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rjank
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:04 pm
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Thanked: 4 times
- GMAT Score:650
I got the official report this morning for my first attempt last Tuesday: 640 (Q36/V40), 6.0 AWA. I'm disappointed with this score but not surprised, since the GMAT Prep CAT I took two weeks before was almost exactly the same scaled score with the same overall score. I was hoping for a little higher, I would be happy with 660 and more than pleased with anything higher. So, at least I don't have a huge score differential to overcome, I feel like I'm more than halfway there already.
Obviously quant is my problem. I'm heavily verbally inclined, usually 90+ percentile and I only practiced the AWA once or twice, and not recently. The difference between quant and verbal for me is night and day. With verbal, I hardly have to think about it. It comes so naturally that I have to get up to pretty difficult Qs before I have to really put in some effort. With quant, it's the opposite, it feels so foreign and I have a hard time getting my brain to wrap around it. Questions that are just average difficulty are challenging.
Things I noticed on test day/overall issues:
- TIMING: I'm a slow test taker anyway, and it seemed like test day anxiety made me even slower. I even had issues with timing on the verbal section, which never happens. The quant section was a timing massacre, I guessed on so many questions and still rant out of time (I don't remember how many questions I didn't get to answer at the end, maybe a couple).
- APPROACH / STRATEGY: Tying into the first issue, I felt like I had a hard time engaging with quant questions, like I was taking FOREVER to make a start. I also felt like I wasn't using strategy and shortcuts well enough if I used them at all.
- MEMORIZATION: I feel like I could have done better memorizing simple calculations (fractions, square roots, etc.) and formulas. I have a lot of flash cards made up, but half of it still doesn't seem to stick.
I'm looking for suggestions on how to proceed, at least enough to push that quant score high enough to get a 660/670. What really helped you with timing/approach/strategy concerns? What would you do if you were me, or what have you advised people like me to do that you have seen work?
Note: I've already taken a prep class, and will not be taking another. If I go in for any more formal help, it would be in the form of quant-specific help only. Tutors are expensive, but I'm willing to seriously consider it and save up the dough if I need to.
Obviously quant is my problem. I'm heavily verbally inclined, usually 90+ percentile and I only practiced the AWA once or twice, and not recently. The difference between quant and verbal for me is night and day. With verbal, I hardly have to think about it. It comes so naturally that I have to get up to pretty difficult Qs before I have to really put in some effort. With quant, it's the opposite, it feels so foreign and I have a hard time getting my brain to wrap around it. Questions that are just average difficulty are challenging.
Things I noticed on test day/overall issues:
- TIMING: I'm a slow test taker anyway, and it seemed like test day anxiety made me even slower. I even had issues with timing on the verbal section, which never happens. The quant section was a timing massacre, I guessed on so many questions and still rant out of time (I don't remember how many questions I didn't get to answer at the end, maybe a couple).
- APPROACH / STRATEGY: Tying into the first issue, I felt like I had a hard time engaging with quant questions, like I was taking FOREVER to make a start. I also felt like I wasn't using strategy and shortcuts well enough if I used them at all.
- MEMORIZATION: I feel like I could have done better memorizing simple calculations (fractions, square roots, etc.) and formulas. I have a lot of flash cards made up, but half of it still doesn't seem to stick.
I'm looking for suggestions on how to proceed, at least enough to push that quant score high enough to get a 660/670. What really helped you with timing/approach/strategy concerns? What would you do if you were me, or what have you advised people like me to do that you have seen work?
Note: I've already taken a prep class, and will not be taking another. If I go in for any more formal help, it would be in the form of quant-specific help only. Tutors are expensive, but I'm willing to seriously consider it and save up the dough if I need to.
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