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Please Help !!

by sunilrawat » Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:17 am
Hi,

I took GMAT today. And I was more than disappointed; I scored 540 (Q39, V26).
The essays were good. Then I took my break and sat down for the quant very confidently. The first question popped up. It was a simple algebra question, but I started in a rush and got an answer which was not in the options. I solved it a second time and again got an odd answer. I had to guess it and move on. Four minutes had already passed by. I think I got panicked because this continued and I was not sure of most of the answers. When I was at Q33 I had only 2 minutes remaining on the timer. I guessed them all randomly in order to finish on time. It was a disaster.
I took my second break, washed my face and prepared for the verbal. I went through the section at my usual pace and finished on time. I thought I was doing fine. But when the score displayed my heart sank.

I had never performed this bad in my entire preparation. These were my mock scores:
MGMAT1: 640 (Q43, V35) (time management problem in quant, had to guess last two Qs)
MGMAT2: 670 (Q48, V33)
MGMAT3: 690 (Q45, V38) (same problem as above)
MGMAT4: 700 (Q47, V38)
MGMAT5: 690 (Q45, V39) (again had problem in quant)
MGMAT6: 640 (Q44, V33) (rushed through the quant section to finish on time)

I guess I was overly conscious for this exam. I actually used to get nightmares. I wanted a good score very badly, and I think this is the reason I messed up. Although time management was a problem, after today's test I realised I was more concerned with the outcome.
Now I am planning to take GMAT again after a month. I can't delay it further because my target institute has application deadline of November. So, I need the scores with me by Nov end.

Can I make it to 700+ within a month?
Please suggest how exactly should I proceed.
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by sunman » Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:59 am
I'm not going to lie, this just made me nervous, because my MGMAT results mirror yours...
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead
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by akhilsuhag » Tue Oct 11, 2011 12:28 am
Hey it was all nerves for you and nothing else. You were nervous and as I see it the extra time on the first question freaked you out.

I replied to your other post with a link to a post where we discuss about test anxiety go through it. Don't make GMAT bigger than life, a test doesn't decide whr you go in life. Some of the most successful people are college dropouts. The test is a management exam and you need to manage your anxiety.

Tell yourself even if you screw the test you will make a great life of yours, you are bigger than a stupid test arent you.

Go ahead give the test, count the things you already have and how lucky you are and give it your best.

Akhil
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by sunilrawat » Tue Oct 11, 2011 1:05 am
Thanks man...
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by DanaJ » Tue Oct 11, 2011 2:15 am
You obviously have 2 problems.

1. Test anxiety. This really is up to how you can control yourself when you're taking the test and preparing for it. I know it's scary when you think about it, because you need the good score to get into the b school of your choice. However, as some have said before me, this isn't the end of the world. You need to tell yourself that you'll do just fine! Unfortunately, I'm no test anxiety expert (for some reason, ever since junior high, I've never had issues with that - I just sit in front of the exam and it's me vs. it), but here are some articles that might help: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/category ... t-test-day

2. Your quant is definitely a weakness. You need to speed up! Your slow pace might be caused by you not knowing the concepts properly and struggling with applying them. The question is: what books have you used so far? The Manhattan GMAT set of 5 quant guides is a good start! You also need to practice pacing a bit more. Time all your practice sessions and increase the pressure as you go. It should be something like: in your first practice session, time yourself and see how much you average per problem. Say you get 4 minutes. In your second practice session, use a timer and set the time for 3 mins and 30 seconds and try to solve each problem in that time. As your practice sessions go along, force yourself to use less and less time until you hit the 2 min (or even a bit less) mark. Just ALWAYS ALWAYS use a timer!

You mustn't neglect verbal either! I'm not sure what books you're using, but here are a couple of my favorites:
- Official Guide
- PowerScore CR Bible
- Manhattan GMAT SC
- Veritas Prep RC

Good luck!
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by sunilrawat » Tue Oct 11, 2011 3:42 am
DanaJ wrote:You obviously have 2 problems.

