Round-1, Knocked-440(Q-32,V-19)

[prasantnaidu]

I took my GMAT on 16th June,2009 and from that day i was pondering with this thought that shall i write and ask for your valuable thoughts and comments. In a way i was ashamed to share my score. Today i have gained some strength and I strongly beleive that since we all are chasing the same dream so we know the pain and the joy of this elegant beauty, GMAT.

I will make this short since i myself is not a big supporter of reading posts that don't talk about success.
One Big mistake i did that one should avoid.(Please inscribe anywhere but make sure you don't forget this)
* Please, Please, Please take full length GMAT tests with essays. I knew this well but I kept focusing on the the Quant, Verbal.What happens is that on d-day you write great essays, do some great problem solving. Your brain starts fumbling when some tough DS pops up and by the time when you are half way through Verbal beleive me you want to click and complete the test. I mean it's my experience so don't do this stupid mistake.

Back to the exam. I think nothing is closer that GMAT-prep. What ever score i have achieved is due to the wide variety of problems of GMAT-Prep.So it is the closest you can get.Overall i was not shocked by my score but yes Verbal was a heartbreak for me(V=19). Quant was okay(Q=32). I fumbled big time with DS. That's a weak area and there are some topics in PS where i need to nail my basics. Verbal was tough for me overall. Couple of CR were easy but some really confused me big time. RC had 4 comp. One of them just blew me off(related to some scientific stuff) and it was the last one when my energy levels were crippling(Shame Red Bull also failed). So verbal is something i need to work on without missing the quant.

If you guys have some valuable suggestion or comments please shoot them.One thing i am sure that it's not over yet and it will not be till i achieve my dream score. I am confident that i will be back in few months with a good debrief.

Keep Rocking,
Prasant.

[BlindVision]

Sorry to hear about your score but think of it on the bright side: you walked away with some lessons that will enable you to improve for the next time around.

Thanks for the reminder of practicing "full length GMAT" because sometimes we overlook the minor details that is important to the whole picture.

Good luck and hang in there! Nothing can stop a madman or someone that is passionate, why should it stop you?

[prasantnaidu]

Sorry to hear about your score but think of it on the bright side: you walked away with some lessons that will enable you to improve for the next time around.

Thanks for the reminder of practicing "full length GMAT" because sometimes we overlook the minor details that is important to the whole picture.

Good luck and hang in there! Nothing can stop a madman or someone that is passionate, why should it stop you?

@BlindVision
Thanks for your reply. well yes i am more comfortable with GMAT now. Full length GMAT are a must. Don't skip them.
I am taking a small break but my love rests on GMAT so will be back to impress her and make her all mine.

Take care and all the best,
Keep Rocking,
Prasant.

[rah_pandey]

Prashant,
I think failures provide us chance to reassess and re-attack. You are intelligent enough to do that. Just one question, did this performance came as a shocker to you. How much were you scoring in practice tests?

Regards,
Rahul

[prasantnaidu]

Prashant,
I think failures provide us chance to reassess and re-attack. You are intelligent enough to do that. Just one question, did this performance came as a shocker to you. How much were you scoring in practice tests?

Regards,
Rahul

Thanks Rahul. Yes you are right and it all depends on how we take are setbacks and failures.
The range of my GMAT-prep scores were from 380-520. Twice i got 520 and 510 but then those two tests had lot of knows problems. I was expecting to cross the 500 mark but then what i have now is the ground reality.Verbal part(19) gave me a small shock but it's quite evident now that it's my weakest link.
So my gray area is Verbal and i need to practice and practice a lot .

Keep Rocking,
Prasant.

[kungfupanda]

hi prasant, sorry to hear about the scores....but u've shown a nice attitude.
take the blow and move on to hit it harder
am sure u'll do good next time
best of luck,
vikas

[prasantnaidu]

hi prasant, sorry to hear about the scores....but u've shown a nice attitude.
take the blow and move on to hit it harder
am sure u'll do good next time
best of luck,
vikas

Thanks vikas, yes the ultimate goal is chasing ur dream rather than thinking of ur past.

All the best to u too,
Keep Rocking,
Prasant

[stacyp0220]

What kind of schools are you looking at? I got a 380 the first time I took the GMAT, and a 440 the second time and I was accepted at Northeastern (1 of 80 applicants). If prestige is important, I would say keep trying, but don't be afraid to settle if you think you have a strong enough application.

[Stacey Koprince]

Received a PM asking me to respond. I agree with what Stacyp said - do what you need to do for wherever you want to apply and don't worry about it beyond that!

