions I got were harder than most of my practice test questions for MGMAT. I thought I was doing amazing in verbal because all of my passages were long blobs without any paragraphs and those are usually the hardest to outline. Not to mention I had a bold face CR, long SC with most of the question underline. So I honestly thought I was going to get at least a 680 on the real thing. To my luck the day just got worse when I saw the score.

I finished the Verbal section with plenty of time. The math section I was struggling a little bit at the end, but nothing uncommon from my actual tests. What gets me is that I thought the actual test was really hard compared to any test I actually took.

So the only thing holding me back from taking the exam is that I'm worried maybe I will just encounter the same situation that I had the first exam (high practice score, low test score) - although I know it is an oddball to score that far off from the actual practice exams. Basically, if you think it was an oddball score/test/day and you recommend that I should take it next week, then I am signing up tonight and taking it monday lol.

Sorry for the novel...

So I wasn't sure if it was nerves mixed with bad luck with the questions they threw at me or maybe I thought I was focusing and doing well meanwhile I wasn't because of my nerves. Whatever the case was, here I am today and I got a 730 on MGMAT Cat 5 retake (I only remember 1 specific question that i saw before). I've been scoring 670 + the past two months, and my practice tests were all good (except for the beginning of my study).

The first practice test I took I scored a 540 I think. And it really got me mad after I saw the 560 after 3 months of hard work, so I knew something was up, yet I know that I'm solid on all material.
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by Stacey Koprince » Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:15 pm
It's tough to try to gauge how you're doing just based on the questions you get - for instance, a passage will have everything from 300 to 700 level questions. The passage itself doesn't matter; what matters is which of the questions the test gives you.

I'm sure the situation with your dog affected you negatively (I was very sorry to hear that, by the way).

You say that you took it "a couple of weeks ago." Not sure if you know, but you can't take the test again until 31 days later - so if it hasn't been that long, then you can't take it this Monday.

Also, you mention in your email that the 730 you got was after you passed the initial 6 tests (so the algorithm can give you repeat questions now). That means your scores are likely inflated - even if you only consciously remembered one, there are others that you "figured out" more quickly b/c you subconsciously remembered some parts of them.

If you have been scoring consistently in the high 600 / low 700 range on non-question-repeating tests, including GMATPrep, then it likely was just a bad day. If those test scores are from "repeating question" tests, though, then it's really tough for me to advise you because I don't know how many repeats you are seeing and how that's affecting your scores.

If it was just a bad day, you do need to think about what you're going to do in order to avoid having a bad day next time. Think about EVERY little thing that wasn't perfect and try to make it perfect (or at least better) for next time.

Also, you got a 6 on the AWA, so don't try so hard on the essays next time! Go for a 5 - seriously, dumb them down a little - so that you don't use as much brain power and can be fresher for the multiple choice portion.
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by maolivie » Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:02 pm
I took the test Aug 23rd, so by the end of next week will be 31 days. The initial 6 MGMAT tests I was scoring 620-680. However, I revamped my study approach 2 months into my studying (took a while to realize). So the last month of my studying is what I count as the most effective since I was focusing on quality rather than the prior quantity. So the last month of study, although I retook the tests, I did score higher and it was definitely because of my new study approach. In my eyes it is rare to see more than 2 repeats per test section. Unconscious recollection I believe is underrated - if you can remember the steps how to solve a particular problem, then you can fix that on any other similar problem.
The gmat prep I always scored in the same ball park as the MGMAT tests.

As for the dumbing down the AWA - to be honest, I didn't even study for that once. I consider myself a pretty good writer and can express my points clearly, so I didn't put much effort into that.

It's a weird situation right now but I think i'm just going to take it. I don't see myself prepping much more in the future because I simply can't with school and work. I'm also hoping the computer decides to throw some questions that I find easy for the harder levels. That definitely has a lot to do with it to. Luck of the draw
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by Stacey Koprince » Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:44 am
There is a little bit of serendipity involved, definitely. Part of the reason the standard deviation is so large.
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