Beaten hard by GMAT.. BIG surprises in the Quant section.

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Hello All,

I have given the GMAT yesterday and wanted to share a very bad experience with you all. I am a working professional with 4+ year of experience. I was preparing for the GMAT since last 3-4 months and I was scoring in the practice tests just few days before the actual test as below:

MGMAT-1 580
MGMAT-2 550
MGMAT-3 590
MGMAT-4 580
GMAT PREP – I 580. (Because of the last tense moments I didn’t attempt the gmat prep 2 although I had solved it earlier)

In all the above tests I never scored less than 43 in Quant, although Verbal was always my weak point being a non-native speaker. I was scoring average around 27-29 in the verbal section of the practice tests.

As I was scoring an average of around 580 in the practice tests therefore, I was expecting at least +50/-50 Standard deviation as everybody in this forum says. When I started my actual GMAT test the 2 essays went quite well I finished both on time with proper review. BUT my problems started with Quant. First 2-3 questions were really horrible it took almost first 10 min to solve the first 3 questions in fact out of those 3, I couldn’t solve one of them. I was really surprised by the quant level of the actual GMAT it was very very tough than any of the tests or any of the material that I practiced upon. I was never short of time in the maths section but I was surprised that I could not attempt even all the questions in the maths the time-out happened when I was solving the Q-35 could not even marked the answer of that question. I scored 36 in the maths section. In the break between the Quant and verbal I lost the confidence altogether, as maths was always a source of strength before I start my verbal section and because of this I am not able to share with you the actual score…. I scored very badly in the GMAT (less than 450). I am absolutely shocked by the maths level of the exam and I am not in a position to think whether I can re-take the GMAT in future.

I would appreciate if anybody of you can tell me whether I can gain the lost confidence back and could actually score (If I re-take the exam) between the 680 and 700, the target that I set initially for myself.

Did anybody of you come across someone who has scored from around 450 to around 680-700 in his second attempt? Sincerely, I feel that I could have scored around 630 if the maths section in actual GMAT was at least up to the ok ok level….. Feeling very low at this time, really appreciate all your comments especially from the people who have actually given the GMAT.

I would like to thank moderators for this wonderful website!!!

Regards,
Source: — I just Beat The GMAT! |

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by DanaJ » Sat Aug 08, 2009 8:00 am
Anything is possible as long as you put your heart into it. I'm sure you can reach 700 if you really want to AND work hard. What you're trying to achieve is a more than 250-point increase, which is indeed substantial. I'm not going to lie to you: it will take a lot of effort and determination on your part! The best of luck!

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by sreak1089 » Sat Aug 08, 2009 10:16 am
Don't lose hope psidd01. Determination and perseverance will take you wherever you want to.

I took my GMAT today and got 570 (Q48, V21). I am going to take GMAT again in another 45 days. I will give it my best shot.

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by life is a test » Sat Aug 08, 2009 8:37 pm
dont be disheartened by the score psidd01 - quant or otherwise. The main thing to ask yourself is how badly do you want the score and how much value its going to add to you...once this is crystal clear in your own head then start to tackle why you may have got lower than you expected - perhaps you were more nervous than usual, perhaps you tried to cram in things the night before etc..

the main thing is that the score is not a reflection of your IQ or anything like than but simply about the level of preparedness and confidence on the exam.

Keep smiling.

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by psidd01 » Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:33 pm
Thanks a lot DanaJ and sreak1089 for the encouraging words!!!

"life is a test" Yes I do agree with you that I got tired at the last 45 min of exam and also because of the confidence lost in quant...I couldn't concentrate. I am still thinking whether I should re-appear or not. Don't you think guys it will be very tough to re-take? I will get some courage.... Thanks again for the words of encouragement....

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by costarica » Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:35 pm
psidd01 wrote:Thanks a lot DanaJ and sreak1089 for the encouraging words!!!

"life is a test" Yes I do agree with you that I got tired at the last 45 min of exam and also because of the confidence lost in quant...I couldn't concentrate. I am still thinking whether I should re-appear or not. Don't you think guys it will be very tough to re-take? I will get some courage.... Thanks again for the words of encouragement....
I scored 450 last Monday and I was bummed as well. Nonetheless, I am using this anger, embarrasement and humilliation as my motivation to DESTROY this test and get a 650+ to get into my school of choice. Life is all about perseverance, discipline and heart so don't be discouraged (advice from a fellow GMAT loser!).

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by cane99 » Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:57 pm
psidd01, I know it's difficult but try not to be too discouraged. The first time I took the GMAT, I got a 460 and I was so upset that I took six months off.

However, I realized that with dedication and perserverance anything is possible. My first practice exam (which was in July - almost 7 months after my 460 score) I got a 590.

I just took the GMAT again earlier today and scored a 560 -- not ideal, but 100 points better than my first. I'm studying to take the test again in another 6-8 weeks with the hope of raising my score another 100 points.

I've heard and read it's possible, so don't give up!
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again..."

...and in my case, again and again.

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by gmatwizard » Sun Sep 27, 2009 12:57 pm
I scored a 450 today too. Pretty bummed out.
My only excuse is I was ill during the exam, but I still should have scored better. I got off to a bad start in quant and never really got back into it. In verbal I had major timing issues. I got through about 3/4 of the questions and had to randomly tick the boxes in the last 10 questions.
I found that I got quite stressed during the exam and this really affected my ability to concentrate properly. I need to figure out how I can overcome this.
Realistically Im not sure how much better I can actually do in this exam, To get into the program at the bottom of my wish list I need a minimum of 550. I would love to get into Oxbridge or INSEAD with but I would need a 650+ score. My aim for now is mid 550's. Once I get there i will try and build for a higher score. On reflection, besides stress and timing, I'm still a bit flakey on the basics (despite telling myself Im not that bad :-) ) - particularly under pressure. I think anyone with strong basics, good exam technique and timing should be able to score 550 +

btw - has anyone used a tutor. If so have they helped at all?

Back to the drawing board I guess....