Just got beat - Please Help!

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Just got beat - Please Help!

by amnesiac » Wed May 29, 2013 3:16 pm
Hi All,

Thank you for reading my post.

I took the GMAT yesterday and scored a 590 (q39, v31). I am devastated. 3 months of prep, down the drain.

In last 5 Kaplan CATs, my quant score was always between 47 and 49. I took the two GMAT prep practices tests on Monday and scored 48 and 47 respectively.

My verbal score on Kaplan and GMAT prep CATs were always between (25-29).

Except for a few initial Kaplan CATs, all test were given under test conditions. (I only ignored the essays, but always stuck to the breaks and timing.)

I am trying to figure out what happened. The two questions I am trying to answer are:
1) What happened in the quant section? What did I miss? My weakness on the practice CATs was proportions, but I remember only one around the 25th question on the real GMAT. I immediately guessed. All of the other questions seemed very challenging, but I was confident that I was answering them correctly.
2) How did I break 30 on verbal? (What I noticed after taking the GMAT Prep CATs was that I spent a lot of time on the initial questions, so during the actual test I paced myself better and did not guess in the end like I usually had to.)

I hope to break the q48 and v40 mark. So, I know I will be spending a lot of time on the verbal. But, as stated earlier, I am beyond devastated about my quant score. It was the area that gave me confidence.

How should I proceed? What should I do next? Back to basics or a more targeted approach?

Your time and help in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Thu May 30, 2013 4:38 am
The Verbal increase from 29 to 31 isn't big enough to spend any time analyzing this. Scores fluctuate.

Your quantitative practice test scores suggest that you have the content knowledge AND the test-taking skills. Were you feeling anxious during the real test? Or perhaps your time management was a little off?

Sometimes people have an off day on test day. In fact, it's quite possible that, if you took the test today, you'd score much higher on the quant section.

Cheers,
Brent
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by amnesiac » Sat Jun 15, 2013 2:33 pm
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:The Verbal increase from 29 to 31 isn't big enough to spend any time analyzing this. Scores fluctuate.

Your quantitative practice test scores suggest that you have the content knowledge AND the test-taking skills. Were you feeling anxious during the real test? Or perhaps your time management was a little off?

Sometimes people have an off day on test day. In fact, it's quite possible that, if you took the test today, you'd score much higher on the quant section.

Cheers,
Brent
Hi Brent,
Thank you for response. I apologize for my delayed response.

I don't know what happened in the Quant, as you said, it might just have been an off day. I took a Kaplan CAT and scored a 640(Q49 V25).

I plan on retaking in August. Between now and then, I plan on concentrating heavily on verbal. In Quant, I am weak on properties of sets, proportions and number properties and plan on concentrating primarily in those areas.

Verbal - Focus on CR using PowerScore (Kaplan is not detailed enough for me) and SC (improved a lot using MGMAT, but still trying to find other sources). Practice RC (I noticed when I am not rushed I do very well on RC.) Improve Timing.
Quant - I am a user of your website, so I plan on watching all the videos there and practice using OG. Improve timing.

Please share any suggestions/recommendations you may have.

Sincerely,
A

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by joshcollins » Sun Jun 16, 2013 12:50 pm
Hi,

It sounds like you didn't do the proper endurance training for the actual GMAT. Most people think that it's just about mental training, but the gmat has other factors, including physical/endurance (that's something I've picked up while prepping). When you took your practice tests, you skipped the essays (and what about integrated reasoning?), so you weren't ready for the tiredness that you would experience. Your score probably dropped because you were training for a shorter test and when the longer test happened, you weren't sharp enough to get the points that you missed.

-Josh

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by sp3GT » Mon Jun 24, 2013 6:51 pm
OP, I'm in similar boat as you. Wrote the GMAT this past Saturday and scored (Q42, V23). I prepped with Kaplan as well.

As you can tell from my score, I'm much stronger in quant than in verbal. What I found on the real GMAT was that the quant questions were much harder than the kaplan ones. Or I should say the Kaplan scale of Low/Med/High isn't all that accurate.

I'm looking to re-take the GMAT as well but I'm trying to decide what I should purchase to continue my studies.

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by amnesiac » Tue Jun 25, 2013 6:10 pm
sp3GT wrote:OP, I'm in similar boat as you. Wrote the GMAT this past Saturday and scored (Q42, V23). I prepped with Kaplan as well.

As you can tell from my score, I'm much stronger in quant than in verbal. What I found on the real GMAT was that the quant questions were much harder than the kaplan ones. Or I should say the Kaplan scale of Low/Med/High isn't all that accurate.

I'm looking to re-take the GMAT as well but I'm trying to decide what I should purchase to continue my studies.
You bring up an interesting point.

Reviews on this site and other sites state the opposite, but I think what you said about Kaplan tests might be true.

I am thinking about buying some of the quant products from GMAC and some of the GMAT club tests. They may not be the same but I feel like they would offer more of a challenge than the Kaplan tests...

Have you thought about those?