1. Test anxiety. This really is up to how you can control yourself when you're taking the test and preparing for it. I know it's scary when you think about it, because you need the good score to get into the b school of your choice. However, as some have said before me, this isn't the end of the world. You need to tell yourself that you'll do just fine! Unfortunately, I'm no test anxiety expert (for some reason, ever since junior high, I've never had issues with that - I just sit in front of the exam and it's me vs. it), but here are some articles that might help: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/category ... t-test-day

2. Your quant is definitely a weakness. You need to speed up! Your slow pace might be caused by you not knowing the concepts properly and struggling with applying them. The question is: what books have you used so far? The Manhattan GMAT set of 5 quant guides is a good start! You also need to practice pacing a bit more. Time all your practice sessions and increase the pressure as you go. It should be something like: in your first practice session, time yourself and see how much you average per problem. Say you get 4 minutes. In your second practice session, use a timer and set the time for 3 mins and 30 seconds and try to solve each problem in that time. As your practice sessions go along, force yourself to use less and less time until you hit the 2 min (or even a bit less) mark. Just ALWAYS ALWAYS use a timer!

You mustn't neglect verbal either! I'm not sure what books you're using, but here are a couple of my favorites:
- Official Guide
- PowerScore CR Bible
- Manhattan GMAT SC
- Veritas Prep RC

Good luck!
For maths, I have been using only Official guide and practiced from Grockit.
For verbal: OG, Manhattan SC
I'll try the ones you have mentioned.
Thanks.
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by mriiidula » Wed Oct 12, 2011 4:06 am
sunman wrote:I'm not going to lie, this just made me nervous, because my MGMAT results mirror yours...
SAME.
Follow my GMAT Journey here:
https://magicalmri.blocked
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by sunilrawat » Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:57 am
mriiidula wrote:
sunman wrote:I'm not going to lie, this just made me nervous, because my MGMAT results mirror yours...
SAME.
Hey don't worry. I freaked out which led me to 540. Don't go by my score, just believe in yourself and keep your cool. You'll be good.
I see you have only two days to go. I am waiting... :)
Good luck !!
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by Bara » Tue Oct 18, 2011 1:14 pm
Sunil,

Thanks for writing me off line and inviting me to discuss your current challenge: acing the GMAT without the psychological shortcomings bringing you down. If you're trying to navigate choppy waters between mastering content and a solid performance, you've come to the right place. Whether you're completely 'set' with knowing the material or not, a queasy feeling of how you'll do on the exam can shake the best of us into not performing our best. After all, sometimes taking tests isn't about content, but about taking tests themselves.

The good news is that getting over anxiety and building confidence is the easiest and quickest thing to change and have an impact on your score - - with the caveat being you use the right tools suitable for YOU in particular, and taught/implemented by someone who 'knows' what they're doing. I read, and I've heard many say, 'oh, you're nervous... practice deep breathing' or 'study more, you'll feel better.' This will work for some, but not everyone. In fact, it only really works for a few people (think bell curve) because by the time someone takes the test, they've had years of prior tests - - and anxiety - - so if we don't address modifying our behavior or the real issue:, then things don't change. Also by putting it out there that 'deep breathing' will solve every woe, it doesn't reveal the depth and severity of the psychological schism between how one is performing and what one really wants - - most of the time.

Likewise, this issue is likely not so intense that you need to start seeing a cognitive behavioral specialist or a freudian therapist for the next 15 years... or even jet down to see a witch doctor in the jungles of the Amazon. That is NOT to say that these folks don't offer great services, because they very well might, but if you're looking for a potent fix that has the potential to last a lifetime - - and certainly to help you manifest your best score on test day, you should try some other modalities to get you into the best zone in the 2 - 5 months you've dedicated to study. Dealing with the symptoms instead of the reasons the symptoms exist is the best way to go, in our experience. We've seen people improve up to 230 points the weekend before the test, just by getting into the best test-taking zone. And you can too.

Since you and your situation are unique, it would be irresponsible for me to prescribe anything outright, except to say you should check out the following modalities that we use when we work with our clients. It's often a hybrid approach that gets the best results, to name a few:

hypnosis
guided visualization
neurolinguistic programming
EFT
EMDR
TAP
Sound Therapy
Biofeedback
Integrative life coaching
Reiki

Do you have access to anyone who works in these modalities? Bonus if they know/understand the GMAT...As far as I know we're the only company that employs these methods combined with GMAT study...


Best,

Bara Sapir
Bara Sapir, MA, CHt, CNLP
Founder/CEO City Test Prep
Maximize your Score, Minimize your Stress!
GMAT Badass and Test Anxiety Relief Expert
SPEEDREADING: https://citytestprep.com/mindflow-workshops/
ANXIETY RELIEF: https://citytestprep.com/mindfulness-therapy/
BOOK: https://tinyurl.com/TPNYSC
TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McA4aqCNS-c
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