You don't mention what you would like to score on the test, but you say you were thinking you could be above 500 - is that your goal? It's important to have a general goal in mind in order to devise a good study plan.

How did you study for your first attempt? Give us some detail on the materials you used and how you used them. As you already noted, it is critical to practice full-length practice tests. Also don't forget to take only the allowed 10-minute break between sections. Finally, it's best to take practice tests at the same time of day as you plan to take the real test.

How was your timing in each section? Did you generally move steadily through the test, giving appropriate time and attention to each question? (2m for quant, 1 to 1.5m for SC, 2m for CR, 2-4m to read a passage, 1m for general RC questions, 1.5 to 2m for specific RC questions) Or did you have to rush at times and possibly make random guesses? If you did have to rush and/or make random guesses, on how many questions would you say you did that? Did you do it on a lot of questions in a row or were the guesses scattered? Alternatively, did you move too quickly and finish with a lot of time (>3min) left over?

Are you struggling with content, technique, timing, or all of the above?

If content, what specifically is giving you the most trouble? (eg, in SC, modifiers and verbs) Include in this category the different types of questions for CR and RC (eg, find an assumption vs. weaken or inference vs. main idea).

On what types of questions or content areas are you struggling with technique or timing? (Technique is knowing how to identify / categorize a particular type of question and knowing what you're expected to do / answer as you move through the problem.)

Also tell us any other detail you have noticed about your own strengths and weaknesses and the kinds of errors that you tend to make repeatedly.

[prasantnaidu]

Thanks Stacey for your reply. Please find my answers to your questions.

You don't mention what you would like to score on the test, but you say you were thinking you could be above 500 - is that your goal? It's important to have a general goal in mind in order to devise a good study plan.

A score of 700 will make my application process stronger. I am saying this because my GPA is not at all good so a better score will always make my chances better. I am aware that it takes lot of hard work and dedicated practice but i am ready to do anything to get a score of 700 . I practiced for 3 months. My highest score in the mock test was 520 (Q=37, V-21). I took a practical approach and my goal was to surpass 500 score but I managed only 440. Verbal was terrible. The reason I gave the test was that I had postponed my test dates for a long time so I wanted to give and get a feel of the real stuff. I wanted to break that excitement.

How did you study for your first attempt? Give us some detail on the materials you used and how you used them. As you already noted, it is critical to practice full-length practice tests. Also don't forget to take only the allowed 10-minute break between sections. Finally, it's best to take practice tests at the same time of day as you plan to take the real test.

My study plan: I went to a coaching institute initially but it changed nothing. After that I started studying on my own and not to forget with the help of this website. I started with Princeton Review followed by the OG set, Kaplan and then I found the real stuff the Manhattan series. I think Manhattan really helps followed with OG sets. Initially my Quant was really rusty and Verbal always remained a troubled zone. Initially I started with basics and spent time on going through the answers but I am sure that I am yet to nail my basics properly. A month before the test I gave GMAT prep tests. It helped a lot to go through different sets of problems. I maintained a detailed sheet of my mistakes and topics I am covering. I prepared my own flash cards clubbed with the one that is provided by Eric. Yes I do agree that essays should be must during the practice tests with the breaks. Oh yes I got my AWA score-5.0

How was your timing in each section? Did you generally move steadily through the test, giving appropriate time and attention to each question? (2m for quant, 1 to 1.5m for SC, 2m for CR, 2-4m to read a passage, 1m for general RC questions, 1.5 to 2m for specific RC questions) Or did you have to rush at times and possibly make random guesses? If you did have to rush and/or make random guesses, on how many questions would you say you did that? Did you do it on a lot of questions in a row or were the guesses scattered? Alternatively, did you move too quickly and finish with a lot of time (>3min) left over?

Timing was fine as I had already read about the break downs in one of your earlier posts. I followed with a stop watch. Problems that I failed to cover in 2 min I use to do a POE and then guess. In the real test I completed my Quant a sec before. My first 2-3 questions were correct but after that I got couple wrong. I made a 5 to 6 guesses in the Quant section but it was scattered. The quant problems I faced were average. I completed my Verbal 3/4 minutes before. I started well with Verbal but half way through I was getting lazy and my brain was going in a sleep mode. I wanted to finish the test as I was not able to concentrate on the test properly. This happened when I was on 25/26 question when a scientific RC popped up. It broke my mind into pieces and even the Red Bull failed to increase my energy levels. After that simple CR problems were looking tough to crack. One of the core reasons of my poor show in the Verbal is avoiding the mock tests with essays. The real test required an energy for 4 hours but my body was prepared for only 3 hrs. 1 hour makes a helluva of difference.On the test day my energy got sucked up by essays, then Quant(2:15 mins) and when i started with Verbal my energy started to shrink in sizable quantities.

