GMAT Strategy

Hello everyone,
I gave the two tests of GMATPrep using older version and scored 710 and 690 in the two tests.
I removed that software and downloaded latest one from the mba.com site...
The scores in this new software were shocking!
I scored 640 and 660 in the two tests. The individual scores in Quant and Verbal were nearly same as in old test but the overall score was far below my expectation. Maybe the percentile has raised.
I am fully prepared with all OGs and getting this score really postponed my plan to give GMAT.
Please suggest what I should do to improve as per the new gmat.

The scores never change mate. If you had scored a 720 3 years back and take an exam now it will be the same 720, only the percentile will change with the number of people increasing as in 720 would be corresponding to say 90%ile then it might have dropped to 85%ile now. If the score changes then there is no point of giving us a validity of 5 years for it.

You might not have given your best in the last two tests. So don't panic.

What is the older version you used ? When was it downloaded ? There are only 2 versions of GMATPrep and the latest was released in 2009 i suppose, prior to that its 2006 and before that we had powerprep. GMAC hasn't released a new one since 2009, have they ? When did you take your previous attempts, the ones in which you got 710 ? Did you take all the 4 tests with perfect conditions i.e with essays and 8 minute breaks ?

Thanks for the reply sam.
I have given all the four tests within a month's time.
Also I haven't taken the essays and 8 minutes break in any of the tests.
The number of ques wrong were nearly equal in new and old.
In the older version, I had plenty of questions from OG12 while in the newer version, many questions were new.
Also when I gave the last two tests, I was more prepared as compared to earlier attempts.
Dont know what went wrong really

Hello ngupta27,

Juggling between work and studies is tough so you need to define a significant time for your GMAT preparation. Sometimes taking few days off work for preparing for the GMAT can help a person tremendously. If you have time this may not be a bad idea. Take practise GMAT tests to see how you are doing. If you cannot do that don't worry. What might work instead is to set aside 1-2 hours at night on weekdays and major part of your weekend to study and prepare for GMAT- in this case we will suggest a good 2-3 months preparation. However we recommend you to keep taking practise tests to gauge your performance. It will help you in identifying your weak areas and you can focus on them accordingly. You might be able to study more than the given hours and that would take you less than 2-3 months. It all depends on your potential really.
There are various ways you can use to practise for your GMAT. You might need to change your practise style and try this combination to provide you flexibility and different styles to practise so it doesn't get monotonous.
It could be combination of-
1-Books- Books like- The Official Guide for GMAT Review, The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review etc could be used.
2-Online Study Guide: Websites like Knewton, Grockit etc provide you with practise questions online.
3-Smart phone applications- Kaplan, Veritas etc offer applications to prepare for GMAT on your smart phones.

Hi..I had already taken my leaves and took advantage of them to learn almost all the stuff for gmat but the scores in the 4 tests really disappointed me.