I completely bombed the gmat!!! 370...yikes!!

[husky422]

370 Total

16 Quant

23 Verbal

In all fairness, I had about 3 days to study. I did undergrad at a pretty competitive B-School so I thought I'd do okay...not so much. I knew I wouldn't get a high score but I was hoping around a 500.

After taking the test, I realized the test should be renamed, Data Sufficiency and Sentence Correction...lol.

I knew I was in trouble when the math was super easy but I still couldn't set up the problems, then I ran out of time and had to guess on the last 10 questions.

I should have listened to all the advice regarding cramming right before the test because by the time I took the test I was a complete zombie and couldn't retain zilch, especially during the reading comprehension. My test was at 12:15pm and I woke up at 5am to take a practice test from GMAT Prep.

I did study all day last Saturday...I have Kaplan study materials and feel like they weren't really all that helpful after seeing the actual test. I also have the OG book along with the verbal and quant workbooks, obviously I never had time to crack them...are they any better?

I am going to retake the test, any suggestions on study materials?

Nothing like a dose of humility with that kind of score....sheesh.

I'm sure I'll be posting A LOT more

Aloha

Tanya

[MBABound_2010]

I bombed it twice. First time the same thing, I thought I was cocky enough to take it (under 400); second time, got like 405. I'm taking it again but taking it after I take the Manhattan GMAT prep class. I think the format of the test is throwing me off plus I don't do well in test situations. Sometimes I didn't know what the question was asking. Gotta love Data Sufficiency questions!

What's your next step? I'll probably end up taking it 2 more times and glad there's others here in the same boat. Thought everyone was a GMAT rockstar the way everyone brags here!

[myohmy]

I'm sorry things didn't go better. Now you just have a chance to do better next time. Definitely don't do this -

I should have listened to all the advice regarding cramming right before the test because by the time I took the test I was a complete zombie and couldn't retain zilch, especially during the reading comprehension. My test was at 12:15pm and I woke up at 5am to take a practice test from GMAT Prep.

I'm impressed you stayed awake through the whole test after taking a practice test!

[4seasoncentre]

Yeah, the GMAT isn't very suited to cramming.

You can be very smart, but unless you know the rules of the game, you wouldn't be able to demonstrate what you know.

Its like being a good musician in one instrument and then expecting to be able to play another instrument off the cuff.

Eat your humble pie, rescheduled your GMAT, crack open a study guide, and I'm certain you'll do much better next time

[fierymustang]

I screwed up my shot... it was kill-me-now! after I saw the score.

I scored less, far less than my first mock test.
It was sooo humiliating and depressing.

Had to make a trip to get out of those blues.

Now I am back, taking the exam very seriously.

all the best and cya around

[bynddrvn]

I feel your pain! My first experience with the GMAT wasn't a fun one. I ended up canceling my first scores. This was one of the most painful things I have ever done, but it was the right thing to do. I completely bombed the math section, even though I remembered many of the formulas - most were in a very dusty part of my brain. The section of your brain where you have to ponder each question, and the GMAT does not allow for pondering

The verbal section was very easy, except for the SC section. I found the SC, very hard because the GMAT folks use a bizarre formulaic method to build their sentences. In many cases, the correct answer is something that my English profs would have asked me to re-write.

As for the math section, I was very surprised that I had any issues at all. I was in honors math classes through high school and I was the point person for anyone who was stuck with a formula at my job, in the economic valuation group for a big four firm. The only reason that I have been able to come up with, is that I was so used to solving problems in Excel that I couldn't jump back to pen and paper.

Regarding my prep for the test, I think the Kaplan questions lead me down the wrong path. Some questions were pretty far off from what is actually on the test. With 20/20 hindsight I think I should have only answered the questions in the Official Guide and used some prep course to figure out why I missed some questions. The OG's explainations suck. I am currently using the Manhattan GMAT guides and they have been working for me.

Good luck!

Christian

[ogbeni]

Husky sorry but your post provided much needed comic relief. I soooo know what you mean by approaching the GMAT with a cocky attitude.

The GMAT is a leveler. If you approach it with that "I was smart in undergrad with my 3.79/4.0 GPA", YOU ARE IN FOR A RUDE SHOCK. You have to pay attention to detail and if your fundamentals are shaky you will get beat up by the GMAT.

I, too, have been humbled. So I hang out here regularly learning the ropes of how to deliver a deathblow to the GMAT.

Recommendations:

1. PowerScore Critical Reasoning Bible for Critical Reasoning (this book is just seriously too awesome)
2. Manhattan GMAT for everything else (excellent products from MGMAT). They clearly identified a need (despite the dominance of other test prep companies, they have shown themselves to be first among equals with the quality of their material). There is definitely much to be learned from the success of MGMAT from a Product Development standpoint. I suspect that in the near future, they (MGMAT) will be the subject of a Harvard Business School Case Study. Who wants to bet?
3. Official Guides obviously

Welcome aboard - you are in for a wild ride!

[theGoodLife]

You're going to have take this test a whole lot more seriously, by a magnitude of 10.

i had the same mentality when I first started. I wanted to get a 650 in order to get into a pt program, my aunt said that she browsed through material in a month, took the test and received a 650. I thought, if i got a kaplan and the OG book, studied for 2 months I could get the same score, no worries. I SOON realized I am NOT my aunt. 9 months and $2000 dollars later in test prep, I'm there. Quite a humbling experience.