GMAT Strategy

Hey Guys,

Have a quick Q. My Gmat is scheduled on 4th of August, i.e. this wednesday. However, I havent been able to get anywhere close to a decent score in any of my mocks. Have been scoring in a very close range of 580-600 consistently even after 2 months of study. From what I can analyze, my issue lies in my concentration and focus in reading during Verbal more than anything else. I would be needing more help on that later. But right now, just wanted to know if it makes any sense in going and giving my gmat at all ? Do schools look at you profile differently ? Am looking for a min. of 680 which certainly looks a bit impractical to cover up in the last 4-5 days.

If I have nothing to lose, should I just go and give the test to get a feel of it or should I not waste my attempt and straight away give it when am more prepared ?

Hey Harsh,

Now that you're past that point-of-no-return (or no refund), I'd advise you to go in and take the test, because:

1) Schools only care about your top score, with very few exceptions. You really can't do any damage to yourself unless you completely embarrass yourself with a score that's half of your goal or so, and if you're hitting around 600 on practice tests, you won't do that.

2) You may very well surprise yourself. Going in without expectations is a great way to keep the pressure low and stay relaxed, and those are keys to success. Sometimes that's all you need to have a closer-to-perfect day.

3) If nothing else, you'll learn about the experience and have a better idea of what you need to do to hit that 680+. Intangibles like understanding how your breaks will work, what the desk/computer setup will look like, etc. can only help you to feel more comfortable the net time, and academically you'll have seen how you react to the questions/concepts/pacing and all of those things, and then have an official score breakdown to let you know whether one half of the test needs more work than the other.

If you had more than a week, it might not be a bad thing to postpone, but since you're stuck paying the fee, you might as well come back with something to show for it: experience...or maybe that 680+!

Hey Brian,

Thanks a lot for your reply. Certainly reinforced the points I had in my mind as well. I guess, I'll just go and give the exam at least. I had already pushed my exam once from 19th July to 4th August but made no difference to my score. Guess I need more effort on a regular basis for a longer time than just a few weeks to get over my verbal issues.

Brian@VeritasPrep wrote:Hey Harsh,

Now that you're past that point-of-no-return (or no refund), I'd advise you to go in and take the test, because:

1) Schools only care about your top score, with very few exceptions. You really can't do any damage to yourself unless you completely embarrass yourself with a score that's half of your goal or so, and if you're hitting around 600 on practice tests, you won't do that.

2) You may very well surprise yourself. Going in without expectations is a great way to keep the pressure low and stay relaxed, and those are keys to success. Sometimes that's all you need to have a closer-to-perfect day.

3) If nothing else, you'll learn about the experience and have a better idea of what you need to do to hit that 680+. Intangibles like understanding how your breaks will work, what the desk/computer setup will look like, etc. can only help you to feel more comfortable the net time, and academically you'll have seen how you react to the questions/concepts/pacing and all of those things, and then have an official score breakdown to let you know whether one half of the test needs more work than the other.

If you had more than a week, it might not be a bad thing to postpone, but since you're stuck paying the fee, you might as well come back with something to show for it: experience...or maybe that 680+!

Brian,

Out of curiosity, do you think it would be of any advantage for Harsh to take the test and cancel the score at the end? Of course that would prevent him from getting the cold hard feedback that a score would provide, but that score wouldn't be sent to his selected schools. Although, I think I've heard that there is some indication on the official record sent to schools that a score was canceled.

Thoughts? Thanks.

hey Harsh,

How did yo test conclude ? what score did u get ? wht wer d type of questns n hw wsd ovrall xprnc ?
did u make it to 680+ ?

do share.

regds,

saritalr wrote:
Out of curiosity, do you think it would be of any advantage for Harsh to take the test and cancel the score at the end? Of course that would prevent him from getting the cold hard feedback that a score would provide, but that score wouldn't be sent to his selected schools. Although, I think I've heard that there is some indication on the official record sent to schools that a score was canceled.

Thoughts? Thanks.

It definitely says on your record whether or not you cancelled your score.

I think that very little harm, if any at all, can come from reporting a bad score. Nearly every schools takes into account solely your top score. Given this, I think that an official score break down would provide some excellent feedback and should be viewed.