Okay GMAT people. I need some guidance. I've been a lurker in these forums and haven't participated much, simply because I think that I'm much different than most. I'm quite weak in quantitative (my Achilles heel my entire academic life so you could say that I have something of a math phobia) and (until recently) felt pretty good in verbal. I only need to score in the 620-630 range.
I first took the GMAT last June and bombed big time with a 500. I knew my studying was not very effective, and that my nerves got the best of me, so when it came time to take the test again, I wanted to be prepared. I signed up for the Kaplan Math Refresher class and the Kaplan GMAT anywhere classes. I have, for the most part, stayed in the Kaplan ecosystem for materials and practice tests. I took my practice tests at the actual Pearson locations in order to calm my nerves down.
Here are my score from the last 4 Kaplan CAT tests.
CAT6) 590 q42 v81
CAT7) 600 q40 v87
CAT8) 610 q42 v89(five days before test)
CAT9) 660 q42 v99 (two days before test)
Actual test) 540 q28 V66
Ouch.
I found the actual test to be different than the Kaplan materials. Not harder, just different. I would so it was less A+B=C and more abstract. I knew I was in trouble when I had only 6 questions left and about 2 minutes on the clock. In the Kaplan tests I struggled to finish in time. Verbal, which was coming to me in the Kaplan tests so well that I scored in the 99th percentile on my last CAT) made no sense and I felt lost.
I drank some caffeine before hand (as I did on my practice tests) in hope that it would help me to focus. And I was pretty (extremely) nervous.
So I need to know what to do here. I avoided the GMATprep test because it spooked me the first time, but now I feel like I should take that CAT and get a good feel for my actual current score level minus nerves. And then start up again, but I don't want to make the same mistakes. Should I go MGMAT and take the math and verbal from the most basic levels?
I am not applying to a top-50 school; I have a spectacular GPA, a great work history and fantastic references. This GMAT is the only thing holding me down.
I'm not going to let the test beat me, I took a few days off and am ready to attack it again, I just was hoping that someone out there could point me in the right direction!
I first took the GMAT last June and bombed big time with a 500. I knew my studying was not very effective, and that my nerves got the best of me, so when it came time to take the test again, I wanted to be prepared. I signed up for the Kaplan Math Refresher class and the Kaplan GMAT anywhere classes. I have, for the most part, stayed in the Kaplan ecosystem for materials and practice tests. I took my practice tests at the actual Pearson locations in order to calm my nerves down.
Here are my score from the last 4 Kaplan CAT tests.
CAT6) 590 q42 v81
CAT7) 600 q40 v87
CAT8) 610 q42 v89(five days before test)
CAT9) 660 q42 v99 (two days before test)
Actual test) 540 q28 V66
Ouch.
I found the actual test to be different than the Kaplan materials. Not harder, just different. I would so it was less A+B=C and more abstract. I knew I was in trouble when I had only 6 questions left and about 2 minutes on the clock. In the Kaplan tests I struggled to finish in time. Verbal, which was coming to me in the Kaplan tests so well that I scored in the 99th percentile on my last CAT) made no sense and I felt lost.
I drank some caffeine before hand (as I did on my practice tests) in hope that it would help me to focus. And I was pretty (extremely) nervous.
So I need to know what to do here. I avoided the GMATprep test because it spooked me the first time, but now I feel like I should take that CAT and get a good feel for my actual current score level minus nerves. And then start up again, but I don't want to make the same mistakes. Should I go MGMAT and take the math and verbal from the most basic levels?
I am not applying to a top-50 school; I have a spectacular GPA, a great work history and fantastic references. This GMAT is the only thing holding me down.
I'm not going to let the test beat me, I took a few days off and am ready to attack it again, I just was hoping that someone out there could point me in the right direction!
....where are you finding these tests which give such type of marking...Ive only heard of V40 or V30..unless the percentiles are mixed up here..