Are you struggling with content, technique, timing, or all of the above?

If content, what specifically is giving you the most trouble? (eg, in SC, modifiers and verbs) Include in this category the different types of questions for CR and RC (eg, find an assumption vs. weaken or inference vs. main idea).
On what types of questions or content areas are you struggling with technique or timing? (Technique is knowing how to identify / categorize a particular type of question and knowing what you're expected to do / answer as you move through the problem.)

Also tell us any other detail you have noticed about your own strengths and weaknesses and the kinds of errors that you tend to make repeatedly.

Now this is quite important to me since I know very well if I want to increase my score I need to figure out this well. I will start with Verbal. SC is the weakest link. Normally I am able to come up with the 2:3 ratios but I get lost in singular and plural verbs and pronouns. I think I am struggling with content here so need to read more on this area. RC is another black spot. I easily answer question such as the authors viewpoint etc but I get lost in those question that ask for the least viewpoint of author or out of the given answers which one do u think that the author will not agree. I am scared of scientific RC’s they make me struggle a lot. CR is one area where I think that I crack well. Anyway I think I need more practice there and timing becomes a issue here. I want to digest the CR bible to make it stronger.
Quant-DS makes me puzzle lot and I think it has to do more with the concept. I get confused with time and distance,triangles, percentage and probability. I am more comfortable with PS since if I know how to crack it I can do that. Content is a big time problem here. I get puzzled when I see a wordy problem and I press the panic button. I need to practice more on percentage, profit and loss, ratios. Technique is not a problem here as I normally look what is asked then try to solve. If that fails i look for answers and try to solve then, if not then I make a POE before I proceed to guess.

I have tried to answer your questions. Please do let me know if you need any more info. Happy to answer them.
Thank You,
Prasant.

[prasantnaidu]

What kind of schools are you looking at? I got a 380 the first time I took the GMAT, and a 440 the second time and I was accepted at Northeastern (1 of 80 applicants). If prestige is important, I would say keep trying, but don't be afraid to settle if you think you have a strong enough application.

Hi stacyp0220 thanks for the info.
Prestige is not the issue. I have a concrete reason why i want to do an MBA and to accomplish that goal I am targeting couple of schools. The schools where I wish to pursue my MBA have an average GMAT score of 680 to 700. My GPA's are pathetic so a better score will make my applications bit stronger. Rest i am aware that saying and actually securing 700 is not that easy but I am ready to do anything to secure it.

Thanks,
Prasant.

[Stacey Koprince]

Nice job on the AWA! As you noted, it does take a lot of energy to do those - that likely contributed to your stamina issue with the verbal. It sounds like you've already learned this lesson.

Obviously, you're far from your goal score right now. That doesn't mean you can't achieve your goal score, but it does mean that it's going to take some time and resources to get there. At this point, I think the biggest decision you need to make is whether you want to do this on your own or whether you want some outside help in the form of a class or tutor. There are benefits and drawbacks to all of the approaches, so you'll just have to decide which method is the right one for you.

I'll give you advice for an "on your own" plan (if you work with a tutor or take a class, they'll tell you what to do!). First, you need to identify specific resources that will give you
(a) quant and grammar skills
(b) skills and strategies for tackling the different question types
(c) very high quality practice questions
(d) very high quality practice tests

(a) and (b) will typically come from test prep companies. You've mentioned various resources that you have already; just make sure that what you have is comprehensive (covering everything that's on the GMAT)
For (c), the absolute best is OG.
For (d), the absolute best is GMATPrep, followed by whatever company's tests you think are the best

Carefully analyze your most recent non-GMATPrep practice test. Look at whatever statistics are given to you by the test's reports and determine your strengths and weaknesses (both accuracy AND timing) across the different question types, quant content areas, and grammar rules. Set up a study plan based upon that, starting with your weaker areas. Do some quant and some verbal every week (though on any given day, you may do only quant or verbal).

When studying, learn some discrete amount of material first (say, the rules and formulas associated with triangles). Try some non-GMAT practice problems to make sure you really understand the rules. Then try some GMAT (OG) problems to learn how to apply the rules to real problems. When doing OG problems, always time yourself and pick an answer within the given timeframe. (Then spend all the time you want trying the problem again, etc. But force yourself to learn how to pick an answer even when you don't really know what to do!)

