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Should I retake the GMAT for a 4th time?

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Should I retake the GMAT for a 4th time?

by shmoowalker » Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:19 am
So I've read a lot of posts about people scoring high on the GMAT. I feel a little out of place in this forum because I'm not trying to get a 750+ on the GMAT and I'm not trying to get into a top 10 school. That being said I still want to get into the best program I can and the best program for me.

I just finished taking the GMAT for the 3rd time. I spent 6 months studying using the OG and Veritas Prep on-demand class (which I enjoyed). I took 9 practice tests in this period and scored an average of 660 (the last 3 were 670). I was happy with this and was confident going into my 3rd attempt. However, much to my disappointment I scored a measly 600. To say I feel defeated is an understatement.

Here's how my 3 attempts have gone:

First attempt: 590 Q36/V35 (August 2014)
- 2 months of just practice problems, no real studying, just trying to feel it out

Second attempt: 610 Q36/V36 (December 2014)
- 3 months of more practice problems and some studying (a couple practice tests) but not much real prep so I wasn't too surprised.

Third attempt: 600, Q42/V31 (June 2015)
- 6 months of daily study and weekend full-practice tests. over 800 practice problems, about 60-40 Q/V split.
- Verbal killed me on this one. I was scoring V36+ and Q45+ on practice tests.

So I feel defeated, burnt out, and frustrated but I also don't want to settle with a 610...

I was hoping to apply for fall 2016 admissions. Any advice?
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by [email protected] » Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:28 am
Hi shmoowalker,

I'm sorry to hear that Test Day didn't go as well as planned. When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day.

If you can answer a few questions, then we should be able to figure this out:

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (e.g. pause the CAT, listen to music, etc.)?
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once?

You still have plenty of time before the Round 1 deadlines occur (they're in October for most Schools), so you can take the GMAT again if you choose. It's possible that you just had a 'bad day' on Test Day, but you've been studying for a significant period of time and it's also possible that you've developed some 'bad habits' that are consistently costing you points. Before you go in to retest, we would have to spend some time defining those bad habits and fixing them.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by shmoowalker » Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:05 am
Thanks for the reply Rich.

To answer your questions about the CATS:
- I always took the entire CAT
- I took them at my work office (which was quiet and in an empty cube)
- I took them at 8am on Saturdays (which was when the official test was)
- I didn't do anything during the CAT that I wouldn't do during a test. I timed my breaks, and left my phone in my car.
- I never retook a CAT. Always a new CAT.

I honestly think it really was a bad day. One thing that definitely didn't help was that 7 years ago I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and although I have it under control 99% of the time now, testing is one of those things that triggers my anxiety. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform during this test.

As far as bad habits, I probably have a few... (who doesn't?). How would I go about diagnosing those? I'm aware of a few already, but I don't think those would cause such a big gap between CATs and the official test.
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Jun 26, 2015 12:52 pm
I honestly think it really was a bad day. One thing that definitely didn't help was that 7 years ago I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and although I have it under control 99% of the time now, testing is one of those things that triggers my anxiety. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform during this test.
I'd definitely give the test another shot. Your goal going forward will be twofold, first to boost your practice test scores from the 670-range to the 700+ range. And more importantly, to bring your performance on the actual test up to the level of your practice tests. I think both are achievable.

First, I'd strongly encourage you to incorporate some mindfulness meditation into your routine. You've already noticed that a good portion of the GMAT battle is psychological - patterns that you recognize when you're comfortable can prove more elusive when the pressure is amplified. There's plenty of good research about how a mindfulness practice can boost test scores in as little as two weeks: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... on/275564/

This alone can make a big difference. For the other piece, it will depend on what you're seeing when you review your old practice tests. What patterns do you notice? Do certain types of questions tend to trip you up? Is timing an issue? Do find that you end up doing more formal algebra during the exam when you could be using simple strategies such as picking numbers?
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