what should I do ?

[navmon04]

Hello everybody,
I have scheduled gmat on may 16 2009. I took the GMATPrep practice test and got 450. I am very disappointed because i was not expecting such a low score. I am confused now, should i reschedule for the exam or should i take it on may 16. I am terrible on verbal but above average on math. any suggestion please????????????????

[4seasoncentre]

I would still take the test.

Start with reviewing the basic rules

QUANT: exponents, algebra, geometry etc.
VERBAL: grammar, modifiers, parraellisms etc.

hopefully you have a study guide where you can go through each of the rules, and do some practise questions for each.

Then you can start practising general questions. I think everything is fairly wingable except for data sufficiency and sentence correction. Paper questions are ok, but hopefully you have computer-based practise questions from one of the vendors so that you can get use to answering questions on a screen.

In the final stretch you can start practising full CATS so you build up your endurance and set your pacing. You get 2 from mba.com and others are available privately.

AWA essays are wingable. Just read a few tips in terms of format, and skim a few sample essays. If you are a good writer you can wing them and still score a 6.

Giving yourself a tight time frame isn't the most risk-adverse strategy, but a 650 is definitely possible. Hopefully you aren't working right now. If you are, consider taking a few days off.

Best of Luck!

[Bara]

I guess I'm wondering when you scheduled your exam for the 16th (today, last week, etc.) and what study you did before getting the 450. Why did you think you'd score higher.

I'd keep the test date as long as you believe that in the time before it, that you really CAN get the score you need. Then get busy.

Get paper tests and do the GMAC tests. real questions trump 3-rd party questions.

[TedCornell]

Hello everybody,
I have scheduled gmat on may 16 2009. I took the GMATPrep practice test and got 450. I am very disappointed because i was not expecting such a low score. I am confused now, should i reschedule for the exam or should i take it on may 16. I am terrible on verbal but above average on math. any suggestion please????????????????

Well what's your target score? Between now and May 16th, there are fewer than 2 weeks left, so unless you require quick fixes, you're not likely to have enough time. Most thorough GMAT study programs take 2-4months, so 2 weeks is just not enough to study everything in depth.

The quickest improvement can be gained from Sentence Correction; especially if you're "terrible" on verbal. To improve quickly, start where you're weakest.

For my verbal prep I used ManhattanGMAT Sentence Correction guide, The Official Guide, and gmatfix verbal flashcards.

1) If you don't already have it, consider getting the ManhattanGMAT SC guide and go through its lessons.

2) Get the gmatfix verbal flashcards (you can evaluate some for free); these cards are broken down into SC subtopics, with each topic giving you loads of examples and pinpointed lessons on how the topic is tested on the GMAT

3) Once you can go through the flashcards for a particular topic without error, use the Manhattan guide to find the specific questions in the OG that test the topic you're studying. Practice those questions and study the explanations carefully.

You can see my full debrief at www.tinyurl.com/gmatpost where I point out what worked from what didn't work for me

Best of luck!

[navmon04]

Thanks for the quick responses.
Well, my target score is 650 and I took the GMATPrep test last weekend after reviewing little bit of Math OG 10th edition.
The reason i was so confident to get high score on practice test was Math. I am an engineer and I feel like I can do really really good on math.
I work full time and 12 days to go for actual test. I know that I won't be able to improve a lot on verbal but I think I can still improve a lot on math in 10 days after studying 3 hours per day on week days and 6 hours per day on weekend.
Anybody know if I can get into Northwestern University or University of Chicago as a part time MBA with 650 score? I have little more than 5 years experience in Engineering.

[Bara]

I will put it out there that we've seen clients improve up to 230 points the weekend before the GMAT.... however, they've been under very close scrutiny, and also their issues were not necessarily only a problem with content knowledge...but a tweaking of their strategy and attitude/emotional competency going into the test.