Once or twice a week, review instead of trying to learn something new for that day's study session. When you review, do a mixes set of problems pulled from all of the areas you've studied so far (eg, geometry and number properties). (You also have to learn how to recognize / identify what type of problem you're doing.)

For verbal in particular, here are some reading sources for "GMAT-like" writing:
* https://magazine.uchicago.edu/ - particularly articles in the "Investigations" tab
* https://harvardmagazine.com/
* https://sciam.com/ (This can get a bit too casual for the GMAT, but it's probably worth including because it will give you practice with science passages.)

Reading in general will also help your grammar to some extent - just getting regular exposure to these kinds of constructions. It's also important to do some analysis of GMAT verbal questions in terms of how they write tempting wrong answers and non-tempting right answers (that is, how they get us to eliminate right answers). When studying any verbal question, make sure you can articulate:
- specifically why each wrong answer is wrong
- which wrong answer is the most tempting and why it's so tempting
- how to recognize that the tempting wrong answer is still wrong anyway so you can eliminate it
- why someone might be tempted to eliminate the right answer (or why you did eliminate it!)

That should get you started.

[prasantnaidu]

Nice job on the AWA! As you noted, it does take a lot of energy to do those - that likely contributed to your stamina issue with the verbal. It sounds like you've already learned this lesson.

Thanks and yes I learn when I fall

Obviously, you're far from your goal score right now. That doesn't mean you can't achieve your goal score, but it does mean that it's going to take some time and resources to get there. At this point, I think the biggest decision you need to make is whether you want to do this on your own or whether you want some outside help in the form of a class or tutor. There are benefits and drawbacks to all of the approaches, so you'll just have to decide which method is the right one for you.

Right now I want to start again on my own and I would evaluate my progress after 45 days. If I am happy with the progress then I might continue but if I am way behind then I might go for a personal tutor.

I'll give you advice for an "on your own" plan (if you work with a tutor or take a class, they'll tell you what to do!). First, you need to identify specific resources that will give you
(a) quant and grammar skills
(b) skills and strategies for tackling the different question types
(c) very high quality practice questions
(d) very high quality practice tests

(a) and (b) will typically come from test prep companies. You've mentioned various resources that you have already; just make sure that what you have is comprehensive (covering everything that's on the GMAT)
For (c), the absolute best is OG.
For (d), the absolute best is GMATPrep, followed by whatever company's tests you think are the best

Thanks a lot for the advice on my own plan. It will help me lot to put all pieces together.

Carefully analyze your most recent non-GMATPrep practice test. Look at whatever statistics are given to you by the test's reports and determine your strengths and weaknesses (both accuracy AND timing) across the different question types, quant content areas, and grammar rules. Set up a study plan based upon that, starting with your weaker areas. Do some quant and some verbal every week (though on any given day, you may do only quant or verbal).

When studying, learn some discrete amount of material first (say, the rules and formulas associated with triangles). Try some non-GMAT practice problems to make sure you really understand the rules. Then try some GMAT (OG) problems to learn how to apply the rules to real problems. When doing OG problems, always time yourself and pick an answer within the given timeframe. (Then spend all the time you want trying the problem again, etc. But force yourself to learn how to pick an answer even when you don't really know what to do!)

Once or twice a week, review instead of trying to learn something new for that day's study session. When you review, do a mixes set of problems pulled from all of the areas you've studied so far (eg, geometry and number properties). (You also have to learn how to recognize / identify what type of problem you're doing.)

Yes I need to look back after a week’s preparation and check what I have actually digested. I agree with you that this is very important and I need to do it more.

For verbal in particular, here are some reading sources for "GMAT-like" writing:
* https://magazine.uchicago.edu/ - particularly articles in the "Investigations" tab
* https://harvardmagazine.com/
* https://sciam.com/ (This can get a bit too casual for the GMAT, but it's probably worth including because it will give you practice with science passages.)

Reading in general will also help your grammar to some extent - just getting regular exposure to these kinds of constructions. It's also important to do some analysis of GMAT verbal questions in terms of how they write tempting wrong answers and non-tempting right answers (that is, how they get us to eliminate right answers). When studying any verbal question, make sure you can articulate:
- specifically why each wrong answer is wrong
- which wrong answer is the most tempting and why it's so tempting
- how to recognize that the tempting wrong answer is still wrong anyway so you can eliminate it
- why someone might be tempted to eliminate the right answer (or why you did eliminate it!)

Thanks for the links; I am going to read them. Thanks for you tips on the verbal side too. This is good for me to start. My weakest link is SC in Verbal so I might give a go from there. Thanks a lot Stacey for your time and advices to me.

Keep Rocking,
Prasant.