2nd Attempt: GMAT 770 (Q50, V44)

[gmat700plus]

On my second take of the GMAT, I finally hit the range I was shooting for (and then some) with a score of 770 (Q50, V44). All this after a very disappointing 570 (Q36, V33) score on my first test:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/from-740-on- ... 32955.html

So what did I do differently to pull my score up 200 points? I wish I could say there was a magic bullet or an easy solution I used to bring my score up so much... but it really just boiled down to 'getting back to basics' on all the GMAT material and doing everything I could to ensure that I would have a 'good day' on test day.

I'll try to list out some of the details/differences below between my first exam and second exam.

[gmat700plus]

Round 1:

Kaplan CAT: 680
GMAT Prep 1: 700
GMAT Prep 2: 740
GMAT 1st attempt: 570 (Q36, V33)
(March 15th)

Round 2:

GMAT Prep 1: 770 (many repeats)
GMAT Prep 2: 730 (repeats)
GMAT Focus: 47-51
GMAT 2nd attempt: 770 (Q50, V44)
(April 23rd)

These are pretty much the only practice exams I took throughout my whole GMAT studying process. As you can see, aside from my 1st attempt at the GMAT, my scores have been fairly consistent and show that I have a pretty good grasp on the material. All this made my first score so baffling to me... how had I scored so low when I felt that I knew most of the material? That was the million dollar question for me.

When I first started studying for the GMAT I started out with the Kaplan Premier 2009 book. I felt it had a good comprehensive overview of all the test material and would help me get back up to speed on all the basic math/verbal material I had forgotten since college. I complemented that with the Official Guide (11th edition) for practice questions and set out to work my way through the whole book and get all the material down. I used the GMATPrep exams for practice and felt confident going into my first real exam.

Going into my first exam, I knew I had some weak points in my game. SC was my big weakness on the verbal side, and on the math side I felt a bit fuzzy on Data Sufficiency number property/inequalities. Still, I felt good overall and ready to score a 660-720.

I'm still not quite sure what went wrong during my first exam. A combination of a 'bad day', guess attempts that all went the wrong way, and getting hit with questions I wasn't great at all came together and dropped my score way down.

After this first take, I couldn't quite figure out what went wrong. The only thing I could focus on during my preparation for Round 2 was shoring up on all my weak points and trying to ensure a 'good day' the next time around. For that I would need new study material and a new game plan.

[gmat700plus]

For my 2nd attempt my new study plan was "Back to Basics". I knew how to attack any GMAT question thrown my way... but was I doing it the best way? For this I went out and purchased the Manhattan GMAT study guides. The ones that were most useful to me were the Number Properties, Word Problems and Sentence Correction guides. This was reflective of my weak areas and where I found myself learning little fundamental items that helped put all the big concepts together. These were areas where before I would just "brute force" my way through them, not really picking up on subtleties or tricks, and where I would spend a lot of time during exam time.

For my 2nd attempt I also revised my game plan a bit. During my first set of practice exams I would never do the AWAs, figuring they were a waste of time. What's important there though is that you want to practice spending the full ~4 hours in front of a screen, using your analytical abilities the whole time. I also didn't have a meal plan together, I simply ate before the exam and afterwards. I integrated energy bars into my practice test taking and used that same nutrition plan during my test. On my first exam I did feel myself getting mentally fatigued by the end of it, so for the second exam I definitely wanted to be be better prepared to ensure success.

As I said at the start, I didn't do anything revolutionary or find a magic bullet to solve all my problems. I made several little changes to my study plan and to my game plan, but it all came together on my second attempt. I had a deeper understanding of all the material, and knew of all the subtle tricks and pitfalls that existed in each area. This and my revised game plan gave me more control of my own destiny on test day, and helped me score in the area I knew I was capable of reaching. A 770 is actually much higher than I expected, but just like I must have had a 'bad day' on my first attempt, I guess I had a 'good day' on my second attempt.

[uniqzoe]

What an awesome improvement!!! Congratulations!!!!

[mkbigmoz]

The first half of your story is identical to mine. From my Kaplan CAT's I was ranging from 680 to 760. I got a 740 on the GMAT prep, then when I took the actual GMAT I got a 630. I was devastated. I felt good during the exam, not nervous at all, and when I accepted my score....up comes 630 and I was just shocked. Im taking it again, but my score really shook me.

[Conquer Gmat]

Same here.. I was also fairly consistent on my scores on Prep.. scoring in the range of 700.. but on my final GMAT i scored 610.. Devastated!!

Anyways this was in March and since then I had kinda stepped away from reappearing, but after reading your post I am rejuvenated. Just want to know if OG 12 should be followed or OG 11 good enough..

I am planning to take GMAT again in August (Due to job pressurse). Please suggest something..

Thank you..

Sushant

[dgr8onerip]

gr8

I SALUTE YOU!!

[roma]

Congratulations..htis score is too good too be believed. wow...u are an ispiration to those who are not able to score well in the first attempt .
Thanx for all the information abt preperation.

[ken3233]

Congratulations. I remember talking to you on this forum after you got a 570; I knew something was seriously wrong then. I'm glad you set the record straight.

[raunekk]

an amazing improvement ... i must say..

congrats!!!